英语听书《白鲸记》第913期

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as if toil² were life itself, and the heavy beating of his hammer the heavy beating of his heart. 好象劳作就是生命，他的锤子的沉重的敲击，就是他的心的沉重的跳动。

And so it was.—Most miserable⁴! 这真是极其可怜！

A peculiar⁵ walk in this old man, a certain slight but painful appearing yawing in his gait,  这个老头儿走起路来有一种特殊的步法，一种稍微有点显得很苦痛的偏斜的走相，

had at an early period of the voyage excited the curiosity of the mariners⁶. 在这次航程开始的时候，就引起了水手们的好奇心。

And to the importunity⁷ of their persisted questionings he had finally given in; 由于大家再三再四的追根究底，他终于不得不说了出来；

and so it came to pass that every one now knew the shameful⁸ story of his wretched fate. 因此，现在大家都知道他那可怜的命运有过一段丢脸的经过。

Belated, and not innocently, one bitter winter's midnight, on the road running between two country towns, 一个严冬的午夜，这个赶晚了路而并不是不知情的铁匠，走在一条左右各有一个乡镇的路上，

the blacksmith half-stupidly felt the deadly numbness⁹ stealing over him, and sought refuge in a leaning, dilapidated barn. 他有点迟钝地觉得身上突然非常麻痹，于是摸到一个倾斜的破谷仓里去歇一歇。

The issue was, the loss of the extremities¹⁰ of both feet. 原因是双脚再也撑不住了。

Out of this revelation, part by part,  终于，打从这个意外中，

at last came out the four acts of the gladness, and the one long, and as yet uncatastrophied fifth act of the grief of his life's drama. 逐渐产生了四幕喜剧，和一个长长而尚未收场的、表现他一生的悲剧的第五幕。

He was an old man, who, at the age of nearly sixty, had postponedly encountered that thing in sorrow's technicals called ruin. 他是个老头儿，年纪将近六十岁，还迟迟没有遭遇到那种叫做家破人亡的悲伤的专门名词的事儿。

He had been an artisan of famed excellence¹¹, and with plenty to do;  他本来是一个以技艺高强著称的手艺人，活儿做不完；

owned a house and garden; embraced a youthful, daughter-like, loving wife, and three blithe¹², ruddy children; every Sunday went to a cheerful-looking church, planted in a grove¹³.  自己有一座带园子的房子；还有一个年轻的象女儿一般的爱妻，三个活泼壮健的小孩；每个礼拜日都上那个四周布满丛林。外表舒适的教堂去做礼拜。

 

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