英语听书《白鲸记》第914期

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a desperate burglar slid into his happy home, and robbed them all of everything. 悄悄地溜进了他的快活的家里，把他所有的一切都偷得一干二净。

And darker yet to tell, the blacksmith himself did ignorantly conduct this burglar into his family's heart. 更为凄惨的是，这个夜贼是铁匠本人莫知莫觉地引进自己家里的。

It was the Bottle Conjuror²! 这就是那个魔瓶鬼！

Upon the opening of that fatal cork³, forth⁴ flew the fiend, and shrivelled up his home. 那只性命攸关的瓶塞一经拔开，那个恶魔就猛地冲了出来，把他的家庭给搞垮了。

Now, for prudent⁵, most wise, and economic reasons, the blacksmith's shop was in the basement of his dwelling⁶, but with a separate entrance to it; 且说这个铁匠出于谨慎、精明和经济，他的作坊就设在他住屋的地下室里，单独有一扇门；

so that always had the young and loving healthy wife listened with no unhappy nervousness, but with vigorous pleasure, 所以这个年轻可爱、身体壮健的妻子总是带着一种不无快活的胆怯、然而却很有乐趣，

to the stout⁷ ringing of her young-armed old husband's hammer; 倾听她年老丈夫那象小伙子的腕力猛力敲击的锤子声；

whose reverberations, muffled⁸ by passing through the floors and walls, came up to her, not unsweetly, in her nursery; 锤子的回音，朦胧地穿过楼板和墙壁，颇为愉快地传上她的育儿室；

and so, to stout Labor's iron lullaby, the blacksmith's infants were rocked to slumber⁹. 铁匠的小孩们也就这样合着劳动之神的猛力的钢铁催眠曲，给震荡得甜睡着了。

Oh, woe¹⁰ on woe! Oh, Death, why canst thou not sometimes be timely? 啊，哀上加哀！死神啊，你为什么有时候不能及时地来呢？

Hadst thou taken this old blacksmith to thyself ere his full ruin came upon him, then had the young widow had a delicious grief, 如果你在这个老铁匠倾家荡产之前，先把他攫走，然后让那个年青的孀妇痛痛快快地悲伤一场，

and her orphans¹¹ a truly venerable, legendary¹² sire to dream of in their after years; and all of them a care-killing competency. 让她那些孤儿以后有个梦想他们那真有来历的、神话似的祖先的机会；让他们都心劳神悴下去，不是更好些吗？

But Death plucked down some virtuous¹³ elder brother, on whose whistling daily toil¹⁴ solely¹⁵ hung the responsibilities of some other family, 可是，死神却要突然拖走别的人家一个肩上压着家庭重担、终日劳累不停的善良的大哥，

and left the worse than useless old man standing¹⁶, till the hideous¹⁷ rot of life should make him easier to harvest. 而撇下一个百无一用的老头儿，等到那可怕的腐朽的生命更容易收拾时才来收拾他。

 

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