英語(yǔ)聽(tīng)書《白鯨記》第962期
Men, said he, steadily turning upon the crew, as the mate handed him the things he had demanded, "my men, the thunder turned old Ahab's needles; but out of this bit of steel Ahab can make one of his own, that will point as true as any."
朋友們，他慢慢地對(duì)著水手們說(shuō)道，這時(shí)，大副把他所要的東西給了他，"我的朋友們，雷電把亞哈老頭的羅盤針給弄轉(zhuǎn)了向；可是，打這一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)鋼，亞哈就能夠造出他自己的一根羅盤針來(lái)，會(huì)跟任何一根針一樣準(zhǔn)確。"
Abashed glances of servile wonder were exchanged by the sailors, as this was said; and with fascinated eyes they awaited whatever magic might follow. But Starbuck looked away.
他這樣說(shuō)過(guò)后，水手們都互丟一種充滿奴性，又驚奇又害臊的眼色；大家?guī)е闷娴难凵?，等著看?huì)變出什么魔法來(lái)。可是，斯達(dá)巴克的眼睛卻望向別處。
With a blow from the top-maul Ahab knocked off the steel head of the lance, and then handing to the mate the long iron rod remaining, bade him hold it upright, without its touching the deck. Then, with the maul, after repeatedly smiting the upper end of this iron rod, he placed the blunted needle endwise on the top of it, and less strongly hammered that, several times, the mate still holding the rod as before. Then going through some small strange motions with it — whether indispensable to the magnetizing of the steel, or merely intended to augment the awe of the crew, is uncertain — he called for linen thread; and moving to the binnacle, slipped out the two reversed needles there, and horizontally suspended the sail-needle by its middle, over one of the compass cards. At first, the steel went round and round, quivering and vibrating at either end; but at last it settled to its place, when Ahab, who had been intently watching for this result, stepped frankly back from the binnacle, and pointing his stretched arm towards it, exclaimed, — "Look ye, for yourselves, if Ahab be not the lord of the level loadstone! The sun is East, and that compass swears it!"
亞哈用大錘子砰地一敲，把那支捕鯨槍的鋼尖敲了下來(lái)，然后，把剩下來(lái)的那根長(zhǎng)槍交給那個(gè)大副，要他懸空筆直地拿著，不要碰著甲板。接著，他用大錘子一再錘擊著這根長(zhǎng)槍尖后，就把那根粗鈍的針豎插在長(zhǎng)槍頭上，再輕輕地敲了幾敲，那個(gè)大副還是象剛才那樣把長(zhǎng)槍筆直地拿著。亞哈又用錘子做了一番古怪的小動(dòng)作后——究竟是為了使鋼鐵發(fā)生磁力而非如此做不可，還是故意要叫那些水手更加畏懼，這可摸不準(zhǔn)——他叫人去找麻線來(lái)；他走到那羅盤盒子跟前，悄悄地拿出那兩支轉(zhuǎn)向了的針，用那根在中間扎著麻線的縫帆針橫吊在其中一只羅盤面上。開(kāi)始的時(shí)候，那支鋼針往復(fù)地?cái)[來(lái)擺去，兩頭都在顫跳；最后就停定了，這時(shí)，亞哈全神貫注地看到了這個(gè)結(jié)果后，便堂而皇之地往后倒退一步，離開(kāi)那羅盤盒子，手臂伸得長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)地指著那盒子，叫了起來(lái)，——"你們自己去瞧瞧吧，看看亞哈是不是這種天然磁石的主宰者！太陽(yáng)在東方了，那只羅盤可以宣誓證明！"
