年度最美英音：英国女王2015年圣诞节演讲英文全文
被称为一年一度最美的英音又来了!今年演讲全长4分半,最标准最皇室的英音~ 女王提到了小公主,提到法国的恐怖袭击,提到二战胜利70周年,提到她对来年的祝福....女王的圣诞致辞已经成为了英国人每年圣诞节不可或缺的一部分。自1952年开始，现任女王伊丽莎白二世每年偶会在圣诞节当天下午三点,透过电视和广播,发表圣诞文告。这也是作为少数女王可以公开发表自己看法的场合之一，并且一般都是女王亲自动笔写。

圣诞致辞的传统可以追溯到1932年，那时女王的祖父乔治五世在圣诞节当天，用广播的形式对一年来的大事件进行总结和展望。然而真正将君主圣诞致辞这一传统巩固下来的是1939年的圣诞演讲。时值二战爆发，世界大部分地区都面临一个不确定的未来。身着海军上将的制服，英王乔治六世在英国民众最需要鼓励和勇气的时候出现在了无线电台，将他的信念通过讲演传达给自己的人民。

Queen’s Christmas Broadcast 2015

 

At this time of year, few sights evoke more feelings of cheer and goodwill than the twinkling lights of a Christmas tree.

 

The popularity of a tree at Christmas is due in part to my great-great grandparents, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. After this touching picture was published, many families wanted a Christmas tree of their own, and the custom soon spread.

 

In 1949, I spent Christmas in Malta as a newly-married naval wife. We have returned to that island over the years, including last month for a meeting of Commonwealth leaders; and this year I met another group of leaders: The Queen’s Young Leaders, an inspirational group, each of them a symbol of hope in their own Commonwealth communities.

 

Gathering round the tree gives us a chance to think about the year ahead – I am looking forward to a busy 2016, though I have been warned I may have Happy Birthday sung to me more than once or twice. It also allows us to reflect on the year that has passed, as we think of those who are far away or no longer with us. Many people say the first Christmas after losing a loved one is particularly hard. But it’s also a time to remember all that we have to be thankful for.

 

It is true that the world has had to confront moments of darkness this year, but the Gospel of John contains a verse of great hope, often read at Christmas carol services: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

 

One cause for thankfulness this summer was marking seventy years since the end of the Second World War. On VJ Day, we honoured the remaining veterans of that terrible conflict in the Far East, as well as remembering the thousands who never returned. The procession from Horse Guards Parade to Westminster Abbey must have been one of the slowest ever, because so many people wanted to say ‘thank you’ to them.

 

At the end of that War, the people of Oslo began sending an annual gift of a Christmas tree for Trafalgar Square. It has five hundred lightbulbs and is enjoyed not just by Christians but by people of all faiths, and of none. At the very top sits a bright star, to represent the Star of Bethlehem.

 

The custom of topping a tree also goes back to Prince Albert’s time. For his family’s tree, he chose an angel, helping to remind us that the focus of the Christmas story is on one particular family.

 

For Joseph and Mary, the circumstances of Jesus’s birth – in a stable – were far from ideal, but worse was to come as the family was forced to flee the country. It is no surprise that such a human story still captures our imagination and continues to inspire all of us who are Christians, the world over.

 

Despite being displaced and persecuted throughout his short life, Christ’s unchanging message was not one of revenge or violence but simply that we should love one another. Although it is not an easy message to follow, we shouldn’t be discouraged; rather, it inspires us to try harder: to be thankful for the people who bring love and happiness into our own lives, and to look for ways of spreading that love to others, whenever and wherever we can.

 

One of the joys of living a long life is watching one’s children, then grandchildren, then great grandchildren, help decorate the Christmas tree. And this year my family has a new member to join in the fun!

 

The customary decorations have changed little in the years since that picture of Victoria and Albert’s tree first appeared, although of course electric lights have replaced the candles.

 

There’s an old saying that “it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness”.

 

There are millions of people lighting candles of hope in our world today. Christmas is a good time to be thankful for them, and for all that brings light to our lives.

 

I wish you a very happy Christmas.