英语听书《白鲸记》第738期

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with his elevated hump sun-dried as a dromedary's in the desert; 它那耸起的背峰给太阳晒干得象沙漠上的单峰骆驼的背峰一般的时候；

even then, the whale always carries a small basin of water on his head, 即使在这种时候，鲸头上也往往带有一小盆水，

as under a blazing sun you will sometimes see a cavity in a rock filled up with rain. 一如在烈日当空的照射下，你往往会看到岩穴里灌满着一摊雨水一样。

Nor is it at all prudent² for the hunter to be over curious touching³ the precise nature of the whale spout⁴. 而且，猎人们根本也不会好奇得不顾一切危险，去细究一下那条大鲸的喷水究竟是怎么一种东西。

It will not do for him to be peering into it, and putting his face in it. 要他细细地去瞧一瞧，把脸也钻进去，他是不干的。

You cannot go with your pitcher⁵ to this fountain and fill it, and bring it away. 你总不能拿着一只水壶跑到这种喷泉边，把水装满后，再把它拿回来。

For even when coming into slight contact with the outer, vapory shreds⁶ of the jet, 因为即使跟这种喷水的外围的雾气稍微接触一下，

which will often happen, your skin will feverishly⁷ smart, from the acridness of the thing so touching it. 往往就会教你皮肤火辣辣的疼痛，好象碰上什么腐蚀性的东西。

And I know one, who coming into still closer contact with the spout, 我还知道有这样一个人，他因为跟喷水靠得太拢，

whether with some scientific object in view, or otherwise, I cannot say, the skin peeled off from his cheek and arm. 至于他究竟是怀着一种科学的目的，还是别有原因，我可说不上来，总之，他的脸上、臂上的皮肤却坼裂开来了。

Wherefore, among whalemen, the spout is deemed poisonous; they try to evade⁸ it. 所以，捕鲸人总是把这种喷水看做毒性奇重的东西，大家都设法对它远而避之。

Another thing; I have heard it said, and I do not much doubt it, that if the jet is fairly spouted⁹ into your eyes, it will blind you. 还有，我听说，我对这事情也不很表怀疑，那就是，如果那喷水正好喷进了你的眼睛，准会教你眼睛瞎了。

The wisest thing the investigator¹⁰ can do then, it seems to me, is to let this deadly spout alone. 所以据我看来，专爱寻根究底的人，还是把这种可怕的喷水搁在一边为上。

Still, we can hypothesize, even if we cannot prove and establish. 不过，尽管我们既不能证实，也不能得出结论，我们也还可以假设一番。

My hypothesis is this: that the spout is nothing but mist.  我的假设是这样的：这种喷水其实就是雾气。

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