英语听书《白鲸记》第727期

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Poor Sag-Harbor, therefore, seems worsted all round. But he had still another reason for his want of faith. It was this, if I remember right: Jonah was swallowed by the whale in the Mediterranean Sea, and after three days' he was vomited up somewhere within three days' journey of Nineveh, a city on the Tigris, very much more than three days' journey across from the nearest point of the Mediterranean coast. How is that?

因此，可怜的萨格港佬，似乎被驳得体无完肤了。然而，他又有另一个不相信的理由。如果我没有记错的话，那就是：约拿是在地中海上被大鲸吞下去的，三天后，他就在一个三天内可到达尼尼微（底格里斯河（底格里斯河——在土耳其的亚洲部分和伊朗的河名。）上的一个城市）的什么地方被吐出来了，这段航程，如果从地中海的最近的海岸横渡过去，也远不止三天。这又怎么说得通呢？

But was there no other way for the whale to land the prophet within that short distance of Nineveh? Yes. He might have carried him round by the way of the Cape of Good Hope. But not to speak of the passage through the whole length of the Mediterranean, and another passage up the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, such a supposition would involve the complete circumnavigation of all Africa in three days, not to speak of the Tigris waters, near the site of Nineveh, being too shallow for any whale to swim in. Besides, this idea of Jonah's weathering the Cape of Good Hope at so early a day would wrest the honor of the discovery of that great headland from Bartholomew Diaz, its reputed discoverer, and so make modern history a liar.

但是，难道在尼尼微这段短短的距离中，那条大鲸就没有别的途径来使这个先知着陆么？有的，他也许可以带着他绕过好望角。但且不提它可以穿过整个地中海，或上溯到波斯湾和红海，这个假设势必牵扯到在三天里环游整个非洲，也不提靠近尼尼微的底格里斯河一带，因为那儿河水太浅，任何一只大鲸都不能游。再说，关于约拿在那么早期的时代就合渡过好望角的这样想法，还不免要抢掉发现这个海岬的巴塞洛缪·第亚士（巴塞洛缪·第亚士（1450?—1500）——葡萄牙的航海家。1488年绕过好望角。）那份荣誉，而使写现代历史的人成为说谎者了。

But all these foolish arguments of old Sag-Harbor only evinced his foolish pride of reason—a thing still more reprehensible in him, seeing that he had but little learning except what he had picked up from the sun and the sea.

但是，萨格港佬所有这些庸人自扰的辩词，只是说明他强词夺理罢了——更为不容宽恕的是：他除了道听途说以外，学识实在十分有限。