英语听书《白鲸记》第313期

 Shipmates, have ye shipped in that ship? 喂,船友,你们当上那只船的水手啦?

Queequeg and I had just left the Pequod, and were sauntering away from the water, for the moment each occupied with his own thoughts,  我跟魁魁格刚离开裴廓德号,从码头闲逛似地出来,各人都暂时在想各人的心事,

when the above words were put to us by a stranger, who, pausing before us, levelled his massive forefinger¹ at the vessel² in question.  这时候,突然有个陌生人,在我们面前停下来,对我们问了上面这句话,他那只大食指还指向上述那条船。

He was but shabbily apparelled in faded jacket and patched trowsers; a rag of a black handkerchief investing his neck.  他腌里腌地穿着一件退色的外套,一条缀着补钉的裤子;脖子上围着一条破布片似的黑手帕。

A confluent smallpox³ had in all directions flowed over his face, and left it like the complicated ribbed bed of a torrent⁴, when the rushing waters have been dried up. 天花打四面八方汇合拢来,布满了整个脸孔,弄得脸上象是奔腾的激流干涸后的河床,如今只剩下错综复杂的浪痕。

Have ye shipped in her? he repeated. 你们当上那只船的水手啦?他又说了一遍。

You mean the ship Pequod, I suppose, said I, trying to gain a little more time for an uninterrupted look at him. 我想,你说的是那只'裴廓德号,吧,我想多赢得一些时间来对他连续不断地看一下,于是说。

Aye, the Pequod-that ship there, he said, drawing back his whole arm and then rapidly shoving it straight out from him,  是呀,裴廓德号。就是那条船,他说,把整只胳膊缩回来后,又迅疾而笔直地伸出去,

with the fixed⁵ bayonet of his pointed⁶ finger darted⁷ full at the object. 用他那象装在枪上的刺刀似的尖尖的手指,直指向那目标。

Yes, said I, we have just signed the articles. 不错,我说,我们刚签好了约。

Anything down there about your souls? 可把你们的灵魂也给签上去吗?

About what? 把什么?

Oh, perhaps you hav'n't got any, he said quickly. No matter though, I know many chaps that hav'n't got any, 啊,也许你们是没有什么灵魂的,他急急地说。那不要紧,我知道有许多人就是没有什么灵魂的。

good luck to 'em; and they are all the better off for it. A soul's a sort of a fifth wheel to a wagon⁸. 祝他们一帆风顺;他们也因而过得更好。灵魂就是一辆马车的第五个轮盘呀。

What are you jabbering⁹ about, shipmate? said I. 你在扯些什么呀,船友?我说。

1 forefinger   

n.食指

参考例句：

• He pinched the leaf between his thumb and forefinger.他将叶子捏在拇指和食指之间。
• He held it between the tips of his thumb and forefinger.他用他大拇指和食指尖拿着它。

2 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

3 smallpox   

n.天花

参考例句：

• In 1742 he suffered a fatal attack of smallpox.1742年，他染上了致命的天花。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child?你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

4 torrent   

n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发

参考例句：

• The torrent scoured a channel down the hillside. 急流沿着山坡冲出了一条沟。
• Her pent-up anger was released in a torrent of words.她压抑的愤怒以滔滔不绝的话爆发了出来。

5 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

6 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

7 darted   

v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔

参考例句：

• The lizard darted out its tongue at the insect. 蜥蜴伸出舌头去吃小昆虫。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The old man was displeased and darted an angry look at me. 老人不高兴了，瞪了我一眼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 wagon   

n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车

参考例句：

• We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
• The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。

9 jabbering   

v.急切而含混不清地说( jabber的现在分词 )；急促兴奋地说话；结结巴巴

参考例句：

• What is he jabbering about now? 他在叽里咕噜地说什么呢？
• He was jabbering away in Russian. 他叽里咕噜地说着俄语。 来自《简明英汉词典》