英語(yǔ)聽(tīng)書(shū)《白鯨記》第136期

Moreover, in the infancy of the first Australiansettlement,

這樣說(shuō)不僅僅是因?yàn)椴饿L者是較早登上那塊大陸的人，

the emigrants were several times saved fromstarvation by the benevolent biscuit of the whale-ship luckily dropping an anchor in their waters.

在以后的數(shù)十年中，澳洲的早期開(kāi)發(fā)者常常因?yàn)轲嚮亩媾R絕境，幾乎每次他們都是從路過(guò)那里的捕鯨船上獲得硬面包，而幸免于難的。

The uncounted isles of all Polynesia confess the same truth, and do commercial homage tothe whale-ship,

玻利尼亞尼島嶼上的人們便十分坦誠(chéng)地承認(rèn)這一事實(shí)，并且明白地向捕鯨船致以誠(chéng)摯的敬意。

that cleared the way for the missionary and the merchant, and in many cases carried theprimitive missionaries to their first destinations.

捕鯨船還為牧師、商人開(kāi)了路，事先就為那些蠻荒之地灌輸了一定的宗教與買(mǎi)賣(mài)的觀念。

If that double-bolted land, Japan, is ever to become hospitable, it is the whale-ship alone towhom the credit will be due; for already she is on the threshold.

就說(shuō)那一向閉關(guān)鎖國(guó)的日本吧，它的開(kāi)放可以說(shuō)應(yīng)該完全歸功于捕鯨船，是捕鯨船開(kāi)到了它的大門(mén)口，把外面世界的文明帶給了它。

But if, in the face of all this, you still declare that whaling has no aesthetically nobleassociations connected with it,

你也許會(huì)說(shuō)，從審美的角度講，捕鯨者與他們自身的業(yè)績(jī)是不相配的;你還會(huì)說(shuō)，

then am I ready to shiver fifty lances with you there, and unhorse you with a split helmetevery time.

好吧，你如果這樣說(shuō)的話，我可要和你斗上幾十個(gè)回合了。不把你打得人仰馬翻我是不會(huì)善罷甘休的。

The whale has no famous author, and whaling no famous chronicler, you will say.

以鯨魚(yú)為體裁的作品沒(méi)有什么名著，捕鯨者中也沒(méi)出過(guò)什么有名的作家。