英语听书《白鲸记》第728期

 I say it only shows his foolish, impious pride, and abominable¹, devilish rebellion against the reverend clergy². 我认为，这只是他故意要反抗牧师们而表示出来的一种愚蠢、可鄙和绝顶荒谬的作为。

For by a Portuguese³ Catholic priest, this very idea of Jonah's going to Nineveh via the Cape⁴ of Good Hope was advanced as a signal magnification of the general miracle. 因为关于约拿这种经好望角去尼尼微的想象，曾被一个葡萄牙籍的天主教神甫，添油加酱地说成一种非常夸张的大奇迹。

And so it was. 原来就是这么一回事。

Besides, to this day, the highly enlightened Turks devoutly⁵ believe in the historical story of Jonah. 而且，直到今天，那些很开通的土耳其人还是虔诚地相信约拿这段史实。

And some three centuries ago, an English traveller in old Harris's Voyages, 大约在三百年前，有一个到过赫黎斯（在赫布里底群岛中的一个地方。）的英国旅行家，

speaks of a Turkish Mosque⁶ built in honor of Jonah, in which Mosque was a miraculous⁷ lamp that burnt without any oil. 就谈到在土耳其那一个为纪念约拿而建立的寺院中，有只不需要任何灯油、自会发亮的神灯。

Chapter 84 Pitchpoling 第八十四章 投杆

To make them run easily and swiftly, the axles of carriages are anointed; 为了使车轴转得又滑又快，就得给车轴加油；

and for much the same purpose, some whalers perform an analogous⁸ operation upon their boat; they grease the bottom. 有些捕鲸人为了完全一样的目的，也对他们的小艇使用类似的办法；他们给艇底擦油。

Nor is it to be doubted that as such a procedure can do no harm, it may possibly be of no contemptible⁹ advantage; 这种操作，不用置疑，是有益无损，而且还可以说是毫无害处的。

considering that oil and water are hostile; that oil is a sliding thing, and that the object in view is to make the boat slide bravely. 因为油与水本来就是不能相容的；油是滑溜溜的东西，这个做法的目的是要使得小艇航驶如飞。

Queequeg believed strongly in anointing his boat, and one morning not long after the German ship Jungfrau disappeared, 魁魁格就非常相信给他的小艇擦油这事情。那艘德国船"处女号"消失后不多久，有一天早晨，

took more than customary pains in that occupation; crawling under its bottom, where it hung over the side,  他比平常更为用劲地给小艇擦油，那只小艇吊在舷侧，

and rubbing in the unctuousness¹⁰ as though diligently¹¹ seeking to insure a crop of hair from the craft's bald keel. 他爬在艇底下，拼命擦呀擦的，仿佛在生方设法保证这只小艇的光秃秃的龙骨，长出一簇头发来。

1 abominable   

adj.可厌的，令人憎恶的

参考例句：

• Their cruel treatment of prisoners was abominable.他们虐待犯人的做法令人厌恶。
• The sanitary conditions in this restaurant are abominable.这家饭馆的卫生状况糟透了。

2 clergy   

n.[总称]牧师，神职人员

参考例句：

• I could heartily wish that more of our country clergy would follow this example.我衷心希望，我国有更多的牧师效法这个榜样。
• All the local clergy attended the ceremony.当地所有的牧师出席了仪式。

3 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。

4 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。

5 devoutly   

adv.虔诚地，虔敬地，衷心地

参考例句：

• She was a devoutly Catholic. 她是一个虔诚地天主教徒。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This was not a boast, but a hope, at once bold and devoutly humble. 这不是夸夸其谈，而是一个即大胆而又诚心、谦虚的希望。 来自辞典例句

6 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

7 miraculous   

adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的

参考例句：

• The wounded man made a miraculous recovery.伤员奇迹般地痊愈了。
• They won a miraculous victory over much stronger enemy.他们战胜了远比自己强大的敌人，赢得了非凡的胜利。

8 analogous   

adj.相似的；类似的

参考例句：

• The two situations are roughly analogous.两种情況大致相似。
• The company is in a position closely analogous to that of its main rival.该公司与主要竞争对手的处境极为相似。

9 contemptible   

adj.可鄙的，可轻视的，卑劣的

参考例句：

• His personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.他气貌不扬，言语粗俗。
• That was a contemptible trick to play on a friend.那是对朋友玩弄的一出可鄙的把戏。

10 unctuousness   

油性

参考例句：

• What welcome relief from the usual unctuousness of his kind! 平常这类广告虚情假意，现在多么受人欢迎，令人轻松！ 来自互联网

11 diligently   

ad.industriously;carefully

参考例句：

• He applied himself diligently to learning French. 他孜孜不倦地学法语。
• He had studied diligently at college. 他在大学里勤奋学习。