英語聽書《白鯨記》 第340期

In behalf of the dignity of whaling, I would fainadvance naught but substantiated facts. But afterembattling his facts, an advocate who should whollysuppress a not unreasonable surmise, whichmight tell eloquently upon his cause--such anadvocate, would he not be blame-worthy?

為維護捕鯨業(yè)的威嚴起見,我很愿意再提出一些具體的事實來。不過把這些事實羅列出來后,辯護者就應該完全不作并非無理的臆測,因為,這對他的事業(yè)有很大的影響。這樣一個辯護者,他總不該受責備吧?

It is well known that at the coronation of kings andqueens, even modern ones, a certain curious process of seasoning them for their functions isgone through. There is a saltcellar of state, so called, and there may be a caster of state. Howthey use the salt, precisely--who knows? Certain I am, however, that a king's head is solemnlyoiled at his coronation, even as a head of salad. Can it be, though, that they anoint it with aview of making its interior run well, as they anoint machinery? Much might be ruminated here,concerning the essential dignity of this regal process, because in common life we esteem butmeanly and contemptibly a fellow who anoints his hair, and palpably smells of that anointing. Intruth, a mature man who uses hairoil, unless medicinally, that man has probably got a quoggyspot in him somewhere. As a general rule, he can't amount to much in his totality.

如所周知,國王和女王在加冕的時候(現(xiàn)代也是如此),必須為他們的儀式進行一番奇特的梳妝手續(xù)。有一種所謂鹽缸式的儀式,也可以稱之為調(diào)味式的儀式。至于他們究竟怎樣用鹽。誰知道呢?不過,我可以肯定的是,在國王舉行加冕典禮的時候,他的腦袋瓜子,是鄭重其事地抹了油,抹得那只腦袋瓜子如同一盆色拉。不過,人們是不是可以采用擦機器的辦法,把那只腦袋瓜子也抹得它內(nèi)部可以靈活運轉呢?這里,關于這種莊嚴的操作法的實在情形,倒是深值玩味的,因為在我們的日常生活中,我們總是把頭發(fā)抹油,抹得芬香撲鼻的人,看成是一種下賤和無聊的人。事實上,一個使用發(fā)油的成年人,除了是醫(yī)學上的需要外,那個人大概是在頭上什么地方長有一塊癩疤。一般說來,人是不可能十全十美的。