英语听书《白鲸记》第353期

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The mates regularly relieved each other at the watches, and for aught that could be seen to the contrary, they seemed to be the only commanders of the ship;  大二三副定时地轮流值班,一点也看不出有其他什么人在指挥,他们似乎就是这条船的仅有几个指挥者;

only they sometimes issued from the cabin with orders so sudden and peremptory¹, that after all it was plain they but commanded vicariously.  不过,他们常常带着那么突如其来的紧急命令从舱房里出来,终究教人看得清清楚楚,他们不过是代人指挥而已。

Yes, their supreme² lord and dictator was there, though hitherto unseen by any eyes not permitted to penetrate³ into the now sacred retreat of the cabin. 不错,他们的顶头上司和独裁者就在那边,只是到目前为止,谁都没有见到,谁都不准随便走进那个神圣不可侵犯的避难所似的舱房。

Every time I ascended⁴ to the deck from my watches below, I instantly gazed aft to mark if any strange face were visible;  我每回在舱里休息后,一登上甲板,就立刻注视一下船尾,看看是不是可以看到什么陌生的脸;

for my first vague disquietude touching⁵ the unknown captain, now in the seclusion⁶ of the sea became almost a perturbation.  因为我原先对这位未蒙一面的船长的那股微感不安的心情,如今在这恍如隔世的海洋中,简直已经变成一种焦虑了。

This was strangely heightened at times by the ragged⁷ Elijah's diabolical⁸ incoherences uninvitedly recurring⁹ to me, with a subtle energy I could not have before conceived of.  而且,由于那个褴褛的以利亚那番恶魔似的前言不搭后语的说话,老是不期而然地以一种先前没有想到的微妙的力量,在我心头翻腾着,而更时时加强了我这种焦虑。

But poorly could I withstand them, much as in other moods I was almost ready to smile at the solemn whimsicalities of that outlandish prophet of the wharves¹⁰.  那番说话,我可实在受不了,正如在另一种心情下,我对码头上那个外方人的预言者那番貌似正经的怪话,几乎随时都要发笑一般。

But whatever it was of apprehensiveness¹¹ or uneasiness-to call it so-which I felt, yet whenever I came to look about me in the ship, it seemed against all warranty¹² to cherish such emotions.  但是,不管我所觉得的究竟是焦虑还是不安...就算它是这样吧...可每当我在船里张来张去的时候,却又觉得怀着这种感情是毫无根据的。

For though the harpooneers, with the great body of the crew, were a far more barbaric, heathenish, and motley set than any of the tame merchant-ship companies which my previous experiences had made me acquainted with,  因为,尽管那些标枪手,那一大群水手都远比我以前所熟悉的任何一些驯良的商船人员更为野蛮,

still I ascribed this-and rightly ascribed it-to the fierce uniqueness of the very nature of that wild Scandinavian vocation¹³ in which I had so abandonedly embarked¹⁴.  更具有异教色彩,更为良莠不齐,我还是认为这种情形是...并且很恰当地认为是...那种我已不顾一切地参加了的野蛮的斯堪的纳维亚职业的可怕的特点。

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