英语听书《白鲸记》第337期

 Until the whale fishery rounded Cape¹ Horn, no commerce but colonial, scarcely any intercourse² but colonial,  在合恩角的捕鲸业发达之前,欧洲与丰饶连绵的西班牙各地间在太平洋沿线的交往,

was carried on between Europe and the long line of the opulent Spanish provinces on the Pacific coast.  还不是什么商业行为而只是殖民事业,除了殖民事业,可说没有什么其它的交往。

It was the whalemen who first broke through the jealous policy of the Spanish crown, touching³ those colonies;  首先打破了西班牙王朝的妒忌政策,接触这些殖民地的就正是捕鲸者;

and, if space permitted, it might be distinctly shown how from those whalemen at last eventuated the liberation of Peru, Chili⁴,  如果不是篇幅所限,我还可以明白地举出怎样通过这些捕鲸者,才终于把秘鲁。

and Bolivia from the yoke⁵ of Old Spain, and the establishment of the eternal democracy in those parts. 智利和玻利维亚从旧西班牙的羁轭下解放了出来,并在这些国家里建立了永远的民主政体种种事实。

That great America on the other side of the sphere, Australia, was given to the enlightened world by the whaleman.  澳大利亚,等于是在地球的另一边的美洲,它是由捕鲸人给带到文明世界来的。

After its first blunder-born discovery by a Dutchman, all other ships, long shunned⁶ those shores as pestiferously barbarous; but the whale-ship touched there.  在一个荷兰人初次出于错误而发现了澳洲后,所有其它船只都把那些海岸当作有传染病的蛮荒之地而长久对之远避;可是,捕鲸船却开到那里去了。

The whale-ship is the true mother of that now mighty⁷ colony. Moreover, in the infancy⁸ of the first Australian settlement,  捕鲸船才是现在那大块殖民地的真正的母亲。而且,在澳洲殖民地的摇篮时代,

the emigrants⁹ were several times saved from starvation by the benevolent¹⁰ biscuit of the whale-ship luckily dropping an anchor in their waters.  那些移民者数度由于幸遇捕鲸船停泊在他们的海面上,施舍给他们硬面包,才得免于饥馑。

The uncounted isles¹¹ of all Polynesia confess the same truth, and do commercial homage¹² to the whale-ship,  玻利尼西亚的无数岛屿都承认这一事实,并向捕鲸船致以商业上的敬意;

that cleared the way for the missionary¹³ and the merchant, and in many cases carried the primitive¹⁴ missionaries¹⁵ to their first destinations.  它们为牧师和商人开了路,还有把原始的传教事业带到他们初到的地方去的事例。

If that double-bolted land, Japan, is ever to become hospitable¹⁶, it is the whale-ship alone to whom the credit will be due; for already she is on the threshold. 如果那个闭关自守的日本会成为一个好客的地方,那完全得归功于捕鲸船;因为捕鲸船已经驶到它的大门口了。

But if, in the face of all this, you still declare that whaling has no aesthetically¹⁷ noble associations connected with it,  在所有这些事实面前,如果你还是认为捕鲸业在审美观念上说来,跟这些事情毫无什么了不起的联系,

then am I ready to shiver fifty lances with you there, and unhorse you with a split helmet every time. 那么,我就要跟你决斗个五十回合,每回都把你打得人仰马翻。丢盔弃甲。

1 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

2 intercourse   

n.性交；交流，交往，交际

参考例句：

• The magazine becomes a cultural medium of intercourse between the two peoples.该杂志成为两民族间文化交流的媒介。
• There was close intercourse between them.他们过往很密。

3 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

4 chili   

n.辣椒

参考例句：

• He helped himself to another two small spoonfuls of chili oil.他自己下手又加了两小勺辣椒油。
• It has chocolate,chili,and other spices.有巧克力粉，辣椒，和其他的调味品。

5 yoke   

n.轭；支配；v.给...上轭，连接，使成配偶

参考例句：

• An ass and an ox,fastened to the same yoke,were drawing a wagon.驴子和公牛一起套在轭上拉车。
• The defeated army passed under the yoke.败军在轭门下通过。

6 shunned   

v.避开，回避，避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was shunned by her family when she remarried. 她再婚后家里人都躲着她。
• He was a shy man who shunned all publicity. 他是个怕羞的人，总是避开一切引人注目的活动。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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。

8 infancy   

n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期

参考例句：

• He came to England in his infancy.他幼年时期来到英国。
• Their research is only in its infancy.他们的研究处于初级阶段。

9 emigrants   

n.（从本国移往他国的）移民( emigrant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At last the emigrants got to their new home. 移民们终于到达了他们的新家。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• 'Truly, a decree for selling the property of emigrants.' “有那么回事，是出售外逃人员财产的法令。” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

10 benevolent   

adj.仁慈的，乐善好施的

参考例句：

• His benevolent nature prevented him from refusing any beggar who accosted him.他乐善好施的本性使他不会拒绝走上前向他行乞的任何一个乞丐。
• He was a benevolent old man and he wouldn't hurt a fly.他是一个仁慈的老人，连只苍蝇都不愿伤害。

11 isles   

岛( isle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the geology of the British Isles 不列颠群岛的地质
• The boat left for the isles. 小船驶向那些小岛。

12 homage   

n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬

参考例句：

• We pay homage to the genius of Shakespeare.我们对莎士比亚的天才表示敬仰。
• The soldiers swore to pay their homage to the Queen.士兵们宣誓效忠于女王陛下。

13 missionary   

adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士

参考例句：

• She taught in a missionary school for a couple of years.她在一所教会学校教了两年书。
• I hope every member understands the value of missionary work. 我希望教友都了解传教工作的价值。

14 primitive   

adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物

参考例句：

• It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。
• His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。

15 missionaries   

n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some missionaries came from England in the Qing Dynasty. 清朝时，从英国来了一些传教士。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The missionaries rebuked the natives for worshipping images. 传教士指责当地人崇拜偶像。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

16 hospitable   

adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的

参考例句：

• The man is very hospitable.He keeps open house for his friends and fellow-workers.那人十分好客，无论是他的朋友还是同事，他都盛情接待。
• The locals are hospitable and welcoming.当地人热情好客。

17 aesthetically   

adv.美地，艺术地

参考例句：

• Segmental construction contributes toward aesthetically pleasing structures in many different sites. 对于许多不同的现场条件，分段施工都能提供美观，颇有魄力的桥型结构。
• All isolation techniques may be aesthetically unacceptable or even dirty. 所有的隔离方法都有可能在美观方面使人难以接受，或甚至是肮脏的。