英语听书《白鲸记》第229期

 In this same New Bedford there stands a Whaleman's Chapel¹, and few are the moody² fishermen, shortly bound for the Indian Ocean or Pacific,  在这个新贝德福地方,有一个捕鲸者的小教堂.就要出发到印度洋或者太平洋去的郁郁不乐的捕鱼人,

who fail to make a Sunday visit to the spot. I am sure that I did not. 礼拜天不上那儿去的,可说为数寥寥。我当然也要上那地方去一趟。

Returning from my first morning stroll, I again sallied out upon this special errand. The sky had changed from clear, sunny cold, to driving sleet³ and mist.  我在早晨第一次散步回来后,又特地为这事情赶到那里去。天际已经由晴冷又有阳光而变成飘着迷蒙蒙的雪雨了。

Wrapping myself in my shaggy jacket of the cloth called bearskin, I fought my way against the stubborn storm.  我裹上那件用叫做熊皮的料子做成的毛茸茸的外套,冒着顶头的大风雨进发。

Entering, I found a small scattered⁴ congregation of sailors, and sailors' wives and widows.  我走进教堂,但见疏疏落落的一小群水手。水手的妻子们和寡妇们。

A muffled⁵ silence reigned⁶, only broken at times by the shrieks⁷ of the storm.  除了不时传来的狂风暴雨的呼啸,里面弥漫着一片压抑着似的静寂。

Each silent worshipper seemed purposely sitting apart from the other, as if each silent grief were insular⁸ and incommunicable.  每个无言的做礼拜者都似乎是故意远离别人而坐着,仿佛各人的无言的忧伤都是孤立的,无可相通的。

The chaplain had not yet arrived; and there these silent islands of men and women sat steadfastly⁹ eyeing several marble tablets,  牧师还没有来;这些静寂的岛屿似的男男女女都坐在那里,睁着眼睛,

with black borders, masoned into the wall on either side the pulpit.  望着几块镶有黑边。嵌在讲坛两侧的墙上的大理石碑。

Three of them ran something like the following, but I do not pretend to quote: 我不自以为抄引得一字不差,其中有三块写有如下的字样:

SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF JOHN TALBOT, Who, at the age of eighteen, was lost overboard Near the Isle¹⁰ of Desolation, off Patagonia, November 1st, 1836.  约翰.塔尔伯特纪念碑 约翰.塔尔伯特,于一八三六年十一月一日,在寂寥岛附近的巴塔哥尼亚海面,失足落海身亡,终年一十八岁。

THIS TABLET Is erected¹¹ to his Memory BY HIS SISTER. 他的姊姊特立此碑以为纪念。

SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF ROBERT LONG, WILLIS ELLERY, NATHAN COLEMAN, WALTER CANNY¹², SETH MACY, AND SAMUEL GLEIG,  罗伯特.朗,威利斯.埃勒里 内森.科尔曼,沃尔特.坎尼 塞思.梅西,塞缪尔.格莱格纪念碑。 

Forming one of the boats' crews OF THE SHIP ELIZA Who were towed out of sight by a Whale,  上述诸人均为"伊莱扎号"船员,

On the Off-shore Ground in the PACIFIC, December 31st, 1839. THIS MARBLE Is here placed by their surviving SHIPMATES. 于一八三九年十二月三十一日在太平洋海面的渔场上被一巨鲸曳去失踪。

1 chapel   

n.小教堂，殡仪馆

参考例句：

• The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
• She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午，她在小教堂的演出，可以说是登峰造极。

2 moody   

adj.心情不稳的，易怒的，喜怒无常的

参考例句：

• He relapsed into a moody silence.他又重新陷于忧郁的沉默中。
• I'd never marry that girl.She's so moody.我决不会和那女孩结婚的。她太易怒了。

3 sleet   

n.雨雪；v.下雨雪，下冰雹

参考例句：

• There was a great deal of sleet last night.昨夜雨夹雪下得真大。
• When winter comes,we get sleet and frost.冬天来到时我们这儿会有雨夹雪和霜冻。

4 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

5 muffled   

adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己）

参考例句：

• muffled voices from the next room 从隔壁房间里传来的沉闷声音
• There was a muffled explosion somewhere on their right. 在他们的右面什么地方有一声沉闷的爆炸声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 reigned   

vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式）

参考例句：

• Silence reigned in the hall. 全场肃静。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Night was deep and dead silence reigned everywhere. 夜深人静，一片死寂。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 shrieks   

n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• shrieks of fiendish laughter 恶魔般的尖笑声
• For years, from newspapers, broadcasts, the stages and at meetings, we had heard nothing but grandiloquent rhetoric delivered with shouts and shrieks that deafened the ears. 多少年来， 报纸上， 广播里， 舞台上， 会场上的声嘶力竭，装腔做态的高调搞得我们震耳欲聋。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 insular   

adj.岛屿的，心胸狭窄的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• Having lived in one place all his life,his views are insular.他一辈子住在一个地方，所以思想狭隘。

9 steadfastly   

adv.踏实地，不变地；岿然；坚定不渝

参考例句：

• So he sat, with a steadfastly vacant gaze, pausing in his work. 他就像这样坐着，停止了工作，直勾勾地瞪着眼。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
• Defarge and his wife looked steadfastly at one another. 德伐日和他的妻子彼此凝视了一会儿。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

10 isle   

n.小岛，岛

参考例句：

• He is from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.他来自爱尔兰海的马恩岛。
• The boat left for the paradise isle of Bali.小船驶向天堂一般的巴厘岛。

11 ERECTED   

adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立

参考例句：

• A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
• A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。

12 canny   

adj.谨慎的，节俭的

参考例句：

• He was far too canny to risk giving himself away.他非常谨慎，不会冒险暴露自己。
• But I'm trying to be a little canny about it.但是我想对此谨慎一些。