英语听书《白鲸记》第214期

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I quaked to think of it. A peddler of heads too--perhaps the heads of his own brothers. He might take a fancy to mine-heavens! look at that tomahawk! 一想到这里,我不由浑身打战.而且还是个人头贩子...说不定贩的就是他的亲弟兄的头呢。他也许会看中我的脑袋...天呀!瞧他那支烟斗斧!

But there was no time for shuddering⁴, for now the savage went about something that completely fascinated my attention, and convinced me that he must indeed be a heathen.  但是,已经没有时间发抖了,因为这时候那野人又在搞什么鬼了,把我的全部注意力都吸引住,这一来更教我肯定他是个异教徒。

Going to his heavy grego, or wrapall, or dreadnaught, which he had previously⁵ hung on a chair,  他走到他先前挂在椅子上那件又象大氅,又象斗篷,又象厚外套的衣服眼前,

he fumbled⁶ in the pockets, and produced at length a curious little deformed⁷ image with a hunch⁸ on its back, and exactly the color of a three days' old Congo baby.  在口袋里摸了一阵,结果摸出一个稀奇古怪的畸形小偶像来,它的背上还有个驼峰,颜色就跟一个生下来三天的刚果婴孩一般无二。

Remembering the embalmed⁹ head, at first I almost thought that this black manikin was a real baby preserved in some similar manner.  一想起那只香料制的头,我起先几乎把这个小黑人当成一个也是用同样方法制的真婴孩。

But seeing that it was not at all limber, and that it glistened¹⁰ a good deal like polished ebony,  但是,看到它根本是硬绷绷的,而且亮得颇象磨光的乌木,

I concluded that it must be nothing but a wooden idol¹¹, which indeed it proved to be.  因此我断定它不过是个木制的偶像,事实证明也是这样。

For now the savage goes up to the empty fire-place, and removing the papered fire-board, sets up this little hunch-backed image, like a tenpin, between the andirons.  因为这时候,那野人走到空壁炉跟前,拿开那块纸隔板,把那只驼背的小偶像,象只球钉一样竖在壁炉的两个柴架中间。

The chimney jambs and all the bricks inside were very sooty, so that I thought this fire-place made a very appropriate little shrine¹² or chapel¹³ for his Congo idol. 里面的烟囱石壁和砖头本来全都熏得漆黑,因此,我心里想,这只壁炉做他的刚果偶像的神龛或者小教堂,倒真是十分适宜。

I now screwed my eyes hard towards the half hidden image, feeling but ill at ease meantime--to see what was next to follow.  这时,我竭力眯起双眼望着那只半遮半掩的偶像,虽然觉得很不好受,却同时又想看看他还要干些什么。

First he takes about a double handful of shavings out of his grego pocket, and places them carefully before the idol;  他先从斗篷口袋里双手捧了一把刨花出来,小心翼翼地放在偶像面前;

then laying a bit of ship biscuit on top and applying the flame from the lamp, he kindled¹⁴ the shavings into a sacrificial blaze.  然后把一小块硬面包放在刨花上,用蜡烛引了火,把刨花烧成一簇祭火。

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