英语听书《白鲸记》第355期

Nevertheless, the old sea-traditions, the immemorialcredulities, popularly invested this old Manxman withpreternatural powers of discernment. So that nowhite sailor seriously contradicted him when he saidthat if ever Captain Ahab should be tranquilly laidout-- which might hardly come to pass, so hemuttered-then, whoever should do that last office forthe dead, would find a birth-mark on him from crownto sole.

然而,古老的海上传说,不知何时开始的迷信,使大家公认这个人岛老头具有超常的识别力。因此,虽然后来他说,如果亚哈船长有朝一日寿终正寝的话...也许是不大会发生的,他这么咕哝一下...那么,任何一个给他料理后事的,就会找出他那条从顶到踵的天生的记痕了,这番话,那些白种水手都没有人认真地反驳过他。

So powerfully did the whole grim aspect of Ahab affect me, and the livid brand which streakedit, that for the first few moments I hardly noted that not a little of this overbearing grimnesswas owing to the barbaric white leg upon which he partly stood. It had previously come to methat this ivory leg had at sea been fashioned from the polished bone of the sperm whale'sjaw. "Aye, he was dismasted off Japan," said the old Gay-Head Indian once; "but like hisdismasted craft, he shipped another mast without coming home for it. He has a quiver of'em."

亚哈这副冷酷的相貌,和脸上那条灰色的记痕,是这么有力地影响了我,使我在开始一瞬间,几乎没有注意到他之所以具有这种冷酷神情,大多应该归之于他半站着的,那条煞风景的白腿。我早就知道,这只牙质腿是在海上用抹香鲸的颚骨加以磨光修整做成的。"是呀,他是在日本海面上给毁掉的呀,"那个该黑特印第安老头有一回说道;"不过,象他那艘给毁掉了桅杆的船一样,他不待回家修理就已经在海上找到另一根桅杆了。他可有不少的桅杆呢。"

I was struck with the singular posture he maintained. Upon each side of the Pequod's quarterdeck, and pretty close to the mizzen shrouds, there was an auger hole, bored about half an inchor so, into the plank. His bone leg steadied in that hole; one arm elevated, and holding by ashroud; Captain Ahab stood erect, looking straight out beyond the ship's ever-pitching prow.There was an infinity of firmest fortitude, a determinate, unsurrenderable wilfulness, in thefixed and fearless, forward dedication of that glance.

他那与众不同的姿势,给我的印象十分深刻。在"裴廓德号"的后甲板两侧,紧靠后帆的护桅索的地方,各有一个半英寸左右的。直钻进船板的镟孔。亚哈船长那只牙腿紧插在那只洞孔里,他抬起一条胳膊,抓住一根护桅索,笔直地站在那里,直瞪着那颠簸不停的船头的远方。在这种笔直向前。固定不动。不畏不惧的目光中,含有一种无限的,最坚决的,不屈不挠的神气,一种坚定不移的,永不妥协的顽强精神。