女王2013年圣诞演讲.doc

女王2013年致辞：停下来想一想I once knew someone who spent a year in a plaster cast recovering from an operation on his back. He read a lot, and thought a lot, and felt miserable. 我曾认识那么一个人，他因为后背手术，打着石膏等待康复，这样度过了整整一年的时间。这一年的时间，他博览群书，反复思考，最后却暗自神伤。 Later, he realized this time of forced retreat from the world had helped him to understand the world more clearly. 但后来，他意识到被迫从世界抽离的这段日子帮助他更清楚得理解了这个世界。 We all need to get the balance right between action and reflection. With so many distractions, it is easy to forget to pause and take stock. 我们都需要在行动和反思中找到平衡，在纷纷扰扰中，我们很容易就忘了需要停下脚步来对现状进行评估和反思。 Be it through contemplation, prayer, or even keeping a diary, many have found the practice of quiet personal reflection surprisingly rewarding, even discovering greater spiritual depth to their lives. 很多人发现安静的个人反思，比如冥想，祷告甚至写日记，会有意想不到的惊喜，会挖掘到生活中自己心灵的更深处。 Reflection can take many forms. When families and friends come together at Christmas, its often a time for happy memories and reminiscing. Our thoughts are with those we have loved who are no longer with us. We also remember those who through doing their duty cannot be at home for Christmas, such as workers in essential or emergency services. 反思可以有很多种形式。家人和朋友在圣诞节时欢聚一堂，留下无数美好回忆。我们追忆着曾经深爱的让人，即便他们已经不在我们身边。我们也会想起那些因为工作和责任无法回家和家人团聚的人，比如那些奋战在重要和紧急服务岗位上的工作人员。 And especially at this time of year we think of the men and women serving overseas in our armed forces. We are forever grateful to all those who put themselves at risk to keep us safe. 尤其是海外服役的军人们，每年这个时候我们总会不经意得想起他们，感谢他们不顾自身安危为我们保驾护航； Service and duty are not just the guiding principles of yesteryear; they have an enduring value which spans the generations. 服务与责任不只是昔日的一种指导原则，而是我们秉承的一种永恒价值观念。 I myself had cause to reflect this year, at Westminster Abbey, on my own pledge of service made in that great church on Coronation Day sixty years earlier. 今年是我加冕的60周年，我自己也需要停下来反思60多年前我在威斯敏斯特教堂许下的承诺。 The anniversary reminded me of the remarkable changes that have occurred since the Coronation, many of them for the better; and of the things that have remained constant, such as the importance of family, friendship and good neighborliness. 加冕后这些年，我们国家发生了很多惊人的变化，有些变得越来越好，有些却从未改变，如家庭、友谊以及睦邻友好的重要性。 But reflection is not just about looking back. I and many others are looking forward to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next year. 沉思不仅仅指停下来回望来时路，还得考虑将来。和大家一样，我也在期待着明年在格拉斯哥的英联邦运动会。 The baton relay left London in October and is now the other side of the world, on its way across seventy nations and territories before arriving in Scotland next summer. Its journey is a reminder that the Commonwealth can offer us a fresh view of life. 英联邦运动会的接力棒10月离开伦敦，现在已经到达世界的另一边，它将跨越70个英联邦国家和地区于明年夏天到达苏格兰。这段不同凡响的旅程将刷新整个英联邦的价值观。 My son Charles summed this up at the recent meeting in Sri Laika. He spoke of the Commonwealths family ties that are a source of encouragement to many. Like any family there can be differences of opinion. But however strongly theyre expressed they are held within the common bond of friendship and shared experiences. 最近査尔斯王子最近在斯里兰卡的一次会议上做过一番总结。他提到英联邦国家之间有一种“家庭的纽带”。这真是莫大的鼓舞。就像所有的家庭一样，我们会有不同的想法和分歧，但是至少我们之间有很牢固的友谊和共同的经历。 Here at home my own family is a little larger this Christmas. As so many of you will know, the arrival of a baby gives everyone the chance to contemplate the future with renewed happiness and hope. For the new parents, life will never be quite the same again. 今年圣诞，我自己的小家变大了一点。新生命的到来让我们所有人对未来有了新的憧憬和希冀。对新爸爸和新妈妈来说，生活有了新的变化。 As with all who are christened, George was Baptist into a joyful faith of Christian duty and service. After the christening, we gathered for the traditional photograph. It was a happy occasion, bringing together four generations. 跟很多人一样，小乔治已受洗成一名基督徒。洗礼结束后，我们拍照。此次，我们四代同堂。 In the year ahead, I hope you will have time to pause for moments of quiet reflection. As the man in the plaster cast discovered, the results can sometimes be surprising. 在未来的一年里，我希望大家记得驻足安静地反思一下，就像那个打石膏的人一样，反思的结果有时可能令你惊讶。 For Christians, as for all people of faith, reflection, meditation and prayer help us to renew ourselves in Gods love, as we strive daily to become better people. The Christmas message shows us that this love is for everyone. There is no one beyond its reach. 对基督徒来说，我们每天都在努力奋斗成为一个更棒的自己，若我们停下来沉思、冥想、祷告，我们会不断发现新的自己。圣诞节带给我们的信念告诉我们：这种爱是赋予每个人的，没有例外。 On the first Christmas, in the fields above Bethlehem, as they sat in the cold of night watching their resting sheep, the local shepherds must have had no shortage of time for reflection. Suddenly all this was to change. These humble shepherds were the first to hear and ponder the wondrous news of