第230期:爱德华的故事(1)

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　　His father, King¹ George V, was² a tall, cold man who did³ not like children.'Why does Edward talk all the time?'he once said⁴.'He's a very noisy child!'

　　His mother, Queen⁵ Mary, agreed⁶.'It doesn't matter if Edward is happy or unhappy⁷, ' she said.'A child must be silent⁸ and strong.'

　　Buckingham Palace⁹ was very big, and people sometimes got¹⁰ lost. One night my mother, my father and I were sitting in the dining¹¹ room. We were waiting for our dinner. We waied and waited, but the food did not come. After twenty minutes my father was very angry. He stood¹² up and went to the kitchen.'Where is the cook?'he shouted, and where is my food?'

　　'But, Sir, ' the cook replied¹³, 'your dinner left the kitchen fifteen minutes ago. Hasn't it arrived yet¹⁴?'

　　'No, it hasn't, 'my father shouted, 'and I'm hungry.'

　　The King left the kitchen and began to look for the food. Ten minutes later¹⁵ he saw¹⁶ a woman who was carrying three plates of meat and potatoes.'What happened to you?'my father said.'Why didn't you bring us our dinner?'

　　'I' m sorry, Sir, 'the woman replied.'There are a lot of dining rooms. I couldn't remember where to go. But if you return¹⁸ to the table, Sir, this time I can follow you to the right room.'

　　'I never played with other children and I didn't have any friends. I lived in the most beautiful house in England but I was always lonely¹⁹ and sad. I saw my mother once a day at din－ner time and I saw my father three or four times a week, but they never gave²⁰ me any love. I was afraid of them and every－thing I did was wrong.'

　　1 一个孤独的孩子

　　他的父亲乔治五世国王身材高大, 性情冷漠。他不喜欢孩子。“爱德华为什么总是说个不停?”有一次, 他说, “这孩子真闹人!”

　　他的母亲玛丽王后也这么想。“爱德华高兴与否并不重要, ”她说, “小孩子一定要沉静而坚强。”

　　白金汉宫非常大, 人们有时会迷路。一天晚上, 我和我的父母亲坐在餐厅里等着吃晚饭。我们等呀等呀, 但饭菜迟迟没有送上来。等了20分钟, 我父亲火了。他起身去厨房。“厨师呢?”他喊道, “我的晚餐在哪儿?”

　　“可是, 陛下, ”厨师说, “您的晚餐15分钟之前就送走了。难道还没有送到吗?”

　　“没有, ”我父亲高声叫道, “我饿坏了。”

　　国王离开厨房, 开始去找晚餐。10分钟后, 他看见一个女佣正端着3盘子肉和土豆。“你是怎么回事?”我父亲问, “你为什么不把晚餐给我们端来?”

　　“对不起, 陛下, ”女佣回答道, “这儿有很多餐厅。我记不起应该进哪一间。但要是您能回到餐桌旁去, 陛下, 这次我会跟着您找到该去的餐厅。”

　　“我从未和其他孩子一起玩过, 我也没有朋友。我住在英国最漂亮的房子里, 却总是感到寂寞、悲伤。我每天只是在吃饭的时候才见我母亲一面, 父亲每星期见三、四面, 但他们从不给我爱。我害怕他们, 在他们看来, 我做的每件事都不对。”

　　2 The Prince²¹ of Wales²²

　　In the spring of 1911 King George called Edward into his room and said：

　　'Next month I'll make you Prince of Wales and these are your clothes for the ceremony²³.'

　　The King opened a small cupboard and Edward started to cry.'But father, 'he said, 'I'm sixteen years old now. I can't wear soft shoes and a skirt. I'll look like a girl. Why can't I dress like other people?'

　　'Because you're different and special, 'his father replied, 'and one day you'll be King.'

　　Edward cried for the next two days, but there was nothing he could¹⁷ do.

　　2 威尔士亲王

　　1911年春天, 乔治国王把爱德华叫到自己的房间, 说：

　　“下个月我要封你为威尔士亲王, 这是你要在典礼上穿的衣服。”

　　国王打开一个小柜子, 爱德华哭了起来。“可是父亲, ”他说, “我现在已经16岁了。我不能穿软鞋和裙子。那会使我看上去像个女孩子。为什么我不能穿得像其他人一样?”

　　“因为你和他们不一样, 你是特别的, ”他的父亲回答, “有朝一日你会成为国王。”

　　接下来的两天, 爱德华哭个不停, 但他没有办法。

　　3 The Royal²⁴ Star

　　'Edward is the first royal star, 'one newspaper wrote²⁵, 'and he is now the most famous²⁶ man in the world. In the old days princes²⁷ were cold and bored²⁸. But Edward is different. He gets out of his car and walks down the street. Every two or three minutes he stops and speaks with the crowd²⁹. He laughs. He smiles. He shakes³⁰ a thousand hands. He is a man of the people with a heart³¹ of gold.'

　　3 皇族明星

　　“爱德华是第一位皇族明星, ”一家报纸这样写道, “他是目前全世界最有名的人。以前的王子都态度冷漠而厌烦。但爱德华不同。他从汽车里出来, 在街上走。每隔两三分钟, 他就停下来和人们交谈。他有时开怀大笑, 有时面露微笑。他和上千人握手。他平易近人, 有颗金子般的心。”

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