爱德华八世 爱江山更爱美人

英文：

Abdication Speech  (Edward Ⅷ)

   At long last,I am able to say a few words of my own. I have never wanted to withhold anything, but until now, it has not been constitutionally possible for me to speak.

   A few hoursago, I discharged my last duty as King andEmperor. And now that I have been succeeded by my brother, the Duke of York, myfirst words must be to declare my allegianceto him. This I do with all my heart.

   You all knowthe reasons which have impelled me to renounce the throne. But I want you to understandthat, in making up my mind, I did not forget the country or the empire which,as Prince of Wales and lately as King, I have for 25 years tried to serve.

   But you mustbelieve me when I tell you that I have found it impossible to carry the heavyburden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as King as I would wish todo, without the help and support of the woman I love. And I want you to knowthat the decision I have made has been mine and mine alone. This was a thing Ihad to judge entirely for myself. The other person most nearly concerned hastried, up to the last, to persuade me to take a different course. I have madethis, the most serious decision of my life, only upon the single thought ofwhat would, in the end, be best for all. This decision has been made lessdifficult to me by the sure knowledge that my brother, with his long trainingin the public affairs of this country and with his fine qualities, will be ableto take my place forthwith ,without interruption or injuryto the life and progress of the empire. And he has one matchless blessing,enjoyed by so many of you and not bestowedon me, a happy home with his wife and children.

   During thesehard days, I have been comforted by Her Majesty, my mother, and by her...by myfamily. The Ministers of the Crown, and in particular Mr. Baldwin, the PrimeMinister, have always treated me with full consideration. There has never beenany constitutional difference between me and them, and between me andParliament. Bred in the constitutional tradition, by my father I should neverhave allowed any such issue to arise. Ever since I was Prince of Wales, andlater on when I occupied the throne, I have been treated with the greatestkindness by all classes of the people wherever I have lived or journeyedthroughout the empire. For that, I am very grateful.

   I now quit altogether public affairs,and I lay down my burden. It may be some time before I return to my nativeland, but I shall always follow the fortunes of the British race and empirewith profound interest. And if, at any time in the future, I can be found ofservice to His Majesty, in a private station, I shall not fail.

   And now, weall have a new King. I wish him and you, his people, happiness and prosperity,with all my heart. God bless you all.

   God save theKing!

中文对照：爱江山更爱美人

（爱德华八世）

最后，我终于可以为自己说几句话了。我从来没有试图作任何的保留，只是一直以来，根据宪法规定，我都不能为自己申辩。

   几个小时前，我已经尽了我作为国王和皇帝的最后职责。而现在，大英帝国的王位已经由我的弟弟——约克公爵继承了。在此，我首先要表达我本人对他的忠诚，全心全意效忠于他。

   我退位的原因相信早已公诸于世。但是，请大家相信，在我做出退位决定时，我并没有忘记这个我——无论是作为威尔士亲王或者是国王——已经尽心服务了长达25年的国家或者说王国。

   但我要对大家说的是，没有我最心爱的女人的帮助和支持，我将无法按我的意愿去承担作为国王所要肩负的重任和所要履行的义务，这一点请大家务必相信。我还要告诉大家，这是我的决定，是由我自己作的决定。这件事，必须完全由我自己来做判断。曾经有对我的退位感到忧虑的人想试图劝说我改变初衷。但我已经作出了我这一生中最为严肃的而且我认为是对整个国家都有好处的决定。我可以轻松地作出退位的决定，完全是因为对弟弟的充分认同，他在国家公共事务中长期经受磨练，而且人品好，我相信他完全有能力担此重任，而不会中断和影响帝国的生存和发展。此外，我弟弟幸福无比，像你们之中的很多人一样，拥有一个有妻子与儿女的快乐家庭，这是我所不及的。

   在这段困难的日子里，皇太后——我的母亲、还有她……以及我的家人，他们一直在安慰我。王室大臣，还有特别是鲍尔文首相，他们一直都在为我做周详的考虑。在宪制观念上，我和他们之间、还有我和国会之间从来没有出现过任何分歧。在宪制传统和父亲的养育下，我本来是不应该让这种事情发生的。从我成为威尔士亲王一直到继承这个王位，无论我住在哪儿，或者游历到哪儿，我时刻感受到各阶层人民对我的爱戴。我对此表示感谢。

   现在，我已经从公共事务中全身而退，卸下了我的重担。我可能要过一段时间才会重返故土，但我将一如既往地关注大不列颠民族和王国的命运。将来任何时候，如果发现我还可以为国王陛下服务的话，即使是从私人角度，我也将义不容辞。

   现在，我们已经有了一位新的国王。我衷心祝愿他，还有你们——国王的子民——幸福、繁荣。上帝保佑你们！

   上帝保佑我们的国王！

注释：withhold    v. 保留

constitutionally  adv. 合法地

discharge   v. 卸下

allegiance  n. 忠贞，效忠

impel       v. 驱使，逼迫

renounce    v. 断绝关系

injury      n. 伤害

bestow      v. 给予，安放