英语听书《白鲸记》第935期

 These eyes of mine look into the very eye that is even now beholding¹ him; 我这双眼睛在紧瞪着的那只大眼睛，甚至此刻也正在看着它呢，

aye, and into the eye that is even now equally beholding the objects on the unknown, thither² side of thee, thou sun!" 是呀，那只大眼睛甚至此刻也同样会看到那在你，在你这个太阳的未知的另一方的许多东西呢！"

Then gazing at his quadrant, and handling, one after the other, its numerous cabalistical contrivances, he pondered again, and muttered: 接着，他凝视着他那只象限仪，又一件一件地拿着象限仪上许多神秘的零件，再沉思一下，喃喃道：

"Foolish toy! babies' plaything of haughty³ Admirals, and Commodores, and Captains; the world brags⁴ of thee, of thy cunning and might; "傻瓜的玩物！是一些傲慢的海军大将。舰长和船长的小娃娃玩具！人们把你夸大了，把你的巧计和力量给夸大了；

but what after all canst thou do, but tell the poor, pitiful point, where thou thyself happenest to be on this wide planet, and the hand that holds thee: 可是，你究竟有啥本事呢？只不过告诉你自己和手里拿你的人是在这个大星球上的哪一个可怜的地点而已。

no! not one jot⁵ more! 不！再也没有别的用处了！

Thou canst not tell where one drop of water or one grain of sand will be to-morrow noon; 你连一滴水，一粒沙明天正午会在哪里也说不出；

and yet with thy impotence thou insultest the sun! 然而，你却以你的无能来侮辱太阳！

Science! Curse thee, thou vain toy; and cursed be all the things that cast man's eyes aloft to that heaven, 科学！该死的东西，你这该死的、百无一用的玩物；一切叫人们的眼睛仰望上天的东西都是该死的，

whose live vividness but scorches⁶ him, as these old eyes are even now scorched⁷ with thy light, O sun! 上天那生气勃勃的亮光把人烧焦了倒是有份，正如我这双衰老的眼睛现在让你，让你这个太阳的光辉给烧炙了一般！

Level by nature to this earth's horizon are the glances of man's eyes; 人类的眼力，天生就是平视的，

not shot from the crown of his head, as if God had meant him to gaze on his firmament⁸. 并不是长在头顶上的，仿佛上帝故意要人凝望它那苍穹。

 

1 beholding   

v.看，注视( behold的现在分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟

参考例句：

• Beholding, besides love, the end of love,/Hearing oblivion beyond memory! 我看见了爱，还看到了爱的结局，／听到了记忆外层的哪一片寂寥！ 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学
• Hence people who began by beholding him ended by perusing him. 所以人们从随便看一看他开始的，都要以仔细捉摸他而终结。 来自辞典例句

2 thither   

adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的

参考例句：

• He wandered hither and thither looking for a playmate.他逛来逛去找玩伴。
• He tramped hither and thither.他到处流浪。

3 haughty   

adj.傲慢的，高傲的

参考例句：

• He gave me a haughty look and walked away.他向我摆出傲慢的表情后走开。
• They were displeased with her haughty airs.他们讨厌她高傲的派头。

4 brags   

v.自夸，吹嘘( brag的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He constantly brags about how well he plays football. 他老是吹嘘自己足球踢得多么好。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• \"I don't care to listen to your brags.\" \"我没有兴趣听你吹了！ 来自飘（部分）

5 jot   

n.少量；vi.草草记下；vt.匆匆写下

参考例句：

• I'll jot down their address before I forget it.我得赶快把他们的地址写下来，免得忘了。
• There is not a jot of evidence to say it does them any good.没有丝毫的证据显示这对他们有任何好处。

6 scorches   

烧焦，烤焦( scorch的第三人称单数 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶

参考例句：

• I have heard the taste that something scorches. 我闻到了什么东西烧焦的味道。
• The atmosphere is becoming thinner and strong sunlight scorches people. 臭氧层越来越薄，阳光越来越灼人。

7 scorched   

烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦

参考例句：

• I scorched my dress when I was ironing it. 我把自己的连衣裙熨焦了。
• The hot iron scorched the tablecloth. 热熨斗把桌布烫焦了。

8 firmament   

n.苍穹；最高层

参考例句：

• There are no stars in the firmament.天空没有一颗星星。
• He was rich,and a rising star in the political firmament.他十分富有，并且是政治高层一颗冉冉升起的新星。