英語聽書《白鯨記》 第293期

No.But what the stingy old Bildad might have amighty deal to say about shipping hands, especiallyas I now found him on board the Pequod, quite athome there in the cabin, and reading his Bible as ifat his own fireside. Now while Peleg was vainly tryingto mend a pen with his jack-knife, old Bildad, to myno small surprise, considering that he was such aninterested party in these proceedings; Bildad neverheeded us, but went on mumbling to himself out ofhis book, Lay not up for yourselves treasures uponearth, where moth-

不過,我就弄不懂,為什么這個(gè)吝嗇的比勒達(dá)老頭又會有掌理雇用水手的大權(quán),尤其是我這時(shí)看到他在裴廓德號上,舒服地坐在艙房里,念著他的《圣經(jīng)》,仿佛是坐在自己家里的火爐旁邊。這時(shí),正當(dāng)法勒在用他的小刀想修補(bǔ)那支筆而修補(bǔ)不好的時(shí)候,叫我吃驚不小的是,比勒達(dá)卻始終沒有理會我們,只是繼續(xù)在念他的書,不要為自己積攢財(cái)寶在地上,地上有蟲子。

Well, Captain Bildad, interrupted Peleg, what d'ye say, what lay shall we give this young man?

那么,比勒達(dá)船長,法勒打斷他說,你怎么說,我們該給這個(gè)小伙子多少拆賬呢?

Thou knowest best, was the sepulchral reply, the seven hundred and seventy-seventh wouldn'tbe too much, would it?--'where moth and rust do corrupt, but lay-'

你比我懂得多,他陰森森地回答道,七百七十七分之一不會太多吧,會嗎?地上有蟲子咬,能銹壞,只要積攢。

Lay, indeed, thought I, and such a lay! the seven hundred and seventy-seventh! Well, oldBildad, you are determined that I, for one, shall not lay up many lays here below, where mothand rust do corrupt. It was an exceedingly long lay that, indeed; and though from themagnitude of the figure it might at first deceive a landsman, yet the slightestconsideration will show that though seven hundred and seventy-seven is a pretty largenumber, yet, when you come to make a teenth of it, you will then see, I say, that the sevenhundred and seventy-seventh part of a farthing is a good deal less than seven hundred andseventy-seven gold doubloons; and so I thought at the time.

我心里想,好一個(gè)積攢,這樣的拆賬!七百七十七分之一!好吧,比勒達(dá)老頭,你已經(jīng)肯定了我這個(gè)人不該把許多拆賬積攢在地下了,因?yàn)?在那里,有蟲子咬,能銹壞。這倒真是個(gè)了不起的大拆賬,雖然從那個(gè)大數(shù)字看來,也許一開始騙得了一個(gè)陸地人,然而,略為思索一下,就會知道盡管七百七十七是個(gè)相當(dāng)可觀的數(shù)目,可是,如果你把它當(dāng)做一個(gè)分母看,那我說,你就知道一個(gè)法尋的七百七十七分之一跟七百七十七塊金圓卻是天差地別的了;當(dāng)時(shí),我心里就這么想著。

Why, blast your eyes, Bildad, cried Peleg, Thou dost not want to swindle this young man! hemust have more than that.

怎么,見你的鬼,比勒達(dá),法勒嚷了起來,你該不想誆騙這個(gè)小伙子吧!他必須拿得比這多些。