英語聽書《白鯨記》第374期

It is chiefly with his name that I now have to do.Philologically considered, it is absurd. Somecenturies ago, when the Sperm whale was almostwholly unknown in his own proper individuality,and when his oil was only accidentally obtained fromthe stranded fish; in those days spermaceti, it wouldseem, was popularly supposed to be derived from acreature identical with the one then known inEngland as the Greenland or Right Whale. It was theidea also, that this same spermaceti was thatquickening humor of the Greenland Whale which thefirst syllable of the word literally expresses. In those times, also, spermaceti was exceedinglyscarce, not being used for light, but only as an ointment and medicament. It was only to behad from the druggists as you nowadays buy an ounce of rhubarb. When, as I opine, in thecourse of time, the true nature of spermaceti became known, its original name was stillretained by the dealers; no doubt to enhance its value by a notion so strangely significant of itsscarcity. And so the appellation must at last have come to be bestowed upon the whale fromwhich this spermaceti was really derived.

我現(xiàn)在所要做的,主要是解釋它的名字。從哲理上看來,這是荒唐可笑的。幾百年前,在抹香鯨的固有特性差不多完全未為人所知,它的油只是偶然從死魚中獲得時;所謂鯨腦似乎都被公認是來自當時在英國稱為格陵蘭鯨或者是露脊鯨的一種動物。這實在也是一種糊涂想法,這種鯨腦的叫法,就是對格陵蘭鯨的活生生的諷刺,因為鯨腦這個詞兒的第一個音節(jié)就已完全說明一切了。當時,鯨腦也是極其希罕的,并不拿它來點燈,而只是用以作為油膏和藥劑。它只能在藥房里才買得到,就象人們現(xiàn)今去買一英兩大黃一樣。我以為,等到鯨腦的真正的性質已逐漸為人所知的時候,在相當?shù)囊欢纹陂g內,做生意人還是繼續(xù)保存著它原來的名字;無疑的,這是利用人們對它那稀罕的特點的看法而想抬高其價值的做法。因此,這個稱呼,最后終須授予那一種真正出產這種鯨腦的鯨了。

BOOK I. (Folio), CHAPTER II. (Right Whale).--In one respect this is the most venerable of theleviathans, being the one first regularly hunted by man. It yields the article commonly known aswhalebone or baleen; and the oil specially known as "whale oil," an inferior article incommerce.

第一篇(對開型)　第二章(露脊鯨)...在某一方面說來,這是大海獸中資格最老的鯨,因為它是首先被人類經常獵捕的一種鯨。它所產生的東西,就是眾所周知的鯨須;它的油被特稱為"鯨油",在商業(yè)上是一種劣等貨。