英语听书《白鲸记》第975期

 I believe it did, sir; does the ferrule stand, sir? 是的，先生；这个套圈可管用嘛，先生？

Well enough. But art thou not also the undertaker? 真不错。不过，你不是也兼做殡仪馆生意的吗？

Aye, sir; I patched up this thing here as a coffin¹ for Queequeg; but they've set me now to turning it into something else. 是呀，先生；我把这东西七拼八凑起来，本来是给魁魁格做只棺材的；可是，他们这会儿又要我把它改成别的东西了。

Then tell me; art thou not an arrant², all-grasping, intermeddling, monopolizing³, heathenish old scamp, 那么，你倒说给我听；难道你不是个天下闻名的、样样要抓、爱管闲事、专权夺利的异教老恶棍？

to be one day making legs, and the next day coffins⁴ to clap them in, and yet again life-buoys out of those same coffins? 今天做腿，明天又做把人们关进去的棺材，再过一天又用这只棺材做起救生圈来。

Thou art as unprincipled as the gods, and as much of a jack-of-all-trades. 你呀，就象神明一样毫无定则，而且，还象个万能博士。

But I do not mean anything, sir. I do as I do. 可我一点也没有这意思，先生。我是该做就做。

The gods again. Hark ye, dost thou not ever sing working about a coffin? 又说得好漂亮呀。你听着，难道你在做棺材的时候，就从来不唱唱歌儿嘛？

The Titans, they say, hummed snatches when chipping out the craters⁵ for volcanoes; 我听说，那些泰坦（希腊神话中的巨人。）神一边在给火山挖开喷火口，还一边哼着小调呢；

and the grave-digger in the play sings, spade in hand. Dost thou never? 还有一些挖墓人，手里拿着铲子，也在嘻嘻哈哈地唱着玩。难道你就从来不唱唱歌儿吗？

Sing, sir? Do I sing? Oh, I'm indifferent enough, sir, for that; 唱歌儿，先生？要我唱歌儿？啊，先生，这玩意儿，我可真没胃口；

but the reason why the grave-digger made music must have been because there was none in his spade, sir. 不过，挖墓人为什么要唱，那一定是因为他的铲子里是空的，先生。

But the caulking⁶ mallet⁷ is full of it. Hark to it. 可是，这只补缝的锤子就全是歌子呀。你听。

"Aye, and that's because the lid there's a sounding-board; and what in all things makes the sounding-board is this — there's naught⁸ beneath. 唔，我看那是因为这块棺材盖上有一种共鸣盘吧；为什么下面是空空如也的，反而都会有这种共鸣盘呢。

 

1 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

2 arrant   

adj.极端的；最大的

参考例句：

• He is an arrant fool.他是个大傻瓜。
• That's arrant nonsense.那完全是一派胡言。

3 monopolizing   

v.垄断( monopolize的现在分词 )；独占；专卖；专营

参考例句：

• United States antitrust legislation prohibits corporations from dominating or monopolizing an industry. 美国反托拉斯法禁止公司控制或垄断一项工业。 来自辞典例句
• Only nobody else must be kind to him: I'm jealous of monopolizing his affection. 可就是用不着别人对他慈爱：我一心要独占他的感情。 来自辞典例句

4 coffins   

n.棺材( coffin的名词复数 )；使某人早亡[死，完蛋，垮台等]之物

参考例句：

• The shop was close and hot, and the atmosphere seemed tainted with the smell of coffins. 店堂里相当闷热，空气仿佛被棺木的味儿污染了。 来自辞典例句
• Donate some coffins to the temple, equal to the number of deaths. 到寺庙里，捐赠棺材盒给这些死者吧。 来自电影对白

5 craters   

n.火山口( crater的名词复数 )；弹坑等

参考例句：

• Small meteorites have left impact craters all over the planet's surface. 这个行星的表面布满了小块陨石留下的撞击坑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The battlefield was full of craters made by exploding shells. 战场上布满弹坑。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 caulking   

n.堵缝；敛缝；捻缝；压紧v.堵（船的）缝( caulk的现在分词 )；泥…的缝；填塞；使不漏水

参考例句：

• Plumbers caulk joints in pipe with lead,string or a caulking compound. 管子工用铅、绳子或专用填隙材料使管子的接头不漏水。 来自辞典例句
• Older windows and doors require maintenance -- scraping, painting and caulking. 旧门窗需要一系列维护，诸如，刮磨，上漆，勾缝。 来自互联网

7 mallet   

n.槌棒

参考例句：

• He hit the peg mightily on the top with a mallet.他用木槌猛敲木栓顶。
• The chairman rapped on the table twice with his mallet.主席用他的小木槌在桌上重敲了两下。

8 naught   

n.无，零 [=nought]

参考例句：

• He sets at naught every convention of society.他轻视所有的社会习俗。
• I hope that all your efforts won't go for naught.我希望你的努力不会毫无结果。