2013英国女王圣诞演讲

I once knew someone who spent a year in a plaster cast recovering from operation on his back. He read a lot, and thought a lot, and felt miserable. Later, he realized this time of forced retreat from the world had helped him to understand the world more clearly. 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.

我认识那么一个人，他因为背部手术而缠了一年的石膏绷带。病中，他读了很多书，也思考了很多，常常感到痛苦。我们都需要在“行动”和“反思”中找到平衡，被众多俗事所扰，我们很容易忘记停一停，想一想。不久之后他意识到虽然病痛迫使他从世界舞台上退出却也帮助他更好的理解这个世界。（指英女王好友，前首相道格拉斯—休姆）

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. Reflection can take many forms. When families and friends come together at Christmas, it's 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.

不管是沉思，祈祷，亦或是写日记，很多人都发现这种个人的静思惊人的有效，亦能够探索他们人生的心灵深处。反思有许多不同的形式。家人和朋友在圣诞节之际团聚，同时是一次对幸福和快乐的追忆。我们追忆那些已经不在人世的所爱之人，我们同样铭记那些在圣诞期间尽忠职守无法回家的人们。像那些在重要岗位或应急工作职守的人们。

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. Service and duty are not just the guiding principles of yesteryear; they have an enduring value which spans the generations.

此时此刻，我们应该特别要铭记那些在海外执勤的男女军人们。我们永远感谢那些为了保卫我们的安全而投身于危险之中的人们。尽职与责任并不只是过去一年里的主题，它们是英国代代相传的价值观

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. 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 neighbourliness.

今年，在威斯敏斯特大教堂，我也经历了一次反思的机会，在这座教堂里，举办了我的加冕60周年纪念活动。这一庆典让我回想起加冕六十年里发生的重大改变，其中很多都是有正面意义的，同样也使我回想起那些不变的东西，比如家庭友谊和与人为善的重要性。

But reflection is not just about looking back. I and many others are looking forward to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next year. 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.

但反思也不只是回顾过去。我和许多人一样都还在期待着明年在格拉斯哥的英联邦运动会。火炬接力今年从伦敦启动现在已经到达世界的另一边，它将跨越70个国家和地区于明年夏天到达苏格兰。这趟旅程展示出英联邦的崭新面貌。

My son Charles summed this up at the recent meeting in Sri Lanka. He spoke of the Commonwealth's "family ties" that are a source of encouragement to many. Like any family there can be differences of opinion. But however strongly they're expressed they are held within the common bond of friendship and shared experiences.

我的儿子査尔斯在斯里兰卡前不久举行的会议上也提到这一点。他指出英联邦国家间的“家庭的纽带”能够鼓舞人们。和任何家庭一样，英联邦中也会有各种观念分歧，但是他们仍能强烈的认识到他们被友谊和共同经历的纽带联系在一起。

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. As with all who are christened, George was baptized 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.

就我的家庭而言，今年我们增加了一个新成员，你们很多人都知道一个孩子（乔治王子）出生了。他的出生给了每个人对美好未来的希望与期盼，对新生儿的父母来说，生活永远不会再和以前一样了。和所有经

受洗礼的孩子一样，乔治在受洗礼的同时被赋予了身为基督徒的责任与义务。在洗礼结束后，我们全家一起拍摄了传统家庭合影，那是一个四代同堂的快乐时刻。

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. For Christians, as for all people of faith, reflection, meditation and prayer help us to renew ourselves in God's 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.

在未来的一年里，我希望大家都能够有时间停一停静静的反思一刻，就和我那位从病中觉悟的朋友一样，反思有时能带来令人惊讶的效果。对所有基督徒，所有有信仰的人们来说，反思，沉思与祈祷能帮助我们重新认识到神的爱，认识到我们每天努力成为一个更好的人，圣诞节带给我们的讯息就是：爱是给予每个人的，无人不在其中

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 the birth of Christ - the first noel - the joy of which we celebrate today.

在基督诞生的那一天在伯利恒的荒原上，牧羊人坐在寒冷的夜空中，看着睡眠中的羊群，牧羊人没有空闲时间来反思，思考。突然一切都变了，这些卑微的牧人听到了那声啼哭，第一个见证了基督诞生的奇迹。那就是圣诞节的初始，我们直至今天仍然在纪念这份喜悦。

I wish you all a very happy Christmas.

我祝愿所有人圣诞快乐。