BBC英国史

Only the highest office in the land seemed to have survived unscathed.

似乎只有国家之首 才能幸免于难

Edward III, once the glamorous, invincible warrior,was now an ageing father to a fragile nation.

爱德华三世 曾经战无不胜的武士 现在是这个岌岌可危之国的年迈国王

Still, the royal succession seemed secure.

但是皇室的继承还未受动摇

Edward's son, the Black Prince, the heir to the throne,was already a legendary hero.

爱德华的儿子黑太子 王位的继承人 已经是一位传奇英雄了

But then, against all expectation,the picture changed.

但是 出乎所有人的预料 形势急转直下

The Black Prince succumbed to dysentery in 1376,and a year later, the old king himself finally expired.

黑太子于1376年死于痢疾 一年后 年迈的国王去世

And so the crown passed to Edward's grandson,Richard of Bordeaux.

王位由爱德华的孙子 波尔多的理查继承

A boy-king, called upon before his time,Richard was ruler in name only.

年幼的国王 涉世未深 过早登基 只能沦为傀儡

Everyone knew that his uncle,John of Gaunt, worked the levers of power.

世人皆知 其叔 冈特的约翰 操纵实权

Richard's coronation was orchestrated by John of Gaunt as a festival of loyalty,

理查的加冕礼由冈特的约翰精心策划为 一场标榜其忠诚的表演

a statement of faith in the undimmed future of England's glory.

宣称前途未卜的英国 前途光辉

There had been no coronation for half a century,but the mix of solemnity and festivity never failed to work its spell.

英国已半个世纪没举行过加冕礼了 但这种既庄严又欢庆的场面 从未失去其吸引力

Knights of the shire rode in from all over England to witness the spectacle.

英国各地的骑士纷纷涌来 见证这一盛况

词汇解析

1、legendary

传奇般的；家喻户晓的

the legendary Jazz singer Adelaide Hall.

大名鼎鼎的爵士乐歌手阿德莱德·霍尔

His political skill is legendary.

他的政治手腕高超是出了名的。

传说中的；古老传奇中的

The hill is supposed to be the resting place of the legendary King Lud.

这座山据称是传说中的卢德王的长眠之处。

2、finally

终于;总算

The word was finally given for us to get on board.

终于通知我们登乘了。

The food finally arrived at the end of last week and distribution began.

食品总算在上周末运到并开始分发。

(用于引出观点等)最后，最后要说的是

Finally, who needs the theatre?

最后要说的是，谁还需要剧院呢？

And finally, a word about the winner and runner-up.

最后，来谈一谈冠亚军。

最后地;末尾地

The action slips from comedy to melodrama and finally to tragedy.

剧情从喜剧逐渐发展为情节剧，最后又演变为悲剧。