🔊 I shall ere long paint to you as well as one can without canvas, something like the true form of the whale as he actually appears to the eye of the whaleman when in his own absolute body the whale is moored alongside the whale-ship so that he can be fairly stepped upon there. It may be worth while, therefore, previously to advert to those curious imaginary portraits of him which even down to the present day confidently challenge the faith of the landsman. It is time to set the world right in this matter, by proving such pictures of the whale all wrong.

我即将为你描绘,虽无画布相助,却近似鲸鱼的真实形貌,恰如捕鲸人眼中所见,当那鲸以完整身躯系于捕鲸船侧,人可踏足其上。故而,不妨先论及那些怪诞的想象画像,它们至今仍公然挑战陆居者的信念。如今该是拨乱反正之时,以证此类鲸图尽皆谬误。

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canvas /ˈkænvəs/

n. 画布➕

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imaginary /ɪˈmædʒɪnəri/

adj. 想象的,虚构的➕

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portraits /ˈpɔːrtrɪts/

n. 肖像（复数）➕

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confidently /ˈkɒnfɪdəntli/

adv. 自信地➕

🔊 It is a thing commonly known among whalemen, that the scientific drawings of the whale are all wrong. Take for instance the plates in the natural histories of whales by such authors as Scoresby, Bennett, etc., and you will find that in almost every one of them, the whale is represented with a symmetrical tail, whereas in reality the tail of the whale is not symmetrical. The two lobes are of unequal size and shape, the right one being larger and differently formed from the left.

捕鲸人皆知,科学绘制的鲸图尽皆失实。试看斯考斯比、贝内特等作者鲸类自然史中的图版,几乎每一幅都将鲸尾描绘得对称,实则鲸尾并非对称。两片尾叶大小形状各异,右叶较大,形态亦与左叶不同。

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symmetrical /sɪˈmɛtrɪkəl/

adj. 对称的➕

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whereas /weərˈæz/

conj. 而,却➕

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lobes /loʊbz/

n. 叶瓣,耳垂（复数）➕

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unequal /ʌnˈiːkwəl/

adj. 不等的,不平等的➕

🔊 Moreover, in many of these pictures, the whale is shown with a spout like a fountain, or with other features that are purely imaginative. The fact is, that few naturalists have ever had the opportunity to see a live whale, and their descriptions are based on dead specimens or second-hand accounts.

再者,诸多此类画像中,鲸被描绘得喷水似泉,或具其他凭空想象的特征。实则,少有博物学家得见活鲸,其描述多依据死体标本或道听途说。

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Moreover /mɔːrˈoʊvər/

adv. 此外,而且➕

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spout /spaʊt/

n. 喷口,喷水➕

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purely /ˈpjʊərli/

adv. 纯粹地,完全地➕

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imaginative /ɪˈmædʒɪnətɪv/

adj. 富有想象力的➕

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naturalists /ˈnætʃərəlɪsts/

n. 自然学家（复数）➕

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specimens /ˈspesɪmənz/

n. 标本,样本（复数）➕

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second-hand /ˌsekənd ˈhænd/

adj. 二手的,间接的➕

🔊 I have seen a picture in an old book, where the whale was depicted with a pair of tusks like a walrus, and another where it had a mane like a lion. Such monstrous pictures only serve to mislead the public.

我曾见一旧书插图,鲸被绘以海象般的长牙,另有一幅则添了狮子般的鬃毛。这般怪相图画,徒然惑众而已。

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depicted /dɪˈpɪktɪd/

v. 描绘（过去式）➕

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tusks /tʌsks/

n. 獠牙,长牙（复数）➕

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walrus /ˈwɔːlrəs/

n. 海象➕

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mane /meɪn/

n. 鬃毛➕

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monstrous /ˈmɒnstrəs/

adj. 怪异的,巨大的➕

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mislead /mɪsˈliːd/

v. 误导➕

🔊 Therefore, I advise all who are interested in the truth about whales to disregard these fanciful representations, and to wait for the testimony of those who have actually seen and handled the whale.

故此,我劝告所有欲知鲸鱼真相者,莫信这些虚妄之图,当待那些亲见亲触鲸鱼之人的证词。

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disregard /dɪsrɪˈɡɑːrd/

v. 忽视,不理会➕

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fanciful /ˈfænsɪfəl/

adj. 幻想的,奇异的➕

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representations /ˌreprɪzɛnˈteɪʃənz/

n. 代表,描绘（复数）➕

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testimony /ˈtɛstɪmoʊni/

n. 证词,证明➕

Chapter fifty-five: Of the Monstrous Pictures of Whales. (第五十五章:鲸怪图说)

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