英語(yǔ)聽(tīng)書(shū)《白鯨記》 第305期

I then went on, beginning with the rise and progressof the primitive religions, and coming down to thevarious religions of the present time, during whichtime I labored to show Queequeg that all theseLents, Ramadans, and prolonged ham-squattings incold, cheerless rooms were stark nonsense; bad forthe health; useless for the soul; opposed, in short,to the obvious laws of Hygiene and common sense.I told him, too, that he being in other things such anextremely sensible and sagacious savage, itpained me, very badly pained me, to see him now sodeplorably foolish about this ridiculous Ramadan of his. Besides, argued I, fasting makes thebody cave in; hence the spirit caves in; and all thoughts born of a fast must necessarily be half-starved. This is the reason why most dyspeptic religionists cherish such melancholy notionsabout their hereafters. In one word, Queequeg, said I, rather digressively; hell is an idea firstborn on an undigested apple-dumpling; and since then perpetuated through the hereditarydyspepsias nurtured by Ramadans.

于是我便繼續(xù)說(shuō)下去,從原始的宗教起源和發(fā)展,直談到現(xiàn)代的各種宗教,在這中間,我盡力對(duì)魁魁格說(shuō)明所有這些齋戒,以及長(zhǎng)時(shí)間地盤(pán)腿兀坐在冷冰冰。毫無(wú)生氣的房間里的這種事情,全是荒謬的,有害健康的,無(wú)益身心的;總之,是明顯的違反衛(wèi)生規(guī)律,違反常識(shí)的。我也對(duì)他說(shuō),他在別的事情上是這樣一個(gè)極其聰明伶俐的野人,現(xiàn)在竟看到他對(duì)他這種可笑的齋戒做出如此令人遺憾的傻事來(lái),實(shí)在教我痛心,非常教我痛心。此外,我又勸說(shuō)道,做齋戒會(huì)弄垮身體;因此也會(huì)弄垮精神;而且,一切由做齋戒而來(lái)的思想,必定也是半死不活的思想。這就是大多數(shù)患消化不良癥的宗教家對(duì)來(lái)世懷有那么憂郁的想法的道理?？傊?魁魁格,我比較轉(zhuǎn)彎抹角地說(shuō),地獄就是首先由不易消化的蘋(píng)果餡湯團(tuán)而產(chǎn)生出來(lái)的一種心象;此后,通過(guò)齋戒所培養(yǎng)出來(lái)的代代相傳的消化不良癥而永久存在了。

I then asked Queequeg whether he himself was ever troubled with dyspepsia; expressing theidea very plainly, so that he could take it in. He said no; only upon one memorable occasion. Itwas after a great feast given by his father the king on the gaining of a great battle wherein fiftyof the enemy had been killed by about two o'clock in the afternoon, and all cooked and eatenthat very evening.

于是,我問(wèn)魁魁格他自己可曾患過(guò)消化不良癥;我把這意思說(shuō)得很明白,好教他能夠理會(huì)。他說(shuō),他不曾患過(guò),只在一個(gè)值得記憶的場(chǎng)合上患過(guò)一回。那還是在吃過(guò)他那個(gè)父王舉行的大筵席后才患的,當(dāng)時(shí),他父親打了一個(gè)大勝仗,把中午二點(diǎn)鐘模樣所殺死的五十個(gè)敵人,當(dāng)晚就拿來(lái)烹了吃了。