英语听书《白鲸记》第672期

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in which their divided and diametrically opposite powers of vision must involve them. 一定是跟它们那两边对峙的视觉极有关系。

But the ear of the whale is full as curious as the eye. 但是，鲸的耳朵也完全跟它的眼睛一样奇特。

If you are an entire stranger to their race, you might hunt over these two heads for hours, and never discover that organ. 如果你对它们的族类全然无知的话，你准会对这两只大头搜索了几个钟头而始终找不到那个器官。

The ear has no external leaf whatever; and into the hole itself you can hardly insert a quill³, so wondrously⁴ minute is it. 它那耳朵根本就没有什么外壳；那只洞孔小得出奇，简直连一支鹅毛管也插不进。

It is lodged⁵ a little behind the eye. 它就长在眼睛稍后一点的地方。

With respect to their ears, this important difference is to be observed between the sperm⁶ whale and the right. 说到它们的耳朵，就可以看到抹香鲸与露脊鲸的主要差别了。

While the ears of the former has an external opening, 抹香鲸的耳朵有一个表面的洞孔，

that of the latter is entirely⁷ and evenly covered over with a membrane⁸, so as to be quite imperceptible from without. 而露脊鲸的耳朵却完全是四平八服地盖着一层薄膜，从外边简直很难叫人看出来。

Is it not curious, that so vast a being as the whale should see the world through so small an eye, 象鲸这样的庞然大物，竟是通过这么细小的眼睛来观察万物，

and hear the thunder through an ear which is smaller than a hare's? 通过比兔子的还小的耳朵来聆听雷声，这可不奇怪吗？

But if his eyes were broad as the lens of Herschel's great telescope; 不过，如果它的眼睛长得象赫舍尔的大望远镜的透镜一样大；

and his ears capacious as the porches of cathedrals; would that make him any longer of sight, or sharper of hearing? Not at all. 耳朵生得象大教堂的门廊一样宽的话，是不是就会教它看得更远，听得更清呢？倒也不一定。

Why then do you try to "enlarge" your mind? Subtilize it. 那么，你为什么要设法"扩大"你的智力呢？你倒仔细分析一下看。

Let us now with whatever levers and steam-engines we have at hand, cant⁹ over the sperm whale's head, so, that it may lie bottom up; 现在，让我们用手边所有的什么杠杆和蒸汽机来把那只鲸头翻个身吧，这样，它就可以仰天躺着。

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