雙語閱讀：英夫婦相守65載同日離世

摘要：他們兩人始終遵守承諾、不離不棄，已經攜手走過了65年。她過完89歲生日的48個小時之後離開了人世，而他怎能忍受沒有她的生活呢?

He was a dashing D-Day veteran and she a blushing bride in white when they vowed to love each other in sickness and in health.

For 65 years Harry and Mavis Stevenson stayed true to that promise, and when she died just 48 hours after her 89th birthday, he could not bear to be without her.

彼時，他是一名二戰的退伍兵，而她是一位美麗害羞的少女，他們一起許下承諾：無論生老病死、相互陪伴一生。

此時，他們兩人始終遵守承諾、不離不棄，已經攜手走過了65年。她過完89歲生日的48個小時之後離開了人世，而他怎能忍受沒有她的生活呢?

Yesterday their nephew Stephen Cresswell told how 88-year-old Mr Stevenson died within minutes of his beloved wife after they spent their last night holding hands while they slept in a care home.

兩人的侄子斯蒂芬·克雷斯韋爾向我們講述了斯蒂文森夫婦哈利·斯蒂文森和梅維斯·斯蒂文森之間平凡而感人的愛情，以及斯蒂文森先生在妻子離世後隨她而去時的情景。

He said: ‘The staff told Harry very gently that she had passed away and said he shed two or three tears. Then they tended to Mavis and the next time they looked over at Harry, he was gone.

斯蒂芬說：“當護理中心的工作人員非常婉轉地告訴哈利‘梅維斯去世了’的時候他只掉了幾滴眼淚。之後當工作人員就去料理梅維斯的後事，而當他們再次看到哈利的時候，他也已經離開這個世界了。”

‘It was less than ten minutes later. He was lying next to her in a separate bed at the time. They shared a room in the home and the staff had pushed the beds together the night before.

“這前後還不到十分鐘的時間。當時他躺在她旁邊的一張牀上。他倆之前住在一個屋子裏，所以工作人員把兩人的牀推到了一起。”

‘They told me he was holding her hand all that final night.’

“工作人員稱在最後的這整整一個晚上他都握着她的手。”

He added: ‘Although it is incredibly sad it is also incredibly wonderful that right until the very end they were together and neither of them had to be alone. Their love lasted and they were devoted to each other. I can imagine them being together now, after their death, side by side.’

斯蒂芬說：“這聽起來非常傷感，但也不得不說這其實也非常美滿，因爲他們直到生命的盡頭也依然沒有分開，兩人都未曾丟下過對方。他們彼此深愛，從始至終。我能想象到現在他們雖然已經離開這個世界，但依然在一起的樣子。”

The couple from Derby refused to be separated throughout their life. When Mrs Stevenson’s health deteriorated, her husband insisted on moving into the care home as well so he could be with her.

這對德比郡的夫婦一生都未曾與對方分開過。當梅維斯的健康狀況惡化時，哈利堅持要和她一起搬到護理中心，以便能和她在一起。

Mr Cresswell, 53, said that Mr Stevenson was in better health than his wife and relatives were not expecting his death on November 3.

今年53歲的斯蒂芬說，哈利比梅維斯的身體要好，親戚們都沒想到他會在11月3日去世。

The couple met at a social club aged 16 and began courting before Harry signed up to fight in the Second World War on his 17th birthday in 1943. He became a Royal Marine Commando and took part in the D-Day Normandy landings.

哈利和梅維斯16歲的時候在一個俱樂部裏相遇，並迅速墜入愛河。1943年17歲的哈利入伍參加二戰，成爲皇家海軍突擊隊中的一員，並參與了著名的諾曼底登陸戰役。

Later he was transferred to the Far East to fight the Japanese. But wherever he was he wrote to his sweetheart – even after he was shot in the hand.

之後他又被派往遠東參與同日本的作戰。但是無論他到那裏，他都堅持寫信給他心愛的梅維斯，即使是在戰場上手臂中彈的時候。

In one letter he said: ‘I am glad to know that you are still in love with me. I know you are, Mavis, and you should know that I am very much in love with you.’ Other letters found by Mr Creswell show that Mr Stevenson sometimes wrote to her twice a day – in the morning and in the afternoon.

他曾在一封信中寫道：“我非常高興，你依然愛着我。我知道的，梅維斯，你也要相信我也非常非常愛你。”從斯蒂芬拿出的這些信件中可以看到，哈利有時會在一天之內寫兩封信給梅維斯，上午寫一封，下午寫一封。

Mr Cresswell believes the couple’s bond was so strong because they were separated during the war and did not want to ever be parted again.

斯蒂芬認爲斯蒂文森夫婦的感情相當好，因爲即使因戰爭而分離他們也從未想過離開對方。

They married in 1949 and Mr Stevenson found a job as a joiner. He carried on working even after his hand was amputated as a result of lasting damage from his war injuries.

兩人於1949年結婚。哈利成爲了一名木匠，即使他的一隻手因爲戰爭中受傷而被截肢，他也依然堅持繼續工作。

After retiring, he volunteered as a cricket groundsman and umpire and continued to run half-marathons well into his 60s.

退休之後，哈利當了一名板球球場的志願管理員和裁判員，而且在六十多歲的時候仍堅持跑半程馬拉松。

Although the couple never had any children, they lavished love on their extended family and were renowned for their Boxing Day lunches.

雖然兩人沒有子女，但他們把愛給與他們的親戚，並一直爲家人們做節禮日午餐。

Mr Cresswell said: ‘They wanted to be together. There was no way of separating them. They were as close as any couple I have known. They never had a serious argument and were soulmates.’

斯蒂芬說：“他們希望彼此廝守在一起。沒有任何事情能把他們分開。他們和我所認識的所有夫婦一樣親密相愛。他們從沒激烈爭吵過，他們是靈魂伴侶。”

The couple’s joint funeral is due to take place on Thursday.

斯蒂文森夫婦的葬禮將於本週四舉行。

　　相關閱讀：唯美經典英文愛情句子

1、Love makes man grow up or sink down.

愛情，要麼讓人成熟，要麼讓人墮落。

2、Happiness is to find someone who can give you warm and share your life together.

幸福，就是找一個溫暖的人過一輩子。

3、I acted like it wasn’t a big deal, when really it was breaking my heart.

我裝作一切都無所謂，雖然我已心力交瘁。

4、Sometimes I miss you so much that I can hardly stand it.

有時候我好想你，想到無法承受。

5、You’re not making me jealous. You’re making me wonder what I saw you in the first place.

你不是在讓我吃醋，你這是在讓我懷疑當初我所認識的你。

6、If you fall in love with your Mr. Right, every day is like Valentine’s Day.

其實愛對了人，情人節每天都過。

7、Sometimes our vision clears only after our eyes are washed away with tears.

有時候，惟有一場眼淚，我們才徹底清晰了視線。

8、Love is not a matter of counting the days. It’s making the days count.

愛情不是數着日子過去，它讓每個日子都變得有意義。

9、It takes three seconds to say “I love you”, three hours to explain it, and a lifetime to prove it.

“我愛你”三個字，講出來只要三秒鐘，解釋要三小時，證明卻要一輩子。

10、Sometimes when you think the sky is about to fall down, you might be standing tilted!

有時候你以爲天要塌下來了，其實是自己站歪了!

11、Often likes a person, does not need any reason; Don’t like a person, but have a lot of excuses!

往往喜歡一個人的時候，不需要任何理由;不喜歡一個人的時候，卻擁有很多借口!

12、When you really love something when you will find language how fragile and limp. Text and feeling always have the estrangement.

當你真正愛一樣東西的時候，你就會發現語言多麼的脆弱和無力，文字與感覺永遠有隔閡。

13、The strongest man in the world is the man who stands alone.

這世界上最強大的人，就是那些能一個人孤單生活的人。

14、I am not addicted to text. I am addicted to who I am texting.

我不是對發短信上癮，而是對和我發短信那人上癮。

15、It’s easy to forget things you want to remember. It’s hard to forget things you don’t want to remember.

生活中很奇怪的是，你很容易忘記你想記得的事情，卻不容易忘記你想忘掉的事情。

16、When I’m with you, time stands still.

當我們在一起，時間都靜止了。

17、When you finally get your own happiness, you will understand the previous sadness is kind of treasure, which makes you better hold and cherish the one you love.

人一生可能愛很多次，等你找到真正的幸福後，就會明白之前的傷痛其實是種財富，它讓你學會更好地去把握和珍惜你所愛的人。

18、If someone hurts you, please continue good good, to enjoy life, hurt the same. One day, that person will be sorry to miss you.

如果有人傷害了你，請一如既往的善良美好，好好享受生活享受愛情，就像沒受過傷一樣，終有一天那個人會後悔錯過你。

19、If you want to conquer fear, don’t sit at home and think about it. Go out and get busy.

如果你想征服恐懼，不要坐在家裏去胡思亂想。走出去，讓自己忙碌起來。這就是戰勝恐懼最有效的方法。

20、If you do not leave, I will in life and death.

你若不離不棄，我必生死相依。