英语听书《白鲸记》第454期

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Footnote.I remember the first albatross I ever saw. It was during a prolonged gale¹, in waters hard upon the Antarctic seas.  我记起我生平第一次看到信天翁的情况。那是在靠近南极海上，大风刮个不停的时分。

From my forenoon watch below, I ascended² to the overclouded deck;  我午前在舱里休息过后,登上那灰蒙蒙的甲板;

and there, dashed upon the main hatches, I saw a regal, feathery thing of unspotted whiteness, and with a hooked, Roman bill sublime³. At intervals⁴, it arched forth⁵ its vast archangel wings, as if to embrace some holy ark.  想冲上大舱口去,我突然看到了一只帝王也似的鸟类,全身雪白,一无斑驳,一只罗马式的大钩嘴。

Wondrous⁶ flutterings and throbbings shook it.  这是一种壮大的,乳白色的战马,大眼小头,胸部扁平,在它那高傲的仪表中,

Though bodily unharmed, it uttered cries, as some king's ghost in supernatural distress⁷.  虽然它身体并未受伤,却发出哭声来,就象什么帝王的鬼魂在不可思议的灾难里哭。

Through its inexpressible, strange eyes, methought I peeped to secrets which took hold of God.  从它那难以描摹的奇异的眼色中,我认为我已窥探到它掌握有上帝的秘密。

As Abraham before the angels, I bowed myself;  我象亚伯拉罕对着天使一样,连忙打躬。

the white thing was so white, its wings so wide, and in those for ever exiled waters, I had lost the miserable⁸ warping⁹ memories of traditions and of towns.  那只白色的东西颜色这么白,翅膀又这么阔大,使得我在那永遭放逐的海洋里,顿时把那些传统的和城市的可怜的七颠八倒的记忆都忘得一干二净。

Long I gazed at that prodigy¹⁰ of plumage.  我长久地凝视着那只奇异的禽鸟。

I cannot tell, can only hint, the things that darted¹¹ through me then.  我对那只当时直穿透了我的心灵的东西,真说不出个所以然来,只能隐约有个印象。

But at last I awoke; and turning, asked a sailor what bird was this.  最后我终于苏醒过来;转过头去问一个水手,那是什么鸟。

A goney, he replied. Goney! never had heard that name before; is it conceivable that this glorious thing is utterly¹² unknown to men ashore¹³! never!  信天翁,他答道。信天翁。我从来没有听到过这名字;这是可以想象的么,这样壮丽的东西,陆地人竟全然无知!从来没有听到过!

But some time after, I learned that goney was some seaman's name for albatross.  不过,过了一些时,我才知道这是水手们对这种鸟的一种叫法。

So that by no possibility could Coleridge's wild Rhyme have had aught to do with those mystical impressions which were mine, when I saw that bird upon our deck.  因此,柯勒律治的狂热的诗句,跟我当时在甲板上看到那只鸟时的神秘的印象,丝毫没有关连的可能。

For neither had I then read the Rhyme, nor knew the bird to be an albatross. Yet, in saying this, I do but indirectly¹⁴ burnish¹⁵ a little brighter the noble merit of the poem and the poet.   因为,当时我既没有念过那些诗句,也不知道那只鸟就叫信天翁。然而,话虽如此,我却也间接地为这诗歌和这诗人的高贵的价值略为增添一点光彩了。

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