Ladies and gentlemen, eighty years ago today Field Marshal Montgomery – Commander in Chief of the Allied Ground Forces – wrote in his message to all soldiers on the eve of D-Day:‘To us is given the honour of striking a blow for freedom which will live in history; and, in the better days that lie ahead, men will speak with pride of our doings’.
女士們、先生們,八十年前的今天,盟軍地面部隊(duì)總司令蒙哥馬利元帥在“登陸日”前夕給全體士兵的致辭中寫道:“我們有幸為自由而戰(zhàn),這將載入史冊(cè);在未來更美好的日子里,人們會(huì)自豪地談?wù)撐覀兊乃魉鶠?。?/span>
Today we come together to honour those nearly one hundred and sixty thousand British, Commonwealth and Allied troops who, on 5th June 1944, assembled here and along these shores to embark on the mission which would strike that blow for freedom and be recorded as the greatest amphibious operation in history.
今天,我們齊聚于此向他們緬懷致敬。1944年6月5日,近16萬英國(guó)、英聯(lián)邦和盟軍部隊(duì)在此集結(jié),沿著這片海岸為自由的使命而戰(zhàn),他們的行動(dòng)被載入史冊(cè),成為歷史上最偉大的兩棲作戰(zhàn)行動(dòng)。
Those who gathered here in Portsmouth would never forget the sight. It was by far the largest military fleet the world has ever known. Yet all knew that both victory and failure were possible, and none could know their fate.
聚集在樸茨茅斯的人們永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)忘記當(dāng)時(shí)的情景。這是迄今為止世界上規(guī)模最大的軍事艦隊(duì)。然而所有人都知道,勝利和失敗都有可能,沒有人知道自己的命運(yùn)。
Aircrew flying overhead, sailors manning warships; or troops in assault craft battering their way through the stormy swell to the shore; whether dropping by parachute, landing in a wooden glider, or taking that terrible leap of faith onto the beaches... all must have questioned whether they would survive and how they would respond when faced with such mortal danger. The poet Keith Douglas, who was killed in action three days later, wrote of the embarkation:
空中飛行的機(jī)組人員、操縱戰(zhàn)艦的海軍、乘坐沖鋒艇在狂風(fēng)暴雨中沖向海岸的部隊(duì);無論是跳傘降落、乘坐木制滑翔機(jī)著陸,還是勇敢地跳上海灘......所有人都無法預(yù)知自己能否幸存,面對(duì)如此致命的危險(xiǎn),該將如何應(yīng)對(duì)。三天后陣亡的詩(shī)人基思·道格拉斯在談到登船時(shí)寫道:
Actors waiting in the wings of Europe
在歐洲之翼等待的演員們
we already watch the lights on the stage
我們已經(jīng)看見舞臺(tái)上的燈光
and listen to the colossal overture begin.
聽見震耳的序曲已經(jīng)開始。
For us entering at the height of the din
在最喧鬧的時(shí)候進(jìn)來的我們
it will be hard to hear our thoughts, hard to gauge
很難聽到自己的心緒,很難衡量
how much our conduct owes to fear or fury.
我們的行為有多少是出于憤怒或是恐懼。
At this remove, eight decades later, it is a near impossible task to imagine the emotion of that day: the pride of being part of so great an enterprise, the anxiety of in some way not coming up to scratch, and the fear of that day being their last.
八十年后的今天,我們幾乎無法想象當(dāng)時(shí)他們的心情:為參與如此偉大的事業(yè)而自豪,為在某些方面未能達(dá)到要求而焦慮,以及對(duì)那天可能會(huì)成為他們生命最后一天的恐懼。
I recently myself spoke to veterans who, to this day, remember with such heartbreaking clarity the sight of those many soldiers lying on the beach, who drowned before they could even engage in combat.
我最近曾與退伍老兵交談,他們至今仍清楚地記得許多士兵躺在海灘上的情景,他們甚至還沒來得及參加戰(zhàn)斗就被淹死了,那情景真的令人心碎。
The stories of courage, resilience and solidarity which we have heard today, and throughout our lives, cannot fail to move us, to inspire us, and to remind us of what we owe to that great wartime generation – now, tragically, dwindling to so few.
我們今天以及在我們一生中聽到的關(guān)于勇氣、堅(jiān)韌和團(tuán)結(jié)的故事,無不感動(dòng)著我們,激勵(lì)著我們,并提醒著我們,我們對(duì)戰(zhàn)時(shí)偉大一代人的感激——不幸的是,現(xiàn)在幸存的老兵已寥寥無幾。
It is our privilege to hear their testimony, but our role is not purely passive: it is our duty to ensure that we, and future generations, do not forget their service and their sacrifice in replacing tyranny with freedom.
聆聽他們的證言是我們的榮幸,但我們的角色并非完全被動(dòng):我們有責(zé)任確保我們和子孫后代,銘記他們反對(duì)暴政爭(zhēng)取自由所作出的貢獻(xiàn)和犧牲。
Our rights, and the liberty won at such terrible cost, bring with them responsibilities to others in the exercise of that liberty. The Allied actions of that day ensured the forces of freedom secured, first, a toehold in Normandy, then liberated France, and ultimately, the whole of Europe from the stranglehold of a brutal totalitarianism.
我們的權(quán)利和以如此慘重的代價(jià)贏得的自由,也帶來了在行使自由時(shí)對(duì)他人的責(zé)任。盟軍當(dāng)天的行動(dòng)確保了自由力量首先在諾曼底站穩(wěn)腳跟,然后解放了法國(guó),并最終將整個(gè)歐洲從殘暴的極權(quán)主義的桎梏中解放出來。
And as we remember, with humility, pride and gratitude, let us never forget that the soldiers who fought in the campaign launched from this place came from thirty nations, from across the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and Allied countries.
當(dāng)我們懷著謙卑、自豪和感激的心情緬懷他們的時(shí)候,我們永遠(yuǎn)不要忘記,從這里出發(fā)參戰(zhàn)的士兵來自英國(guó)、英聯(lián)邦和盟國(guó)的三十個(gè)國(guó)家。
While elsewhere in Europe Allied forces continued to make vital progress in their successful Italian campaign; and while halfway around the world, at that same moment, the critical battles of Imphal and Kohima raged on in what was then Burma.
在歐洲其他地方,盟軍繼續(xù)在意大利戰(zhàn)役中取得重大進(jìn)展;而在地球另一端的緬甸,英帕爾和科希瑪?shù)年P(guān)鍵戰(zhàn)役也在同一時(shí)刻打響。
The 1944 Victoria Cross roll of honour includes Sikh, Muslim and Hindu soldiers – a reminder that events that year shaped our world then, and the society we share today.
1944年的維多利亞十字勛章榮譽(yù)名冊(cè)包括錫克教、穆斯林和印度教士兵——這提醒我們,當(dāng)年的事件塑造了我們當(dāng)時(shí)的世界和今天的社會(huì)。
While it was the frontline troops who faced the greatest personal dangers, the privations and sacrifices of war were endured by so many more. The Allied victory was a truly collective effort, born of the fortitude and hard work of those who remained on the Home Front, toiling in factories, under our land in the mines, out in the fields, or working in secret – men and women alike. Their collective industry, ingenuity and commitment helped our soldiers, sailors and airmen to prevail.
雖然前線部隊(duì)面臨著最大的個(gè)人危險(xiǎn),但有更多的人忍受著戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)的痛苦和犧牲。盟軍的勝利是真正的集體努力的結(jié)果,源于那些留在大后方堅(jiān)韌不拔和辛勤工作的人們。這些人不論男女,他們?cè)诠S里、在我們的土地下、在礦山里、在田野里或在秘密地工作。他們集體的勤勞、智慧和奉獻(xiàn)幫助我們的陸??杖娙〉昧俗罱K勝利。
So, as we give thanks for all those who gave so much to win the victory, whose fruits we still enjoy to this day, let us, once again, commit ourselves always to remember, cherish and honour those who served that day and to live up to the freedom they died for by balancing rights with civic responsibilities to our country. For we are all, eternally, in their debt.
因此,當(dāng)我們感謝那些為贏得勝利付出了巨大心血的人們,其成果至今仍為我們享受的同時(shí),讓我們?cè)俅纬兄Z,永遠(yuǎn)銘記、珍視和紀(jì)念在那一天服役的人們,在權(quán)利與對(duì)國(guó)家的公民責(zé)任之間取得的平衡,不辜負(fù)他們用生命換來的自由。因?yàn)槲覀冇肋h(yuǎn)都受其恩惠。
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