英语听书《白鲸记》第744期

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No ribs⁴ of man or boat can withstand it. 不论是人的肋骨还是小艇的肋材都抵挡不住。

Your only salvation⁵ lies in eluding⁶ it; 唯一的自救之道就是赶快回避。

but if it comes sideways through the opposing water, then partly owing to the light buoyancy of the whale-boat, and the elasticity⁷ of its materials, 不过，如果它从对面斜穿过来，这时一半由于捕鲸小艇轻巧易浮，一半由于艇材富有弹力，

a cracked rib³ or a dashed plank⁸ or two, a sort of stitch in the side, is generally the most serious result. 于是艇肋就喀啦一响，或者船板给哗啦啦地冲一两下，好比针脚朝腰际一戳，一般说来，这就是最严重的结局。

These submerged side blows are so often received in the fishery, that they are accounted mere⁹ child's play. 这种水里的侧击，捕鲸业是经常遭受到的，所以他们都只当它是儿戏。

Some one strips off a frock, and the hole is stopped. 谁个打外衣上撕下一条布片，那只洞孔就给堵住了。

Third: I cannot demonstrate it, but it seems to me, that in the whale the sense of touch is concentrated in the tail; 第三，这一点我真说不清楚，不过，据我看来，大鲸的触感似乎都集中在尾巴上；

for in this respect there is a delicacy¹⁰ in it only equalled by the daintiness of the elephant's trunk. 因为，在这方面，尾巴本身所具有的灵巧，只有雍容华贵的象鼻才能跟它媲美。

This delicacy is chiefly evinced in the action of sweeping¹¹, 这种灵巧主要表现在它的摇尾的动作上，

when in maidenly¹² gentleness the whale with a certain soft slowness moves his immense flukes from side to side upon the surface of the sea; 当大鲸象少女那么娇柔，以一种柔顺、迟慢的动作，挥动它那巨大的裂片，在海面上摆来摆去的时候；

and if he feel but a sailor's whisker, woe¹³ to that sailor, whiskers and all. 如果它刚好碰上一个水手的腮帮子，那么那个水手可就惨了，络腮胡子和所有一切都完了蛋。

What tenderness there is in that preliminary touch! 这么轻轻一碰，可多么温柔！

Had this tail any prehensile¹⁴ power, I should straightway bethink me of Darmonodes' elephant that so frequented the flower-market, 如果这条尾巴具有一些抓握力的话，那我立刻就会想到达蒙诺克斯（这是作者虚构的地名。）的大象，它常常要跑到花市里，

and with low salutations presented nosegays to damsels, and then caressed¹⁵ their zones.  向那些闺秀们低语寒暄，献赠花束，然后又摩弄着她们的带子。

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