英语听书《白鲸记》第486期

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It was a cloudy, sultry afternoon; 这天下午，阴云密布，十分闷热。

the seamen¹ were lazily lounging about the decks, or vacantly gazing over into the lead-colored waters. 水手们有的懒散地在甲板上荡来荡去，有的茫然地眺望着那铅灰色的海面。

Queequeg and I were mildly employed weaving what is called a sword-mat, for an additional lashing² to our boat. 我和魁魁格却在慢条斯理地编一种叫做剑缏的缏子(剑缏——一种用棉纱编织的似阔带子的缏子，用以盘扎索具等物，使其不致因碰撞摩擦而损坏。)，用来添缚我们那只小艇。

So still and subdued³ and yet somehow preluding was all the scene,  整个景色如此静寂。柔和，然而，不知怎的，却好象要发生什么事情似的，

and such an incantation of revelry lurked⁴ in the air, that each silent sailor seemed resolved into his own invisible self. 空中又隐伏有那么一种使人陷入遐想的魔力，弄得每个默默的水手都似乎各自化成幽灵了。

I was the attendant or page of Queequeg, while busy at the mat. 在忙着编缏子的时候，我就是魁魁格的随从和小厮。

As I kept passing and repassing the filling or woof of marline between the long yarns⁶ of the warp⁷, using my own hand for the shuttle, 这时，我不断地把纬线往复地穿织在一长排经纱中，用我的手做梭子，

and as Queequeg, standing⁸ sideways, ever and anon slid his heavy oaken sword between the threads, 魁魁格则站在一旁，时时用他那把沉重的橡木剑在线索间轻轻一勒，

and idly looking off upon the water, carelessly and unthinkingly drove home every yarn⁵; 懒散地望望海面，又漫不经心而心不在焉地把每根纱线敲拢。

I say so strange a dreaminess did there then reign⁹ all over the ship and all over the sea, 我说，这时整个船上，整个海面确是这么奇如梦境；

only broken by the intermitting dull sound of the sword, that it seemed as if this were the Loom¹⁰ of Time, 只有间歇的沉闷的击剑声在打破沉默，仿佛这就是时辰的机杼(参阅《浮士德》第一部《夜》中的话：“我架起时辰的机杼，替神性制造生动的衣裳。”(见郭沫若译本，人民文学出版社出版))，

and I myself were a shuttle mechanically weaving and weaving away at the Fates. 我自己就是一只梭子，无意识地对着命运之神往返地织下去(参阅《旧约。约伯记》第七章六节：“我的日子比梭更快，都消耗在无指望之中。”)，

There lay the fixed¹¹ threads of the warp subject to but one single, ever returning, unchanging vibration¹², 织机上的经线是固定不动的，只能单调的，始终不变地往返摆动一下，

and that vibration merely enough to admit of the crosswise interblending of other threads with its own. 而每次震动也只能够把交叉穿进来的另一根线收拢来，跟它自己混在一起。

This warp seemed necessity; and here, thought I, with my own hand I ply¹³ my own shuttle and weave my own destiny into these unalterable threads.  这种经线似乎就是定数，我心里想，我就在这里用我自己的手，投我自己的梭，把我自己的命运织进这些不可更易的绳线里。

Meantime, Queequeg's impulsive¹⁴, indifferent sword, 这时，魁魁格那把冲动而漫不经心的木剑，

sometimes hitting the woof slantingly, or crookedly¹⁵, or strongly, or weakly, as the case might be; 就随机应变地，或轻或重，或斜或弯地击着那纬线；

and by this difference in the concluding blow producing a corresponding contrast in the final aspect of the completed fabric¹⁶; 于是，由于这种斜曲轻重不同的击拍，结果就在整块织物的最后形式上产生出了相应的差别。

this savage's sword, thought I, which thus finally shapes and fashions both warp and woof; 我在想，这把最后把经纬线弄成这种式样的野蛮的木剑；

this easy, indifferent sword must be chance--  这把漫不经心的木剑一定就是机会——

aye, chance, free will, and necessity--no wise incompatible-- all interweavingly working together. 是呀，机会。自由意志和定数——一点儿也不矛盾——都交织在一起了。

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