时代周刊:梅根的意义(5)

EITHER WAY, this royal wedding has triggered a debate about black British people.

不管怎么看，这场皇室婚礼都引发了一场关于英国黑人的辩论。

TV networks, newspapers and magazines traveled to Brixton, Coventry and Nottingham—

电视网、报纸和杂志的各大媒体纷纷前往布里克斯顿、考文垂和诺丁汉

parts of Britain with a historic black community—

等有黑人聚居历史的地区，

to ask how different generations of black British people, with their own very different experiences of empire and identity,

去采访各个年龄段，有着不同经历和身份的英国黑人，

feel about the state of the nation.

了解他们对这个国家的现状的看法。

There is recognition too, in some cases for the first time,

在采访中，有些社区甚至才初次认识到，

that black Britain is a complex society with no single story or voice.

英国黑人是一个复杂的社会，并没有统一的故事或声音。

Even those who are skeptical¹ about the institution of monarchy² expressed an interest in this wedding;

但即便那些对君主制持怀疑态度的人也表达了对这场婚礼的期待；

on social media, thousands expressed their changing view of the tradition-bound royal family.

社交媒体上，成千上万人抒发他们对重视传统的王室的看法。

Making my beautiful mixed heritage family's shoulders stand a little taller, tweeted British lawmaker David Lammy.

议员大卫·拉米就在推特上写道：“让我美丽的混血家庭的腰板也挺直了一点儿。”

"Against the odds³ a great new symbol of all that is still possible and hopeful in modern Britain."

“冲破重重阻碍的这场婚礼堪称是一个伟大的新象征，象征着现代英国仍然存在可能和希望。”

This is not the first time there have been black people involved in or closely associated with the royals.

然而，这并非黑人第一次同王室结成亲密关系。

The Queen's equerry major, one of the most senior members of the royal household staff,

在此之前，女王就已经破天荒地任命一名黑人男子Nana Koi Twumasi-Ankrah，

is now for the first time a black man, Nana Koi Twumasi-Ankrah.

担任自己的贴身侍从，而这一职位位于王室最高职位之列。

Other people of color have married into the aristocracy,

不止王室，贵族也有有色人种加入，

including the Viscountess of Weymouth, Emma Thynn, whose father is Nigerian.

如父亲是尼日利亚人的韦茅斯子爵夫人艾玛·塞恩。

And there are credible⁴ theories that at least one and possibly two previous English queens may have had African heritage.

甚至有可靠的假说认为，历史上还有一两位女王可能有黑人血统。

But this is the first royal wedding in Britain where racial difference has played a visible role,

不过，这次的婚礼却是种族差异明显发挥作用的一场，

with a bride who has owned—rather than sought to downplay— her black heritage.

这次，新娘没有试图淡化，而是大方地承认了自己的黑人血统。

In his sermon, Curry⁵ directly referenced slavery,

库里牧师在布道中直言不讳地提到了奴隶制，

addressing the fact that throughout history, love has transcended⁶ social boundaries.

称纵观历史，爱已经超越了社会界限。

"We must discover love, the redemptive power of love,"

“我们必须发现爱，发现爱的救赎力量，”

Curry said, returning once more to the words of Martin Luther King Jr.

库里牧师再次援引小马丁·路德·金的话说道。

"When we do that, we will make of this old world a new world."

“有了这种力量，我们就能把这个旧世界变成一个新世界。”

And at the seat of the British establishment on May 19,

5月19日，新娘马克尔终于坐上了王妃的位置，

Markle seemed more than ready to bring the monarchy into a new era.

此时的她似乎已经做好了引领王室走进一个新时代的充分准备。

1 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

2 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。

3 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

4 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

5 curry   

n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革

参考例句：

• Rice makes an excellent complement to a curry dish.有咖喱的菜配米饭最棒。
• Add a teaspoonful of curry powder.加一茶匙咖喱粉。

6 transcended   

超出或超越（经验、信念、描写能力等）的范围( transcend的过去式和过去分词 )； 优于或胜过…

参考例句：

• He wanted assurance that he had transcended what was inherently ambiguous. 他要证明，他已经超越了本来就是混淆不清的事情。
• It transcended site to speak to universal human concerns. 它超越了场所的局限，表达了人类共同的心声。