英语听书《白鲸记》第457期

 A most imperial and archangelical apparition¹ of that unfallen, western world, which to the eyes of the old trappers and hunters revived the glories of those primeval times when Adam walked majestic² as a god, bluff-bowed and fearless as this mighty³ steed.  它是那种不朽的西方世界的最庄严和天使似的幽灵,在古代的设陷阱者和猎手看来,就是原始时代的光荣的再现,当时亚当就象这匹雄伟的骏马一样显赫,昂首无畏。

Whether marching amid his aides and marshals in the van of countless⁴ cohorts that endlessly streamed it over the plains, like an Ohio;  不论是置身在它的僚属和将领之间,率领着那些一望无垠地布满整个平原(象一个俄亥俄州)的无数部队前进,

or whether with his circumambient subjects browsing⁵ all around at the horizon, the White Steed gallopingly reviewed them with warm nostrils⁶ reddening through his cool milkiness⁷;  还是置身于遍地的臣民之中,这只白驹总是衬着它那冷冷的乳白色吸溜着热得发红的鼻孔,往前驰骋。

in whatever aspect he presented himself, always to the bravest Indians he was the object of trembling reverence⁹ and awe¹⁰.  检阅它们;不管它露出了怎样的相貌,它在最骁勇的印第安人看来,始终是令人敬畏的发颤的对象。

Nor can it be questioned from what stands on legendary¹¹ record of this noble horse, that it was his spiritual whiteness chiefly, which so clothed him with divineness;  根据这匹骏马的传奇性的记载,毫无疑问,这匹马之所以具有如此的神圣性,主要是因为它那神圣的白色;

and that this divineness had that in it which, though commanding worship, at the same time enforced a certain nameless terror. 而且这种神圣性中所含有的白色,虽然博得大家顶礼膜拜,同时也增添一种难以名状的恐怖。

But there are other instances where this whiteness loses all that accessory and strange glory which invests it in the White Steed and Albatross. 但是,也有其它一些不同的情形,这种本来在白驹和信天翁身上,具有一切附带的和奇特的光荣的白色,如果换了一个场合,种种光荣便全都消失了。

What is it that in the Albino man so peculiarly repels¹² and often shocks the eye, as that sometimes he is loathed¹³ by his own kith and kin⁸!  为什么患天老儿病的人那么令人讨厌而始终叫人看得眼花缭乱,同时又常常遭到他自己的亲友的厌恶呢!

It is that whiteness which invests him, a thing expressed by the name he bears.  那是因为他身上有一种他的名称之所由来的东西白色。

The Albino is as well made as other men-has no substantive¹⁴ deformity--and yet this mere¹⁵ aspect of all-pervading whiteness makes him more strangely hideous¹⁶ than the ugliest abortion¹⁷. Why should this be so? 天老儿也跟别人一样生得端端正正...并没有什么本质上的缺陷...然而,只是这种全白的外貌,才使他比之那种最丑陋的畸形人还更特别令人嫌恶。为什么会这样呢?

1 apparition   

n.幽灵，神奇的现象

参考例句：

• He saw the apparition of his dead wife.他看见了他亡妻的幽灵。
• But the terror of this new apparition brought me to a stand.这新出现的幽灵吓得我站在那里一动也不敢动。

2 majestic   

adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的

参考例句：

• In the distance rose the majestic Alps.远处耸立着雄伟的阿尔卑斯山。
• He looks majestic in uniform.他穿上军装显得很威风。

3 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。

4 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

5 browsing   

v.吃草( browse的现在分词 )；随意翻阅；（在商店里）随便看看；（在计算机上）浏览信息

参考例句：

• He sits browsing over[through] a book. 他坐着翻阅书籍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Cattle is browsing in the field. 牛正在田里吃草。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 nostrils   

鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Her nostrils flared with anger. 她气得两个鼻孔都鼓了起来。
• The horse dilated its nostrils. 马张大鼻孔。

7 milkiness   

乳状； 乳白色； 浑浊； 软弱

参考例句：

• Through calcareous milkiness liquid deposition, optimum reaction conditions were selected. 通过采用灰乳沉淀法，选取最佳反应条件。

8 kin   

n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的

参考例句：

• He comes of good kin.他出身好。
• She has gone to live with her husband's kin.她住到丈夫的亲戚家里去了。

9 reverence   

n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• We reverence tradition but will not be fettered by it.我们尊重传统，但不被传统所束缚。

10 awe   

n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧

参考例句：

• The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

11 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

12 repels   

v.击退( repel的第三人称单数 )；使厌恶；排斥；推开

参考例句：

• His manner repels me. 他的举止让我厌恶。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Her callous attitude repels me. 她冷酷无情的态度引起我的反感。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 loathed   

v.憎恨，厌恶( loathe的过去式和过去分词 )；极不喜欢

参考例句：

• Baker loathed going to this red-haired young pup for supplies. 面包师傅不喜欢去这个红头发的自负的傻小子那里拿原料。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Therefore, above all things else, he loathed his miserable self! 因此，他厌恶不幸的自我尤胜其它！ 来自英汉文学 - 红字

14 substantive   

adj.表示实在的；本质的、实质性的；独立的；n.实词，实名词；独立存在的实体

参考例句：

• They plan to meet again in Rome very soon to begin substantive negotiations.他们计划不久在罗马再次会晤以开始实质性的谈判。
• A president needs substantive advice,but he also requires emotional succor. 一个总统需要实质性的建议，但也需要感情上的支持。

15 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

16 hideous   

adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的

参考例句：

• The whole experience had been like some hideous nightmare.整个经历就像一场可怕的噩梦。
• They're not like dogs,they're hideous brutes.它们不像狗，是丑陋的畜牲。

17 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。