每年圣诞节期间英国女王伊丽莎白二世都会按照惯例发表圣诞致辞。值得注意的是,与一些政客或领导不同,每年的圣诞讲话稿都由女王亲笔撰写,字斟句酌又真情实感的写完可能要经历几个月的时间。划重点:除了可以欣赏到纯正的王室英音,这也是非常值得学习的语言材料!
Happy Christmas or Merry Christmas?
另外,女王在每年的圣诞致辞中用的几乎都是Happy Christmas,而不是Merry Christmas。一个说法是Merry一词带有“饮酒”的含义,在维多利亚时代中产阶级为了提倡人们健康生活而使用Happy Christmas,女王本人也是支持这一提议哒。
The Queen’s annual Christmas Speech was broadcast at 3pm GMT on Christmas Day in the UK and the Commonwealth. In her 69th Christmas Broadcast, which was recorded in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle earlier this month, and produced by ITN, the Queen reflected on a difficult year, most notably the Death and Funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh. The Queen wore her Sapphire Chrysanthemum Brooch, worn on her Honeymoon and 60th Wedding Anniversary.
伦敦当地时间2021年12月25日下午3点,英国女王的年度圣诞致辞在英国和英联邦国家播出。这是女王的第69次圣诞广播,本月早些时候在温莎城堡的白色客厅录制,由ITN制作。在致辞中,女王回顾了艰难的一年,尤其是爱丁堡公爵的去世和安葬。女王佩戴着她的蓝宝石菊花胸针,她在度蜜月和结婚60周年纪念时都佩戴了这枚胸针。
[He is someone who doesn’t take easily to compliments, but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know.
他不是轻易接受赞美的人,但实话实说,这么多年,他一直给予我力量,是我的支柱。我和整个家庭,以及英国和其他许多国家,都欠了他的情,他的付出比他说的或比我们知道的要多得多。]
Although it's a time of great happiness and good cheer for many, Christmas can be hard for those who have lost loved ones. This year, especially, I understand why. But for me, in the months since the death of my beloved Philip, I have drawn great comfort from the warmth and affection of the many tributes to his life and work – from around the country, the Commonwealth and the world.
对许多人来说,圣诞充满幸福和欢乐,但对那些失去亲人的人来说,这个节日可能很难熬。尤其是今年,我明白了其中的原因。不过,在我挚爱的菲利普去世后的几个月里,全国各地、英联邦和世界各地的人们对他的一生和工作表达了诸多敬意,对我来说,其中饱含的温暖和深情令我得到了极大的安慰。
His sense of service, intellectual curiosity and capacity to squeeze fun out of any situation – were all irrepressible. That mischievous, enquiring twinkle was as bright at the end as when I first set eyes on him. But life, of course, consists of final partings as well as first meetings; and as much as I and my family miss him, I know he would want us to enjoy Christmas.
他的服务意识、求知欲和随时随地挖掘乐趣的能力都是难以抑制的。他眼中那调皮、探询的光芒,临别时依然闪亮,一如初见。但人生就是如此,既有初遇,也有终别;虽然我和家人很想念他,我知道他也一定希望我们好好享受圣诞时光。
We felt his presence as we, like millions around the world, readied ourselves for Christmas. While Covid again means we can’t celebrate quite as we may have wished, we can still enjoy the many happy traditions. Be it the singing of carols (as long as the tune is well known); decorating the tree; giving and receiving presents; or watching a favourite film where we already know the ending, it’s no surprise that families so often treasure their Christmas routines.
当我们像世界上成千上万人那样为圣诞做准备时,我们感觉他就在身边。虽然新冠疫情今年还是让我们无法如愿庆祝节日,但我们仍然可以坚持许多快乐的传统。可以唱圣诞颂歌(只要曲调熟),可以装饰圣诞树,可以送礼和收礼,也可以一起看一部喜欢的电影(已经知道结局也没关系)——家家户户都很珍视自家的圣诞惯例,这是再自然不过的事了。
We see our own children and their families embrace the roles, traditions and values that mean so much to us, as these are passed from one generation to the next, sometimes being updated for changing times. I see it in my own family and it is a source of great happiness.
我们看到子孙后代及其家庭接受了对我们而言意义重大的角色、传统和价值观,这些东西代代相传,有时需要与时俱进。我在自己家中看到了这一点,感受到莫大的幸福。
Prince Philip was always mindful of this sense of passing the baton. That's why he created The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, which offers young people throughout the Commonwealth and beyond the chance of exploration and adventure. It remains an astonishing success, grounded in his faith in the future.
菲利普亲王总是很注意这种传承的意义。这就是他设立爱丁堡公爵奖的初衷,为整个英联邦及其他地区的年轻人提供探索和冒险的机会。这个奖项的颁发一直非常成功,根植于他对未来的信念。
He was also an early champion of taking seriously our stewardship of the environment; and I am proud beyond words that his pioneering work has been taken on and magnified by our eldest son Charles and his eldest son William – admirably supported by Camilla and Catherine – most recently at the COP climate change summit in Glasgow.
他还是倡导认真对待环保问题的先行者。令我无比自豪的是,在最近举行的格拉斯哥气候变化峰会上,我们的长子查尔斯和长孙威廉继承发扬了他的开创性工作,他们还得到了卡米拉和凯瑟琳的大力支持。
Next summer, we look forward to the Commonwealth Games. The baton is currently travelling the length and breadth of the Commonwealth, heading towards Birmingham, a beacon of hope on its journey. It will be a chance to celebrate the achievements of athletes and the coming-together of like-minded nations.
明年夏天,我们期待英联邦运动会的举行。目前,火炬正在英联邦各地传递,向目的地伯明翰进发,那是传递之旅希望的灯塔。这次运动会将让运动员有机会展示成就,让志同道合的国家有机会齐聚一堂。
And February, just six weeks from now, will see the start of my Platinum Jubilee year, which I hope will be an opportunity for people everywhere to enjoy a sense of togetherness; a chance to give thanks for the enormous changes of the last seventy years – social, scientific and cultural – and also to look ahead with confidence.
再过6个星期,也就是明年2月,我将迎来登基70年的白金纪念日,我希望这能让世界各地的民众有机会享受团聚的感觉,希望利用这一契机感恩过去70年社会、科学和文化方面的巨大变化,同时充满信心地展望未来。
I am sure someone somewhere today will remark that Christmas is a time for children. It's an engaging truth, but only half the story. Perhaps it's truer to say that Christmas can speak to the child within us all. Adults, when weighed down with worries, sometimes fail to see the joy in simple things, where children do not.
我相信,今天,在世界某个地方一定会有人说,圣诞节是孩子们的节日。这一事实令人欣喜,但并非全部。或许更准确的说法是,圣诞节可以唤起我们所有人的童心。在烦忧的重压下,大人们有时看不到简单的快乐,而孩子们从来不会无视。
And for me and my family, even with one familiar laugh missing this year, there will be joy in Christmas, as we have the chance to reminisce, and see anew the wonder of the festive season through the eyes of our young children, of whom we were delighted to welcome four more this year.
对我和我的家庭来说,今年虽然少了一份熟悉的笑容,但圣诞仍有快乐可寻,我们有机会回忆往事,通过家中小孩子的眼睛重新领略节日的神奇,很高兴我们今年增添了四个小家伙。
They teach us all a lesson — just as the Christmas story does — that in the birth of a child, there is a new dawn with endless potential. It is this simplicity of the Christmas story that makes it so universally appealing: simple happenings that formed the starting point of the life of Jesus — a man whose teachings have been handed down from generation to generation, and have been the bedrock of my faith. His birth marked a new beginning. As the carol says, 'The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight'.
他们给我们所有人上了一课——就像圣诞故事那样——一个孩子诞生,如同一个拥有无限潜能的新的黎明到来。正是这份简单让这个圣诞故事具有如此广泛的吸引力——正是一桩桩简单的事情组成了耶稣生命的起点。他的教诲代代相传,也成为我信仰的基石。他的降生标志着一个新的开始。正如颂歌所唱:“所有岁月的希望和恐惧今晚汇聚你身。”
I wish you all a very happy Christmas.
祝大家圣诞快乐。
2020年12月25日格林尼治标准时间下午3点2020年度圣诞致辞。
主题是—-“你并不孤单”(“Hope in the new dawn”)。
The Queen’s Christmas Broadcast 2020
24 December 2020
2019年圣诞致辞
中文字幕
音频
2018年圣诞致辞
英国女王2017年圣诞致辞
英国女王2017年圣诞致辞
英国女王2016年圣诞致辞
英国女王2016年圣诞致辞
英国女王2015年圣诞致辞
12月25日,英国女王伊莉莎白二世在白金汉宫发表2015年圣诞文告,她强调欧洲在这一年经历了恐袭与难民危机,但正如圣经所说,光明必定战胜黑暗,“光在黑暗中照耀,黑暗绝不能胜过他”。快来接受女王纯正英语的熏陶吧!
At this time of year, few sights evoke more feelings of cheer and goodwill than the twinkling lights of a Christmas tree.
每年此时,没有什么情景比一棵圣诞树上闪烁的灯光更让人感到欢乐祥和。
The popularity of a tree at Christmas is due in part to my great-great grandparents, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. After this touching picture was published, many families wanted a Christmas tree of their own, and the custom soon spread.
人们对圣诞树的喜爱要部分归功于我的曾曾曾祖父母——维多利亚女王和阿尔伯特亲王。这张温馨的图片公布后,很多家庭都想要一棵自己的圣诞树,这一习俗也很快普及开来。
In 1949, I spent Christmas in Malta as a newly-married naval wife. We have returned to that island over the years, including last month for a meeting of Commonwealth leaders; and this year I met another group of leaders: The Queen's Young Leaders, an inspirational group, each of them a symbol of hope in their own Commonwealth communities.
1949年,初为军嫂的我在马耳他度过圣诞节。多年以来,我们多次回到马耳他岛,上个月还在那里召开英联邦领导人会议。今年我会晤了另一批领导人,“女王青年领袖”是一个鼓舞人心的团体,每个人都是各自英联邦社区的希望。
Gathering round the tree gives us a chance to think about the year ahead -- I am looking forward to a busy 2016, though I have been warned I may have Happy Birthday sung to me more than once or twice.
聚在圣诞树旁,我开始展望来年。我盼望着2016年忙忙碌碌,尽管有人说,我可能不止一次甚至两次听到生日歌。
译者注:2016年是伊丽莎白女王九十岁生日,届时多场庆祝活动。
It also allows us to reflect on the year that has passed, as we think of those who are far away or no longer with us. Many people say the first Christmas after losing a loved one is particularly hard. But it’s also a time to remember all that we have to be thankful for.
圣诞树让我们回首过去的一年,于是我们想到了那些远离我们的人。很多人说失去平生所爱后的第一个圣诞节是最艰难的,可此时也该想想我们要感恩的人。
It is true that the world has had to confront moments of darkness this year, but the Gospel of John contains a verse of great hope, often read at Christmas carol services: "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
今年,世界不得不面对诸多黑暗时刻,这是事实。可《约翰福音》有一句充满希望的话这样说,圣诞赞歌中常常朗诵,“光明照亮了黑暗,黑暗却无法蒙蔽光明。”
One cause for thankfulness this summer was marking seventy years since the end of the Second World War. On VJ Day, we honoured the remaining veterans of that terrible conflict in the Far East, as well as remembering the thousands who never returned.
今年夏天纪念二战结束七十周年是一件值得感恩的事。在对日作战胜利日,我们给在远东作战的在世老兵们授勋,缅怀数千名没有回到祖国的牺牲者。
The procession from Horse Guards Parade to Westminster Abbey must have been one of the slowest ever, because so many people wanted to say 'thank you' to them.
从骑兵卫队场到威斯敏斯特宫的队伍大抵是行进最慢的一次,太多的人想对他们说一声“谢谢”。
At the end of that War, the people of Oslo began sending an annual gift of a Christmas tree for Trafalgar Square. It has five hundred lightbulbs and is enjoyed not just by Christians but by people of all faiths, and of none. At the very top sits a bright star, to represent the Star of Bethlehem.
战争结束后,奥斯陆人民每年向特拉法加广场赠送一棵圣诞树。树上挂着1500个灯泡,不仅基督徒喜爱它,无论何种信仰或有无信仰的人们都喜爱它。在树顶有一颗明星,它代表着“伯利恒之星”。
译者注:所谓“伯利恒之星”是《圣经》中记载的一颗奇特天体。据说,在耶稣诞生时,有个三个博士在东方观察到一颗属于“犹太人之王”的星,前来耶路撒冷拜见,就在博士们前往附近的伯利恒寻找时,先前看见的那颗星,又忽然出现在前方,引领他们来到耶稣降生之处。后世科学家推测这可能是金星和木星交汇。
The custom of topping a tree also goes back to Prince Albert's time. For his family's tree, he chose an angel, helping to remind us that the focus of the Christmas story is on one particular family.
这一风俗也要追溯到阿尔伯特亲王时代。他把一个天使放在家里的圣诞树顶,提醒我们圣诞节纪念了一个家庭的故事。
For Joseph and Mary, the circumstances of Jesus's birth -- in a stable – were far from ideal, but worse was to come as the family was forced to flee the country. It’s no surprise that such a human story still captures our imagination and continues to inspire all of us who are Christians, the world over.
对于约瑟和玛丽而言,耶稣出生在马厩,这样的环境难堪理想,可更糟糕的是这家人还被迫逃离故土。这个人伦故事依旧捕捉着我们的想象力,继续激励着全世界所有的基督徒,这并不令人惊讶。
Despite being displaced and persecuted throughout his short life, Christ's unchanging message was not one of revenge or violence but simply that we should love one another.
基督短暂的一生中颠沛流离、饱受迫害,可他一如既往倡导的不是复仇和暴力,而是人人相爱。
Although it is not an easy message to follow, we shouldn't be discouraged; rather, it inspires us to try harder: to be thankful for the people who bring love and happiness into our own lives, and to look for ways of spreading that love to others, whenever and wherever we can.
尽管践行不易,我们也不要灰心。这鼓励着我们要加倍努力,感谢那些给我们生命带来爱和幸福的人,并想方设法将那份爱传递给他人——无论何时,无论何处。
One of the joys of living a long life is watching one’s children, then grandchildren, then great grandchildren, help decorate the Christmas tree. And this year my family has a new member to join in the fun!
长寿的喜悦之一是儿孙绕膝。先是儿女,然后是孙辈,现在有重孙辈帮我装扮圣诞树。今年,我家又有一位新成员共享天伦。
The customary decorations have changed little in the years since that picture of Victoria and Albert's tree first appeared, although of course electric lights have replaced the candles.
自维多利亚和阿尔伯特的圣诞树出现以来,传统的圣诞装饰变化甚微,当然,电灯取代了蜡烛。
There’s an old saying that “it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness”.
There are millions of people lighting candles of hope in our world today.
老话说,“点燃烛火胜过咒骂黑暗”。今天,我们的世界,成百上千万的人点燃希望的烛火。
Christmas is a good time to be thankful for them, and for all that brings light to our lives.
值此圣诞佳节,向他们表示感谢,对所有给我们生活带来光明的人表示感谢。
I wish you a very happy Christmas.
愿诸君圣诞快乐。