纸笔传情 英国评选世界最伟大的情书
A heartfelt birthday message from Johnny Cash to his beloved wife June has been voted the greatest love letter of all time。
美国乡村音乐歌手约翰尼-卡什在爱妻生日时写下的一封情书被评选为史上最伟大的情书。In the simple, but plainly expressed missive the singer dubbed the Man in Black writes 'you're the object of my desire, the #1 Earthly reason for my existence'。
在这封简短但表达真挚的情书中，绰号为“黑衣人”的约翰尼-卡什写道：“你是我渴望的对象，是我生存于世的唯一理由。”
Written in 1994, the letter beat notes by Keats, Churchill, Jimi Hendrix and the great Hollywood lovers Richard Burton and Liz Taylor。
这封情书写于1994年，它在评选中打败了济慈、丘吉尔、吉米-亨德里克斯以及好莱坞最著名的恋人理查德-伯顿和丽兹-泰勒，荣登榜首。
In the Valentine's Day poll, the country music legend Johnny Cash's letter in which he writes to 'the greatest woman I ever met' on his wife June Carter's 65th birthday was regarded as the most moving。
在这项为庆祝即将到来的情人节的评选中，乡村音乐传奇歌手约翰尼-卡什在妻子琼-卡特65岁的生日上写给这位“他见过的最伟大的女人”的情书被认为是最感人的。In it he wrote, 'We got old and got used to each other. We think alike. We read each others [sic] minds. We know what the other wants without asking. Sometimes we irritate each other a little bit. Maybe sometimes we take each other for granted。
约翰尼-卡什写道：“我们渐渐变老，也早已习惯了彼此。我们想法一致、灵魂互通。无需询问我们便知道对方想要什么。偶尔我们也会惹对方不高兴，但那或许是因为我们真正把对方视作了理所当然的伴侣。”'But once in a while, like today, I meditate on it and realize how lucky I am to share my life with the greatest woman I ever met。
“有时候比如今天，我沉思之后意识到，能够与你这样一个我所见过的最伟大的女人共度余生，我是多么的幸运。”'You still fascinate and inspire me. You influence me for the better. You're the object of my desire, the #1 Earthly reason for my existence. I love you very much.'
“你令我着迷，给我灵感。你让我变得更加美好。你是我永远渴望的对象，是我生存于世的唯一理由。我爱你。”Winston Churchill's words of undying love to his 'darling Clemmie' in 1935 came second。
温斯顿-丘吉尔1935年写给他永远挚爱的“亲爱的克莱米”的情书排在第二位。Despite his many wives King Henry VIII makes an appearance in the list confessing his love to his second wife Anne Boleyn in 1527.
亨利八世虽然妻子众多，但他在1527年写给第二任妻子安妮-博林的情书让他榜上有名。Poet John Keats may be famous for his odes but he only manages third place on the table despite his way with words telling his next door neighbour Fanny Brawne that he can not live without her in 1819.
著名诗人约翰-济慈因擅长颂诗而闻名于世，但是他只排名第三。这封情书是1819年济慈写给他的邻居芬妮-布朗的，他要告诉她如果没有她他没法活下去。Jimi Hendrix's letter to his 'little girl' comes in at tenth as he encourages her to 'spread her wings'. The recipient of the letter is unclear but still earns itself a place in the top spot。
吉米-亨德里克斯写给他的“小女孩”的情书排在了第十位，信中他鼓励她“展翅飞翔”。虽然这封情书的收信人不详，但这并不影响它在前十名中占得一席之地。The poll to discover our favourite romantic message was commissioned by British life insurance company Beagle Street to encourage Brits to be more romantic on February 14.
这项评选由英国保险公司比格街发起，目的是寻找最喜爱的浪漫情书，并以此鼓励英国人在即将到来的情人节里能更加浪漫。In the battle of the sexes, it was men who came out on top in the romance stakes with nearly one in four (24 per cent) saying they have sent a love letter within the last year。
调查发现，男性在恋爱关系中处于主动地位，24%的受调查男性表示过去一年中曾向心仪的女孩写过情书。But after 38 per cent of women admitted that they had never written a love letter, 46 percent declared the tradition outdated。
而38%的受访女性则表示她们从未写过情书，46%的女性表示情书这种传统已经过时了。Londoners proved the most romantic in the country with 74 percent claiming to have penned a love note, while in the North East it was just 55 percent。
调查显示伦敦人是全英最浪漫的人，有74%的受访者表示曾写过情书，而在西北部这个比例只有55%。Beagle Street's managing director Matthew Gledhill says that a hand-written note is still appreciated even in the modern age。
比格街的总经理马修-格莱德希尔认为一封手写的情书即使在现代社会也依然令人欣赏。'A well-written love letter can stand the test of time and be a permanent record of affection so it is important the tradition doesn't die out。
“一封表达真挚的手写情书能够经得起时间的检验，而且能成为爱情的永恒记录，所以这项重要传统不会灭绝。”'We hope our research inspires people who have never written a love letter to take some time out and write down and share exactly how they feel with a loved one.'
“我们希望我们的调查能够启示那些从未写过情书的人们，花点时间坐下来写下你对恋人的爱、分享你的感情。”
