英语听书《白鲸记》第564期

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　　The huge corpulence of that Hogarthian monster undulates on the surface, scarcely drawing one inch of water. 霍加思画的那只巨兽，在水面上起伏的硕大形体，露出水面还不及一英寸。

　　It has a sort of howdah on its back, and its distended³ tusked⁴ mouth into which the billows are rolling, 它背上有一种象背椅的东西，而那只波涛滚滚流入的张得大大的嘴巴，

　　might be taken for the Traitors⁵' Gate leading from the Thames by water into the Tower. 也许会被当做是从泰晤士河通向伦敦塔的"叛徒之门"（叛徒之门——从前送政治犯进伦敦塔朝泰晤士河那一面的门。）呢。

　　Then, there are the Prodromus whales of the old Scotch⁶ Sibbald, and Jonah's whale, as depicted⁷ in the prints of old Bibles and the cuts of old primers.  接着便是从前苏格兰的西鲍尔德发现的那条先驱鲸和描刻在旧版《圣经》上跟从前的小祷告书（小祷告书——宗教改革前所用的小祷告书。）上的那种所谓约拿鲸的插图了。

　　What shall be said of these? 对这些画又该怎么看呢？

　　As for the book-binder's whale winding⁸ like a vine-stalk round the stock of a descending anchor, 至于那种钉书工人所装饰的鲸，盘绕得象葡萄藤盘着一个下垂的锚叉一般，

　　as stamped and gilded⁹ on the backs and titlepages of many books both old and new, 印镶在古今那许多书本的书脊和里封上，

　　that is a very picturesque¹⁰ but purely¹¹ fabulous¹² creature, imitated, I take it, from the like figures on antique vases. 那倒是一种十分富有诗情画意，而又纯是神话式的动物，我认为，那是模仿古代许多瓶饰上的形象的。

　　Though universally denominated a dolphin, I nevertheless call this book-binder's fish an attempt at a whale; 虽则一般都把它称为海豚，然而，我却认为这种钉书工人的鱼是企图画鲸的一种尝试，

　　because it was so intended when the device was first introduced. 因为初次采用这种图样的时候，就有这样的意图。

　　It was introduced by an old Italian publisher somewhere about the 15th century, during the Revival¹³ of Learning; 那是在十五世纪左右，在文艺复兴时代，由意大利一个老出版商初次采用的，

　　and in those days, and even down to a comparatively late period, dolphins were popularly supposed to be a species of the Leviathan. 而且在当时，甚至直至以后相当长的期间内，大家都认为海豚就是这种大海兽的一种。

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