We got up early the next morning and went to my favourite room. It has a wonderful view of the large gardens and the River Thames at the bottom.
第二天早晨,我們起得很早,來到我最喜歡的房間。這間房子外面的風景很美,有幾座很大的花園,遠處是泰晤士河。
Did you sleep well, Margaret?' I asked.
“你睡得好嗎,瑪格麗特?”我問道。
No. I dreamed that King Henry came back to life and sent me to the Tower of London.'
“不好。我夢到亨利國王復活了,把我送進了倫敦塔。”
Why did he do that?'
“他為什么會那樣做呢?”
Because in my dream I read the letters and he was angry with me. Perhaps it will be bad luck if we read them,' said Margaret, worried.
“因為我夢到我看了那些信,他很生氣??赡芪覀冏x了那些信會倒霉的。”瑪格麗特憂心忡忡地說。
Don't worry,' I said. 'It was only a dream. He can't do anything now. He's dead.'
“別擔心”,我說,“那只是個夢。他現在什么也做不了,他已經死了。”
I went over to the wooden box and opened it. 'We'll read the letter from Katherine of Aragon first,' I said.
我走到木盒子前,把它打開。“我們還是從阿拉貢的凱瑟琳的信讀起吧。”我說。
She was Spanish, wasn't she?' said Margaret.
“她是個西班牙人,對吧?”瑪格麗特問。
Yes, she first came over to England to marry Henry's brother Arthur, but he died. She then married Henry and was his wife and queen for twenty-four years.'
“是的,她剛來英格蘭時嫁的是亨利的哥哥亞瑟,但是他死了。她隨后又嫁給了亨利,給他做了24年的妻子和王后。”
What a long time! What happened to her? Did she go to the Tower of London too?'
“時間真長??!她后來怎么樣了?她也被關進倫敦塔了嗎?”
No, Henry divorced Katherine because he wanted a son, and she only gave him a daughter, Princess Mary. Years before, Katherine did have a son—Henry, Prince of Wales, but he died when he was only seven weeks old. The King wanted a son very much. He was in love with Anne Boleyn, but he also wanted a new wife—a younger woman to give him sons.'
“沒有,亨利和凱瑟琳離婚了,因為他想要個兒子,而她只給他生了個女兒,就是瑪麗公主。多年前,凱瑟琳的確生了一個兒子——就是亨利,威爾士王子,但他生下來剛七個星期就夭折了。國王非常想要個兒子。他愛上了安妮·博倫,但他也想要個新妻子——一個更年輕的女人給他生兒子。”
Poor Katherine! Divorced after twenty-four years for a younger woman!' Margaret looked at the letter in my hand. 'Can we read the letter now, my lady?'
“可憐的凱瑟琳!因為一個比她年輕的女人,居然在結婚24年后被拋棄!”瑪格麗特看著我手中的信,“我們現在可以讀這封信嗎,夫人?”
Yes, let's sit down by the window and read it together.'
“可以,我們坐到窗邊一起讀吧。”
But I can't read,' said Margaret, looking at the floor.
“但是我不識字。”瑪格麗特看著地板說。
That's all right, I'll read it for you.'
“好吧,我來給你讀。”
We sat down and I began to read it slowly...
我們坐了下來,我開始慢慢讀信……
Windsor
溫莎宮
28th July 1531
1531年7月28日
Dear Henry
親愛的亨利:
When you left Windsor last week, you didn't say goodbye. I feel lonely and unhappy without you. When will I see you again? Please come back soon.
你上周離開溫莎時,沒有向我道別。沒有你,我感到既孤獨又傷心。我何時才能再見到你呢?請快回來吧。
You know that I am your true wife. We have been married for more than twenty years in the eyes of God. I have given you a daughter, Princess Mary. God took from us our other children. I wanted so much to give you a son, but God's plan for us was different, and we cannot change that.
你知道我是你忠實的妻子。我們結婚已經20多年了,有上帝做見證。我為你生了一個女兒,瑪麗公主。上帝帶走了我們其他的孩子。我多么想再給你生個兒子啊,但是上帝給我們的安排是不同的,而且我們無法改變。
I pray for you every day and ask for you to come back to me. I have never been untrue to you, Henry, and have always been a good wife, and a good mother to our daughter.
我每天為你祈禱,盼望你能回到我的身邊。我從未背叛過你,亨利。我一直是個好妻子,我們女兒的好母親。
I am still your Queen. There is only one Queen of England, and that is me. I know that you are with Anne Boleyn, but you will never be happy with her. I am the daughter of a King, and she is not. You must not divorce me. The Pope and the Catholic Church will never agree to this. I am sending you a necklace with a gold cross. Henry, when you look at it, remember me and remember the Catholic Church.
我仍然是你的王后。英格蘭只有一個王后,那就是我。我知道你和安妮·博倫在一起,但是你和她在一起是絕不會幸福的。我是一位國王的女兒,而她不是。你不能和我離婚,教皇和天主教會永遠都不會同意這件事的。我送給你這條帶有金十字架的項鏈。亨利,當你看著它時,就請記住我,記住天主教會。
Your Queen
你的王后
Katherine of Aragon
阿拉貢的凱瑟琳
So what happened to Katherine?' asked Margaret. 'Did she ever see the King again?'
“那么凱瑟琳怎么樣了?”瑪格麗特問,“她后來又見到過國王嗎?”
No, never. He divorced her. She lived a lonely life with only a few friends, and died a broken and unhappy woman about ten years ago.'
“沒有,再也沒有。他和她離婚了。她一直孤獨地生活著,身邊僅有幾個朋友。大約十年前,她身心俱焚,郁郁而終。”
What about the Catholic Church? Did the Pope agree to the divorce?'
“那么天主教會呢?教皇同意他們離婚嗎?”
No, he didn't. So Henry broke with the Pope and the Catholic Church, and that's how the Church of England began. The King became Head of the Church, and the Pope and the Catholics were very angry. It made a lot of trouble both in England and Europe.'
“不,他不同意。所以亨利與教皇和天主教會決裂了,英格蘭國教就是這樣創(chuàng)建的。國王成了教會的領袖,教皇和天主教會非常憤怒。這在英格蘭乃至整個歐洲都引起了軒然大波。”
And all because of Anne Boleyn?' said Margaret.
“這都是因為安妮·博倫嗎?”瑪格麗特問。
Not only that. You see, it was very important for the King to have a son, to be King after him. There has only ever been one Queen in England, and that was a terrible time, with a lot of fighting and killing. Henry didn't want that to happen again after his death. So he knew that he must have a son, not just daughters. And that's really why he divorced Katherine and married again.'
“不僅僅因為她。你知道,對于國王來說,有個兒子非常重要,兒子可以繼承他的王位。在英格蘭只有過一位女王,那是個可怕的年代,到處是爭斗和殺戮。亨利不想在他死后再發(fā)生這樣的事情。所以,他知道他一定得有個兒子,而不能只有女兒。那才是他和凱瑟琳離婚并再娶的真正原因。”
And was he sad when Katherine died?'
“凱瑟琳去世的時候他傷心嗎?”
Sad? Oh no! He dressed in yellow and danced all night with his new Queen.'
“傷心?哦不!他穿著黃色的衣服和新王后整夜跳舞。”
Margaret looked inside the box and found the gold necklace. She held it to her neck. 'Poor Katherine,' she said softly. 'King Henry was a terrible husband to her.'
瑪格麗特朝盒子里看了看,發(fā)現了那條金項鏈。她拿著項鏈在自己的脖子上比試著。“可憐的凱瑟琳,”她輕聲說,“亨利國王對她來說真是個可怕的丈夫。”