before queen elizabeth’s silver jubilee in 1977, the villagers of west hoathly in sussex were placed under secret observation. a file was drawn up, noting their views on the monarchy, the country and the impending celebrations. the royal family was marvellous but these festivities had better not cost too much, said one villager, recorded as “nurse, female, 50”, explaining: “people are not in the mood.”
在1977年英女皇伊丽莎白二世登基二十五周年庆典之前，萨塞克斯地区西霍斯利村的村民当了一回被暗中观察的目标。那次观察结果被总结成了一份文件，其中记录了当时村民对于皇室、英国和即将到来的庆典的看法。文件中一位“50岁的女护士”指出，皇室棒极了，但是庆典最好不要花费过巨，她对此作了进一步的说明：“大家现在没有庆贺的心情。”
west hoathly was reliably monarchist, the file records, with anti-republican sentiment boosted by recent american elections (“fancy having jimmy carter,” a villager shuddered). but still its jubilee enthusiasts sounded a bit bleak. we’re due a celebration, said “male, 53”—we’ve made it to 1977 without a nuclear war.
据文件记载，当时的西霍斯利村是君主制的忠实拥护者，受到刚过去的美国大选影响，村里反共和制的情绪进一步高涨（“想想让吉米·卡特来管理英国会是什么样子”，一位村民边说边打了个冷颤）。但即使在这样一个亲皇室的村庄里，那些登基庆典热衷分子的话听上去还是有些沮丧。一位“53岁男子”说，是时候庆祝一下了，我们终于迎来了1977年，核战争至今还没发生。
the files were commissioned by mass observation, a private social-research project that has studied the british since the 1930s. in all, 107 volunteers were recruited to record the silver jubilee. their diaries and notes, together with complementary files on the 2002 golden jubilee, now form part of a vast archive held at sussex university. on the eve of queen elizabeth’s diamond jubilee—to be marked from june 2nd to 5th—the archives offer a remarkably evocative glimpse of the recent past.
这些调查的背后策划者是私人社会研究项目“大众观察”。该项目从20世纪30年代起就开始研究英国。在登基庆典二十五周年时一共有107名志愿者被招募来记录这一盛事。这些人的日记和笔记，加上2002年登基五十周年时的文件，完整地记录了当时的盛况，这些文件现保留在萨塞克斯大学庞大的档案库里。6月2日至5日将举行伊丽莎白二世登基六十周年庆典。在庆典前夕的今天，这些档案让我们一瞥不久前的过去，唤醒了我们的回忆。
the 1977 files describe a country that was tired and riven by industrial conflict. its people talked of feeling a bit lost, and yet—from a distance of 35 years—they seem enviably grounded in a shared culture with deep roots. there was striking uniformity to their celebrations. invited to have fun, people first grumbled then formed committees. it is remembered that at previous royal jubilees children were given commemorative mugs, prompting endless rows about paying for them. “the vicar! he needs grinding up afresh, that one,” fumed a farmer’s wife in north wiltshire, on learning that her women’s institute branch must buy mugs. “not that i’m criticising him, of course,” she added hastily.
1977年的文件描绘了一个被劳资纠纷搞得疲惫不堪、四分五裂的国家。国民们常在谈话中坦言自己感到有点迷茫，即使这样，从35年后的今天回头看，当时的国民似乎实实在在地共享着一种根基深厚的文化，着实令人羡慕。他们在各处举办的庆典相似得惊人。受邀玩乐时，英国人首先会抱怨几句，然后组织委员会决定细节。记得在过去的几次登基庆典上，孩子们收到纪念马克杯，由此就这些杯子的资金来源引发了没完没了的争议。北威尔特郡一位农夫的妻子在得知自己所属的妇女协会分会必须购买马克杯时，怒气冲冲地抱怨道：“那个牧师！他真得清醒清醒了[注1]。”然后她又匆匆补上一句：“当然，我不是在批评他。”
celebrations in 1977 involved children’s food—sausage rolls and jelly, hot dogs and ice cream—and beer for the grown-ups. there were violent sporting contests, from tugs-of-war to free-form football matches. to conquer reserve, fancy dress was worn, often involving men in women’s clothing. from the west midlands came news of an all-transvestite football game, with the laconic annotation: “all ended up in the canal.”
1977年的庆典上为孩子提供的食品有香肠卷、果冻、热狗和冰淇淋，而大人们则有啤酒，还有激烈的体育赛事，像是拔河和规则不限的足球赛。为了打破矜持，很多人奇装异服，通常是男扮女装。西米德兰兹郡报道了举办异装癖足球赛的新闻，新闻的脚注简单明了：“所有人最后都掉进沟里了。”
london displayed both patriotic zeal (flag-draped pubs in brick lane, big street parties in muswell hill) and hostility (cheerless housing estates, slogans declaring “stuff the jubilee”).
伦敦有的地方展示了爱国热情（布里克道的酒吧都挂满了国旗，穆斯维尔山则举行了盛大的街道聚会），另一些地方则显露了敌意（闷闷不乐的居民区，写着“让登基庆典见鬼去吧[注2]”的标语）。
scotland was a nation apart. a file reports “total apathy” in croy. in glasgow the anniversary was called “an english jubilee”. snobs sneered along with scots. at eton college, a wooden jubilee pyramid was smashed by old boys. at oxford university, examinations were held on jubilee day, in a display of indifference.
苏格兰的气氛则完全是天差地别。有一份文件报告说克罗瓦“完全漠不关心”。在格拉斯哥该庆典被称为“英格兰登基庆典”。一些自以为是之徒则和苏格兰人一起对庆典嗤之以鼻。在伊顿公学，几位校友一起砸碎了一个木制的登基庆典金字塔。为了表示对该庆典的冷淡态度，牛津大学在庆典日当天举行考试。
the silver jubilee is not really about the monarchy, asserts a file from south wiltshire: the day is about “people wanting a bit of fun”. a report from wimbotsham in norfolk, close to a royal estate at sandringham, stands out for its focus on the queen’s 25 years on the throne. locals held a service on the village green, praying for the monarch in “happy togetherness” under dripping umbrellas before a tug-of-war, races and tea for 700.
一份来自威尔特郡的文件认为二十五周年登基庆典其实和皇室关系不大，“人们是想要借机玩乐一下”。诺福克郡的温勃特山姆邻近皇室在桑德林汉姆的府邸。据文件报告那里的庆祝活动把重心放在了女皇在位25年的历史上，和其它地方的庆祝大不一样。当地人在村子草地上举行了礼拜，在滴着水的雨伞下祈祷皇室“快乐团圆”。接下来呢？他们举办了拔河、赛跑和供700人享用的茶会。
by 2002 and the golden jubilee, britain comes across as a busier, lonelier, more cynical place. the royal family was “just showbiz”, sniffed a diarist from sussex. there is angry talk of princess diana and how her 1997 death was mishandled by the queen. there are fewer street parties than in 1977, all agree. this is variously blamed on apathy, the authorities (whose job it is to organise events, apparently) and above all on health-and-safety rules. in 1977, in contrast, one wiltshire village cheerfully let a “pyromaniac” doctor take jubilee fireworks home to add extra bangs.
到2002年五十周年登基庆典时，英国给人的感觉更为繁忙，更为孤独，也更为愤世嫉俗。萨塞克斯的一位日记作者轻蔑地表示皇室“只是演艺行当”罢了。民间仍然气愤地谈论着已故的戴安娜王妃以及女皇对她1997年过世事件的不当处理。所有人都承认街道上的聚会比1977年来得少。关于这种情况有各种解释，包括民众的漠不关心、政府当局（说到底，他们是负责组织活动的），以及最重要的一点，就是健康安全法规。相比之下，1977年威尔特郡有一个村子就快乐地让一位“烟火狂热”医生把庆典烟火带回家继续点放庆祝。
the 2012 jubilee finds britain changed again. diamond jubilees being rare (the last was achieved by queen victoria in 1897), the queen is firmly at the centre of the celebrations. local councils have received more than 8,000 applications to close roads for street parties, suggesting that 2002’s passivity is fading. the country is not returning to 1977 and its home-made fancy-dress costumes or coronation bunting dug out of attics. today’s shops heave with jubilee cakes, disposable decorations and flag-emblazoned baubles, letting consumers buy patriotism out of a box.
2012年的登基庆典又一次见证了一个不一样的英国。登基六十周年实属罕见（上一位登基满60年的是1897年的维多利亚女皇）。因此这次女皇一定是所有庆典活动的焦点。各个地方市政委员会目前已收到超过8000份关闭道路，举办街道聚会的申请。这表示2002年民众对皇室的冷淡态度正在好转。但英国并没有在回归1977年的情形，人们并没有把自制的奇装异服和加冕彩旗从阁楼里挖出来。今时今日的商店装满了登基庆典蛋糕，一次性的装饰品和印着国旗的彩球，消费者想要体现爱国情操可以直接买现成品。
after 60 years on the throne, a jubilee about the queen
在位60年，女皇的盛会
visiting wimbotsham, bagehot is shown elaborate plans: cake-baking contests, pony rides, a teddy bears’ picnic, a sports day, a pensioners’ tea. but there will be no tug-of-war (people might hurt themselves) and the face painters have liability insurance. still, the festivities will dwarf those seen in 2002, locals say. the monarchy endured a “big lull after diana”, suggests david long, the driving force behind wimbotsham’s diamond jubilee. as the queen grows older, she is “more highly thought of”. linda nixon, a wimbotsham pensioner, credits prince william’s royal wedding with reviving enthusiasm. prince william and his brother prince harry are “like everyday people”, she says.
在拜访温勃特山姆期间，笔者见证了非常详尽的庆祝计划：烤蛋糕比赛、骑小马、泰迪熊野餐会、运动会、退休老人茶会、不过这次不会有拔河竞赛（可能会有人受伤），而绘脸师们现在可都是买了责任保险的。尽管如此，当地人觉得这次的庆祝活动还是会大大超过2002年的规模。该村登基六十周年庆典背后的推手大卫·郎认为皇室在“戴安娜之后忍受了民望低迷的漫长时期”。随着女皇年纪增大，人民“越来越尊敬她”。该村另一位退休人士琳达·尼克松则认为威廉王子的皇家婚礼重燃了人们对皇室的热情。她觉得威廉王子和他的弟弟哈利王子“就和普通老百姓一样”。
in the mass observation silver jubilee files, critics grumble about the monarchy costing too much or entrenching privilege. supporters say the queen confers global prestige or offers a bulwark against constitutional meddling by politicians. in short, the debate is about the best way to organise society. in both golden and diamond jubilee britain, by contrast, the issue is whether the queen deserves to be respected, and whether the public can relate to her. in short, individualism is all.
“大众观察”的二十五周年登基庆典文件记录着当时的批评者们对于皇室大肆开销，确立牢固的特权这两点甚是不满。而支持者们则认为女皇不仅在全球范围内带来威望，更是防止政客搅乱宪法的一道坚垒。简而言之，这场辩论的核心在于究竟什么才是最好的社会组织方式。相较之下，在五十周年和六十周年的庆典中，争论的中心转移到女皇是否值得人民尊敬，以及普通大众是否能认同她这些问题上。简而言之，个人主义高于一切。
diamond jubilee britain seems to be a hybrid. as in 1977, an unhappy nation fancies being cheered up, and the monarchy fits the bill. as in 2002, a truculent nation demands a monarchy on its own, emotional terms. is that sustainable? perhaps not, but it promises to be a fine party.
六十周年登基庆典下的英国似乎是一个混合体。和1977年一样，一个烦恼的国度想要让自己开心起来，而皇室正好给了它一个好理由。和2002年一样，一个暴躁的国度需要一个迎合情绪化国民的皇室。这两者是可以兼容的吗？也许不能，但这依然定会是一次美好的狂欢。