英語聽書《白鯨記》 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?"

飯前禱告做過后...因為他們也跟我們一樣,飯前要做禱告...不過,魁魁格告訴我,做法跟我們不同,我們在這種場合上是俯對著我們的杯盤做的,他們卻相反地,摹仿鴨子的樣子,仰望著各種筵席的那個偉大的"賞賜者"...卻說飯前禱告做過后,祭司長就按照這個島國的萬古不易的禮節(jié)來開席了;就是說,把他那圣化的。而現(xiàn)在正在做圣事的手指浸到那只還未對客人巡酒的喜酒壺里。那個船長看到自己就坐在祭司長的鄰座,他一邊注意著這種禮節(jié),一邊暗自忖量...身為一船之長...明明又是坐在一個小小的島國國王的上首,尤其是正坐在國王自己的家里...于是,這個船長就不動聲色地在潘趣酒壺里洗起手來;我想他是把它當(dāng)作一只大指盆的。"現(xiàn)在,"魁魁格說,"現(xiàn)在你怎么個想法?我們那些人沒有笑話他嗎?"

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,付過船票,安頓了行李,我們就搭上那只縱帆船。篷帆扯起,船只順著阿庫希奈河徐徐而下。這一邊是新貝德福顯現(xiàn)在房屋鱗次櫛比的街道中,街上那些冰封的樹木都在晴冷的空間閃閃發(fā)光。桶子象大小丘陵似的堆積在碼頭上,浪游世界的捕鯨船終于又悄悄而安全地停泊在旁邊;另一邊傳來木匠桶匠的聲音,還混雜著為了融化瀝青的火燒鐵打的聲音,一切都表示著新的巡弋已經(jīng)開始;也表示著一次最危險的長距離航程雖然結(jié)束了,卻不過是第二次航程的開始;而第二次航程的結(jié)束,又不過是第三次航程的開始,如此循環(huán)不息,永無止境。這就是整個人間的無休無止而且是難堪的努力。