英语听书《白鲸记》第340期

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But after embattling his facts, an advocate who should wholly suppress a not unreasonable³ surmise⁴, which might tell eloquently⁵ upon his cause 不过把这些事实罗列出来后,辩护者就应该完全不作并非无理的臆测,因为,这对他的事业有很大的影响。

such an advocate, would he not be blame-worthy? 这样一个辩护者,他总不该受责备吧?

It is well known that at the coronation of kings and queens, even modern ones, a certain curious process of seasoning⁶ them for their functions is gone through.  如所周知,国王和女王在加冕的时候(现代也是如此),必须为他们的仪式进行一番奇特的梳妆手续。

There is a saltcellar of state, so called, and there may be a caster of state. How they use the salt, precisely-who knows?  有一种所谓盐缸式的仪式,也可以称之为调味式的仪式。至于他们究竟怎样用盐。谁知道呢?

Certain I am, however, that a king's head is solemnly oiled at his coronation, even as a head of salad.  不过,我可以肯定的是,在国王举行加冕典礼的时候,他的脑袋瓜子,是郑重其事地抹了油,抹得那只脑袋瓜子如同一盆色拉。

Can it be, though, that they anoint it with a view of making its interior run well, as they anoint machinery⁷?  不过,人们是不是可以采用擦机器的办法,把那只脑袋瓜子也抹得它内部可以灵活运转呢?

Much might be ruminated⁸ here, concerning the essential dignity of this regal process,  这里,关于这种庄严的操作法的实在情形,倒是深值玩味的,

because in common life we esteem⁹ but meanly and contemptibly¹⁰ a fellow who anoints his hair, and palpably smells of that anointing.  因为在我们的日常生活中,我们总是把头发抹油,抹得芬香扑鼻的人,看成是一种下贱和无聊的人。

In truth, a mature man who uses hairoil, unless medicinally, that man has probably got a quoggy spot in him somewhere.  事实上,一个使用发油的成年人,除了是医学上的需要外,那个人大概是在头上什么地方长有一块癞疤。

As a general rule, he can't amount to much in his totality. 一般说来,人是不可能十全十美的。

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