英语听书《白鲸记》第813期

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　　说它是一个偶像吧，倒也真象，可是说得更恰切些，倒象是古代的偶像。这样一个偶像，跟在犹大的玛迦太后的秘密的丛林里找到的那东西一模一样；而且由于她崇拜这种偶像，还遭到了她儿子亚撒王的贬黜，把她的偶像拿到汲沦溪边作为一种弃物而烧毁了，一如《列王纪上》第十五章所模糊地记载着的一样。（参阅《旧约·列王纪上》第十五章九节至十五节。）

　　Look at the sailor, called the mincer⁷, who now comes along, and assisted by two allies, heavily backs the grandissimus, as the mariners⁸ call it, and with bowed shoulders, staggers off with it as if he were a grenadier carrying a dead comrade from the field. Extending it upon the forecastle deck, he now proceeds cylindrically⁹ to remove its dark pelt¹⁰, as an African hunter the pelt of a boa. This done he turns the pelt inside out, like a pantaloon leg; gives it a good stretching, so as almost to double its diameter; and at last hangs it, well spread, in the rigging, to dry. Ere long, it is taken down; when removing some three feet of it, towards the pointed¹¹ extremity¹², and then cutting two slits¹³ for arm-holes at the other end, he lengthwise slips himself bodily into it. The mincer now stands before you invested in the full canonicals of his calling. Immemorial to all his order, this investiture alone will adequately protect him, while employed in the peculiar¹⁴ functions of his office.

　　那么，请瞧一瞧那个叫剁肉手的水手吧，他现在由两个同伴扶着走过来了，背上沉重地背着水手们称做"大法衣"的两件东西，拱起两肩，蹒蹒跚跚，仿佛是个背着一具战友的尸体从战场回来的掷弹兵。他把它铺在船头楼的船板上后，就着手象滚圆筒一般剥它的黑皮，象非洲的猎户在剥大蛇皮那样。剥过了后，他把它兜里翻个转身，象老丑角的一条细腿子；于是将它用劲一拉，差不多把直径拉大了一倍；最后把它挂起来，张在索具上晾干。再隔一会，又把它拿下来；把它尖尖一端切掉了三英尺左右，又在另一端割了两块做臂洞的裂口，他的身体就笔直地钻了进去。现在站在你面前的这个剁肉手就是个穿上全副法衣的法师了。按照他所有的古老的法规说来，他在执行这一特殊的差使时，单是这件法衣就足以适当地保护他了。

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