英語聽書《白鯨記》第489期

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Chapter 48 The First Lowering

第四十八章 第一次放下小艇

The phantoms, for so they then seemed, were flitting on the other side of the deck, and, with a noiseless celerity, were casting loose the tackles and bands of the boat which swung there. This boat had always been deemed one of the spare boats, though technically called the captain's, on account of its hanging from the starboard quarter. The figure that now stood by its bows was tall and swart, with one white tooth evilly protruding from its steel-like lips. A rumpled Chinese jacket of black cotton funereally invested him, with wide black trowsers of the same dark stuff. But strangely crowning this ebonness was a glistening white plaited turban, the living hair braided and coiled round and round upon his head. Less swart in aspect, the companionsof this figure were of that vivid, tiger-yellow complexion peculiar to some of the aboriginal natives of theManillas;--a race notorious for a certain diabolism of subtilty, and by some honest white mariners supposed to be the paid spies and secret confidential agents on the water of the devil, their lord, whose counting-room they suppose to be elsewhere.

這些幽靈（因為當時看來他們就象幽靈）在甲板的另一邊輕輕地走過來走過去，正在悄無聲息而神速地解掉那只吊在那里的艇子的繩索。這只小艇一向被當做幾只備用艇之一，而且因為它就吊在右舷的船尾，所以被專門稱為船長小艇。這時，那個站在艇頭旁邊的是個身材高大。面孔黝黑的人，在那兩片似鋼的嘴唇中間，惡形惡狀地突出一只白牙齒來。他象是戴孝一般穿著一件皺皺褶褶的中國式黑布上衣，一條同樣色料的寬大褲子?？墒牵谶@種渾身是黑中，最奇特的是縛著一條閃閃發(fā)光的。兜來盤去的白頭巾，烏黑的頭發(fā)辮起后又一圈圈地盤在頭頂。這個人的幾個同伴，面色好象不很黝黑，卻都具有馬尼拉土人那種特有的閃亮的褐色，這是一個以陰險如惡魔而著名的種族，一些正派的白種水手，都把他們看做是海魔王所雇用的諜探和特工人員，因為這些人是有奶便是娘，到處都有他們的主子。

While yet the wondering ship's company were gazing upon these strangers, Ahab CRIed out to the white-turbaned old man at their head, "All ready there, Fedallah?

正當驚奇不置的船員們都還在瞪眼望著這些陌生人的時候，亞哈對那個領頭的包白頭巾的老頭子叫道：“都準備好了嗎，費達拉（作者在本書中寫亞哈與費達拉的關系，是將費達拉作為一個惡魔處理的，猶如彌爾頓的《失樂園》中之撒旦，歌德的《浮士德》中之靡菲斯特。）？”

""Ready," was the half-hissed reply.

“準備好啦，”他有點嘶嘶作聲地回答道。

"Lower away then; d'ye hear?" shouting across the deck. "Lower away there, I say."

“那么，放下去吧；你們可都聽到？”他在甲板對面大聲叫著。“放下去呀，喂。”

Such was the thunder of his voice, that spite of their amazement the men sprang over the rail; the sheaves whirled round in the blocks; with a wallow, the three boats dropped into the sea; while, with a dexterous, off-handed daring, unknown in any other vocation, the sailors, goat-like, leaped down the rolling ship's side into the tossed boats below.

他的聲音就象打雷，大家都不顧得驚駭，一躍就翻過了欄桿?；_在滑車里轆轆滾動，一陣翻滾，三只小艇都落到了海里。那些水手以一種為別種行業(yè)所沒有的熟練手法，一觸即發(fā)的勇敢，象山羊一般，從那起伏的船邊，跳進下面那幾只東搖西蕩的小艇。