VOA文化艺术2022 国庆祝伊丽莎白女王在位70周年（在线收听）

Britain will mark the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's rule on Sunday.

英国将于周日纪念女王伊丽莎白二世在位70周年。

The 25-year-old Elizabeth became queen on February 6, 1952, following the death of her father King George VI. She took over a country that survived the damages of World War II with Winston Churchill as prime minister.

1952年2月6日，25岁的伊丽莎白在父亲乔治六世国王去世后成为了女王。她接掌了一个由温斯顿·丘吉尔担任首相，经历了二战破坏的国家。

Since then, prime ministers, popes, and presidents have come and gone. The Soviet Union has collapsed, and Britain's own empire has disappeared.

自那时起，总理、教皇和总统走马灯般更替。苏联解体了，英国自己的帝国也消失了。

Coronation in the age of television

电视时代的加冕

On June 2, 1953, Elizabeth's coronation was the first event seen on live television by millions around the world.

1953年6月2日，伊丽莎白的加冕典礼成为了世界各地数百万人在电视直播中看到的第一个大事件。

The broadcast brought the British royal family into people's living rooms. Elizabeth then made her first televised Christmas broadcast in 1957, saying she hoped the new medium would make her message "more personal and direct."

这场直播把英国王室带入了人们的客厅。伊丽莎白随后在1957年进行了她的第一次圣诞节电视直播，她说希望这种新媒体能让她的消息“更加个性化和直接。”

"At least for a few minutes, I welcome you to the peace of my own home," she said at the time.

她当时表示：“至少在接下来的几分钟里，我邀请你们与我共享王室的祥和。”

From weddings to funerals, the ceremonies became must-see television. An estimated 750 million people around the world watched the wedding between Prince Charles and Lady Diana on July 29, 1981.

从婚礼到葬礼的各种仪式成为了必看的电视节目。1981年7月29日，全球约有7.5亿人观看了查尔斯王子和戴安娜女士的婚礼。

Winds of change

变革之风

A Spaniard reportedly told King Charles I that "the sun never sets" on the British Empire. Historians estimated the empire once ruled more than 400 million people and had 25 percent of the earth's landmass. It was so huge that there was always daylight in one of the territories.

据报道，有位西班牙人告诉查理一世国王，太阳在大英帝国永远不会落下。历史学家估算这个帝国曾经统治过超过4亿人口，并占领了地球25%的陆地。它是如此辽阔，以至于总有一块领土是白天。

Under Elizabeth, Ghana became the first British colony in Africa to celebrate independence in 1957. Three years later, then British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan made his famous "winds of change" speech in South Africa. By 1970, most of Britain's African and Caribbean colonies had gained independence. And Britain handed over Hong Kong to China in 1997.

在伊丽莎白治下，加纳于1957年成为非洲首个庆祝独立的英国殖民地。三年之后，时任英国首相哈罗德·麦克米伦在南非发表了著名的“变革之风”演讲。到1970年，英国大部分非洲和加勒比殖民地都获得了独立。1997年，英国将香港交还给中国。

The queen, however, remains the head of state in 15 Commonwealth countries including Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

然而，女王仍然是包括澳大利亚、新西兰和加拿大在内的15个英联邦国家的国家元首。

No second Elizabethan Age

不会再有第二个伊丽莎白时代

Elizabeth's rule has often been compared, good or bad, to the "Golden Age" of the first Elizabeth in the 16th century. That was a time when England grew its economy, expanded its influence, and celebrated the great William Shakespeare.

无论好坏，人们经常会将伊丽莎白的统治与16世纪伊丽莎白一世的黄金时代相比较。那是英格兰发展经济、扩大影响力并歌颂伟大莎士比亚的时期。

British historian David Starkey observed that there would be no second Elizabethan age. He said the queen views her role as simply doing a job.

英国历史学家大卫·斯塔基评论称，不会再有第二个伊丽莎白时代。他称女王认为自己的角色只是做一项工作。

He told Reuters, "I say this not as criticism, but simply as a statement of fact... For she came to the throne with one thought only: to keep the royal show on the road."

他对路透社表示：“我不是在批评，而只是在陈述事实。她登上王位只有一个想法，那就是让这场王室演出继续下去。”

Anna Whitelock is Professor of the History of Monarchy at London's City University. She noted, "The definition of success for any monarch over time is to preserve the monarchy and ensure the succession. That is the primary job, and that's what she's done."

安娜·怀特洛克是伦敦城市大学的君主制历史学教授。她指出：“随着时间推移，任何君主成功的定义是维护君主制并确保传承下去。这是首要工作，也正是她所作的。”

Matthew Dennison recently wrote a book about the queen. He said the way Elizabeth performed her role has given her a moral position beyond anything she had as a monarch.

马修·丹尼森最近写了一本关于女王的书。他说，伊丽莎白履行角色的方式赋予了她超越君主的道德地位。

Soft power

软实力

Constitutionally, the British monarch now has few practical powers and is expected to be non-political.

从宪法上讲，英国君主现在几乎没有实际权力，它被期望是非政治性的。

However, historians say Elizabeth has used "soft" power and made the monarchy a unifying force for the nation. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the queen used her broadcast to calm the public.

然而，历史学家表示，伊丽莎白利用软实力，使君主制成为了国家的凝聚力。在新冠肺炎大流行开始时，女王发表电视讲话让民众冷静下来。

Former British leaders have said her years of experience have proved of great help. They said they could speak freely without fear of their conversations ever being made public.

前英国领导人表示，她多年的经验证明对她有很大帮助。他们表示，他们可以自由发言，而不用担心他们的谈话会被公开。

Former prime minister Tony Blair said: "She will assess situations and difficulties and can describe them without ever ... giving any clue as to political preference or anything like that. It's quite remarkable to see."

前首相托尼·布莱尔表示：“她会评估现状与困难，并且能够在不提供任何政治偏好迹象的前提下描述它们。这非常了不起。”

Some historians say the queen will be viewed as the last of her kind, a monarch who commands unquestioned respect.

一些历史学家表示，女王将被视为最后一位她这类博得毋庸置疑的尊重的君主。

And Whitelock observed that "She [the queen] will be up there as one of the greatest monarchs not just for her longevity, but for the period of change which she has witnessed."

怀特洛克评论称，“女王将成为最伟大的君主之一，不仅是因为她的长寿，还因为她所见证的变革时期。”