双语有声阅读：致威尔士王妃戴安娜的献词

Today is our chance to say thank you for the way you brightened our lives, even though God granted you buthalf a life. We will all feel cheated always that you were taken from us so young, and yet we must learn to be grateful that you came along at all. Only now you are gone do we truly appreciate what we are now without and we want you to know that life without you is very, very difficult. We have all despaired at our loss over the past week and only the strength of the message you gave us through your years of giving has afforded us the strength to move forward.

 

There is a temptation to rush to canonize your memory, there is no need to do so. You stand tall enough asa human being of unique qualities not to need to be seen as a saint. Indeed, to sanctify your memory wouldbe to miss out on the very core of your being, your wonderfully mischievous¹ sense of humour with a laugh that bent² you double. Your joy for life, transmitted wherever you took your smile, and the sparkle in thoseunforgettable eyes. Your boundless³ energy, which you could barely contain. But your greatest gift was yourintuition and it was a gift you used wisely. This is what underpinned⁴ all your other wonderful attributes and if we look to analyse what it was about you that had such a wide appeal we find it in your instinctivefeel for what was really important in all our lives...

 

即使上帝只赐予了你一半的生命，我们今天还是趁此机会来感谢你以自己的那种方式使我们的生命熠熠生辉。我们大家永远都会有一种上当受骗的感觉，因为你过早地香销玉殒，但是我们仍然必须学会感恩，因为你毕竞曾与我们同在。唯在此刻，当你已离我们远去，我们才真正意识到我们现在损失了什么。我们想让你知道，没有你，我们的生活会是十分、十分困难的。我们大家都在过去的一周内因为失去了你而感到绝望。在过去的岁月里，你不断给别人以奉献的启示，唯有这种启示的威力才为我们提供了朝前迈进的力量。

 

人们情不自禁急于想要尊你为圣徒，其实，并没有必要这么做。因为作为一个具有无与伦比特质的凡人，你足够超凡，无须被视做圣徒。确实，把你尊为圣徒来纪念，或许将会遗漏你性格的核心，那就是你用开怀大笑所表达的绝妙的童心未泯的幽默感。你对生活的欣喜，通过你的微笑和你令人难忘的双眸中的闪光，传遍了你的所到之处。还有你那几乎无法抑制的无穷的活力。但你最杰出的天賦是你的直觉，而你又把它加以睿智地使用。这种能力加强了你其他一切出类拔萃的特质。假如我们特意要分析你身上的什么东西会有这么普遍的吸引力，我们就会发现你对所有我们大家生活中真正重要的东西都有一种本能的同情....

1 mischievous   

adj.调皮的，恶作剧的，有害的，伤人的

参考例句：

• He is a mischievous but lovable boy.他是一个淘气但可爱的小孩。
• A mischievous cur must be tied short.恶狗必须拴得短。

2 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

3 boundless   

adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的

参考例句：

• The boundless woods were sleeping in the deep repose of nature.无边无际的森林在大自然静寂的怀抱中酣睡着。
• His gratitude and devotion to the Party was boundless.他对党无限感激、无限忠诚。

4 underpinned   

v.用砖石结构等从下面支撑（墙等）( underpin的过去式和过去分词 )；加固（墙等）的基础；为（论据、主张等）打下基础；加强

参考例句：

• The report is underpinned by extensive research. 这份报告以广泛的研究为基础。
• The statue of Diana was underpinned with charred piles. Diana雕像是建造在炭化了的木桩上的。 来自辞典例句