英语听书《白鲸记》 第288期

Like Captain Peleg, Captain Bildad was a well-to-do,retired whaleman. But unlike Captain Peleg-whocared not a rush for what are called serious things,and indeed deemed those self-same serious thingsthe veriest of all trifles--Captain Bildad had not onlybeen originally educated according to the strictestsect of Nantucket Quakerism, but all his subsequentocean life, and the sight of many unclad, lovelyisland creatures, round the Horn-all that had notmoved this native born Quaker one single jot, hadnot so much as altered one angle of his vest. Still,for all this immutableness, was there some lack of common consistency about worthy CaptainBildad. Though refusing, from conscientious scruples, to bear arms against land invaders, yethimself had illimitably invaded the Atlantic and Pacific; and though a sworn foe to humanbloodshed, yet had he in his straight-bodied coat, spilled tuns upon tuns of leviathan gore. Hownow in the contemplative evening of his days, the pious Bildad reconciled these things in thereminiscence, I do not know; but it did not seem to concern him much, and very probably hehad long since come to the sage and sensible conclusion that a man's religion is one thing,and this practical world quite another. This world pays dividends. Rising from a little cabin boyin short clothes of the drabbest drab, to a harpooneer in a broad shad-bellied waistcoat; fromthat becoming boat-header, chief mate, and captain, and finally a shipowner; Bildad, as Ihinted before, had concluded his adventurous career by wholly retiring from active life at thegoodly age of sixty, and dedicating his remaining days to the quiet receiving of his well-earnedincome.

象法勒船长一样,比勒达船长也是个小康的退休捕鲸者。但是,他跟法勒船长不同的是法勒对于所谓重大事情并不爱慌慌张张,而且确是把这所谓重大事情看做是最无关紧要的琐事。比勒达船长却不但本来就受过了南塔开特的最谨严的桂克派的训练,后来还经历了一切海洋生活,看到合恩角周围许多一丝不挂的。可爱的岛民。但是,这一切都一点也影响不到这个土生土长的桂克,连外表也没有多大改变。不过,尽管可敬的比勒达船长具有这种不变性,他却缺乏一种首尾一贯的精神。他虽然由于良心上的迟疑,不肯拿起武器去抵御陆地来的侵略者,然而他本人却已无节制地入侵了大西洋和太平洋;虽然他对人类的自相残杀深恶痛绝,然而,他却穿上紧身短衣,使大鲸流出一大桶一大桶的血。现在在这个虔诚的比勒达这种沉思默想的垂暮之年,他在追忆往事时怎样使这些事情一致起来,我可不大清楚;可是,看来他是不很把它放在心上的,他很可能早就获得一种贤明的结论,认为一个人的宗教信仰是一回事,而这个现实的世界又完全是另一回事。这种世界是有利可图的。从一个穿着深棕色的短打的船长小厮出身,做到穿着袒开肚皮的大坎肩的标枪手;由此而做到船长,大副,船长,最后成为船老板;如上所述,比勒达已在高龄六十之年完全摆脱了实际活动,结束他那冒险事业,把他的余生致力于安闲地收取他那好出息的进益了。