英语听书《白鲸记》第395期

 For, like the Coronation banquet at Frankfort, where the German Emperor profoundly dines with the seven Imperial Electors, so these cabin meals were somehow solemn meals, eaten in awful silence;  因为跟德王在法兰克福的加冕筵席上谦恭地宴请七个选帝侯一样,这种船长室里的吃饭,也总是有点象隆重的宴饮,吃得阒无声息;

and yet at table old Ahab forbade not conversation; only he himself was dumb.  虽然亚哈老头本人哑口无言,可他并没有不许在餐桌上谈话的禁令。

What a relief it was to choking Stubb, when a rat made a sudden racket in the hold below.  如果有一只老鼠突然在舱底吵闹起来,那对于快噎住了的斯塔布说来,可真是一种援救了。

And poor little Flask¹, he was the youngest son, and little boy of this weary family party.  至于可怜的小弗拉斯克,他是这个使人厌倦的家庭宴会中的最小的儿子和小孩子。

His were the shin-bones of the saline beef; his would have been the drumsticks.  他吃的是咸牛肉的胫骨;他所能得到的只是一些鸡爪。

For Flask to have presumed to help himself, this must have seemed to him tantamount to larceny² in the first degree.  因为弗拉斯克如其胆敢随意用菜的话,那在他看来,就等于是个实足的偷窃犯了。

Had he helped himself at that table, doubtless, never more would he have been able to hold his head up in this honest world; nevertheless, strange to say, Ahab never forbade him.  如果他胆敢在饭桌上随意用菜,那无疑地,他在这个正经的社会里是再也抬不起头来了;话虽如此,说也奇怪,亚哈可从来没有不许他随意用菜。

And had Flask helped himself, the chances were Ahab had never so much as noticed it. Least of all, did Flask presume to help himself to butter.  再说,如果弗拉斯克胆敢随意用菜的话,也得趁亚哈不很留意的当口。弗拉斯克而且是最不敢随意用牛油。

Whether he thought the owners of the ship denied it to him, on account of its clotting³ his clear, sunny complexion⁴;  究竟是他认为船东老板怕牛油会把他那张明朗乐观的脸给凝结了而不让他吃,

or whether he deemed that, on so long a voyage in such marketless waters, butter was at a premium⁵, and therefore was not for him, a subaltern;  还是因为他自己认为,在这样一个没有市集的海洋上的长长的航行中,牛油是非常珍贵的,因此,不是给象他这样一个最卑贱的下属享受的;

however it was, Flask, alas⁶! was a butterless man! 总之,不管怎样,可怜的弗拉斯克就是一个没有牛油吃的家伙!

1 flask   

n.瓶，火药筒，砂箱

参考例句：

• There is some deposit in the bottom of the flask.这只烧杯的底部有些沉淀物。
• He took out a metal flask from a canvas bag.他从帆布包里拿出一个金属瓶子。

2 larceny   

n.盗窃（罪）

参考例句：

• The man was put in jail for grand larceny.人因重大盗窃案而被监禁。
• It was an essential of the common law crime of larceny.它是构成普通法中的盗窃罪的必要条件。

3 clotting   

v.凝固( clot的现在分词 )；烧结

参考例句：

• The study was also based only on the one anti-clotting drug. 所用抗血栓药物也仅限于一种。 来自互联网
• A plasma protein that is converted into thrombin during blood clotting. 凝血原酶一种血浆蛋白质，在血液凝聚时转化成凝血''。'酵'。''''。'素'。''。 来自互联网

4 complexion   

n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格

参考例句：

• Red does not suit with her complexion.红色与她的肤色不协调。
• Her resignation puts a different complexion on things.她一辞职局面就全变了。

5 premium   

n.加付款；赠品；adj.高级的；售价高的

参考例句：

• You have to pay a premium for express delivery.寄快递你得付额外费用。
• Fresh water was at a premium after the reservoir was contaminated.在水库被污染之后，清水便因稀而贵了。

6 alas   

int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)

参考例句：

• Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！
• Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。