英语听书《白鲸记》第921期

 Now, mustering¹ the spare poles from below, and selecting one of hickory, with the bark still investing it, Ahab fitted the end to the socket² of the iron. 于是，亚哈打甲板上捡起几根备用的杆子，挑了一根上面还有枝桠的胡桃木，把它插进标枪的承口。

A coil of new tow-line was then unwound, and some fathoms³ of it taken to the windlass, and stretched to a great tension. 接着，抖开一捆新缆索，撒了十几英尺，结在绞车上，拉扯得紧绷绷的。

Pressing his foot upon it, till the rope hummed like a harp-string, 亚哈一只脚踏在索上，把绳索弄得直象一支竖琴弦在嗡嗡发响后，

then eagerly bending over it, and seeing no strandings, Ahab exclaimed, "Good! and now for the seizings." 急忙俯身下去，看到索股没有散开，高声大叫起来，"好极啦！哼，现在可以去抓它啦。"

At one extremity⁴ the rope was unstranded, and the separate spread yarns⁵ were all braided and woven round the socket of the harpoon⁶; 绳尾的索股散开来了，那些散开来的绳股又被辫扎起来，然后，把标枪的承口绕来绕去扎住了；

the pole was then driven hard up into the socket; from the lower end the rope was traced halfway⁷ along the pole's length, and firmly secured so, with inter-twistings of twine⁸. 于是，杆子就跟承口接得牢牢靠靠；再把下面的绳头缠到杆子半中间，以交叉的缠法顺着杆子直绕上去，紧紧地缚住。

This done, pole, iron, and rope — like the Three Fates — remained inseparable, and Ahab moodily⁹ stalked away with the weapon; 这样都弄舒齐后，杆子，标枪头和绳索，就象是命运三女神一般难分难舍了。于是，亚哈心事重重地拿着这支标枪蹑手蹑足走开了；

the sound of his ivory leg, and the sound of the hickory pole, both hollowly ringing along every plank¹⁰. 他那条牙腿和那根胡桃木杆的声响，沿着船板空洞洞地响着。

But ere he entered his cabin, a light, unnatural¹¹, half-bantering, yet most piteous sound was heard. 但是，他还没有走进他的舱室，却听到一阵轻轻的、不自然的、半开玩笑的，然而却是最可怜的声音。

Oh! Pip, thy wretched laugh, thy idle but unresting eye; all thy strange mummeries not unmeaningly blended with the black tragedy of the melancholy¹² ship, and mocked it! 啊！比普，你那令人讨厌的笑声，你那空幻而眨个不停的眼色，你所有的奇特的哑剧，跟这艘忧郁的船的凶恶的悲剧混在一起，可不是毫无意义的呀！你嘲弄它吧！

 

1 mustering   

v.集合，召集，集结（尤指部队）( muster的现在分词 )；（自他人处）搜集某事物；聚集；激发

参考例句：

• He paused again, mustering his strength and thoughts. 他又停下来，集中力量，聚精会神。 来自辞典例句
• The LORD Almighty is mustering an army for war. 这是万军之耶和华点齐军队，预备打仗。 来自互联网

2 socket   

n.窝，穴，孔，插座，插口

参考例句：

• He put the electric plug into the socket.他把电插头插入插座。
• The battery charger plugs into any mains socket.这个电池充电器可以插入任何类型的电源插座。

3 fathoms   

英寻( fathom的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The harbour is four fathoms deep. 港深为四英寻。
• One bait was down forty fathoms. 有个鱼饵下沉到四十英寻的深处。

4 extremity   

n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度

参考例句：

• I hope you will help them in their extremity.我希望你能帮助在穷途末路的他们。
• What shall we do in this extremity?在这种极其困难的情况下我们该怎么办呢？

5 yarns   

n.纱( yarn的名词复数 )；纱线；奇闻漫谈；旅行轶事

参考例句：

• ...vegetable-dyed yarns. 用植物染料染过色的纱线 来自辞典例句
• Fibers may be loosely or tightly twisted into yarns. 纤维可以是膨松地或紧密地捻成纱线。 来自辞典例句

6 harpoon   

n.鱼叉；vt.用鱼叉叉，用鱼叉捕获

参考例句：

• The harpoon drove deep into the body of the whale.渔叉深深地扎进鲸鱼体内。
• The fisherman transfixed the shark with a harpoon.渔夫用鱼叉刺住鲨鱼。

7 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

8 twine   

v.搓，织，编饰；（使）缠绕

参考例句：

• He tied the parcel with twine.他用细绳捆包裹。
• Their cardboard boxes were wrapped and tied neatly with waxed twine.他们的纸板盒用蜡线扎得整整齐齐。

9 moodily   

adv.喜怒无常地；情绪多变地；心情不稳地；易生气地

参考例句：

• Pork slipped from the room as she remained staring moodily into the distance. 阿宝从房间里溜了出来，留她独个人站在那里瞪着眼睛忧郁地望着远处。 来自辞典例句
• He climbed moodily into the cab, relieved and distressed. 他忧郁地上了马车，既松了一口气，又忧心忡忡。 来自互联网

10 plank   

n.板条，木板，政策要点，政纲条目

参考例句：

• The plank was set against the wall.木板靠着墙壁。
• They intend to win the next election on the plank of developing trade.他们想以发展贸易的纲领来赢得下次选举。

11 unnatural   

adj.不自然的；反常的

参考例句：

• Did her behaviour seem unnatural in any way?她有任何反常表现吗？
• She has an unnatural smile on her face.她脸上挂着做作的微笑。

12 melancholy   

n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。
• He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过，他感到很郁闷。