英語聽書《白鯨記》第828期

Now this doubloon was of purest, virgin gold, raked somewhere out of the heart of gorgeous hills, whence, east and west, over golden sands, the head-waters of many a Pactolus flows. And though now nailed amidst all the rustiness of iron bolts and the verdigris of copper spikes, yet, untouchable and immaculate to any foulness, it still preserved its Quito glow. Nor, though placed amongst a ruthless crew and every hour passed by ruthless hands, and through the livelong nights shrouded with thick darkness which might cover any pilfering approach, nevertheless every sunrise found the doubloon where the sunset last left it last. For it was set apart and sanctified to one awe-striking end; and however wanton in their sailor ways, one and all, the mariners revered it as the white whale's talisman. Sometimes they talked it over in the weary watch by night, wondering whose it was to be at last, and whether he would ever live to spend it.

且說這塊杜柏侖，是用最純凈、沒有攙雜的黃金做成的，黃金是打大山底里挖出來的，而源流紛紛的帕克托拉斯河（帕克托拉斯河——古呂底亞國的小河，以產(chǎn)金沙著名。），正打那里的東邊西邊流過金沙地。它現(xiàn)在雖然被釘在銹得一塌糊涂的鐵螺釘和發(fā)銅綠的銅長釘中，卻仍一塵未染，依然保持它那基多的光輝。這塊金幣雖說置身在一群殘酷的水手中間，每一小時(shí)都有這種殘酷的人走過，也歷經(jīng)許多漆黑的漫長的夜晚，隨時(shí)有被偷竊的可能，然而，每天早晨，那塊金幣還是象昨晚那樣釘在那里。因?yàn)?，它是被留下來作為達(dá)到那令人肅然起敬的目的的圣物；因此，不管水手們的生活多么放縱，他們?nèi)巳硕甲鹁此?，把它看做是治白鯨的護(hù)符。有時(shí)候，他們?cè)谄＠鄣闹狄箷r(shí)光，也談過它，不知這東西最后歸誰所有，那個(gè)人是否有花它的命。

Now those noble golden coins of South America are as medals of the sun and tropic token-pieces. Here palms, alpacas, and volcanoes; sun's disks and stars, ecliptics, horns-of-plenty, and rich banners waving, are in luxuriant profusion stamped; so that the precious gold seems almost to derive an added preciousness and enhancing glories, by passing through those fancy mints, so Spanishly poetic.

這種貴重的南美洲的金幣都是太陽和回歸線的表征的勛章。那些棕櫚樹、羊駝和火山；太陽的表面和星星、黃道、豐饒角和色澤鮮艷的飛展的旗幟（以上指的都是南美各地的錢幣上的花飾，如棕櫚樹為玻利維亞的錢幣上的花飾，羊駝為玻利維亞和秘魯?shù)?，火山為南秘魯和智利的，太陽的表面為阿根廷的，星星為玻利維亞和厄瓜多爾的，黃道為巴西的，豐饒角為哥倫比亞和秘督的，旗幟為秘魯?shù)?。），都被絢爛多彩地鐫刻在那上面；所以，這塊珍貴的金幣，經(jīng)過了這么富有西班牙的詩意，這么費(fèi)盡心機(jī)鑄造出來后，簡直就是身價(jià)百倍、顯顯赫赫了。

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