英语听书《白鲸记》第347期

 Stubb was the second mate. He was a native of Cape¹ Cod²; and hence, according to local usage, was called a Cape-Cod-man.  斯塔布是二副。他是科德角人;因此,按照当地的习惯,人家都管他叫科德角佬。

A happy-go-lucky; neither craven nor valiant³; taking perils⁴ as they came with an indifferent air;  这个无忧无虑的人,既不畏葸,也不骁勇;面临危急,绝不改色;

and while engaged in the most imminent⁵ crisis of the chase, toiling⁶ away, calm and collected as a journeyman joiner engaged for the year.  他在从事最危急的追击时,总是镇定自若地干下去,象个长年辛劳的小木匠一样。

Good-humored, easy, and careless, he presided over his whaleboat as if the most deadly encounter were but a dinner, and his crew all invited guests.  他心情愉快,洒洒落落,随遇而安,驾驭起他的捕鲸小艇来,仿佛把最可怕的遭遇战看成是吃顿晚餐,他的水手全是应邀而来的宾客。

He was as particular about the comfortable arrangements of his part of the boat, as an old stage-driver is about the snugness⁷ of his box.  他很讲究于把他的小艇布置得舒舒适适,犹如一个老车夫很讲究于把他的车座弄得舒舒服服一样。

When close to the whale, in the very death-lock of the fight, he handled his unpitying lance coolly and off-handedly, as a whistling tinker his hammer.  每当迫近大鲸,进行生死关头的决斗时,他毫不在意地。随随便便地拿起他那支无情的鱼枪,赛似一个嘴里一边吹着唿哨,一边举起锤子的修补匠。

He would hum over his old rigadig tunes⁸ while flank and flank with the most exasperated⁹ monster.  到了跟那只愤怒已极的巨兽并拢的时候,他还会哼起他那流行的老调。

Long usage had, for this Stubb, converted the jaws¹⁰ of death into an easy chair.  这个斯塔布,已经是积久成习地把鬼门关看做一只安乐椅了。

What he thought of death itself, there is no telling.  他对于死亡这回事究竟是怎么个看法,那可不好讲。

Whether he ever thought of it at all, might be a question;  他是否想到过这回事,也许还是个问题;

but, if he ever did chance to cast his mind that way after a comfortable dinner, no doubt, like a good sailor, he took it to be a sort of call of the watch to tumble aloft,  但是,如果他吃过一顿舒服的晚餐后,心里会偶然闪上这个问题的话,那无疑地,他准会象一个好水手那样,把它看成是一种叫人连忙爬上桅顶的事情,一声遵命,

and bestir themselves there, about something which he would find out when he obeyed the order, and not sooner. 他就赶紧找人上去,去找他所能发现的东西了。

What, perhaps, with other things, made Stubb such an easy-going, unfearing man, so cheerily trudging¹¹ off with the burden of life in a world full of grave peddlers, all bowed to the ground with their packs;  斯塔布为什么会这样事事处之泰然,无所畏惧,在一个到处尽是死亡关头的世间,大家都让包袱压得趴在地上,他却能这样逍遥自在地挑起生的重担走去;

what helped to bring about that almost impious good-humor of his; that thing must have been his pipe.  究竟是什么东西使他会有这种简直是大不韪的高高兴兴的态度;那东西一定就是他的烟斗。

For, like his nose, his short, black little pipe was one of the regular features of his face.  因为,他那根短小的黑烟斗就象他的鼻子一样,是他脸上的固定特征之一。

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 cod   

n.鳕鱼；v.愚弄；哄骗

参考例句：

• They salt down cod for winter use.他们腌鳕鱼留着冬天吃。
• Cod are found in the North Atlantic and the North Sea.北大西洋和北海有鳕鱼。

3 valiant   

adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人

参考例句：

• He had the fame of being very valiant.他的勇敢是出名的。
• Despite valiant efforts by the finance minister,inflation rose to 36%.尽管财政部部长采取了一系列果决措施，通货膨胀率还是涨到了36%。

4 perils   

极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境）

参考例句：

• The commander bade his men be undaunted in the face of perils. 指挥员命令他的战士要临危不惧。
• With how many more perils and disasters would he load himself? 他还要再冒多少风险和遭受多少灾难？

5 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

6 toiling   

长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的现在分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉

参考例句：

• The fiery orator contrasted the idle rich with the toiling working classes. 这位激昂的演说家把无所事事的富人同终日辛劳的工人阶级进行了对比。
• She felt like a beetle toiling in the dust. She was filled with repulsion. 她觉得自己像只甲虫在地里挣扎，心中涌满愤恨。

7 snugness   

参考例句：

• The transition from the terminal's warm snugness to the harshness of the night outside was startling. 从温暖舒适的机场大楼进入室外的风雪之夜，真是触目惊心的转变。 来自辞典例句

8 tunes   

n.曲调，曲子( tune的名词复数 )v.调音( tune的第三人称单数 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• a potpourri of tunes 乐曲集锦
• When things get a bit too much, she simply tunes out temporarily. 碰到事情太棘手时，她干脆暂时撒手不管。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 exasperated   

adj.恼怒的

参考例句：

• We were exasperated at his ill behaviour. 我们对他的恶劣行为感到非常恼怒。
• Constant interruption of his work exasperated him. 对他工作不断的干扰使他恼怒。

10 jaws   

n.口部；嘴

参考例句：

• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。
• The scored jaws of a vise help it bite the work. 台钳上有刻痕的虎钳牙帮助它紧咬住工件。

11 trudging   

vt.& vi.跋涉，吃力地走（trudge的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• There was a stream of refugees trudging up the valley towards the border. 一队难民步履艰难地爬上山谷向着边境走去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Two mules well laden with packs were trudging along. 两头骡子驮着沉重的背包，吃力地往前走。 来自辞典例句