現(xiàn)代英文選評(píng)：The Reigning Royalty of Europe 歐洲之王室

The Reigning Royalty of Europe 歐洲之王室

Lord David Cecil (1902—1986)

戴維·塞西爾為英國(guó)貴族，亦是當(dāng)代有名批評(píng)家，在牛津大學(xué)任教多年。著有The Stricken Deer（詩(shī)人Cowper傳），Early Victorian Novelists，Hardy the Novelist等。

本文原發(fā)表于1957年8月5日的《生活畫報(bào)》（Life）。作者身為貴族，對(duì)于王室似頗為崇敬。但是他的謙虛合理的態(tài)度，相信民主自由的中國(guó)人似乎也能接受。

原文甚長(zhǎng)，此處摘錄數(shù)段。題目中reigning一字，意為“在位的”。法國(guó)、意大利、西班牙等國(guó)王室后人，今仍在世，他們?nèi)耘f保持王室的尊號(hào)，只是他們并不“在位”。又如：英女王為reigning queen，其母（王太后）亦有queen的尊號(hào)，可是就不是reigning了。

European monarchies of today are a very different thing from those of the past. For one thing they are constitutional. They also thrive in liberal democracies, where the government is conducted by the heads of the majority party in the elected chamber of government. Theoretically the king is head of the state. But he always acts on the advice of his ministers, so this does not amount to much. The one important occasion in which Britain's constitutional monarch can influence events is when a party takes power without an accepted leader. The monarch can then choose, as Queen Elizabeth II did recently when she named Harold Macmillan to be prime minister, rather than Richard Austen Butler. But even here a monarch is unlikely to act against the wishes of the substantial body of the party in power. And though the monarch can advise the government, which may pay attention to the king's wisdom and experience, he does not direct policy.

● monarchies（此字ch讀作/k/音）：君主政體；君主國(guó)。those仍是指monarchies。第一句里的thing的用法應(yīng)加注意。有了這個(gè)字，文章顯得更為親切，因?yàn)檫@個(gè)字太普通了。

● For one thing：今古君主政體不同之處可能很多，今舉一點(diǎn)來(lái)說(shuō)。constitutional：合憲法的。君主立憲（constitutional monarchy）與君主專制（absolute monarchy）不同。

● liberal democracies：自由民主的國(guó)家。君主政體在那種國(guó)家里也能盛行不衰（thrive）。接著一個(gè)定語(yǔ)從句說(shuō)明何謂自由民主的國(guó)家。在自由民主的國(guó)家里，管理政務(wù)之事（government is conducted）是由民選（elected）的國(guó)會(huì)（國(guó)會(huì)的上院下院都是house，但是也可以稱為chamber）里的多數(shù)黨（majority party）領(lǐng)袖擔(dān)任的。

● Theoretically：理論上說(shuō)來(lái)。head of the state：國(guó)家元首。

● acts on the advice of his ministers：按照大臣的勸告而行事。注意句中his一字。minister在中國(guó)譯作“部長(zhǎng)”，英文原意是“仆人”；大臣者，帝王的仆人也。

● this：縱為國(guó)家元首（事實(shí)上不發(fā)生什么作用）。amount to：（加起來(lái)）得到（什么樣的數(shù)目）。does not amount to much：沒有多少價(jià)值。

● occasion：場(chǎng)合。此字前面的介詞常用on（如on one occasion：某一次），但是這里用的是in（in which）。events：大事；國(guó)家大事。takes power：執(zhí)政。when…是名詞性從句，與前面的occasion相等。英國(guó)某一政黨雖已掌握政權(quán)，但是群龍無(wú)首（沒有公認(rèn)的領(lǐng)袖），那時(shí)英國(guó)受憲法限制的君主，就可出來(lái)干涉，左右大局。

● choose：常用作及物動(dòng)詞，這里是不及物動(dòng)詞，君主可以為政黨選拔領(lǐng)袖，組織內(nèi)閣。

● did recently：did為did choose之略。Macmillan：英國(guó)前首相。方艾登辭職之際，Butler是副首相，繼任希望本來(lái)甚大。但是保守黨內(nèi)部擁護(hù)Macmillan者，和擁護(hù)Butler者，分成兩派。女王經(jīng)咨詢?cè)锨窦獱柡蚆arquess of Salisbury（此人可能與本文作者是一家人）后，決定任命Macmillan組閣。

● even here：即使在這種場(chǎng)合之中。the substantial body：大多數(shù)人。國(guó)王不大可能（unlikely）違反執(zhí)政黨多數(shù)意見，獨(dú)斷獨(dú)行。pay attention to：國(guó)王有其智慧與經(jīng)驗(yàn)，他的指示，政府人士可以注意傾聽；但是國(guó)王不能指導(dǎo)政府的政策，他的話可能毫不起作用。

Monarchy today has also lost its religious halo. The religious conception does not fit with the secular views that lie behind modern democracy—all the more so because a large number of the citizens of these democracies no longer believe in any religion.

● halo：神光（神、佛、天使、saints頭上的光）。在君主專制的時(shí)候，帝王自命君權(quán)神授（中國(guó)的皇帝自稱“奉天承運(yùn)”）；英國(guó)國(guó)王加冕時(shí)，大主教還要背這么一段話：“Receive this kingly sword brought now from the altar of God and delivered to you by the hands of us the bishops and servants of God.”君主政體本來(lái)有一種神圣的光華，現(xiàn)在可是沒有了。

● secular：非宗教的。近代民主政治的基本觀念（views）是非宗教的：人為貴，天次之。君權(quán)神授的觀念，和這種看法格格不入（does not fit with）。

● all the more so：尤其使這兩種觀念格格不入者。so是“不合”，more是“更不合”，the（副詞）=on that account，因此而更為不合。民主國(guó)家里，很多老百姓什么教也不信，君主如再拿“天命”來(lái)號(hào)召，也沒有人會(huì)相信的。

Only in England is the institution still sacramental, the monarch being crowned in church and still recognized as head of the national church. Other countries manage to forego the religious ceremony of coronation: the monarchs of Europe mark their accession by swearing an oath in the legislative assembly, according to a constitutional concept that does not accept any idea of divinely appointed monarch.

● institution：（王室的）制度。sacramental：含有神圣意味的。（sacrament：圣禮，或是任何有神圣意味的東西。）

● 第一句是倒裝法。句子重心在前三個(gè)字，主語(yǔ)放在動(dòng)詞的后面。又本句用了一個(gè)absolute phrase（the monarch being…），這種短語(yǔ)用作輕描淡寫的說(shuō)明，最為合適。

● crowned：加冕。這個(gè)字的名詞形式是coronation。head of the national church：國(guó)教的教主。in church的church是“教堂”，national church的church是“教會(huì)”。

● manage：想辦法。forego或拼作forgo：取消。

● Europe：廣義的歐洲，包括英國(guó)在內(nèi)。狹義的歐洲，僅指歐洲大陸。這里所用的是狹義。

● accession：登基，就位。這個(gè)字的動(dòng)詞形式是accede。mark：舉行儀式以表示。swearing an oath：宣誓。legislative assembly：立法議會(huì)。他們所以在議會(huì)里宣誓，而不在教堂加冕者，是根據(jù)一種憲法觀念：這種憲法觀念不承認(rèn)君主是上帝任命的（不接受這種想法）。

Has the king's social and personal position changed with the decline in his religious status and political power? The answer to this question is different in different countries. In Scandinavia it has. The general sentiment is democratic. The Norwegians, the Swedes and Danes do not like the idea that the royal family is something apart, leading an existence of courtly formality and stately splendor. The royal families, so far as we can gather, agree with them. Certainly they fall in with their wishes. The kings and queens of these countries perform their public functions with traditional state and dignity; but when these are over, they return to a home life which differs in no essentials from that of their subjects.

● social and personal position：社會(huì)地位與個(gè)人地位。religious status：宗教上的地位。status和position沒有多少分別，不過(guò)status是法律名詞，更能引起莊嚴(yán)的聯(lián)想。國(guó)王的宗教地位和政治權(quán)力都衰落了（decline），他的社會(huì)地位與個(gè)人地位是否也因此改變呢？

● Scandinavia：指挪威、瑞典、丹麥三國(guó)（還有冰島）。按地理位置說(shuō)來(lái)，丹麥?zhǔn)遣辉赟candinavia半島上的。it has=his position has changed。

● do not like the idea：idea這個(gè)字很常用，中文不易表達(dá)（上一段有does not accept any idea of）。這一句直譯應(yīng)該是“他們不喜歡這個(gè)想法”；照中國(guó)習(xí)慣說(shuō)法，其實(shí)就是“他們不喜歡這個(gè)辦法”。

● something apart：高高在上，和老百姓判然不同。leading an existence中的existence就是life：過(guò)這樣的生活。courtly formality：宮廷的繁文縟節(jié)。stately splendor：莊嚴(yán)華麗?！扒f嚴(yán)”和“華麗”這兩個(gè)觀念在中文里是平行的，但在英文里，可以用一個(gè)為主（名詞），一個(gè)為從（形容詞）。這是中英文用法不同之處，亦是英文較多伸縮性的一個(gè)例子，請(qǐng)讀者注意。

● so far as we can gather：就我們所知者。gather：從事實(shí)上推斷。

● 那些君主，是否真正贊成“君民平等”的想法，我們不敢斷言。就事實(shí)上表現(xiàn)看來(lái)，他們是贊成的。

● 有一點(diǎn)我們是敢斷定的（certainly），他們的確是依從（fall in with）老百姓的意志而行事的。

● perform their public functions：執(zhí)行公務(wù)（如接見外國(guó)使節(jié)、主持國(guó)慶大典等）。traditional：傳統(tǒng)的。state and dignity：這兩個(gè)字連用時(shí)，意義上沒有多大分別。state有“莊嚴(yán)”之意。

● when these are over=when these functions are over：公務(wù)執(zhí)行完畢。

● differ in no essentials：其主要之點(diǎn)并無(wú)分別。that of their subjects：他們“子民”的家庭生活。

In Belgium and England the story is different because there the traditions of aristocratic society and court life are still alive. The British royal children are privately educated; the queen of England does not go out unattended and the Belgian king rarely does; there are courtiers and splendor. Yet even in England royal life has modified a great deal. An English princess will now dine out with friends without a lady in waiting in attendance. The little Duke of Cornwall is beginning his education not at home under the care of a tutor but at a school. It seems possible, too, that when he is older he may become the first heir to the British throne to attend a public school. Altogether the English royal family today leads a life which, while retaining many of its old forms, is growingly democratic in spirit.

● story原意是“故事”。the story is different是成語(yǔ)，與“故事”無(wú)關(guān)，只是“情形是不一樣的”。

● aristocratic society：貴族社會(huì)。alive這個(gè)字是可以形容traditions的。are still alive當(dāng)然比still exist來(lái)得好。

● privately educated：請(qǐng)“太傅”教授。

● does not go out unattended：沒有侍從跟隨，是不出門的。unattended形容主語(yǔ)queen?！璻arely does：比利時(shí)國(guó)王出門，難得沒有侍從跟隨。

● there are…：宮廷供奉之臣和宮廷生活的華麗，迄今猶存。

● modified：改變，程度減輕。

● will dine out的will是表示“習(xí)慣”。a lady in waiting：侍從宮女。in attendance：從旁侍候。

● Duke of Cornwall：就是現(xiàn)在英國(guó)的王子Charles。英國(guó)太子的封號(hào)是Prince of Wales，當(dāng)時(shí)這個(gè)王子，尚未正式冊(cè)封為Prince of Wales。

● under the care of a tutor：受私人教師指導(dǎo)。

● heir to the throne：儲(chǔ)君。public school：英國(guó)的public school，不是“公立學(xué)?！?，只是“公眾可以就讀的學(xué)校”。以前英國(guó)的儲(chǔ)君，從來(lái)沒有上學(xué)校念書的。

● a life which：這句話的重心是在which…這個(gè)定語(yǔ)從句上。a life可以說(shuō)沒有什么意義，它的意義借“which”clause而完成。這種生活雖然（while）舊日規(guī)模仍舊保持不少，可是在精神上，已是日益民主了。同樣的句法，見于上一段之末句：a home life的意義亦是借“which”clause而完成的。