英语听书《白鲸记》第940期

 I don't half understand ye: what's in the wind? 我一点也听不懂你的话：要出什么事啦？

Yes, yes, round the Cape¹ of Good Hope is the shortest way to Nantucket, soliloquized Starbuck suddenly, heedless of Stubb's question. 是呀，不错，绕过好望角就是到南塔开特的最简捷的航线，斯达巴克不理会斯塔布的问题，突然自言自语起来。

"The gale² that now hammers at us to stave us, we can turn it into a fair wind that will drive us towards home. "现在在锤击我们的大风是想叫我们完蛋的呀，我们可以把逆风变顺风，顺风就会把我们赶向回家的方向喽。

Yonder, to windward, all is blackness of doom³; but to leeward⁴, homeward — I see it lightens up there; but not with the lightning." 向那边，向上风的地方，全是凶险的劫数；可是，向下风呢，向回家的方向呢——我就看到那边有一片亮光；而且不是闪电的炫光。"

At that moment in one of the intervals⁵ of profound darkness, following the flashes, a voice was heard at his side; 就在这时，在紧接着一阵闪电后的乌漆墨黑中，斯达巴克听到身边有个声音；

and almost at the same instant a volley of thunder peals⁶ rolled overhead. 而差不多与此同时，轰隆的一串雷鸣直打头顶滚过。

Who's there? 谁呀？

Old Thunder! said Ahab, groping his way along the bulwarks⁷ to his pivot-hole; 老雷公！亚哈说道，他正循着舷侧摸索着，要到他那镟洞的地方去，

but suddenly finding his path made plain to him by elbowed lances of fire. 可是，突然射来了一弯捕鲸枪似的火光，使他看得一清二楚，不用摸索。

Now, as the lightning rod to a spire⁸ on shore is intended to carry off the perilous⁹ fluid into the soil; 且说陆上的塔尖都安有避雷针，可以把那种可怕的气流给引到地里去；

so the kindred rod which at sea some ships carry to each mast, is intended to conduct it into the water. 在海上，有些船只也在每根桅杆上，各装有一支想把气流引进水里的避雷针。

But as this conductor must descend to considerable depth, that its end may avoid all contact with the hull; 但是，这种避雷针一定要插得相当深，才可以使它的末梢完全不接触到船壳；

and as moreover, if kept constantly towing there, it would be liable to many mishaps, besides interfering not a little with some of the rigging,  而且，要是一直让它插在那里，除了很可能会跟索具绊在一起，又多少会阻碍船只前进以外，

and more or less impeding the vessel's way in the water; 还会发生许多意外；

 

1 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。

2 gale   

n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等）

参考例句：

• We got our roof blown off in the gale last night.昨夜的大风把我们的房顶给掀掉了。
• According to the weather forecast,there will be a gale tomorrow.据气象台预报，明天有大风。

3 doom   

n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定

参考例句：

• The report on our economic situation is full of doom and gloom.这份关于我们经济状况的报告充满了令人绝望和沮丧的调子。
• The dictator met his doom after ten years of rule.独裁者统治了十年终于完蛋了。

4 leeward   

adj.背风的；下风的

参考例句：

• The trees all listed to leeward.树木统统向下风方向倾。
• We steered a course to leeward.我们向下风航驶。

5 intervals   

n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息

参考例句：

• The forecast said there would be sunny intervals and showers. 预报间晴，有阵雨。
• Meetings take place at fortnightly intervals. 每两周开一次会。

6 peals   

n.（声音大而持续或重复的）洪亮的响声( peal的名词复数 )；隆隆声；洪亮的钟声；钟乐v.（使）（钟等）鸣响，（雷等）发出隆隆声( peal的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She burst into peals of laughter. 她忽然哈哈大笑起来。
• She went into fits/peals of laughter. 她发出阵阵笑声。 来自辞典例句

7 bulwarks   

n.堡垒( bulwark的名词复数 )；保障；支柱；舷墙

参考例句：

• The freedom of the press is one of the great bulwarks of liberty. 新闻自由是自由最大的保障之一。 来自辞典例句
• Surgery and X-irradiation nevertheless remain the bulwarks of cancer treatment throughout the world. 外科手术和X射线疗法依然是全世界治疗癌症的主要方法。 来自辞典例句

8 spire   

n.(教堂)尖顶，尖塔，高点

参考例句：

• The church spire was struck by lightning.教堂的尖顶遭到了雷击。
• They could just make out the spire of the church in the distance.他们只能辨认出远处教堂的尖塔。

9 perilous   

adj.危险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• The journey through the jungle was perilous.穿过丛林的旅行充满了危险。
• We have been carried in safety through a perilous crisis.历经一连串危机，我们如今已安然无恙。