英语听书《白鲸记》第339期

 The whale never figured in any grand imposing¹ way?  大鲸本身从来就没有被当做什么大了不起的么?

In one of the mighty² triumphs given to a Roman general upon his entering the world's capital, the bones of a whale, brought all the way from the Syrian coast, were the most conspicuous³ object in the cymballed procession. 在为一个罗马将军进入这个世界的古都所举行的壮丽的凯旋式上,那根从叙利亚沿海路远迢迢运来的鲸骨,正是那铙钹齐鸣的行列中最引人注目的东西。

See subsequent chapters for something more on this head. 你既然这样旁征博引,那就算它是这样吧;

Grant it, since you cite it; but say what you will, there is no real dignity in whaling. 不过,随你怎样说,捕鲸业可真没有什么威风。

No dignity in whaling? The dignity of our calling the very heavens attest⁴. Cetus is a constellation⁵ in the South! No more!  捕鲸业没有什么威风么?我们这个职业的威风是只有上天才能加以证实。鲸座就是南方的一个星座!再也不能多了!

Drive down your hat in presence of the Czar, and take it off to Queequeg! No more! I know a man that, in his lifetime has taken three hundred and fifty whales.  如果你在沙皇面前得拉掉帽子,那么,你也对魁魁格脱下帽子吧!再也不能多了!我知道一个人,他一生捕到了三百五十条大鲸。

I account that man more honorable than that great captain of antiquity⁶ who boasted of taking as many walled towns. 我认为那个人远比那些大吹其夺取了同样数目的城邑的古代大酋长还更光荣。

And, as for me, if, by any possibility, there be any as yet undiscovered prime thing in me;  至于说到我,如果万一在我身上还有一些尚未发现的最好的东西;

if I shall ever deserve any real repute in that small but high hushed world which I might not be unreasonably⁷ ambitious of;  如果我在这个小小而非常静寂的世界上,尚配享受一点我所不想渴求的真实的声誉;

if hereafter I shall do anything that, upon the whole, a man might rather have done than to have left undone⁸;  如果一般说来,从此我还能做些别人所愿意做的一点事情;

if, at my death, my executors, or more properly my creditors⁹, find any precious MSS. in my desk, then here I prospectively¹⁰ ascribe all the honor and the glory to whaling;  如果在我死后,我所指定的遗嘱执行人,或者不如更正确地说,我的债权人,在我的写字台里,能够找到任何珍贵的手稿,那么,我得在这里预先把一切荣耀都归之于捕鲸业:

for a whale-ship was my Yale College and my Harvard. 因为一艘捕鲸船就是我的耶鲁大学和哈佛大学。

1 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

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 conspicuous   

adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的

参考例句：

• It is conspicuous that smoking is harmful to health.很明显，抽烟对健康有害。
• Its colouring makes it highly conspicuous.它的色彩使它非常惹人注目。

4 attest   

vt.证明，证实；表明

参考例句：

• I can attest to the absolute truth of his statement. 我可以证实他的话是千真万确的。
• These ruins sufficiently attest the former grandeur of the place. 这些遗迹充分证明此处昔日的宏伟。

5 constellation   

n.星座n.灿烂的一群

参考例句：

• A constellation is a pattern of stars as seen from the earth. 一个星座只是从地球上看到的某些恒星的一种样子。
• The Big Dipper is not by itself a constellation. 北斗七星本身不是一个星座。

6 antiquity   

n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹

参考例句：

• The museum contains the remains of Chinese antiquity.博物馆藏有中国古代的遗物。
• There are many legends about the heroes of antiquity.有许多关于古代英雄的传说。

7 unreasonably   

adv. 不合理地

参考例句：

• He was also petty, unreasonably querulous, and mean. 他还是个气量狭窄，无事生非，平庸刻薄的人。
• Food in that restaurant is unreasonably priced. 那家饭店价格不公道。

8 undone   

a.未做完的，未完成的

参考例句：

• He left nothing undone that needed attention.所有需要注意的事他都注意到了。

9 creditors   

n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 prospectively   

adv.预期； 前瞻性； 潜在； 可能

参考例句：

• Methods: Twenty-four cases with JAS were prospectively analyzed and followed up. 方法对24例JAS进行前瞻性分析及随访研究。 来自互联网
• Our study appears to be the only one a prospectively randomized investigation of 2 different surgeries. 我们的研究似乎是仅有的一个对2种术式前瞻性随机性研究。 来自互联网