英语听书《白鲸记》第879期

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and by all the successive monarchs¹ of the East— if they still survive there in great numbers, much more may the great whale outlast² all hunting, 以及东方一连串君主的猎捕后，而它们还能继续大量存在的话，那么，对于大鲸的远能经受得了一切猎击，就更没有可以怀疑的理由了，

since he has a pasture to expatiate³ in, which is precisely⁴ twice as large as all Asia, both Americas, Europe and Africa, New Holland, and all the Isles⁵ of the sea combined. 因为大鲸有一个足资漫游的大草原，而这个大草原正是比亚洲，加上美洲，欧洲和非洲，新荷兰，以及全世界各岛各屿的总面积还要大上一倍。

Moreover: we are to consider, that from the presumed great longevity⁶ of whales, their probably attaining⁷ the age of a century and more, 而且，根据一般认为大鲸是长寿的看法，我们还得考虑一下它们可能会活到一百多岁，

therefore at any one period of time, several distinct adult generations must be contemporary. 因此，在任何一段期间里，若干特殊的长辈一定就是同时代人了。

And what this is, we may soon gain some idea of, 由是，我们只消这么想一想，

by imagining all the grave-yards, cemeteries⁸, and family vaults⁹ of creation yielding up the live bodies of all the men, women, and children who were alive seventy-five years ago; 人间的一切墓地、坟场和家冢里所藏着的那些在七十五年前还活着的男女老幼的尸体，

and adding this countless¹⁰ host to the present human population of the globe. 再把这一无数的队伍加上现今地球上的人口，那么，这究竟是怎么一种情况，我们立刻就可以得到一些概念了。

Wherefore, for all these things, we account the whale immortal¹¹ in his species, however perishable¹² in his individuality. 因此，尽管有这些情况，不论这种鲸会有个别的死亡，我们还是应该把鲸类看做是一种不朽的动物。

He swam the seas before the continents broke water; he once swam over the site of the Tuileries, and Windsor Castle, and the Kremlin. 它在大陆还未突破洪水而出现之前就在海洋中游来游去，它还曾经游过杜依勒利宫，温莎宫，克里姆林宫从前的地基。

In Noah's flood he despised Noah's Ark; 在挪亚的洪水中，它根本就不把挪亚的方舟放在眼里；

and if ever the world is to be again flooded, like the Netherlands, to kill off its rats, 如果世界还会再发洪水，象荷兰那样，连老鼠都给淹得干干净净，

then the eternal whale will still survive, and rearing upon the topmost crest¹³ of the equatorial flood, spout¹⁴ his frothed defiance¹⁵ to the skies. 那么，这种永存的鲸也还是会活下去，而且会高矗在赤道的洪水似的浪峰上，朝天喷出它的唾沫，表示蔑视呢。

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