英语听书《白鲸记》第718期

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With a terrific snap, every fastening went adrift; the ship righted, the carcase sank. 可怕的啪嗒一声，紧缚着的绳索都散开了；船身也平正过来了，尸体就沉了下去。

Now, this occasional inevitable¹ sinking of the recently killed Sperm² Whale is a very curious thing; nor has any fisherman yet adequately accounted for it. 这种不得不把刚杀死的抹香鲸拿来沉掉的意外事件，倒真十分希奇；而且直到现在也是任何一个捕鱼人都说不明白的。

Usually the dead Sperm Whale floats with great buoyancy, with its side or belly³ considerably⁴ elevated above the surface. 一只死了的抹香鲸，通常总是很有浮力，它们的侧腹，或者肚皮会胀鼓鼓地浮在水面上。

If the only whales that thus sank were old, meagre, and broken-hearted creatures, their pads of lard diminished and all their bones heavy and rheumatic; 只有那种上了年纪，身体瘦弱，伤心透顶，全身无油，骨头很重，又患风湿症的鲸才会这样沉下去；

then you might with some reason assert that this sinking is caused by an uncommon⁵ specific gravity in the fish so sinking, 这样，你就可以有若干理由强调说，它之所以下沉是因为有一种不同凡响的比重，

consequent upon this absence of buoyant matter in him. 是由于它缺乏这种浮力的缘故。

But it is not so. 然而，却又不然。

For young whales, in the highest health, and swelling⁶ with noble aspirations⁷, 因为年青的鲸，在其年富力强、趾高气扬的时候，

prematurely⁸ cut off in the warm flush and May of life, with all their panting lard about them! 如遇盛年夭折，却是浑身是油的！

even these brawny⁹, buoyant heroes do sometimes sink. 可是，哪怕这种结结实实、富有浮力的英雄，有时也不免要沉下去。

Be it said, however, that the Sperm Whale is far less liable to this accident than any other species. 不过，实际上，抹香鲸远不象任何其它鲸类那样会经常发生这种意外。

Where one of that sort go down, twenty Right Whales do. 有一条抹香鲸沉下去，就有二十条露脊鲸沉下去。

This difference in the species is no doubt imputable¹⁰ in no small degree to the greater quantity of bone in the Right Whale; 这种差别毫无疑问，大都得归之于露脊鲸有更大量的骨头；

his Venetian blinds alone sometimes weighing more than a ton; 因为光是它那些细长窗帘，有时称起来就不止一吨重；

from this incumbrance the Sperm Whale is wholly free.  抹香鲸可就完全没有这种拖累。

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