英语听书《白鲸记》第712期

 Not eight inches of perpendicular¹ rope were visible at the bows. 船头上所看到的垂直的绳索还没有八英寸长。

Seems it credible² that by three such thin threads the great Leviathan was suspended like the big weight to an eight day clock. 看来似乎一点不假，这样三根细绳子，就把这条大鲸象吊住一只八天大钟般吊起了。

Suspended? and to what? To three bits of board. 吊起么？吊什么？吊三片小木板么？

Is this the creature of whom it was once so triumphantly³ said—"Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish-spears? 难道这就是那只曾经被非常洋洋得意地谈论着的畜生么？——"你能用倒钩枪扎满它的皮？能用鱼叉叉满它的头么？

The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold, the spear, the dart⁴, nor the habergeon: 若用刀，用枪，用标枪，用尖枪扎它，都是无用；

he esteemeth iron as straw; the arrow cannot make him flee; darts⁵ are counted as stubble; he laugheth at the shaking of a spear!" 它以铁为干草，箭不能恐吓它，使它逃避，弹石在它看为碎秸，它嗤笑短枪飕的响声！"

This the creature? this he? Oh! that unfulfilments should follow the prophets. 就是这只畜生么？这就是它吗？啊！这种预言是注定不能应验了。

For with the strength of a thousand thighs⁶ in his tail, 因为，这条大鲸为了逃避"裴廓德号"的鱼枪，

Leviathan had run his head under the mountains of the sea, to hide him from the Pequod's fishspears! 已经用它那有千钧之力的尾巴，连奔带跑地把它的头钻进大海里去了！

In that sloping afternoon sunlight,  在那午后的斜阳中，

the shadows that the three boats sent down beneath the surface, must have been long enough and broad enough to shade half Xerxes' army. 三只小艇投在海面上的阴影，真是又长又阔，足以掩护瑟克西斯的半支军队。

Who can tell how appalling⁷ to the wounded whale must have been such huge phantoms⁸ flitting over his head! 究竟这么许多晃荡在这条受伤大鲸头顶的巨大的魔影，它会感到多么害怕，谁又说得上来呢！

Stand by, men; he stirs, cried Starbuck, as the three lines suddenly vibrated in the water, distinctly conducting upwards⁹ to them, as by magnetic wires, 准备好，伙伴们，它在动啦，斯达巴克叫道，这时候，三根绳子都突然在水里晃动起来，那三根绳子，仿佛是有磁力的电线，

the life and death throbs¹⁰ of the whale, so that every oarsman felt them in his seat. 清清楚楚地牵住了这条大鲸的生死关头，弄得每个坐在位子上的划桨人也都觉得到绳子的颤动。

1 perpendicular   

adj.垂直的，直立的；n.垂直线，垂直的位置

参考例句：

• The two lines of bones are set perpendicular to one another.这两排骨头相互垂直。
• The wall is out of the perpendicular.这墙有些倾斜。

2 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

3 triumphantly   

ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地

参考例句：

• The lion was roaring triumphantly. 狮子正在发出胜利的吼叫。
• Robert was looking at me triumphantly. 罗伯特正得意扬扬地看着我。

4 dart   

v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲

参考例句：

• The child made a sudden dart across the road.那小孩突然冲过马路。
• Markov died after being struck by a poison dart.马尔科夫身中毒镖而亡。

5 darts   

n.掷飞镖游戏；飞镖( dart的名词复数 )；急驰，飞奔v.投掷，投射( dart的第三人称单数 )；向前冲，飞奔

参考例句：

• His darts trophy takes pride of place on the mantelpiece. 他将掷镖奖杯放在壁炉顶上最显著的地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I never saw so many darts in a bodice! 我从没见过紧身胸衣上纳了这么多的缝褶！ 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 thighs   

n.股，大腿( thigh的名词复数 )；食用的鸡（等的）腿

参考例句：

• He's gone to London for skin grafts on his thighs. 他去伦敦做大腿植皮手术了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The water came up to the fisherman's thighs. 水没到了渔夫的大腿。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 appalling   

adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions.恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• Nothing can extenuate such appalling behaviour.这种骇人听闻的行径罪无可恕。

8 phantoms   

n.鬼怪，幽灵( phantom的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They vanished down the stairs like two phantoms. 他们像两个幽灵似的消失在了楼下。 来自辞典例句
• The horrible night that he had passed had left phantoms behind it. 他刚才度过的恐布之夜留下了种种错觉。 来自辞典例句

9 upwards   

adv.向上，在更高处...以上

参考例句：

• The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
• The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。

10 throbs   

体内的跳动( throb的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• My finger throbs with the cut. 我的手指因切伤而阵阵抽痛。
• We should count time by heart throbs, in the cause of right. 我们应该在正确的目标下，以心跳的速度来计算时间。