9岁男童娶62岁妻子 为圆祖父遗愿

 　　Sanele Masilela is now nine and his wife, Helen Shabangu, is 62 years old.

　　马西莱拉现年9岁，他的妻子夏班固62岁。

　　Sanele, a Grade 4 pupil, claimed to have been having a series of visions of his late grandfather, which were interpreted as a sign that his grandfather, Busy Masilela, who never married, wanted Sanele to do so on his behalf.

　　马西莱拉是一名4年级的小学生，他声称老是看见已经去世的祖父，认为这是因为祖父生前没有结婚，希望马西莱拉能够为他结一次婚。

　　Sanele's mother, Patience Masilela, said the wedding attracted much international media interest last year. She said people who were not familiar with the ritual thought the couple were living together as husband and wife.

　　马西莱拉的母亲说去年的婚礼吸引了国际媒体的大量注意。她表示那些对当地传统并不熟悉的人以为新郎新娘会像夫妻一样一起生活。

　　Last year's Valentine's Day wedding had all the elements of a real one: R7000 lobolo was paid for Shabangu, who wore a white wedding gown, and they kissed before exchanging rings and vows¹. The ceremony, it was said at the time, was not binding² but merely a ritual to appease³ the ancestors.

　　去年情人节的婚礼有着真实婚礼的一切要素：付给夏班固的7000兰特（南非货币单位）聘礼，夏班固穿上白色的婚纱，他们交换戒指和誓词，然后接吻。这个仪式是对先人的告慰，而非对新人的约束。

　　Since that white wedding, the couple have returned to their normal lives - Sanele being just a schoolboy and his spouse⁴ a working woman.

　　婚礼后，这对新人回到了他们的正常生活中去——马西莱拉上学，夏班固上班。

　　Before yesterday, they had not seen one another since November.

　　去年11月后，他们再未见过彼此，直到昨天。

　　Yesterday's wedding was held to introduce the groom⁵ to the bride's family in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga.

　　昨天举行的婚礼是为了将新郎介绍给居住在布希巴克里奇的新娘家庭。

　　According to an agreement between the two families, much of last year's formal wedding needed to be repeated before the couple changed into traditional gear for the second part of the ceremony.

　　根据2个家庭的协议，在新郎新娘换上传统服装进行仪式的第二部分之前，去年举行的正式婚礼中的很大一部分需要再进行一次。

　　Shabangu's real husband, Abel Shabangu, was among the men who came to help to put up a tent and three gazebos. He also bought a three-tier wedding cake.

　　夏班固真正的丈夫，阿贝夏班固也在前来帮忙的男人中。他们搭起了1座帐篷和3个露台。阿贝·夏班固还买了一个3层的结婚蛋糕。

　　"I'm here to support my wife. We all want this day to go well. Our children couldn't come, but they also wish us well today," said Abel.

　　阿贝说：“我是来支持我的妻子的。我们都希望今天能够顺利。我们的孩子来不了，但是他们都祝我们能度过愉快的一天。”

1 vows   

誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿

参考例句：

• Matrimonial vows are to show the faithfulness of the new couple. 婚誓体现了新婚夫妇对婚姻的忠诚。
• The nun took strait vows. 那位修女立下严格的誓愿。

2 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

3 appease   

v.安抚，缓和，平息，满足

参考例句：

• He tried to appease the crying child by giving him candy.他试图给那个啼哭的孩子糖果使他不哭。
• The government tried to appease discontented workers.政府试图安抚不满的工人们。

4 spouse   

n.配偶(指夫或妻)

参考例句：

• Her spouse will come to see her on Sunday.她的丈夫星期天要来看她。
• What is the best way to keep your spouse happy in the marriage?在婚姻中保持配偶幸福的最好方法是什么？

5 groom   

vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁

参考例句：

• His father was a groom.他父亲曾是个马夫。
• George was already being groomed for the top job.为承担这份高级工作，乔治已在接受专门的培训。