英语听书《白鲸记》 第265期

Grace being said,for those people have their graceas well as we-though Queequeg told me that unlikeus, who at such times look downwards to ourplatters, they, on the contrary, copying the ducks,glance upwards to the great Giver of all feasts-Grace, I say, being said, the High Priest opens thebanquet by the immemorial ceremony of theisland; that is, dipping his consecrated andconsecrating fingers into the bowl before theblessed beverage circulates. Seeing himself placednext the Priest, and noting the ceremony, andthinking himself-being Captain of a ship-as having plain precedence over a mere island King,especially in the King's own house-the Captain coolly proceeds to wash his hands in the punchbowl;taking it I suppose for a huge finger-glass. "Now," said Queequeg, "what you tink now?--Didn't our people laugh?"

饭前祷告做过后...因为他们也跟我们一样,饭前要做祷告...不过,魁魁格告诉我,做法跟我们不同,我们在这种场合上是俯对着我们的杯盘做的,他们却相反地,摹仿鸭子的样子,仰望着各种筵席的那个伟大的"赏赐者"...却说饭前祷告做过后,祭司长就按照这个岛国的万古不易的礼节来开席了;就是说,把他那圣化的。而现在正在做圣事的手指浸到那只还未对客人巡酒的喜酒壶里。那个船长看到自己就坐在祭司长的邻座,他一边注意着这种礼节,一边暗自忖量...身为一船之长...明明又是坐在一个小小的岛国国王的上首,尤其是正坐在国王自己的家里...于是,这个船长就不动声色地在潘趣酒壶里洗起手来;我想他是把它当作一只大指盆的。"现在,"魁魁格说,"现在你怎么个想法?我们那些人没有笑话他吗?"

At last, passage paid, and luggage safe, we stood on board the schooner. Hoisting sail, itglided down the Acushnet river. On one side, New Bedford rose in terraces of streets, their ice-covered trees all glittering in the clear, cold air. Huge hills and mountains of casks on caskswere piled upon her wharves, and side by side the world-wandering whale ships lay silent andsafely moored at last; while from others came a sound of carpenters and coopers, with blendednoises of fires and forges to melt the pitch, all betokening that new cruises were on the start;that one most perilous and long voyage ended, only begins a second; and a second ended, onlybegins a third, and so on, for ever and for aye. Such is the endlessness, yea, the intolerablenessof all earthly effort.

最后,付过船票,安顿了行李,我们就搭上那只纵帆船。篷帆扯起,船只顺着阿库希奈河徐徐而下。这一边是新贝德福显现在房屋鳞次栉比的街道中,街上那些冰封的树木都在晴冷的空间闪闪发光。桶子象大小丘陵似的堆积在码头上,浪游世界的捕鲸船终于又悄悄而安全地停泊在旁边;另一边传来木匠桶匠的声音,还混杂着为了融化沥青的火烧铁打的声音,一切都表示着新的巡弋已经开始;也表示着一次最危险的长距离航程虽然结束了,却不过是第二次航程的开始;而第二次航程的结束,又不过是第三次航程的开始,如此循环不息,永无止境。这就是整个人间的无休无止而且是难堪的努力。