英语听书《白鲸记》第633期

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　　It is transparent¹, as I said before;  这种东西，如上所述，是透明的，

　　and being laid upon the printed page, I have sometimes pleased myself with fancying it exerted a magnifying influence. 而且把它放在书页上，我有时还会自得其乐地认为它有一种放大的作用。

　　At any rate, it is pleasant to read about whales through their own spectacles, as you may say. 总之，可以这样说，用鲸皮镜来读鲸学书，真是一件快事。

　　But what I am driving at here is this. 不过，我在这里要说的却是这样。

　　That same infinitely² thin, isinglass substance, which, I admit, invests the entire body of the whale, 我认为，这种包在整个鲸身上的很薄的、云母片似的东西，

　　is not so much to be regarded as the skin of the creature, as the skin of the skin, so to speak; 似乎不很能够把它当作动物的皮，当做皮肤的皮，

　　for it were simply ridiculous to say, that the proper skin of the tremendous whale is thinner and more tender than the skin of a new-born child. 因为如果把可怕的大鲸那种正式的皮，说得象是比初生的婴孩的皮肤还要嫩、还要薄，那简直是滑天下之大稽了。

　　But no more of this. 可是，事实上就是如此。

　　Assuming the blubber to be the skin of the whale; 假定鲸脂就是鲸皮，

　　then, when this skin, as in the case of a very large Sperm³ Whale, will yield the bulk of one hundred barrels of oil;  那么，就一条十分大的抹香鲸说来，这层皮就会出产重达一百桶的油，

　　and, when it is considered that, in quantity, or rather weight, 而且再就它的量或者不如说就它的重量来考虑一下，

　　that oil, in its expressed state, is only three fourths, and not the entire substance of the coat; 这种油，按它榨出来的情况来说，还不过是四分之三的油量，并不是它那层应的整个油量。

　　some idea may hence be had of the enormousness of that animated⁴ mass, 这样，我们对那只气力旺盛的东西的硕大无朋就可获得一点印象了。

　　a mere⁵ part of whose mere integument⁶ yields such a lake of liquid as that. 光是它的那层外皮的一部分，就可以出产量如大湖的液体。

　　Reckoning ten barrels to the ton, you have ten tons for the net weight of only three quarters of the stuff of the whale's skin. 以十桶作一吨计算，那么只要四分之三的鲸皮，就可以获得净重十吨的油了。

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