英语听书《白鲸记》第721期（在线收听） |
It was an admirable artistic exploit, rarely achieved by the best harpooneers of the present day; inasmuch as this Leviathan was slain at the very first dart. 这真是一个值得称羡、技巧高明的赫赫伟绩，一枪就把那只大海兽给戳死了，即使近代的最优秀的标枪手也是难望其项背的。 And let no man doubt this Arkite story; 谁也不该怀疑这个亚基人的故事，
for in the ancient Joppa, now Jaffa, on the Syrian coast, 因为在叙利亚海岸那个古代叫做佐伯，现今叫做佐发的地方，
in one of the Pagan temples, there stood for many ages the vast skeleton of a whale, 在那些异教徒的神庙中，其中有一个神庙就多年来保存有一条大鲸的骷髅，
which the city's legends and all the inhabitants asserted to be the identical bones of the monster that Perseus slew. 这只大骷髅，根据那城市的传说和全体居民的说法，都认为就是柏修斯所杀死的那只巨兽的真正的尸骨。
When the Romans took Joppa, the same skeleton was carried to Italy in triumph. 当罗马人征服了佐伯、凯旋回归意大利的时候，这一架骷髅也被一起带走了。
What seems most singular and suggestively important in this story, is this: it was from Joppa that Jonah set sail. 而在这个故事中，它的最为奇妙而又富有参考意义之处似乎是：约拿也是从佐伯启碇的。
Akin to the adventure of Perseus and Andromeda, 类似于柏修斯和安待洛美达的险遇的，
indeed, by some supposed to be indirectly derived from it—is that famous story of St. George and the Dragon; which dragon I maintain to have been a whale; 有人的确认为是间接由它而来的——就是圣乔治和大龙的著名的故事；这条龙，我却认为就是大鲸；
for in many old chronicles whales and dragons are strangely jumbled together, and often stand for each other. 因为在许多古代史中，都奇怪地把鲸和龙混淆一起，而且往往互为顶替。
"Thou art as a lion of the waters, and as a dragon of the sea," said Ezekiel; hereby, plainly meaning a whale; "你如同江河的狮子，也如同海里的龙，"以西结说，这就是明显指着大鲸。
in truth, some versions of the Bible use that word itself. 事实上，有若干《圣经》的译文就径用鲸这个词儿。
Besides, it would much subtract from the glory of the exploit had St. George, but encountered a crawling reptile of the land, 此外，如果圣乔治只是在陆地上打死一只爬行动物，那他的辉煌伟绩一定大为减色，
instead of doing battle with the great monster of the deep. 而不是跟那海里的巨兽战斗过的话。 |
| 原文地址：http://www.tingroom.com/lesson/syysdw/bjj/434915.html |