英語聽書《白鯨記》第723期

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Thus, then, one of our own noble stamp, even a whaleman, is the tutelary guardian of England; and by good rights, we harpooneers of Nantucket should be enrolled in the most noble order of St. George. And therefore, let not the knights of that honorable company (none of whom, I venture to say, have ever had to do with a whale like their great patron), let them never eye a Nantucketer with disdain, since even in our woollen frocks and tarred trowsers we are much better entitled to St. George's decoration than they.

那么，這樣說來，哪怕是個捕鯨人，我們自己的高貴的標志之一就是英國的守護神了；而且，我們這些南塔開特的標槍手，理所當然地應(yīng)該列入最高貴的圣喬治團哩。因此，得請屬于這個榮譽集團的騎士們（我敢說，他們中間，決沒有一個象他們的偉大的守護神那樣曾經(jīng)碰到過大鯨），得請他們別再瞧不起南塔開特人，盡管我們穿的是羊毛衫和黑褲子，我們實在比他們更有獲得戴圣喬治章的資格。

Whether to admit Hercules among us or not, concerning this I long remained dubious: for though according to the Greek mythologies, that antique Crockett and Kit Carson—that brawny doer of rejoicing good deeds, was swallowed down and thrown up by a whale; still, whether that strictly makes a whaleman of him, that might be mooted. It nowhere appears that he ever actually harpooned his fish, unless, indeed, from the inside. Nevertheless, he may be deemed a sort of involuntary whaleman; at any rate the whale caught him, if he did not the whale. I claim him for one of our clan.

究竟要不要把海格立斯算做我們的人，在這個問題上，我躊躇良久：因為雖然根據(jù)希臘神話，那個古代的克羅克特和基特·卡森（戴維·克羅克特（1786—1836）——美國的拓荒者。克里斯托弗·卡森，又稱基特·卡森（1806—1868）——美國的拓荒者，作者將海格立斯喻為開疆辟土的英雄，以這兩人的"事跡"來比喻他。），——那個事業(yè)顯赫的壯漢，曾經(jīng)被大鯨吞下后又吐出來；然而嚴格地說來，他是否算得上個捕鯨人，可還值得商榷。到處都證明不出他曾用標槍戳過大鯨，如果有過的話，那一定是在鯨腹內(nèi)倒戳出來的。不過，他也許可以算是個非自愿的捕鯨人；總之，如果他沒有捉到大鯨，那么大鯨倒是捉過了他。我主張應(yīng)該把他算做我們團體的一員。

But, by the best contradictory authorities, this Grecian story of Hercules and the whale is considered to be derived from the still more ancient Hebrew story of Jonah and the whale; and vice versa; certainly they are very similar. If I claim the demigod then, why not the prophet?

但是，據(jù)意見截然相反的權(quán)威家們看來，這種關(guān)于海格立斯與大鯨的希臘傳說，一般都認為是脫胎于更早的關(guān)于約拿和大鯨的希伯來傳說的；反過來說也是這樣，這兩個傳說一定是十分相似的。這樣說來，如果我認為是個半神半人，為什么就不能認為是個先知呢？