She can only hope never to live to old age: In her own words, Queen Victoria's unbearable grief after the death of Albert 　　阿尔伯特亲王去世之后，维多利亚悲痛万分。用她自己的话说就是希望尽早追随丈夫而去。 　　Her grief over the loss of her husband, Prince Albert, came to define her entire reign. 　　丧夫之痛贯穿了维多利亚统治生涯的大部分时光。 　　Now, on the 150th anniversary of his death, the extent of Queen Victoria’s despair has been laid bare in a previously unseen letter, in which she expresses the hope that she will go to an early grave. 　　今年是阿尔伯特亲王诞辰150周年，一封从未公诸于众的信件证实了维多利亚女王对亡夫的挚爱。信中女王表示希望尽快走进坟墓。 　　The remarkably candid letter, which has been acquired by London auctioneers Argyll Etkin, is thought to be the first in the public domain in which the Queen yearns for her own death, so she can be reunited with her husband.

　　这封直白的信件目前由伦敦拍卖行Argyll Etkin收藏。此信件被认为是第一封公开表明女王希望尽快死去与丈夫再相聚的信件。

图片来源：国际在线论坛

　　Queen Victoria and Prince Albert (right) whose death led to the Queen's abandoning her public duties for three years as she mourned his passing （Photo caption） 　　阿尔伯特亲王的离世使得维多利亚女王三年未参与政事，以此来表达其对亡夫的哀思（图片注释） 　　Albert died in 1861, at the age of 42. The couple had been married for 21 years and had nine children. 　　阿尔伯特亲王死于1861年，去世时年仅42岁。维多利亚夫妇共同生活了21年并育有9位子女。 　　Victoria wrote the ‘astonishing’ letter in March 1863, some 15 months after Albert’s death, to 82-year-old Viscount Gough, one of the most decorated military figures of the 19th century. 　　1863年，阿尔伯特亲王去世15个月后，维多利亚女王在写给82岁的高夫子爵（19世纪最杰出的军事人才之一。）一封‘令人震惊的’信件 　　Sending her condolences on the death of his wife, she wrote: ‘The Queen has heard with much concern of the sad affliction that has befallen Lord Gough and is anxious to express personally her sincere sympathy to him. 　　女王在信中表达了对高夫子爵夫人逝世的慰问。她写道：“我已得知降临在高夫子爵身上的不幸之事，在此特向你表达最真挚的同情之心。” 　　‘Irreparable as his loss is how blessed to have lived together until the evening of their lives with the comfort and hope of the separation being a short one. 　　“斯人已逝，无可挽回。幸在二人已至垂暮之年，希冀与欢乐共享数年，此分离乃短暂离别。” 　　‘To the poor Queen this blessing so needful to her has been denied and she can only hope never to live to old age but be allowed to rejoin her beloved great and loyal husband before many years elapse.’ 　　“对我而言，盼有如此境遇，无奈造化弄人。唯希望尽早离开人世，与我至亲至爱的丈夫再聚首。” 　　The letter was written on Windsor Castle ‘mourning paper’. It is edged with thick black borders, as is the envelope. 　　Ian Shapiro, from Argyll Etkin, said: ‘It is an astonishing letter. It is the first to reveal so much about the state of mind of the Queen a full 15 months after the death of her husband. 　　信件所用纸张是温莎城堡的服丧纸。信纸很厚并带有黑色边框，有如信封一般。来自rgyll Etkin拍卖行的伊恩·夏皮诺说：“这封信太令人吃惊了。这是第一封揭示丈夫离世15个月后维多利亚心理状态的信件。” 　　‘While her family knew about the despair she felt over Albert, to have conveyed it in a letter to someone outside the Royal Family underlines her deep sense of despair as does the use of the mourning paper.’ 　　“尽管皇室人员都知道对于丈夫的死女王悲伤至极，但是给皇室人员以外的人士写此种信件以及使用服丧纸来书写的情形来看，足够表明女王的绝望。” 　　In fact Victoria was to survive her husband by four decades, becoming Britain’s longest serving monarch.

　　众所周知，维多利亚女王在丈夫死去后又生活了40个年头生命才走到终点，她因此也成为了在位时间最长的君主。

图片来源：国际在线论坛

　　Queen Victoria survived her husband by four decades following his passing （Photo caption） 　　维多利亚女王在丈夫死去后又生活了40个年头生命才走到终点（图片注释） 　　She wore only black for the rest of her reign, which lasted nearly 64 years. 　　在丈夫死后的统治期间，维多利亚女王一直穿着黑色服装，一穿就是64年。 　　For three years after Albert’s death the Queen – who was also just 42 at the time – refused to appear in public, becoming known as ‘the widow of Windsor’. 　　阿尔伯特亲王死后3年间，42岁的维多利亚女王拒绝出现在公共场合，她因此也被冠以’温莎寡妇‘的称号。 　　The young Victoria met Albert, her cousin, in 1836, when she was 17. Soon after she wrote to his father, her Uncle Leopold, thanking him ‘for the prospect of great happiness you have contributed to give me in the person of dear Albert. 　　年轻的维多利亚在1836年遇见了自己的表兄阿尔伯特，当时女王17岁。不久，她便写信给自己的父亲，谢谢父亲’让自己遇见了阿尔伯特，让自己找到终身幸福。‘ 　　‘He possesses every quality that can be desired to make me perfectly happy.’ 　　“他身上拥有让我幸福的所有特质。” 　　They married in 1840 and lived in harmony until Albert was struck down by typhus. He died in the private apartments at Windsor, and after his death Victoria kept the room as a shrine. 　　两人于1840年结婚，自此生活幸福直至阿尔伯特亲王被风寒击倒。阿尔伯特死后，女王将其卧室变成了一座圣地。 　　She also demanded that none of his rooms – at Windsor Castle, Balmoral or Osborne House on the Isle of Wight – should ever be changed. 　　女王命令温莎城堡（英国南部怀特岛上）里阿尔伯特亲王居住过的百慕乐阁与奥斯本楼要维持亲王生前的样子，不许有任何改动。 　　When Victoria died in January 1901, at the age of 81, one of Albert’s dressing gowns was placed by her side in her coffin, along with a plaster cast of his hand. She was buried in her wedding veil. 　　维多利亚女王死于1901年1月，享年81岁。阿尔伯特生前穿过的一件便袍以及亲王的石膏手模安放进了女王的棺木里。结婚时的新娘面纱也与女王一同安葬。 　　The letter will go up for auction in the New Year.

　　这封信将于元旦期间进行拍卖。