英语听书《白鲸记》第763期

 and while yet drawing mortal nourishment¹, be still spiritually feasting upon some unearthly reminiscence; 一边在吸取肉体的滋养，一边又在精神上饱享一些神秘的追怀；

even so did the young of these whales seem looking up towards us, but not at us, as if we were but a bit of Gulfweed in their new-born sight. 这些小鲸就正是这般模样，它们似乎在往上望着我们，但又不象在望着我们，因为在它们那新生的眼光中，我们这些人似乎只是一些马尾藻而已。

Floating on their sides, the mothers also seemed quietly eyeing us. 那些游在它们旁边的母亲，似乎也在悠闲地望着我们。

One of these little infants, that from certain queer tokens seemed hardly a day old, 在这些婴孩中，其中有一条，就它那奇怪的样子看来，似乎还不过是刚生下来不上一天的小鲸，

might have measured some fourteen feet in length, and some six feet in girth. 可它的身长却有十四英尺模样，腰围也有六英尺左右。

He was a little frisky²; 这是一条活泼的小鲸；

though as yet his body seemed scarce yet recovered from that irksome position it had so lately occupied in the maternal³ reticule; 不过因为它的身体刚离母腹不久，似乎还摆脱不掉那种令人讨厌的姿势，因为它在母体里，

where, tail to head, and all ready for the final spring, the unborn whale lies bent⁴ like a Tartar's bow. 本来就从尾到头，曲得象鞑靼人的一把随时待发的弓。

The delicate side-fins, and the palms of his flukes, 它那细巧的边鳍和那裂尾片，

still freshly retained the plaited crumpled⁵ appearance of a baby's ears newly arrived from foreign parts. 都还有一种婴孩耳朵的皱皱折折的外形，象是刚从什么陌生地方来的。

Line! line! cried Queequeg, looking over the gunwale; "him fast! him fast!—Who line him! Who struck?—Two whale; one big, one little!" 绳子！绳子！魁魁格打舷边望了一下，叫道，"它拴住啦！它拴住啦！——是谁拴的！是谁打的？——两条鲸；一大一小！"

What ails⁶ ye, man? cried Starbuck. 你怎么啦，伙计？斯达巴克嚷道。

Look-e here, said Queequeg, pointing down. 你瞧，魁魁格指着水底里，说道。

As when the stricken whale, that from the tub has reeled out hundreds of fathoms of rope; 仿佛是一条被戳伤了的鲸，索桶里已经拉出了好几百英尺长的绳索把它拴住了；

as, after deep sounding, he floats up again, and shows the slackened curling line buoyantly rising and spiralling towards the air; 仿佛它在深潜到海底后，又浮了起来，弄得那根又松又卷的绳索，成螺旋形地直向空中浮冒起来；

1 nourishment   

n.食物，营养品；营养情况

参考例句：

• Lack of proper nourishment reduces their power to resist disease.营养不良降低了他们抵抗疾病的能力。
• He ventured that plants draw part of their nourishment from the air.他大胆提出植物从空气中吸收部分养分的观点。

2 frisky   

adj.活泼的，欢闹的；n.活泼，闹着玩；adv.活泼地，闹着玩地

参考例句：

• I felt frisky,as if I might break into a dance.我感到很欢快，似乎要跳起舞来。
• His horse was feeling frisky,and he had to hold the reins tightly.马儿欢蹦乱跳，他不得不紧勒缰绳。

3 maternal   

adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的

参考例句：

• He is my maternal uncle.他是我舅舅。
• The sight of the hopeless little boy aroused her maternal instincts.那个绝望的小男孩的模样唤起了她的母性。

4 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

5 crumpled   

adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• She crumpled the letter up into a ball and threw it on the fire. 她把那封信揉成一团扔进了火里。
• She flattened out the crumpled letter on the desk. 她在写字台上把皱巴巴的信展平。

6 ails   

v.生病( ail的第三人称单数 )；感到不舒服；处境困难；境况不佳

参考例句：

• He will not concede what anything ails his business. 他不允许任何事情来干扰他的工作。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Measles ails the little girl. 麻疹折磨着这个小女孩。 来自《简明英汉词典》