英語聽書《白鯨記》 第345期

And brave as he might be, it was that sort ofbravery chiefly, visible in some intrepid men,which, while generally abiding firm in the conflictwith seas, or winds, or whales, or any of the ordinaryirrational horrors of the world, yet cannotwithstand those more terrific, because morespiritual terrors, which sometimes menace youfrom the concentrating brow of an enraged andmighty man.

不過,如果他有勇氣的話,那種勇氣主要的也是一般勇猛的人常見的勇氣:通常用在跟大海。大風(fēng)。大鯨或者跟世間的普通的不合理的恐怖作斗爭(zhēng)是可以堅(jiān)持得了的,然而卻仍抵擋不住那種更大的恐怖,因?yàn)楦蟮木裆系目植?往往會(huì)由于一個(gè)憤怒而有力的人的全神貫注而使你感到威脅。

But were the coming narrative to reveal in any instance, the complete abasement of poorStarbuck's fortitude, scarce might I have the heart to write it; for it is a thing most sorrowful,nay shocking, to expose the fall of valor in the soul. Men may seem detestable as joint stock-companies and nations; knaves, fools, and murderers there may be; men may have mean andmeagre faces; but, man, in the ideal, is so noble and so sparkling, such a grand and glowingcreature, that over any ignominious blemish in him all his fellows should run to throw theircostliest robes. That immaculate manliness we feel within ourselves, so far within us, that itremains intact though all the outer character seem gone; bleeds with keenest anguish at theundraped spectacle of a valor-ruined man. Nor can piety itself, at such a shameful sight,completely stifle her upbraidings against the permitting stars. But this august dignity I treatof, is not the dignity of kings and robes, but that abounding dignity which has no robedinvestiture. Thou shalt see it shining in the arm that wields a pick or drives a spike; thatdemocratic dignity which, on all hands, radiates without end from God; Himself! The greatGod absolute! The centre and circumference of all democracy! His omnipresence, our divineequality!

但是,如果接下去要我在敘述中揭以若干例證,全然貶低可憐的斯達(dá)巴克的堅(jiān)忍不拔的精神,那我也不大有這樣寫的心腸了;總之,暴露一個(gè)人之失去勇氣,實(shí)在是一件最傷心,且也是最可怕的事情。人類可能有象聯(lián)合證券公司和國(guó)家那樣使人憎厭的地方,可能會(huì)有一些惡棍。傻瓜和兇犯;人類可能會(huì)有難看和枯槁的臉;但是,按理想說來,人類卻是非常高貴和非常具有異彩的。如此堂皇而輝煌的生物,因此如果他身上有任何可恥的缺點(diǎn),他所有的同胞就一定會(huì)趕忙跟他割裾。恥與為伍了。我們內(nèi)心所感到的那種純潔無疵的大丈夫氣概,盡管一切外形似乎已告消失,但是,那氣概卻還未受損傷,因而一旦看到一個(gè)勇氣敗壞的人那種赤裸裸的形相,實(shí)在真是教人悲慟欲絕。而且看到這么一副可恥之態(tài),即使神明本身對(duì)這種自暴自棄的命星也無法掩口不加非難了。不過,我所說的這種尊嚴(yán),可并不是帝王將相的那種尊嚴(yán),而是那種沒有被封官授爵的庶民的尊嚴(yán),你將看到那尊嚴(yán)是閃爍在一舉斧一投槍的臂膀上;那種平民的尊嚴(yán),都是從上帝那里無盡無止地從四方八面照耀出來的。偉大的獨(dú)行獨(dú)斷的上帝呵!一切民主主義的樞紐和軸心呀!?那無所不在的神通,就是我們的神圣的平等!