英语听书《白鲸记》第137期
日期:2014-07-24 17:06

(单词翻译:单击)

Moreover, in the infancy of the first Australian settlement,

这样说不仅仅是因为捕鲸者是较早登上那块大陆的人,

the emigrants were several times saved from starvation by the benevolent biscuit of the whale-ship luckily dropping an anchor in their waters.

在以后的数十年中,澳洲的早期开发者常常因为饥荒而面临绝境,几乎每次他们都是从路过那里的捕鲸船上获得硬面包,而幸免于难的。

The uncounted isles of all Polynesia confess the same truth, and do commercial homage to the whale-ship,

玻利尼亚尼岛屿上的人们便十分坦诚地承认这一事实,并且明白地向捕鲸船致以诚挚的敬意。

that cleared the way for the missionary and the merchant, and in many cases carried the primitive missionaries to their first destinations.

捕鲸船还为牧师、商人开了路,事先就为那些蛮荒之地灌输了一定的宗教与买卖的观念。

If that double-bolted land, Japan, is ever to become hospitable, it is the whale-ship alone to whom the credit will be due; for already she is on the threshold.

就说那一向闭关锁国的日本吧,它的开放可以说应该完全归功于捕鲸船,是捕鲸船开到了它的大门口,把外面世界的文明带给了它。

But if, in the face of all this, you still declare that whaling has no aesthetically noble associations connected with it,

你也许会说,从审美的角度讲,捕鲸者与他们自身的业绩是不相配的;你还会说,

then am I ready to shiver fifty lances with you there, and unhorse you with a split helmet every time.

好吧,你如果这样说的话,我可要和你斗上几十个回合了。不把你打得人仰马翻我是不会善罢甘休的。

The whale has no famous author, and whaling no famous chronicler, you will say.

以鲸鱼为体裁的作品没有什么名着,捕鲸者中也没出过什么有名的作家。

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重点单词
  • helmetn. 头盔,遮阳帽,盔甲
  • merchantn. 商人,店主,专家 adj. 商业的 vt. 做买卖
  • creditn. 信用,荣誉,贷款,学分,赞扬,赊欠,贷方 (复)c
  • aestheticallyadv. 美学观点上地;审美地
  • shivervt. 颤动(碎裂) n. 冷颤(碎块)
  • declarev. 宣布,声明,申报
  • anchorn. 锚,锚状物,依靠,新闻节目主播,压阵队员 v. 停
  • primitiveadj. 原始的 n. 原始人,文艺复兴前的艺术家
  • benevolentadj. 仁慈的,乐善好施的
  • hospitableadj. 好客的,殷勤的,易于接受的,宜人的