生死相依 英夫妇相守65载同日离世

 　　He was a dashing D-Day veteran and she a blushing bride in white when they vowed¹ to love each other in sickness and in health.

　　彼时，他是一名二战的退伍兵，而她是一位美丽害羞的少女，他们一起许下承诺：无论生老病死、相互陪伴一生。

　　For 65 years Harry² and Mavis Stevenson stayed true to that promise, and when she died just 48 hours after her 89th birthday, he could not bear to be without her.

　　此时，他们两人始终遵守承诺、不离不弃，已经携手走过了65年。她过完89岁生日的48个小时之后离开了人世，而他怎能忍受没有她的生活呢？

　　Yesterday their nephew Stephen Cresswell told how 88-year-old Mr Stevenson died within minutes of his beloved wife after they spent their last night holding hands while they slept in a care home.

　　两人的侄子斯蒂芬·克雷斯韦尔向我们讲述了斯蒂文森夫妇哈利·斯蒂文森和梅维斯·斯蒂文森之间平凡而感人的爱情，以及斯蒂文森先生在妻子离世后随她而去时的情景。

　　He said: ‘The staff told Harry very gently that she had passed away and said he shed two or three tears. Then they tended to Mavis and the next time they looked over at Harry, he was gone.

　　斯蒂芬说：“当护理中心的工作人员非常婉转地告诉哈利‘梅维斯去世了’的时候他只掉了几滴眼泪。之后当工作人员就去料理梅维斯的后事，而当他们再次看到哈利的时候，他也已经离开这个世界了。”

　　‘It was less than ten minutes later. He was lying next to her in a separate bed at the time. They shared a room in the home and the staff had pushed the beds together the night before.

　　“这前后还不到十分钟的时间。当时他躺在她旁边的一张床上。他俩之前住在一个屋子里，所以工作人员把两人的床推到了一起。”

　　‘They told me he was holding her hand all that final night.’

　　“工作人员称在最后的这整整一个晚上他都握着她的手。”

　　He added: ‘Although it is incredibly sad it is also incredibly wonderful that right until the very end they were together and neither of them had to be alone. Their love lasted and they were devoted³ to each other. I can imagine them being together now, after their death, side by side.’

　　斯蒂芬说：“这听起来非常伤感，但也不得不说这其实也非常美满，因为他们直到生命的尽头也依然没有分开，两人都未曾丢下过对方。他们彼此深爱，从始至终。我能想象到现在他们虽然已经离开这个世界，但依然在一起的样子。”

　　The couple from Derby refused to be separated throughout their life. When Mrs Stevenson’s health deteriorated⁴, her husband insisted on moving into the care home as well so he could be with her.

　　这对德比郡的夫妇一生都未曾与对方分开过。当梅维斯的健康状况恶化时，哈利坚持要和她一起搬到护理中心，以便能和她在一起。

　　Mr Cresswell, 53, said that Mr Stevenson was in better health than his wife and relatives were not expecting his death on November 3.

　　今年53岁的斯蒂芬说，哈利比梅维斯的身体要好，亲戚们都没想到他会在11月3日去世。

　　The couple met at a social club aged⁵ 16 and began courting before Harry signed up to fight in the Second World War on his 17th birthday in 1943. He became a Royal Marine⁶ Commando and took part in the D-Day Normandy landings.

　　哈利和梅维斯16岁的时候在一个俱乐部里相遇，并迅速坠入爱河。1943年17岁的哈利入伍参加二战，成为皇家海军突击队中的一员，并参与了著名的诺曼底登陆战役。

　　Later he was transferred to the Far East to fight the Japanese. But wherever he was he wrote to his sweetheart – even after he was shot in the hand.

　　之后他又被派往远东参与同日本的作战。但是无论他到那里，他都坚持写信给他心爱的梅维斯，即使是在战场上手臂中弹的时候。

　　In one letter he said: ‘I am glad to know that you are still in love with me. I know you are, Mavis, and you should know that I am very much in love with you.’ Other letters found by Mr Creswell show that Mr Stevenson sometimes wrote to her twice a day – in the morning and in the afternoon.

　　他曾在一封信中写道：“我非常高兴，你依然爱着我。我知道的，梅维斯，你也要相信我也非常非常爱你。”从斯蒂芬拿出的这些信件中可以看到，哈利有时会在一天之内写两封信给梅维斯，上午写一封，下午写一封。

　　Mr Cresswell believes the couple’s bond was so strong because they were separated during the war and did not want to ever be parted again.

　　斯蒂芬认为斯蒂文森夫妇的感情相当好，因为即使因战争而分离他们也从未想过离开对方。

　　They married in 1949 and Mr Stevenson found a job as a joiner. He carried on working even after his hand was amputated as a result of lasting⁷ damage from his war injuries.

　　两人于1949年结婚。哈利成为了一名木匠，即使他的一只手因为战争中受伤而被截肢，他也依然坚持继续工作。

　　After retiring, he volunteered as a cricket groundsman and umpire and continued to run half-marathons well into his 60s.

　　退休之后，哈利当了一名板球球场的志愿管理员和裁判员，而且在六十多岁的时候仍坚持跑半程马拉松。

　　Although the couple never had any children, they lavished⁸ love on their extended family and were renowned⁹ for their Boxing Day lunches.

　　虽然两人没有子女，但他们把爱给与他们的亲戚，并一直为家人们做节礼日午餐。

　　Mr Cresswell said: ‘They wanted to be together. There was no way of separating them. They were as close as any couple I have known. They never had a serious argument and were soulmates.’

　　斯蒂芬说：“他们希望彼此厮守在一起。没有任何事情能把他们分开。他们和我所认识的所有夫妇一样亲密相爱。他们从没激烈争吵过，他们是灵魂伴侣。”

　　The couple’s joint¹⁰ funeral is due to take place on Thursday.

　　斯蒂文森夫妇的葬礼将于本周四举行。

1 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

2 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

3 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

4 deteriorated   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she died shortly afterwards. 她的健康状况急剧恶化，不久便去世了。
• His condition steadily deteriorated. 他的病情恶化，日甚一日。

5 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

6 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

7 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

8 lavished   

v.过分给予，滥施( lavish的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I lavished all the warmth of my pent-up passion. 我把憋在心里那一股热烈的情感尽量地倾吐出来。 来自辞典例句
• An enormous amount of attention has been lavished on these problems. 在这些问题上，我们已经花费了大量的注意力。 来自辞典例句

9 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

10 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。