英語聽書《白鯨記》第393期

But the third Emir, now seeing himself all alone on the quarter-deck, seems to feel relieved from some curious restraint; for, tipping all sorts of knowing winks in all sorts of directions, and kicking off his shoes, he strikes into a sharp but noiseless squall of a hornpipe right over the Grand Turk's head; and then, by a dexterous sleight, pitching his cap up into the mizentop for a shelf, he goes down rollicking so far at least as he remains visible from the deck, reversing all other processions, by bringing up the rear with music. But ere stepping into the cabin doorway below, he pauses, ships a new face altogether, and, then, independent, hilarious little Flask enters King Ahab's presence, in the character of Abjectus, or the Slave.

但是,這位三王子,現(xiàn)在看到只有他一個人在后甲板上,似乎覺得已從某種奇怪的拘束里獲得了解脫;因為他一邊對前后左右暗丟各種靈敏的眼色,一邊踢掉他的鞋子后,突然在太君的頭頂直跳起迅捷無聲,有如狂風(fēng)的水手舞來;接著,又以一種靈巧的手法,把他的帽子扔進(jìn)后桅樓里,當(dāng)它是只架子,這才高高興興地走下去,至少當(dāng)他還未完全走下艙口的時候,他還是用音樂做殿后變換起其他各種節(jié)目來。但是,在他跨進(jìn)下邊的船長室的門口之前,他卻歇了一下,又裝出一副面孔來,于是,這位自食其力的。愉愉快快的小弗拉斯克便以一種賤民或者奴隸的身份走到亞哈王跟前去了。

It is not the least among the strange things bred by the intense artificialness of sea-usages, that while in the open air of the deck some officers will, upon provocation, bear themselves boldly and defyingly enough towards their commander; yet, ten to one, let those very officers the next moment go down to their customary dinner in that same commander's cabin, and straightway their inoffensive, not to say deprecatory and humble air towards him, as he sits at the head of the table; this is marvellous, sometimes most comical. Wherefore this difference? A problem? Perhaps not. To have been Belshazzar, King of Babylon; and to have been Belshazzar, not haughtily but courteously, therein certainly must have been some touch of mundane grandeur.

許多由強烈的人為的海上習(xí)慣所產(chǎn)生出來的怪事真是無奇不有,比如說,在露天甲板上,有些頭目偶然火性一發(fā),也會冒失得敢于沖犯一下他的上司;然而,再隔一會,一下到艙里,走進(jìn)這個上司的艙室里去吃那例常便飯時,對著那個坐在上席的首長,剛才那個發(fā)了火的頭目,十個倒有九個就立刻循規(guī)蹈矩起來,至于唯唯諾諾和卑躬屈膝的態(tài)度那就更甭提了;這是頗難置信的,往往也是挺滑稽的。為什么會有這種截然不同的情形呢?是個問題嗎?也許不是。世上既然有過巴比倫王伯沙撒;且又是態(tài)度不是傲慢而是禮儀十足的伯沙撒;其中一定就有一種世俗的氣概了。