从英国疫情爆发开始，英国首相Boris Johnson几乎每天都通过各类媒体渠道告诫民众该如何防护、感谢NHS（National Health Service, 英国国家医疗服务系统）的付出以及表达必将战胜疫情的决心——“We will beat this together”是他的口头禅。
可是他却是第一位进入ICU重症病房的英国政要，英国时间4月5日晚8时，93岁的英国女王伊丽莎白二世就新冠疫情向英国以及英联邦国家（commonwealth）民众发表讲话的视频在电视台、电台以及社交媒体播出，受到英国民众的热切关注。女王的视频播出后没多久，Boris Johnson入住医院的消息就出来了。十几天前他的Covid-19检测结果呈阳性，开始自我隔离，但症状依然没有消退，今天就传出了转入ICU的消息。
在位68年，除了每年例行的Christmas Day Message之外，这是女王第四次就危机问题发表全国性讲话，前三次分别是1991年海湾战争期间、1997年戴安娜王妃葬礼前（感兴趣的可以去看《女王》这部电影），以及2002年女王母亲去世时。加上女王在2012年钻禧纪念日（Diamond Jubilee）的讲话，这也仅仅是第五次非常规的全国性讲话。因此，媒体在报道时都用了rare这个词，“a rare address”“a rarity”。
之前新冠病毒检测呈阳性的查尔斯王子在解除隔离后也第一时间录制视频给英国民众打气——“None of us can say when this will end, but end it will” 。
之前很多人都会想，女王不出马，说明疫情还不严重，挺好的……直到4月3日，白金汉宫发出了讲话通知，此时英国确诊病例超过了38000，死亡人数是3605。到女王讲话视频播出的时候，英国死亡病例达到了4934。It's time.
英国皇室的一个很重要的职能就在于morale-boosting（提升士气），而这在危机时刻是有非常重要的意义和作用的。二战时女王的父亲——当时的乔治六世（George VI）临危受命，在从小有口吃毛病（stutter and stammer）的情况下，于1939年9月3日发表了他的第一个也是最有象征意义的全国演讲（iconic address），宣布英国对德国宣战。这个演讲使他获得了国民和政府的尊重。他表现出来的决心与坚毅也感染了全国人民，成为a symbol of Britain’s national fortitude（英国国家毅力的象征），有力地团结了战时的英国国民。（感兴趣的同学可以去看《国王的演讲》这个电影。）
“Over and over again we have tried to find a peaceful way out of the differences between ourselves and those who are now our enemies. But it has been in vain. The task will be hard. There may be dark days ahead and war is no longer confined to the battlefield.”
当前，新冠肺炎疫情在全世界范围蔓延，英国的疫情不断加重，确诊和死亡病例持续攀升，面对这个“uncharted territory”（未被人涉足过的领域），政府陆续出台了史无前例的防治措施，民众的生活有了巨大的改变，在这样的危机时刻，我们一起来看一下女王传递了什么信息。
I'm speaking to you at what I know is an increasingly challenging time. A time of disruption in the life of our country, a disruption that has brought grief to some, financial difficulties to many, and enormous changes to the daily lives of all.
I want to thank everyone on the NHS frontline, as well as care workers and those carrying out essential roles, who selflessly continue their day-to-day duties outside the home in support of us all. I am sure that the nation will join me in assuring you that what you do is appreciated and every hour of your hard work brings us closer to a return to more normal times.
I also want to thank those of you who are staying at home, thereby helping to protect the vulnerable and sparing many families the pain already felt by those who have lost loved ones.
Today we are tackling the disease, and I want to reassure you that if we remain united and resolute, then we will overcome it.
I hope in the years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge. And those who come after us will say that the Britons of this generation were as strong as any. That the attributes of self-discipline, of quiet good-humoured resolve and of fellow-feeling still characterise this country. The pride in who we are is not a part of our past, it defines our present and our future. The moments when the United Kingdom has come together to applaud its care and essential workers will be remembered as an expression of our national spirit; and its symbol will be the rainbows drawn by children.
Across the Commonwealth and around the world, we have seen heart-warming stories of people coming together to help others, be it through delivering food parcels and medicines, checking on neighbours, or converting businesses to help the relief effort.
Though self-isolating may at times be hard, many people of all faiths, and of none, are discovering that it presents an opportunity to slow down, pause and reflect, in prayer or meditation.
It reminds me of the very first broadcast I made, in 1940, heled by my sister. We, as children, spoke from here at Windsor to children who had been evacuated from their homes and sent away for their own safety. Today, once again, many will feel a painful sense of separation from their loved ones. But now, as then, we know, deep down, that it is the right thing to do.
While we have faced challenges before, this one is different. This time we join with all nations across the globe in a common endeavour, using the greatest advances of science and our instinctive compassion to heal. We'll succeed—and the success will belong to every one of us. We should take comfort that we may have more still to endure, better days will return.
We'll be with our friends again. we'll be with our families again. We'll meet again. But for now, I send my thanks and warmest good wishes to you all. 首先，女王表达了感谢。感谢医务和护理工作人员，感谢疫情期间依然在从事核心工作为大家提供服务的人员，感谢每一个遵从政府的要求待在家里的人。然后，女王强调了英国国民self-discipline（自律），good-humoured resolve（幽默而坚定），fellow-feeling（感同身受）的特质。最后，女王指出此次疫情跟往常危机不同的是，这一次全世界团结在一起共同面对——“in a common endeavour”。结尾，她引用了英国著名的二战歌曲“We’ll Meet Again”来告诉大家，一切灾难都会过去，往日的生活会重返——“better days will return”。
女王特别提到全世界的人们在面对疫情时互帮互助的“heart-warming stories”。她提到self-isolating虽然艰难，但也是一个很好的让自己慢下来、暂停和反思一下的机会。她回忆了自己人生中第一次公众广播，那是二战时的1940年，她和妹妹一起，对那些因为战争而远离父母的孩子们说话。由此提出，同当年一样，分离虽然是痛苦的，但确是必须的——“But now, as then, we know, deep down, that it is the right thing to do.”
虽然只有短短的四分多钟，女王也是一如既往地坐在那、面容平静地娓娓道来，但我的确感受到了一股坚毅和踏实。BBC评论提到，此次讲话的核心是“reassure and rally”（激励民众、给民众信心与希望）。
视频播出后，英国网友纷纷前往社交平台上发表评论。“God saves the queen”出现的频率极高，很多英国民众都留言表达了感激和信心。
批评与不屑的声音也有一小波，有一部分表示女王那么有钱有地方，如果不捐出一些钱给NHS，不腾出一些城堡来做医院，说什么都没用，他们现在需要的是actions，而不是words。
我们小老百姓不愿过多谈论政治，抱着善良的初心，祝愿英国首相尽快康复，疫情尽快消退。因为他也是一个儿子、一个爸爸、一个想要活着的生命。疫情是全世界的战争，让我们努力战疫，共克时艰。 |
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