莎士比亚去世400周年 英国首相撰文纪念

 　　Shakespeare Lives

　　永恒的莎士比亚

　　British Prime Minister David Cameron

　　英国首相大卫·卡梅伦

　　This year's four hundredth anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare is not just an opportunity to commemorate¹ one of the greatest playwrights² of all time. It is a moment to celebrate the extraordinary ongoing³ influence of a man who—to borrow from his own description of Julius Caesar —"doth bestride the narrow world like a Colossus."

　　今年是英国戏剧大师威廉·莎士比亚去世400周年。我们怀念他的伟大作品，也向他永存于世的影响力致敬。正如名剧《裘力斯·凯撒》中的台词，“他像一位巨人，跨越了这狭隘的世界”。

　　莎士比亚去世400周年 英国首相撰文纪念.jpg

　　Shakespeare's legacy⁴ is without parallel: his works translated into over 100 languages and studied by half the world's schoolchildren. As one of his contemporaries, Ben Jonson, said: "Shakespeare is not of an age, but for all time." He lives today in our language, our culture and society – and through his enduring influence on education.

　　莎翁的作品被翻译成100多种语言，被全世界一半的学生诵读，其传播之广，前所未有。同时代的剧作家本·琼森曾说，“莎士比亚超越了时代，他将永世不朽。”今天，他仍然活在我们的语言、文化和社会中，对教育的影响弥久常新。

　　Shakespeare played a critical role in shaping modern English and helping⁵ to make it the world's language. The first major dictionary compiled by Samuel Johnson drew on Shakespeare more than any other writer. Three thousand new words and phrases all first appeared in print in Shakespeare's plays. I remember from my own childhood how many of them are found for the first time in Henry V. Words like dishearten, divest⁶, addiction⁷, motionless, leapfrog—and phrases like "once more unto the breach⁸", "band of brothers" and "heart of gold"—have all passed into our language today with no need to reference their original context. Shakespeare also pioneered innovative⁹ use of grammatical form and structure—including verse without rhymes, superlatives and the connecting of existing words to make new words, like bloodstained—while the pre-eminence of his plays also did much to standardise spelling and grammar.

　　莎翁在构建现代英语，使之成为全球通用语方面发挥了关键作用。塞缪尔·约翰逊编纂的《英语大辞典》中引用莎翁的句子，比其他作家都多。莎翁剧本中创造的英语新词、新短语多达三千。历史剧《亨利五世》中不少第一次出现的词，如dishearten、divest、addiction、 motionless和leapfrog，以及短语，如 once more unto the breach、band of brothers和heart of gold，都沿用至今，成了耳熟能详的词汇。他在语法形式和结构方面亦有创新，如无韵诗、最高级和组合现有词汇形成新词方面（如bloodstained），而他的一些杰出剧作也对拼写和语法的标准化发挥了作用。

　　But Shakespeare's influence is felt far beyond our language. His words, his plots and his characters continue to inspire much of our culture and wider society. Nelson Mandela, while a prisoner on Robben Island, cherished a quote from Julius Caesar which said "Cowards die many times before their death, the valiant¹⁰ never taste of death but once." While Kate Tempest's poem “My Shakespeare” captures the eternal presence of Shakespeare when she wrote that Shakespeare "…is in every lover who ever stood alone beneath a window…every jealous whispered word and every ghost that will not rest.” Shakespeare's influence is everywhere, from Dickens and Goethe to Tchaikovsky, Verdi and Brahms; from West Side Story to the Hamlet-inspired title of Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap" —the longest-running theatre production in London's West End today. While his original plays continue to entertain millions—from school halls across the world to the overnight queues as hundreds scrambled¹¹ for last minute tickets to see Benedict Cumberbatch playing Hamlet at London's Barbican last year.

　　而莎翁的影响远不止语言。遣词造句、情节构思、人物塑造等，无不为人类文化和社会带来灵感。尼尔森·曼德拉在罗本岛服刑时曾以《裘力斯·凯撒》中的名句“懦夫一生死多次，勇者一生死一回”激励自己。凯特·坦皮斯特在诗中写道：“莎翁是孤独的恋人，是爱慕的低语，是无法安息的灵魂”，这是对不朽作品的很好诠释。无论是狄更斯、歌德，还是柴可夫斯基，威尔第和勃拉姆斯，从西城故事到深受《哈姆雷特》启发的篇名——《捕鼠器》（作者是阿加莎·克里斯蒂，该剧在伦敦西区常演不衰），我们都能找到莎翁的影子。他的作品为数百万人带来乐趣，不仅是学校，去年，大家彻夜排队，就为了观看在伦敦芭比肯艺术中心由本尼迪克特·康伯巴奇主演的《哈姆雷特》。

　　But perhaps one of the most exciting legacies¹² of Shakespeare is his capacity to educate. As we see from the outreach work of the Royal Shakespeare Company and Shakespeare's Globe and the impact of pioneering British charities like the Shakespeare Schools Festival, studying and performing Shakespeare can help improve literacy, confidence and wider educational attainment¹³.

　　莎翁财富的精华还体现在教育上。从皇家莎士比亚剧团和莎士比亚环球剧院一直上演的莎翁作品，到英国先锋慈善活动，如“莎士比亚学院艺术节”的影响力，我们发现，研究、表演莎翁作品有助于提高文学鉴赏力、自信和受教育水平。

　　Every day throughout 2016, Britain is inviting¹⁴ you to join us in celebrating the life and legacy of William Shakespeare. On 5 January, Twelfth Night, we launched "Shakespeare Lives"—an exciting global programme of activity and events to highlight his enduring influence and extend the use of Shakespeare as an educational resource to advance literacy around the world.

　　2016年，英国邀您一起了解莎翁生平，欣赏莎翁名作。1月5日，我们将在全球推出“永恒的莎士比亚”纪念活动，纪念他的不朽魅力，并将其作品作为教材，在全球推广文学鉴赏活动。

　　The programme will run in more than seventy countries, led by the British Council and the Great Britain campaign. You can share your favourite moment of Shakespeare on social media, watch never-before-seen performances on stage, film and online, visit exhibitions, take part in workshops and debates, and access new Shakespearean educational resources to get to grips with the English language.

　　该活动由英国文化协会和GREAT英国推广活动主办，在全球70多个国家开展。您可以在社交媒体上分享莎翁精彩时刻，观看前所未有的舞台表演、电影和在线节目，参观展览，参加讨论并获得新版莎翁教材，提高英语水平。

　　The Royal Shakespeare Company will tour China; Shakespeare's Globe will perform across the world from Iraq to Denmark. Young people will reimagine Shakespeare in Zimbabwe. A social media campaign called "Play your Part" (#PlayYourPart) will invite the next generation of creative talent to produce their own digital tribute to the Bard—and, in partnership¹⁵ with the British charity Voluntary Services Overseas, we will raise awareness¹⁶ of the huge challenge of global child illiteracy¹⁷ and use Shakespeare to increase educational opportunities for children around the world.

　　皇家莎士比亚剧团将来华巡演，莎士比亚环球剧院也将在伊朗、丹麦等各地演出，年轻观众们甚至可以在津巴布韦欣赏到莎翁名作。届时社交媒体将上线“Play Your Part”活动，邀请新生代创作人才，以数字形式向莎翁致敬。另外我们将携手英国慈善机构——海外志愿服务，提高“全球儿童文盲问题严峻性”的意识，并利用莎翁著作为全球儿童提供教育机会。

　　Beyond the great gift of language, the bringing to life of our history, his ongoing influence on our culture and his ability to educate, there is just the immense power of Shakespeare to inspire. From the most famous love story to the greatest tragedy; from the most powerful fantasy to the wittiest¹⁸ comedy; and from the most memorable¹⁹ speeches to his many legendary²⁰ characters, in William Shakespeare we have one man, whose vast imagination, boundless²¹ creativity and instinct for humanity encompasses²² the whole of the human experience as no one has before or since.

　　除了语言成就、历史意义和文化、教育影响力，莎翁也为后人提供了巨大的创作灵感。从爱情故事到四大悲剧，从奇思妙想到幽默喜剧，从经典名句到不朽人物，莎翁不只是一位作家，他广阔的想象力，无限的创作力和无尽的人文情怀，囊括了整个人类世界，达到了“前无古人，后无来者”的境界。

　　So, however you choose to play your part, please join us in 2016 in this unique opportunity to celebrate the life and enduring legacy of this man; ensuring that, as he himself put it, "all the world's a stage" and that through his legacy, truly, Shakespeare Lives.

　　2016年，我们等你来参与：了解莎翁生平，探索精神财富。正如他所说，“全世界是个舞台”。在这里，作品长青，莎士比亚永恒。

1 commemorate   

vt.纪念，庆祝

参考例句：

• This building was built to commemorate the Fire of London.这栋大楼是为纪念“伦敦大火”而兴建的。
• We commemorate the founding of our nation with a public holiday.我们放假一日以庆祝国庆。

2 playwrights   

n.剧作家( playwright的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We're studying dramatic texts by sixteenth century playwrights. 我们正在研究16 世纪戏剧作家的戏剧文本。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Hung-chien asked who the playwrights were. 鸿渐问谁写的剧本。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

3 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

4 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

6 divest   

v.脱去，剥除

参考例句：

• I cannot divest myself of the idea.我无法消除那个念头。
• He attempted to divest himself of all responsibilities for the decision.他力图摆脱掉作出该项决定的一切责任。

7 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

8 breach   

n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破

参考例句：

• We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
• He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。

9 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

10 valiant   

adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人

参考例句：

• He had the fame of being very valiant.他的勇敢是出名的。
• Despite valiant efforts by the finance minister,inflation rose to 36%.尽管财政部部长采取了一系列果决措施，通货膨胀率还是涨到了36%。

11 scrambled   

v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 legacies   

n.遗产( legacy的名词复数 )；遗留之物；遗留问题；后遗症

参考例句：

• Books are the legacies that a great genius leaves to mankind. 书是伟大的天才留给人类的精神财富。 来自辞典例句
• General legacies are subject to the same principles as demonstrative legacies. 一般的遗赠要与指定数目的遗赠遵循同样的原则。 来自辞典例句

13 attainment   

n.达到，到达；［常pl.］成就，造诣

参考例句：

• We congratulated her upon her attainment to so great an age.我们祝贺她高寿。
• The attainment of the success is not easy.成功的取得并不容易。

14 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

15 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

16 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

17 illiteracy   

n.文盲

参考例句：

• It is encouraging to read that illiteracy is declining.从读报中了解文盲情况正在好转，这是令人鼓舞的。
• We must do away with illiteracy.我们必须扫除文盲。

18 wittiest   

机智的，言辞巧妙的，情趣横生的( witty的最高级 )

参考例句：

• One of the wittiest exemplars of the technique was M. C. Escher. 最为巧妙地运用那种技巧的一个典型人物就是M.C.埃舍尔。 来自柯林斯例句

19 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

20 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

21 boundless   

adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的

参考例句：

• The boundless woods were sleeping in the deep repose of nature.无边无际的森林在大自然静寂的怀抱中酣睡着。
• His gratitude and devotion to the Party was boundless.他对党无限感激、无限忠诚。

22 encompasses   

v.围绕( encompass的第三人称单数 )；包围；包含；包括

参考例句：

• The job encompasses a wide range of responsibilities. 这项工作涉及的职责范围很广。
• Its conservation law encompasses both its magnitude and its direction. 它的守恒定律包括大小和方向两方面。 来自辞典例句