February-Priest Valentine relates his story
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关于"情人节"的来历，现存的版本很多。06年"情人节"到来之际，我们请到了传说中的圣·瓦伦丁，让他亲口讲述一段发生在克罗狄乌斯时代有关"神职之爱"与"世俗之爱"的故事。 故事发生在公元前250年左右，当时的罗马皇帝克罗狄乌斯为了扩军备战，下令禁止国人举行婚典。凡是一定年龄范围内的男子，都必须进入罗马军队，整个国家于是备受相思之苦。 牧师死的那一天是2月14日，公元269年的2月14日。
Let me introduce myself. My name is Valentine. I lived in Rome during the third century. That was long, long ago! At that time, Rome was ruled by an emperor named Claudius. I didn't like Emperor Claudius, and I wasn't the only one! A lot of people shared my feelings. Claudius wanted to have a big army. He expected men to volunteer to join. Many men just did not want to fight in wars. They did not want to leave their wives and families. As you might have guessed, not many men signed up . This made Claudius furious. So what happened? He had a crazy idea. He thought that if men were not married, they would not mind joining the army. So Claudius decided not to allow any more marriages. Young people thought his new law was cruel. I thought it was preposterous ! I certainly wasn't going to support that law! Did I mention that I was a priest? One of my favorite activities was to marry couples. Even after Emperor Claudius passed his law, I kept on performing marriage ceremonies -- secretly, of course. It was really quite exciting. Imagine a small candlelit room with only the bride and groom and myself. We would whisper the words of the ceremony, listening all the while for the steps of soldiers. One night, we did hear footsteps. It was scary! Thank goodness the couple I was marrying escaped in time. I was caught. (Not quite as light on my feet as I used to be, I guess.) I was thrown in jail and told that my punishment was death. I tried to stay cheerful. And do you know what? Wonderful things happened. Many young people came to the jail to visit me. They threw flowers and notes up to my window. They wanted me to know that they, too, believed in love. One of these young people was the daughter of the prison guard. Her father allowed her to visit me in the cell. Sometimes we would sit and talk for hours. She helped me to keep my spirits up . She agreed that I did the right thing by ignoring the Emperor and going ahead with the secret marriages. On the day I was to die, I left my friend a little note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. I signed it, "Love from your Valentine." I believe that note started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine's Day. It was written on the day I died, February 14, 269 A.D. Now, every year on this day, people remember. But most importantly, they think about love and friendship. And when they think of Emperor Claudius, they remember how he tried to stand in the way of love, and they laugh -- because they know that love can't be beaten! sign up :（应征入伍） preposterous : absurd,crazy（荒谬的） marry: to perform a marriage ceremony for(为…举行婚礼) a candlelit room: (点满蜡烛的屋子） |
Priest Valentine relates his story
