The Awakening of Europe, 25. The Golden Days of Good Queen Bess

25. The Golden Days of Good Queen Bess

"Upon this land a thousand, thousand blessings, Which time shall bring to ripeness." —SHAKSPERE

And what shall we say of this great queen, Elizabeth, in whose reign England first rose to be a world-power?

At the age of twenty-five she had mounted the throne, at a moment when the fortunes of the country were low and the mighty empire of Spain was growing ever more and more mighty. At the age of seventy she died, leaving her country united and prosperous, with the power of Spain broken.

"Though you have had and may have many princes more mighty and wise sitting in this seat," were her last words to the people, "yet you never had any one that will be more careful and loving." This was true. She had many faults, but she cared for England, and Englishmen rallied round her. With scanty means at her command, she succeeded in guiding England safely through the dangers which threatened her on every side. Freed from the power of Spain, the country began to realise her position with regard to the sea power of Europe. Men awoke to a sense of the great possibilities before their country, and they all worked to make her greater. But it was Elizabeth herself who made it all possible, she who "gave to each his opportunity." Thus she had Drake for her great sea-captain, Raleigh for her courtier and colonist, Spenser for her poet, and Shakspere for her dramatist. She herself had been brought up amid the new culture of her father's Court. She could shoot and ride, she could dance and play, she was a good Greek scholar and spoke two foreign tongues.

Fourteen years old when her father died, she had seen her little ten-year-old brother, Edward VI., ascend the throne. On his death, six years, later, she had ridden by the side of her sister Mary when she was proclaimed Queen of England. Mary's marriage with Philip of Spain had brought the country to the verge of war, and it was perhaps well for England that her death, five years later, set Elizabeth upon the throne.

The whole country, now at peace, broke out into wonderful new life. Into the Old World was poured the wealth of the New World. Spain could no longer keep secret the riches of America. English eyes were strained across the seas, English hands were eagerly grasping the treasure that had belonged to Spain and Portugal for years. For the first time since Vasco da Gama had sailed round the Cape to India, and Columbus had discovered America, Englishmen dashed aside the curtain drawn by Spain and Portugal across their conquests in the East and West.

Contact with the New World brought commerce, commerce brought money, money brought luxury. Personal comforts increased. Carpets replaced the dirty flooring of rushes used up to this time, pillows came into general use, wooden plates were replaced by metal or silver, glass windows adorned the new houses and manors which sprang up all over the country.

With new luxuries and comforts came a love of beauty and display. The queen herself boasted of having 3000 dresses in her wardrobe. Her courtiers vied with one another in the splendour of ruffs and velvet coats. The old ideas of thrift melted before the fortunes made by adventurers sailing to the East or West. Visions of ships laden with pearls, diamonds, and gold dazzled the humblest sailor, while dreams of an El Dorado where everything was made of gold tempted the most indolent beyond the seas.

This love of travel quickened men's minds. England was ready for her great awakening. Poets burst forth into song, writers into prose. The full glory arose with Spenser and his "Fairy Queen." For two hundred years no great poem had broken the silence of English song. It expressed the Elizabethan age as no other poem had done. It did for poetry what William Shakspere did for the drama, representing

"The very age and body of the time, Its form and pressure." So all these men—adventurers, explorers, poets, dramatists, philosophers, and statesmen—helped to make Elizabeth's England great, splendid, triumphant; fit to take her place in the world's history, and to play the great part for which she was destined.

With the queen's death in 1603 the golden days ended for a time. But she had fulfilled the prophecy of Shakspere at her birth. She had showered upon the land

"A thousand, thousand blessings, Which time shall bring to ripeness." Good had grown with her, man had sung the "merry songs of peace to all his neighbours." Peace, plenty, love, truth, strength—these were her servants. And Shakspere was but voicing the feelings of the queen when he speaks of—

"This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England, This land of such dear souls, this dear dear land, England, bound in with the triumphant sea."

25. The Golden Days of Good Queen Bess 25. Die goldenen Tage der guten Königin Bess 25. Los días dorados de la buena reina Bess 25. Les jours d'or de la bonne reine Bess 25. I giorni d'oro della buona regina Bess 25.グッド・クイーン・ベスの黄金時代 25. Gerosios karalienės Bess auksinės dienos 25. Złote dni dobrej królowej Bess 25. Os dias dourados da boa rainha Bess 25. Золотые дни доброй королевы Бесс 25. İyi Kraliçe Bess'in Altın Günleri 25. Золоті дні доброї королеви Бесс 25. 好贝丝女王的黄金岁月 25. 好貝絲女王的黃金歲月

"Upon this land a thousand, thousand blessings, Which time shall bring to ripeness." ||||||祝福||||||成熟 ||||tausend|||||||| "Su questa terra mille, mille benedizioni, che il tempo porterà a maturazione". "На этой земле тысяча, тысяча благословений, Которые время принесет". "在这片土地上，万千祝福，唯有时间能使其成熟。" —SHAKSPERE —莎士比亚

And what shall we say of this great queen, Elizabeth, in whose reign England first rose to be a world-power? E cosa diremo di questa grande regina, Elisabetta, sotto il cui regno l'Inghilterra divenne per la prima volta una potenza mondiale? 那么我们该如何评价这位伟大的女王伊丽莎白，在她的统治下，英格兰首次崛起为世界强国呢？

At the age of twenty-five she had mounted the throne, at a moment when the fortunes of the country were low and the mighty empire of Spain was growing ever more and more mighty. ||||||||登上|||||||||||||||||||||||||| All'età di venticinque anni era salita al trono, in un momento in cui le sorti del Paese erano basse e il potente impero di Spagna cresceva sempre di più. 她在二十五岁时登基，那时国家的命运低迷，强大的西班牙帝国日益强盛。 At the age of seventy she died, leaving her country united and prosperous, with the power of Spain broken. ||||||||||||||||||被削弱她在七十岁时去世，留下一个团结繁荣的国家，西班牙的力量也被削弱。

"Though you have had and may have many princes more mighty and wise sitting in this seat," were her last words to the people, "yet you never had any one that will be more careful and loving." "Anche se avete avuto e avrete molti principi più potenti e più saggi seduti su questo seggio", furono le sue ultime parole al popolo, "tuttavia non ne avete mai avuto uno più attento e più amorevole". 她对人民说的最后一句话是："虽然你们曾有过并可能会有许多更强大和聪明的王子坐在这个位子上，然而你们从未有过任何一个会更加细心和充满爱心的人。" This was true. She had many faults, but she cared for England, and Englishmen rallied round her. |||缺点||||||||团结在一起|| With scanty means at her command, she succeeded in guiding England safely through the dangers which threatened her on every side. |微薄的|资源|||||||引导|||||||威胁着|||| Con i pochi mezzi a sua disposizione, riuscì a guidare l'Inghilterra in modo sicuro attraverso i pericoli che la minacciavano da ogni parte. 在手头资源匮乏的情况下，她成功地引导英国安全度过了四面楚歌的危险。 Freed from the power of Spain, the country began to realise her position with regard to the sea power of Europe. ||||||||||意识到||地位|||||||| Liberato dal potere della Spagna, il Paese cominciò a rendersi conto della sua posizione rispetto alla potenza marittima dell'Europa. 摆脱西班牙的控制后，这个国家开始意识到自己在欧洲海权方面的位置。 Men awoke to a sense of the great possibilities before their country, and they all worked to make her greater. |觉醒|||||||可能性|在面前|||||||||| 人们意识到国家面临的巨大可能性，他们都在努力使国家变得更强大。 But it was Elizabeth herself who made it all possible, she who "gave to each his opportunity." ||||||使|||||||||| 但这一切都是依靠伊丽莎白自己，她"给予每个人机会。" Thus she had Drake for her great sea-captain, Raleigh for her courtier and colonist, Spenser for her poet, and Shakspere for her dramatist. ||||||||||||||殖民者||||||||| Così ebbe Drake come grande capitano di mare, Raleigh come cortigiano e colonizzatore, Spenser come poeta e Shakspere come drammaturgo. Zo had ze Drake als haar grote zeekapitein, Raleigh als haar hoveling en kolonist, Spenser als haar dichter en Shakspere als haar toneelschrijver. 因此她拥有德雷克作为她伟大的海军上将，罗利作为她的朝臣和殖民者，斯宾塞作为她的诗人，以及莎士比亚作为她的剧作家。 She herself had been brought up amid the new culture of her father’s Court. ||||||||||的||| 她自己是在父亲宫廷的新文化中长大的。 She could shoot and ride, she could dance and play, she was a good Greek scholar and spoke two foreign tongues. |||||||||玩|||||||||||语言她会射击和骑马，会跳舞和演奏，是一个优秀的希腊学者，能讲两种外语。

Fourteen years old when her father died, she had seen her little ten-year-old brother, Edward VI., ascend the throne. 在她父亲去世时，她十四岁，她看到年仅十岁的弟弟爱德华六世登上王位。 On his death, six years, later, she had ridden by the side of her sister Mary when she was proclaimed Queen of England. |||||||||||||||||||宣告||| Alla sua morte, sei anni dopo, aveva cavalcato al fianco della sorella Maria quando questa fu proclamata regina d'Inghilterra. После его смерти, шесть лет спустя, она ехала рядом со своей сестрой Марией, когда та была провозглашена королевой Англии. 在他去世六年后，她在姐姐玛丽被宣布为英格兰女王时骑在旁边。 Mary’s marriage with Philip of Spain had brought the country to the verge of war, and it was perhaps well for England that her death, five years later, set Elizabeth upon the throne. ||||||||||||边缘||||||||||||||||使|||| Il matrimonio di Maria con Filippo di Spagna aveva portato il Paese sull'orlo della guerra e forse fu un bene per l'Inghilterra che la sua morte, cinque anni dopo, facesse salire al trono Elisabetta. 玛丽与西班牙的菲利普的婚姻使国家濒临战争，也许对于英格兰来说，她五年后的去世使伊丽莎白登上了王位是件好事。

The whole country, now at peace, broke out into wonderful new life. ||||处于||||||| L'intero Paese, ormai in pace, scoppiò in una nuova e meravigliosa vita. 全国现在和平了，开始了美好的新生活。 Into the Old World was poured the wealth of the New World. 进入|||||倾注|||||| 新世界的财富涌入了旧世界。 Spain could no longer keep secret the riches of America. 西班牙再也无法对美洲的财富保密了。 English eyes were strained across the seas, English hands were eagerly grasping the treasure that had belonged to Spain and Portugal for years. |||紧张|跨越||||||急切地|抓住||||||||||| Gli occhi inglesi erano tesi oltre i mari, le mani inglesi afferravano avidamente il tesoro che da anni apparteneva alla Spagna e al Portogallo. 英国的目光紧紧盯着大海，英国的手渴望地抓住那些多年来属于西班牙和葡萄牙的宝藏。 For the first time since Vasco da Gama had sailed round the Cape to India, and Columbus had discovered America, Englishmen dashed aside the curtain drawn by Spain and Portugal across their conquests in the East and West. |||||瓦斯科|||||||||||||||英国人||撇开||帷幕|拉上的|由||||||||||| Per la prima volta da quando Vasco da Gama aveva doppiato il Capo per raggiungere l'India, e Colombo aveva scoperto l'America, gli inglesi avevano squarciato la cortina tracciata da Spagna e Portogallo sulle loro conquiste in Oriente e in Occidente. 自从达·伽马绕过好望角航行到印度、哥伦布发现美洲以来，英国人首次撇开了西班牙和葡萄牙在东、西方征服上拉起的帷幕。

Contact with the New World brought commerce, commerce brought money, money brought luxury. ||||||||||||奢侈品与新世界的接触带来了商业，商业带来了金钱，金钱带来了奢侈。 Personal comforts increased. I comfort personali sono aumentati. Carpets replaced the dirty flooring of rushes used up to this time, pillows came into general use, wooden plates were replaced by metal or silver, glass windows adorned the new houses and manors which sprang up all over the country. |取代|||地板||芦苇|使用|涌现|替代|||枕头|||普遍|||盘子||||||||||||||庄园||||||| I tappeti sostituirono la sporca pavimentazione di giunchi usata fino a quel momento, i cuscini entrarono nell'uso comune, i piatti di legno furono sostituiti da quelli di metallo o d'argento, le finestre di vetro adornarono le nuove case e i manieri che sorsero in tutto il paese. 地毯取代了那以前使用的脏草席，枕头普遍使用，木盘被金属或银制盘替代，玻璃窗户装点了全国各地新建的房屋和庄园。

With new luxuries and comforts came a love of beauty and display. ||奢侈品||舒适||||||| 随着新奢侈品和舒适感的出现，人们开始热爱美丽和展示。 The queen herself boasted of having 3000 dresses in her wardrobe. |||自豪地说|||||| 女王自己夸耀她的衣柜里有3000件衣服。 Her courtiers vied with one another in the splendour of ruffs and velvet coats. ||争相||彼此||||||||| I suoi cortigiani si sfidavano a colpi di gorgiere e cappotti di velluto. 她的宫廷贵族们在花边领和绒面大衣的华丽上相互争艳。 The old ideas of thrift melted before the fortunes made by adventurers sailing to the East or West. ||||节俭|消融了|||||||||||| Le vecchie idee di parsimonia si sono dissolte di fronte alle fortune degli avventurieri che navigavano verso l'Oriente o l'Occidente. 旧时代的节俭观念在往东或往西航行的冒险家所赚取的财富面前化为乌有。 Visions of ships laden with pearls, diamonds, and gold dazzled the humblest sailor, while dreams of an El Dorado where everything was made of gold tempted the most indolent beyond the seas. 幻象||||||钻石|||||最卑微的||||||||||||||诱惑|||懒惰的|在海洋彼岸|| Visioni di navi cariche di perle, diamanti e oro abbagliavano il marinaio più umile, mentre i sogni di un El Dorado dove tutto era fatto d'oro tentavano il più indolente dei mari. Visioenen van schepen beladen met parels, diamanten en goud verblindden de nederigste zeeman, terwijl dromen van een eldorado waar alles van goud was gemaakt, de meest luie buiten de zeeën verleidden. 装载着珍珠、钻石和黄金的船只幻影让最卑微的水手目眩神迷，而一个黄金制成的厄尔多拉多梦境则诱惑着最懒惰的人跨越海洋。

This love of travel quickened men’s minds. ||||激发了|| L'amore per il viaggio accelerava le menti degli uomini. 这种对旅行的热爱激发了人们的思维。 England was ready for her great awakening. 英格兰准备迎接她的伟大觉醒。 Poets burst forth into song, writers into prose. 诗人们纷纷歌唱，作家们投入散文创作。 The full glory arose with Spenser and his "Fairy Queen." 这|||出现||斯宾塞|||| 随着斯宾塞和他的《仙女女王》，荣耀达到了顶峰。 For two hundred years no great poem had broken the silence of English song. 两百年来，没有伟大的诗篇打破英诗的沉默。 It expressed the Elizabethan age as no other poem had done. |||||作为||||| 它表达了伊丽莎白时代，其他任何诗篇都无法做到。 It did for poetry what William Shakspere did for the drama, representing |做到了|对||||||||| 它对诗歌的影响就像威廉·莎士比亚对戏剧的影响一样，代表了

"The very age and body of the time, Its form and pressure." ||时代||||||||| “这个时代的真实面貌，和时代的形式与压力。” So all these men—adventurers, explorers, poets, dramatists, philosophers, and statesmen—helped to make Elizabeth’s England great, splendid, triumphant; fit to take her place in the world’s history, and to play the great part for which she was destined. ||||冒险家|探险家||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 因此，所有这些人——冒险家、探险家、诗人、剧作家、哲学家和政治家——共同帮助使得伊丽莎白时代的英格兰变得伟大、辉煌、胜利；使她在世界历史中占有一席之地，扮演她命中注定要扮演的重要角色。

With the queen’s death in 1603 the golden days ended for a time. |||||||||||一段时间随着女王在1603年的去世，黄金时代暂时结束了。 But she had fulfilled the prophecy of Shakspere at her birth. |||||预言||||| Ma alla sua nascita si era avverata la profezia di Shakspere. 但她在出生时实现了莎士比亚的预言。 She had showered upon the land 她||倾洒|降临|| 她将恩泽洒向了这片土地

"A thousand, thousand blessings, Which time shall bring to ripeness." "一千，一千的祝福，时间将使其趋于成熟。" Good had grown with her, man had sung the "merry songs of peace to all his neighbours." |||||||唱歌||||||||| 善良与她共同成长，人与人之间唱着“给所有邻居带来和平的快乐歌曲”。 Peace, plenty, love, truth, strength—these were her servants. |丰盈||真理|||||仆人和平、富足、爱、真理、力量——这些都是她的仆人。 And Shakspere was but voicing the feelings of the queen when he speaks of— ||||表达||||||||| 莎士比亚在谈论——时只是表达女王的感受，

"This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England, This land of such dear souls, this dear dear land, England, bound in with the triumphant sea." |可爱的|土地|||||||||||亲爱的|||||||被海洋包围||||| "Questa trama benedetta, questa terra, questo regno, questa Inghilterra, questa terra di anime così care, questa cara terra, l'Inghilterra, legata al mare trionfante". "这片神圣的土地，这片土地，这个王国，这个英格兰，这片充满珍贵灵魂的土地，这片亲爱的土地，英格兰，被胜利的海洋所环绕。"