英語聽書《白鯨記》 第305期

I then went on, beginning with the rise and progressof the primitive religions, and coming down to thevarious religions of the present time, during whichtime I labored to show Queequeg that all theseLents, Ramadans, and prolonged ham-squattings incold, cheerless rooms were stark nonsense; bad forthe health; useless for the soul; opposed, in short,to the obvious laws of Hygiene and common sense.I told him, too, that he being in other things such anextremely sensible and sagacious savage, itpained me, very badly pained me, to see him now sodeplorably foolish about this ridiculous Ramadan of his. Besides, argued I, fasting makes thebody cave in; hence the spirit caves in; and all thoughts born of a fast must necessarily be half-starved. This is the reason why most dyspeptic religionists cherish such melancholy notionsabout their hereafters. In one word, Queequeg, said I, rather digressively; hell is an idea firstborn on an undigested apple-dumpling; and since then perpetuated through the hereditarydyspepsias nurtured by Ramadans.

于是我便繼續(xù)說下去,從原始的宗教起源和發(fā)展,直談到現代的各種宗教,在這中間,我盡力對魁魁格說明所有這些齋戒,以及長時間地盤腿兀坐在冷冰冰。毫無生氣的房間里的這種事情,全是荒謬的,有害健康的,無益身心的;總之,是明顯的違反衛(wèi)生規(guī)律,違反常識的。我也對他說,他在別的事情上是這樣一個極其聰明伶俐的野人,現在竟看到他對他這種可笑的齋戒做出如此令人遺憾的傻事來,實在教我痛心,非常教我痛心。此外,我又勸說道,做齋戒會弄垮身體;因此也會弄垮精神;而且,一切由做齋戒而來的思想,必定也是半死不活的思想。這就是大多數患消化不良癥的宗教家對來世懷有那么憂郁的想法的道理?？傊?魁魁格,我比較轉彎抹角地說,地獄就是首先由不易消化的蘋果餡湯團而產生出來的一種心象;此后,通過齋戒所培養(yǎng)出來的代代相傳的消化不良癥而永久存在了。

I then asked Queequeg whether he himself was ever troubled with dyspepsia; expressing theidea very plainly, so that he could take it in. He said no; only upon one memorable occasion. Itwas after a great feast given by his father the king on the gaining of a great battle wherein fiftyof the enemy had been killed by about two o'clock in the afternoon, and all cooked and eatenthat very evening.

于是,我問魁魁格他自己可曾患過消化不良癥;我把這意思說得很明白,好教他能夠理會。他說,他不曾患過,只在一個值得記憶的場合上患過一回。那還是在吃過他那個父王舉行的大筵席后才患的,當時,他父親打了一個大勝仗,把中午二點鐘模樣所殺死的五十個敵人,當晚就拿來烹了吃了。