英语听书《白鲸记》第815期

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　　fitted to sustain the weight of an almost solid mass of brick and mortar², some ten feet by eight square, and five in height. 足以支撑那个简直是用砖头和灰泥造成的一团坚固体的重量，它约有十英尺宽八英寸长，五英尺高。

　　The foundation does not penetrate³ the deck, 它的脚基虽然不跟甲板相连，

　　but the masonry⁴ is firmly secured to the surface by ponderous⁵ knees of iron bracing⁶ it on all sides, and screwing it down to the timbers. 可是，它是用许多大曲铁把四边箍住，然后紧旋在那些木头上，牢靠地装在甲板上的。

　　On the flanks it is cased with wood, and at top completely covered by a large, sloping, battened hatchway. 它两旁都包有木头，上边由一块倾斜的、钉有细板的舱盖把大舱口紧密地盖住。

　　Removing this hatch we expose the great try-pots, two in number, and each of several barrels' capacity. 拉开这块舱板，就看到一对大炼锅，每只锅有好几大桶的容量。

　　When not in use, they are kept remarkably⁷ clean. 这两只大锅不用的时候，都洗刷得非常干净。

　　Sometimes they are polished with soapstone and sand, till they shine within like silver punchbowls. 人们有时用滑石和黄沙擦它，把它的里面擦得锃亮，象只银质的五味酒钵。

　　During the night-watches some cynical⁸ old sailors will crawl into them and coil themselves away there for a nap. 值夜的时候，有些调皮的老水手，会爬到里头，盘起身子，蹲在那里打个盹儿。

　　While employed in polishing them—one man in each pot, side by side— many confidential⁹ communications are carried on, over the iron lips. 在擦这两只大锅的时候，——肩并肩地每人各擦一只——两人就隔着锅口，滔滔不绝地密谈下去。

　　It is a place also for profound mathematical meditation¹⁰. 这也是一个可以思考高深的数学问题的地方。

　　It was in the left hand try-pot of the Pequod, with the soapstone diligently¹¹ circling round me, 我正是在"裴廓德号"左边那只炼锅里，手里拿着滑石不住地在四周擦来擦去的时候，

　　that I was first indirectly¹² struck by the remarkable¹³ fact, 初次间接地体会到这一值得注意的事实，

　　that in geometry all bodies gliding¹⁴ along the cycloid, my soapstone for example, will descend¹⁵ from any point in precisely¹⁶ the same time. 那就是在几何学上说来，一切循着圆形而运转的物体（以我这块滑石为例），都会从任何一点上在同一个时间中落下来。

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