AT precisely 12.47 yesterday afternoon, the course of Anglo-Irish relations changed forever when Queen Elizabeth II signed the visitor’s book at Áras an Uachtaráin. It was a deeply psychological and symbolic moment, an acknowledgment by the British head of state that she was in Ireland as a visitor, a guest of the Irish head of state, President Mary McAleese. It was a meeting of equals, a coming together of the representatives of two neighbouring nations in mutual respect, a moment of which the peopel of Ireland can rightly be pround.
Fortunately I prepared one early. It’s dated 1983. That’s how long the wait’s been. And I see here there’s another alternated acceptance speech of 1994, then 2002, which I appeared to amend only slightly for 2004, 2006 and 2008.
I note that my language in these speeches grows less gracious with the years.
You start to want to blame the judges who have given you the prize for all the prizes they didn’t give you. But they aren’t, of course, the same judges.
Tonight, I forgive everyone - they were only doing their job, those judges, every one of whose names I could reel off.
As for the judges of 2010 Man Booker Prize, they surpass all praise. I thank them.
reel off: to say a list of things quickly and without much effort. 这是一个英国英语的用法，也许可以译成“张口就来”。
Multi-hued with speed imbued the peloton advances,
And passing by provides the eye with momentary glances,
Of muscled limbs and flashing rims, shaded eyes and plastered thighs,
Mitted hands upon the bars holding on for hours and hours.
The entourage of bikes and cars are there to give support,
Through rain and sun their labours run donating what is sort,
Replacing wheels, handing drink, advising riders when they think
A change of plan could help their man to gain a lead through further speed.
The peloton streams forward with power that is driven,
By domestiques who through the weeks yield effort freely given,
To aid the team achieve their dream for which they all have striven.
No glory theirs, no podium place but they’re the force that drives the race.
The progress made is undelayed by any circumstances,
The peloton rides on and on inspite of all mischances,
So the stars will win their glory, through the help of those who ride,
In the peloton behind them and are justly filled with pride.
Have you noticed how the coverage of urban foxes – including the ones who are thought to have horribly wounded two little girls in London – resembles what’s so often written about immigrants? They come over here, into our cities, they steal our food, they swagger down the street like hoodies, they know no fear, they ignore our way of life and the authorities seem powerless and unwilling to stop them. Do you think they might be a sort of stand-in?
Now that David Miliband is standing for Labour leader, and we learn that his brother Ed might stand against him, it’s time to reprise the great line from Linda McDougall, the wife of Austin Mitchell MP, and a family friend of Ralph Miliband. “I’m afraid I can’t take either of the Miliband brothers seriously. I changed both their nappies.”
Operation Mincemeat 是一部军事历史小说，不过其中也有一小段浪漫故事。作者 Ben Macintyre 在讲述这一行动中的一个角色，英国海军潜艇“六翼天使号”(Seraph)的艇长 Bill Jewell 的求爱行动时，用了许多海军军事词汇，十分幽默：
Once Bill Jewell had spotted Rosemary on his emotional periscope, he pursued her with unswerving determination. p275
For two joyful weeks, he had wooed her with every weapon at his disposal: French food, an American swimming pool and a British car with doors that wouldn’t open. Rosemary was in no mind to resist, and at the end of his sustained bombardment she had sunk, unresistingly, into Lieutenant Jewell’s arms. p276
Bill Jewell 和 Rosemary Galloway 于 1944年6月结婚，在以后的54年里，“absolutley devoted to one another”。 p322
Michael Jackson may have spent his last years mutating into an ever more freakish version of himself, eventually becoming a prize exhibit in the celebrity zoo, but under the outlandish surface was a singer who had come by his fame not via mere eccentricity or a stroke of luck, but through a genuinely remarkable talent that deserved to conquer the world.
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
