2016-06-24

【Aiden in English】

        The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is one of the countries in the world still ruling a monarchy system. Although Her Majesty isn't in that much power anymore, the country has its unique attributes coming from the government's history. One such tradition is the changing of the guard. 

        Being the only one I control of an entire country, the Queen of the UK requires much protection, whereas a president isn't the only one who controls a nation and passes the laws. Having an interesting history of Knights in shining armors, Her Majesty used to have groups of Knights stand guards to her, but nowadays, security people can sit on their lazy butts and watch cameras, disregarding any privacy. I'm also pretty sure they can't "guard" the Queen from a nuke or something, so I think it has just become a tourist attraction. 

        The fascinating part of seeing a group of guards is nothing much more than their attire. I always wonder if the changing of post added just to make things more enjoyable, as they have the full package included. Who needs Broadway when you have guards who can dress up in medieval gears and play instruments? Okay, maybe this isn't Broadway, but it is very amusing to watch a simple thing go down, such as the changing of a guard post. As we approached the spot of the action, the first thing I realized about the guards was that they were so formal. Everything was in line, everyone had the same outfit, everyone did the same motions, and nobody had any expression. Each and everyone's face looked as if he was going to war. At the motion of a conductor, the guards raised their instruments, which included the entire concert band. Sucking in a breath, the band began to play... 

        Stevie Wonder is not a type of American composer that, to my standards, writes formal, medieval music. So the band surprised the audience with some fancy jazz, using one of his hottest jazz songs, Sir Duke. The song has become an intonational sensation, which its main melody transformed into a jingle that everyone could recognize over the years. The song itself is not long at all, so within minutes, the band had turned around and marched away, playing a different, more appropriate piece of music. 

        The other main headline is the one everyone probably saw on CNN one time or another. The U.K. was leaving the EU, which is big news. During a walk around the Palace of Westminster or Houses of Parliament, we happened to jump upon a news export station, and the attracting factor was the number of protestors. The signs ranged from pictures to words, but most share a common meaning of "don't leave the EU". The area was sectioned off, so the public couldn't enter, but mom did so anyway. Multiple stations were set up, with newscasters reporting random topics. I really don't know how they feel when mom goes up to one of them and snaps a photo with flash right in his face while the camera is alive, though. No one will see in the audience, so it is alright. They'll just witness a mysterious flash of white light in the reporter's eyes which made him blink a bunch of times.

【紅霞譯文】

        大不列顛及北愛爾蘭聯合王國是世界上仍然實施君主立憲的政體國家之一，儘管女王陛下不再擁有更多實權，但政府堅持弘揚民族傳統，其中之一就是衛兵換崗。

        作為掌控國家命脈的最高君主，英國女王需要加強保護；相形之下，總統卻無法成為統治政權簽署法令的唯一領袖。歷史上金甲武裝的騎士團身手不凡，女王陛下往往把他們當作自己的貼身護衛；如今保安屁股坐穩用不着挪窩，只要盯住攝像機就成，況且無需顧慮任何隱私。我敢打賭這些衛兵根本沒法“保駕”女王免遭核彈或其它武器威脅，所以說換崗儀式不過是吸引觀光客眼球的景點而已。

        其實衛隊換崗的魅力在於服飾行頭，因其整套動作規範標緻，我禁不住暗自思忖，莫非換崗真是為了迎合大眾喜好而增設的遊覽項目。這群士兵身着中世紀服裝，手握樂器吹吹打打，有誰還想去看百老匯歌舞表演？對嘍，它也許不能與百老匯相提並論，但是親眼目睹像衛隊換崗這麼一個簡單過程還是蠻有意思的。等來到現場後我才意識到換崗儀式相當講究，衛兵們列成方隊，身着統一制服，步伐協調整齊，表情嚴肅不苟言笑，好像要趕赴戰場衝鋒陷陣似的。方隊指揮官手臂一揮，衛兵們高舉各種管樂樂器，先深吸一口氣，然後開始合奏……

        以我個人之見，史蒂夫·旺德並不是那種擅長譜寫規範化中世紀音樂的美國作曲家，因此當衛兵樂隊吹奏其膾炙人口的爵士作品《達克先生》時，大大出乎我們觀眾所料。這首曲子韻律感極強，多少年來其主旋律早已成為家喻戶曉的經典之作。樂曲音節不多，因此衛兵們花不了幾分鐘時間吹奏便轉到下面更適合換崗儀式的音樂主題上。

        今天其它主要新聞大概就是人們從美國有線電視新聞網上時不時發布的跟蹤報道中了解的內容，英國離開歐洲聯盟，這可是頭版頭條。我們沿着威斯敏斯特宮閒逛，無意走近各國媒體臨時搭建的新聞發布中心，最引人注目的非抗議示威的人群莫屬，他們舉着印有圖片或者寫成文字的標語牌，旨在表達“切勿離開歐盟”的共同心願。記者站被圈成特區，閒人一概免進，但媽媽我行我素，繼續深入獵奇。諸多電台就地設點，播音員及時報道隨機新聞，我真不知道他們看到媽媽對準其中一位被採訪的國會議員按下快門作何感想。當時攝像機開着，一切都採用現場直播，好在無人把注意力放到觀眾一邊，拍張相片倒也沒啥了不起的，不過他們將親自目擊一道神秘的閃光燈突現在記者面前，害得他不停地眨巴眼睛。

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