英语听书《白鲸记》第336期

 But this is not the half; look again. 但是,这还说不到一半;请再看一看。

I freely assert, that the cosmopolite philosopher cannot, for his life, point out one single peaceful influence,  我可以直率的断言,具有世界权威的哲学家,无论如何也不能指出在过去六十年来,

which within the last sixty years has operated more potentially upon the whole broad world, taken in one aggregate¹, than the high and mighty² business of whaling.  有一种比声势浩大的捕鲸业更能影响整个世界的稳健的势力。

One way and another, it has begotten³ events so remarkable⁴ in themselves, and so continuously momentous⁵ in their sequential issues, that whaling may well be regarded as that Egyptian mother, who bore offspring themselves pregnant from her womb.  总之,捕鲸业本身已经产生出了许多意义非常重大的事件,而且在它连续的发展中又不断有重大事件出现,使得捕鲸业足以被认为是能够自己怀孕传宗接代的埃及人的母亲。

It would be a hopeless, endless task to catalogue all these things.  要把这种种事情一一罗列出来,那真是一件做不完做不尽的工作。

Let a handful suffice. For many years past the whale-ship has been the pioneer in ferreting out the remotest and least known parts of the earth.  只要提出几桩来也就够了。过去许多年来,捕鲸船已经成为探出地球上最荒僻。

She has explored seas and archipelagoes which had no chart, where no Cooke or Vancouver had ever sailed.  最不为人所知的地区的先锋队了。它探查出了许多地图上所找不到的。

If American and European men-of-war now peacefully ride in once savage⁶ harbors, let them fire salutes⁷ to the honor and glory of the whale-ship, which originally showed them the way, and first interpreted between them and the savages⁸.  库克和范库弗的船只从来没有到过的海洋和群岛。如果现在欧美的兵舰能够平平安安地驶到那些曾经是蛮荒的港埠,请他们先对那些原来为他们开路的。

They may celebrate as they will the heroes of Exploring Expeditions, your Cookes, Your Krusensterns;  首先在他们与野人间充当翻译的捕鲸船只鸣炮致敬吧。他们尽可以把你们那些库克,那些克鲁生斯丹恩俄国第一个环游世界的海军大将。

but I say that scores of anonymous⁹ Captains have sailed out of Nantucket, that were as great, and greater, than your Cooke and your Krusenstern.  但是,我却认为无数从南塔开特来的佚名的船长们,才是伟大的,而且是比你们的库克和克鲁生斯丹恩更要伟大的英雄。

For in their succorless empty-handedness, they, in the heathenish sharked waters, and by the beaches of unrecorded, javelin¹⁰ islands, battled with virgin¹¹ wonders and terrors that Cooke with all his marines and muskets¹² would not willingly have willingly dared.  因为,他们曾经赤手空拳。孤立无援地在蛮荒的噬人的海洋中,在地图上所找不到的。满布荆棘的岛屿的河滩边,跟那些为库克和他所有的船舶以及滑膛枪所决不敢面对的原始奇迹与恐怖苦斗过。

All that is made such a flourish of in the old South Sea Voyages, those things were but the life-time commonplaces of our heroic Nantucketers.  凡是在古代的南海航行中显得非常了不起的事情,在我们这些英勇的南塔开特人看来,都完全是平淡无奇的事情。

Often, adventures which Vancouver dedicates three chapters to, these men accounted unworthy of being set down in the ship's common log. Ah, the world! Oh, the world! 范库弗大书特书的一些冒险事情,往往是南塔开特人认为不配登入船只的普通航海日志上的事情。人生啊!人生啊!

1 aggregate   

adj.总计的，集合的；n.总数；v.合计；集合

参考例句：

• The football team had a low goal aggregate last season.这支足球队上个赛季的进球总数很少。
• The money collected will aggregate a thousand dollars.进帐总额将达一千美元。

2 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

3 begotten   

v.为…之生父( beget的过去分词 )；产生，引起

参考例句：

• The fact that he had begotten a child made him vain. 想起自己也生过孩子，他得意了。 来自辞典例句
• In due course she bore the son begotten on her by Thyestes. 过了一定的时候，她生下了堤厄斯式斯使她怀上的儿子。 来自辞典例句

4 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

5 momentous   

adj.重要的，重大的

参考例句：

• I am deeply honoured to be invited to this momentous occasion.能应邀出席如此重要的场合，我深感荣幸。
• The momentous news was that war had begun.重大的新闻是战争已经开始。

6 savage   

adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人

参考例句：

• The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
• He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。

7 salutes   

n.致敬，欢迎，敬礼( salute的名词复数 )v.欢迎，致敬( salute的第三人称单数 )；赞扬，赞颂

参考例句：

• Poulengey salutes, and stands at the door awaiting orders. 波仑日行礼，站在门口听侯命令。 来自辞典例句
• A giant of the world salutes you. 一位世界的伟人向你敬礼呢。 来自辞典例句

8 savages   

未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There're some savages living in the forest. 森林里居住着一些野人。
• That's an island inhabited by savages. 那是一个野蛮人居住的岛屿。

9 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

10 javelin   

n.标枪，投枪

参考例句：

• She achieved a throw of sixty metres in the javelin event.在掷标枪项目中，她掷了60米远。
• The coach taught us how to launch a javelin.教练教我们投标枪。

11 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

12 muskets   

n.火枪，（尤指）滑膛枪( musket的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The watch below, all hands to load muskets. 另一组人都来帮着给枪装火药。 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
• Deep ditch, single drawbridge, massive stone walls, eight at towers, cannon, muskets, fire and smoke. 深深的壕堑，单吊桥，厚重的石壁，八座巨大的塔楼。大炮、毛瑟枪、火焰与烟雾。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记