英语听书《白鲸记》第388期

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The large importance attached to the harpooneer's vocation³ is evinced by the fact, that originally in the old Dutch Fishery, two centuries and more ago, the command of a whale-ship was not wholly lodged⁴ in the person now called the captain, but was divided between him and an officer called the Specksynder.  标枪手这一职业的重大意义是有事实根据的。在二百多年前的古荷兰捕鲸业中,捕鲸船的指挥权本来并不是完全交给那个现今叫做船长的人,而是由他跟一个叫做斯培克辛德的头目分而治之的。

Literally⁵ this word means Fat-Cutter; usage, however, in time made it equivalent to Chief Harpooneer.  这个名词...斯培克辛德...按照字义解释,就是割油者;不过,在待遇上恰好是相当于一等标枪手。

In those days, the captain's authority was restricted to the navigation and general management of the vessel⁶;  当时,船长的职权仅限于船只的航行和一般的管理工作;

while over the whale-hunting department and all its concerns, the Specksynder or Chief Harpooneer reigned⁷ supreme⁸.  至于捕鲸以及一切跟捕鲸方面有关的事情,都由斯培克辛德也即一等标枪手大权独揽。

In the British Greenland Fishery, under the corrupted⁹ title of Specksioneer, this old Dutch official is still retained, but his former dignity is sadly abridged¹⁰.  在英国的格陵兰捕鱼业中,却仍沿用这个语言讹误的"斯培克西昂尼尔"的头衔,保留了这个古荷兰的船上头目的职位,可是,他以前的权尊则已给大大地缩小了。

At present he ranks simply as senior Harpooneer; and as such, is but one of the captain's more inferior subalterns.  现在他只算是个高级标枪手;这样一来,这种职司不过是船长的一个比较下级的部属而已。

Nevertheless, as upon the good conduct of the harpooneers the success of a whaling voyage largely depends, and since in the American Fishery he is not only an important officer in the boat, but under certain circumstances (night watches on a whaling ground) the command of the ship's deck is also his;  然而,由于一次捕鲸航行的成功,大多有赖于这些标枪手的掌握得宜,同时,因为在美国捕鱼业中,他不只是小艇上的一个重要头目,而且在某种情况之下(在捕鲸场上的值夜),整个船面指挥权,也是属于他的;

therefore the grand political maxim¹¹ of the sea demands, that he should nominally¹² live apart from the men before the mast, and be in some way distinguished¹³ as their professional superior; though always, by them, familiarly regarded as their social equal. 因此,根据海上的主要政治准则,就要求他必须在形式上与那些桅杆前的水手分开生活,必须在职务上多少显得比一般水手优越些;虽然大家往往是熟不拘礼地把他们看成地位同等的人物。

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