英語聽書《白鯨記》第174期

No, when I go to sea, I go as a simple sailor, rightbefore the mast, plumb down into the fore-castle,aloft there to the royal mast-head.

不,我去航海,總是當一名平平常常的水手,就站在船桅前邊,鉆進前甲板的船頭樓,高高地爬到更上桅的桅頂去。

True, they rather order me about some, and makeme jump from spar to spar, like a grasshopper in aMay meadow.

不錯,他們還會把我呼來喝去,而且叫我從這支圓木跳到那支圓木,象五月里草地上的蚱蜢一樣。

And at first, this sort of thing is unpleasant enough.

開頭,這類事情的確叫人不痛快。

It touches one's sense of honor, particularly if you come of an old established family in theland, the Van Rensselaers, or Randolphs, or Hardicanutes.

它傷害一個人的自尊心,尤其是,如果你是個出身在陸地上的老家族的人,什么范.倫塞勒族呀,倫道夫族呀,哈狄卡紐特族呀之類的話。

And more than all, if just previous to putting your hand into the tar-pot, you have beenlording it as a country schoolmaster, making the tallest boys stand in awe of you.

尤其是,如果你的手在伸進柏油罐子以前不久,還是鄉(xiāng)下一個小學教師的威嚴的手，連個子最大的男孩子也懼怕它,那你就更加不痛快了。

The transition is a keen one, I assure you, from a schoolmaster to a sailor, and requires astrong decoction of Seneca and the Stoics to enable you to grin and bear it.

我老實告訴你吧,從小學教師到做水手這一轉變過程是很痛切的,須得具有辛尼加和那些苦行學派的堅強道行,才能使你咬緊牙關忍受下來。

But even this wears off in time.

不過,時間一久,連這個也消失了.