英语听书《白鲸记》第765期

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did these inscrutable creatures at the centre freely and fearlessly indulge in all peaceful concernments; 却还优游自在、无所畏惧地沉迷于太平生活里；

yea, serenely¹ revelled² in dalliance and delight. 不错，它们宁静地耽溺于纵情恣乐中。

But even so, amid the tornadoed Atlantic of my being, do I myself still for ever centrally disport³ in mute calm; 不过，我也是这样，我自己虽然处在旋风似的大西洋中间，内心里却始终异常镇定地感到趣味盎然；

and while ponderous⁴ planets of unwaning woe⁵ revolve⁶ round me, deep down and deep inland there I still bathe me in eternal mildness of joy. 尽管灾难重重的星宿尽绕着我转，使我愁困不堪，走投无路，我还是沉浸在无穷欢乐的柔情中。

Meanwhile, as we thus lay entranced, the occasional sudden frantic⁷ spectacles in the distance evinced the activity of the other boats, 这时，我们就这样神情恍惚地留在那里，但从远处不时蓦然出现的狂乱情况看来，说明其它几只小艇还在继续活动，

still engaged in drugging the whales on the frontier of the host; 还在对边缘的鲸群使用"得拉格"，

or possibly carrying on the war within the first circle, where abundance of room and some convenient retreats were afforded them. 也可能是在第一圈里作战，因为那里地方大，有可以方便进退周旋的余地。

But the sight of the enraged⁸ drugged whales now and then blindly darting⁹ to and fro across the circles, was nothing to what at last met our eyes. 但是，那些被"得拉格"扣住了的愤怒的鲸，不时地在圈圈里瞎冲瞎撞的情景，我们可再也看不到了。

It is sometimes the custom when fast to a whale more than commonly powerful and alert, 通常在拴住了一条力气非常大，非常机灵的鲸时，

to seek to hamstring him, as it were, by sundering¹⁰ or maiming his gigantic tail-tendon. 好象为了要设法把它弄伤，总要把它那巨大的鲸尾给割裂了或者使它甩不动。

It is done by darting a short-handled cutting-spade, to which is attached a rope for hauling it back again. 这就得使用一支短柄的砍鱼铲，铲上拴有一根可以再把它拉回来的绳子。

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