英语听书《白鲸记》第799期（打印版）

　　But all this is quite different from a South Sea Sperm Whaler; which in a voyage of four years perhaps, after completely filling her hold with oil, does not, perhaps, consume fifty days in the business of boiling out; and in the state that it is casked, the oil is nearly scentless. The truth is, that living or dead, if but decently treated, whales as a species are by no means creatures of ill odor; nor can whalemen be recognised, as the people of the middle ages affected to detect a Jew in the company, by the nose. Nor indeed can the whale possibly be otherwise than fragrant, when, as a general thing, he enjoys such high health; taking abundance of exercise; always out of doors; though, it is true, seldom in the open air. I say, that the motion of a Sperm Whale's flukes above water dispenses a perfume, as when a musk-scented lady rustles her dress in a warm parlor. What then shall I liken the Sperm Whale to for fragrance, considering his magnitude? Must it not be to that famous elephant, with jewelled tusks, and redolent with myrrh, which was led out of an Indian town to do honor to Alexander the Great?

　　不过，所有这些做法，都跟南海的捕抹香鲸者完全不同；南海渔船，在四年的航程中，也许花在炼油的工作上还不消五十天，就把船舱里都装足了油，而且按照它装进了桶的情况说来，那些油已差不多是毫无气味了。事实上，不管死鲸活鲸，只要处理得当，鲸决不是一种有臭味的动物；而且捕鲸人也不可能让人家用鼻子一嗅就嗅出来，象中世纪的人，用鼻子在人群里一嗅，就可以把犹太人给侦察出来那样。同时，鲸也确实不可能是不芬芳扑鼻的，因为，一般说来，它的身体如此壮健；有充分的运动；始终过着户外生活；虽则实际上，它很难得过露天生活。我认为，一条抹香鲸的尾巴在水上一甩动，就会发散出一种香气来，犹如一个浑身麝香气味的太太，在暖洋洋的会客室里，沙沙地抖动她的衣服一样。那么，就它的身躯之硕大说来，我将拿什么来比喻抹香鲸的芬芳气味呢？难道不该把它比做那只有着珠宝似的象牙、发散着没药香味、被牵到印度一个城镇去对亚历山大大帝表示敬意的著名大象（公元前三二七年，亚历山大大帝击败印度君主波鲁斯后，印度各地都出现上述献象情况。）吗？

英语听书《白鲸记》第799期（在线收听）