英語聽書《白鯨記》第476期

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Secondly: It is well known in the Sperm Whale Fishery, however ignorant the world ashore may be of it, that there have been several memorable historical instances where a particular whale in the ocean has been at distant times and places popularly cognisable. Why such a whale became thus marked was not altogether and originally owing to his bodily peculiarities as distinguished from other whales; for however peculiar in that respect any chance whale may be, they soon put an end to his peculiarities by killing him, and boiling him down into a peculiarly valuable oil. No: the reason was this: that from the fatal experiences of the fishery there hung a terrible prestige of perilousness about such a whale as there did about Rinaldo Rinaldini, insomuch that most fishermen were content to recognise him by merely touching their tarpaulins when he would be discovered lounging by them on the sea, without seeking to cultivate a more intimate acquaintance. Like some poor devils ashore that happen to known an irascible great man, they make distant unobtrusive salutations to him in the street, lest if they pursued the acquaintance further, they might receive a summary thump for their presumption.

第二，在捕抹香鯨業(yè)中，有過幾次頗為著名而難忘的歷史實例(盡管這可能是岸上人一無所知的)，那就是：大海里有一條特殊的鯨，一向不拘時地之久遠，都是一看就教人認出來的。這條鯨之所以這樣教人一看就識，倒并不完全是因為它身體上本來具有什么跟其它大鯨不同的特點；因為任何一條鯨不論在這方面具有什么特點，人們還是會針對它這種特點立刻把它殺了，把它熬成特別貴重的油。不，理由是這樣的：根據捕魚界的出生入死的經驗，這種大鯨跟里納爾多。里納爾第尼(里納爾多。里納爾第尼——基督圣軍一個勇士，"他不要財，不要勢，只要出名"，十五歲參加圣軍，殺了人后，自動去流放了。)一般，天生有一種可怕而危險的名聲，因此，大多數捕魚人一發(fā)現它在海上，在他們旁邊游蕩的時候，他們無須跟它多打交道。只要輕輕地招呼一聲他們的伙伴來見識見識它，就已是心滿意足。他們象岸上一些窮鬼那樣，偶爾在街上認識一個脾氣急躁的大人物，他們都敬而遠之，對他遙致敬意，因為如果他們想要更親近些，就難免要因為冒昧而當場挨到一拳。

But not only did each of these famous whales enjoy great individual celebrity--nay, you may call it an oceanwide renown; not only was he famous in life and now is immortal in forecastle stories after death, but he was admitted into all the rights, privileges, and distinctions of a name; had as much a name indeed as Cambyses or Caesar. Was it not so, O Timor Tom! thou famed leviathan, scarred like an iceberg, who so long did'st lurk in the Oriental straits of that name, whose spout was oft seen from the palmy beach of Ombay? Was it not so, O New Zealand Jack! thou terror of all cruisers that crossed their wakes in the vicinity of the Tattoo Land? Was it not so, O Morquan! King of Japan, whose lofty jet they say at times assumed the semblance of a snow-white cross against the sky? Was it not so, O Don Miguel! thou Chilian whale, marked like an old tortoise with mystic hieroglyphics upon the back! In plain prose, here are four whales as well known to the students of Cetacean History as Marius or Sylla to the classic scholar.

不過，這種著名的鯨不但條條都擁有鼎鼎大名的殊譽——而且，你還可以說是具有一種四海聞名的聲望呢，它不但生前著名，死后也是現在船頭樓的傳說中的不朽角色，而且還被認為是個天公地道，理所當然的大顯貴；其名望足以與坎拜棲茲(坎拜棲茲——古波斯國王，在位期為公元前５２９—５２２年。)或者愷撒大帝相媲美。蒂摩爾。湯姆(蒂摩爾。湯姆——指馬來亞蒂摩爾群島一帶的大鯨。)，你這著名的大海獸呵!滿身傷痕如象一座冰山，它并不是長期隱存在以它命名的東方海峽，它那噴水不是常常從奧姆灣(奧姆灣——在蒂摩爾群島北面的小島。)的長滿棕櫚的海灘上就望得見嗎?新西蘭的杰克(新西蘭的杰克——新西蘭的大鯨的意思。)呵!那些駛近這個"文身的國土"("文身的國土"——新西蘭的土人都在面上。身上文著圖形人像，故稱。)附近的巡洋艦不也都是怕你嗎?號稱日本皇帝的魔冠(日本皇帝的魔冠—即日本的大鯨。)呵!它那高聳的噴水，不是據說有時象頂天矗立的白十字架嗎?唐。米格爾呵!你這智利的大鯨呀!背上象一只烏龜似的刻了神秘的象形文字!簡單明白地說，這里所說的四種大鯨，對于鯨類學的研究者說來，就跟古典學者之于馬留或者西拉(馬留(公元前１５６—８６年)——羅馬將軍。西拉(公元前１３８—７８年)——公元前一○七年隸屬于馬留麾下，因功績超過馬留，兩人互相傾軋，終將馬留打敗，掌握大權，成為獨裁者。)一樣的著名。