英語聽書《白鯨記》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,古老的海上傳說,不知何時開始的迷信,使大家公認這個人島老頭具有超常的識別力。因此,雖然后來他說,如果亞哈船長有朝一日壽終正寢的話...也許是不大會發(fā)生的,他這么咕噥一下...那么,任何一個給他料理后事的,就會找出他那條從頂?shù)锦嗟奶焐挠浐哿?這番話,那些白種水手都沒有人認真地反駁過他。

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."

亞哈這副冷酷的相貌,和臉上那條灰色的記痕,是這么有力地影響了我,使我在開始一瞬間,幾乎沒有注意到他之所以具有這種冷酷神情,大多應(yīng)該歸之于他半站著的,那條煞風(fēng)景的白腿。我早就知道,這只牙質(zhì)腿是在海上用抹香鯨的顎骨加以磨光修整做成的。"是呀,他是在日本海面上給毀掉的呀,"那個該黑特印第安老頭有一回說道;"不過,象他那艘給毀掉了桅桿的船一樣,他不待回家修理就已經(jīng)在海上找到另一根桅桿了。他可有不少的桅桿呢。"

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.

他那與眾不同的姿勢,給我的印象十分深刻。在"裴廓德號"的后甲板兩側(cè),緊靠后帆的護桅索的地方,各有一個半英寸左右的。直鉆進船板的鏇孔。亞哈船長那只牙腿緊插在那只洞孔里,他抬起一條胳膊,抓住一根護桅索,筆直地站在那里,直瞪著那顛簸不停的船頭的遠方。在這種筆直向前。固定不動。不畏不懼的目光中,含有一種無限的,最堅決的,不屈不撓的神氣,一種堅定不移的,永不妥協(xié)的頑強精神。