法兰西万岁 巴士底日：法兰西万岁

　　"Bastille Day" is the French national holiday, celebrated on 14 July each year. It is called Fête Nationale (National Holiday) in France, though it is generally referred to as "Bastille Day" in English. The day officially celebrates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, though it is often associated, even in France, with the Storming of the Bastille.
　　“巴士底日”是法国国庆节，每年7月14日都会举办庆祝活动。在法国，它被称为“Fête Nationale”（国庆节），不过在英语中却常常被叫做是“巴士底日”。这一天本是为了庆祝1790年的“联盟节”，不过却经常被与“攻陷巴士底狱”联系在一起，甚至在法国也是如此。
　　
　　Celebrations庆祝活动
　　
　　Military parades are held on the morning of 14 July, the largest of which takes place on the
　　Champs-_lysées avenue in Paris in front of the President of the Republic.
　　7月14日上午，会举行阅兵活动，其中最大的一次是在巴黎的香榭丽舍大街举行，接受共和国总统检阅。
　　
　　The parade opens with cadets from certain schools, then other infantry troops, then motorised troops; aviation of the Patrouille de France air force display team flies above. In recent times, it has become customary to invite units from France"s close allies into the parade; for instance, in 2004 during the centenary of the Entente Cordiale, British troops (the band of the Royal Marines, the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, Grenadier Guards and King"s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery) led the Bastille Day parade in Paris for the first time, with the Red Arrows (the Royal Air Force"s aerobatic display team) flying overhead.
　　这场阅兵的开场队伍是来自某些院校的军事学员，之后是其他步兵部队，然后是摩托化部队；空军表演队“法国巡逻兵”的飞机也会飞临上空。最近，邀请法国的亲密盟国派部参加阅兵成为了一种惯例；如，在2004年纪念《友好协议》签署百周年的庆典上，英国部队（皇家海军陆战队乐队、近卫骑兵团、掷弹兵卫队以及皇家骑兵炮队中的禁卫军部队）就首次走在了巴黎“巴士底日”阅兵队伍的前列，其中“红箭”（皇家空军特技飞行表演队）还贯空而过。
　　
　　The parade also involves the French Republican Guard, and occasionally police units; it always ends with the much-cheered and popular Paris Fire Brigade. The president then gives an interview to members of the press, discussing the situation of the country, recent events and projects for the future. He also holds a garden party at the Palais de l"Elysée, the presidential palace.
　　这场阅兵还包括法国共和国卫队以及偶尔受阅的警察部队；而且始终都是以备受喝彩和爱戴的巴黎消防队来收场。随后，总统会接受新闻界人士的采访，探讨本国形势、最新时事以及长远规划。另外，他还会在总统官邸“爱丽舍宫”举行花园聚会。
　　
　　Many cities hold fireworks during the night. Many dancing parties are organised and it is customary that firefighters organise them (bals des pompiers). Bastille Day also falls during the running of the Tour de France, and is traditionally the day upon which French riders will make a special effort to take a stage victory for France.
　　很多城市会在晚间施放焰火。舞会也会筹办多场，而且按惯例都是由消防队员来筹办的（称之为“消防员舞会”）。另外，“巴士底日”还适逢“环法自行车赛”，作为传统，法国骑手们会在这一天格外努力，力争为法国夺取一个赛段的胜利。
　　
　　History of the Modern Festivities节庆活动的由来
　　
　　On 30 June 1878, an official feast was held in Paris to honour the Republic (the event was immortalised in a painting by Claude Monet). On the 14th of July 1879, another feast took place, this time only semi-official - the events of the day included a military review in Longchamp, a reception in the Chamber of Deputies and a Republican Feast. All through France people celebrated.
　　1878年6月30日，巴黎曾举行了一次官方性的节庆活动来纪念共和国诞辰（这一活动被克劳德・莫奈载入画卷，成为永恒）。1879年7月14日，又举行了另一次节庆活动，而这一次只是半官方性的――当天的活动包括在隆尚举行的阅兵式、下议院招待会以及庆祝共和的宴会。举国上下的法国人都在举行庆祝活动。
　　
　　On the 21st of May 1880, statesman Benjamin Raspail presented a proposal to have "the Republic choose the 14 July as a yearly national holiday". The law was made official on the 6th of July 1880, and the Ministry of the Interior recommended that the day should be "celebrated with all the brilliance that the local resources allow". Indeed, the celebrations of the new holiday in 1880 were particularly magnificent.
　　1880年5月21日，政治家本杰明・雷斯帕尔提请“共和国将7月14日选定为年度国庆日”。1880年7月6日，正式立法，而且内政部还建议应当“充分利用本地资源来隆重庆祝”这个日子。也的确如此，在1880年，这一新假日的庆祝活动是格外盛大的。
　　
　　The Fête de la Fédération 联盟节
　　
　　The Fête de la Fédération of 1790 was a huge feast and official event to celebrate the arising of the short-lived constitutional monarchy in France and what people of the time considered to be the happy conclusion of the French Revolution.
　　1790年的“联盟节”是一个官方节庆活动，意在庆祝短命的君主立宪制在法国的出现以及在当时被看作是皆大欢喜的法国大革命结局。
　　
　　The event took place on the Champ de Mars, which was at the time quite far outside Paris. The place had been transformed on a voluntary basis by the population of Paris itself. Two 400,000 spectator earth steps were build on each side of the field. The river Seine was crossed by a ship bridge leading to an altar where oaths were to be sworn. A mass was celebrated by Talleyrand, bishop of Autun. The very popular General La Fayette, captain of the National Guard of Paris and confidant of the king, took his oath to uphold the Constitution, as did King Louis XVI.
　　这一活动是在“战神广场”举行的，那里在当时离巴黎市区还很远。巴黎本地人自发地将此地进行了一番修葺。在这个场地两侧修建起了两个拥有40万观众坐席的土质台阶。一座由船只搭建而成的桥梁横架于塞纳河之上，通向作为明誓之所的圣坛。欧坦主教塔列朗主持了弥撒仪式。极受爱戴的拉斐特将军（巴黎国民自卫队司令及国王的心腹之交）进行了宣誓，表示支持宪法，而国王路易十六也宣誓表示支持。
　　
　　After the end of the official celebration, there was a huge four day popular feast. The fete marked a reconciliation of the various factions in France.
　　在官方庆祝活动结束后，开始了为期四天的盛大民间节庆活动。这一节日标志着法国各派系达成了和解。
　　
　　The Storming of the Bastille 攻陷巴士底狱
　　
　　The Storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, was an important symbolic development in the French Revolution. Although at the time the Bastille contained only seven prisoners, its taking marked the beginning of open rebellion against the king.
　　在1789年7月14日攻陷巴士底狱是法国大革命中具有象征意义的重大进展。尽管巴士底狱在当时只关押着七名犯人，但它的陷落却标志着公开反抗国王的开始。
　　
　　During the reign of King Louis XVI, France was forced to confront a major financial crisis which had been brewing for decades. On May 5, 1789, the Estates-General convened to deal with this issue, but was held back by archaic protocols and the conservatism of the Second Estate (the aristocracy). On June 17, 1789, the representatives of the Third Estate (the common people - the First estate were the clergy) set themselves up as the National Assembly, a body whose purpose was the creation of a French constitution.
　　在国王路易十六统治时期，法国不可避免地遭遇了一场已经蛰伏了数十年之久的重大财政危机。1789年5月5日，召开了“三级会议”来应对这一问题，但是却受到了古制古法和第二等级（即贵族阶级）保守主义作风的掣肘。1789年6月17日，第三等级（即普通民众；第一等级是教士阶级）的代表自组“国民议会”，建立起了以制定法国宪法为宗旨的机构。
　　
　　The Bastille was a fortress, which acted as both a prison and a stronghold containing arms and soldiers. It was a powerful symbol of the despotic monarchy under which the people of France suffered. It became a target for the revolutionaries after the king dismissed the popular minister Necker - they feared a military clampdown was on the cards and that the National Assembly would be shut down.
　　巴士底狱是一座堡垒，既充当着监狱，又充当着存放武器和驻扎士兵的要塞。它是令法国人深受磨难的专制君主制的一个强烈象征。当国王将受人爱戴的大臣内克尔解职后，它便成为了革命者的一个标靶――后者担心可能会出现军事镇压，国民议会遭到关闭。
　　
　　The insurgents invaded the H_tel des Invalides military hospital to seize weapons and then headed for the Bastille. The attackers were mainly seeking to acquire the large quantities of arms and ammunition stored there - on the 14th there were over 13,600 kg of gunpowder stored at the Bastille. The garrison, reinforced on the 7th, consisted of just 32 men of the Salis-Samade regiment together with 82 other staff and guards.
　　反叛者冲入“荣军院”（军医院）抢夺武器，随后奔向巴士底狱。进攻人群主要是想夺取储存在那里的大量武器和弹药――巴士底狱在14日当天储存有超过1.36吨的火药。而曾于7日得到增援的卫戍部队，仅仅只有32名萨利-萨玛德军团成员和另外82名人员和卫兵。
　　
　　The crowd gathered outside around mid-morning, calling for the surrender of the prison, the removal of the guns and the release of the arms and gunpowder. Two representatives of the crowd outside were invited into the fortress and negotiations began. The negotiations dragged on and the crowd grew and also became impatient.
　　上午过半的时候，人群在外面聚集起来，要求移交监狱、撤走大炮并发放武器和火药。外面的人群中有两名代表被请进了堡垒，开始进行谈判。谈判久拖不决，而人群越积越多并开始变得不耐烦起来。
　　
　　Around 1:30pm, the crowd surged into the undefended outer courtyard. About this time gunfire began, though which side actually fired first will never be conclusively decided.
　　下午1:30分左右，人群涌入到没有设防的外院。大约就在这时，开始交火，不过，对于到底是哪方先行开火是永远都不会有定论了。
　　
　　The attackers were reinforced, and eventually Governor de Launay capitulated because he realized that his troops could not hold out much longer - he opened the gates at half past five.
　　进攻人群得到了增援，最后典狱长洛奈停止了抵抗，因为他意识到他的部队可能无法再撑下去了――他在5:30分时打开了大门。
　　
　　The successful insurrection at Paris spread throughout France. People organized themselves into municipalities for purposes of self-government, and into bodies of national guards for self-defense, in accord with principles of popular sovereignty and with complete disregard for claims of royal authority.
　　巴黎的这次成功起义席卷了整个法国。人们为了自治而自组了市政当局并为了自卫而组建了国民自卫机构，这与主权在民的原则是一致的并且是对皇权的完全漠视。
　　
　　Just as the French Revolution was a worldwide symbol of revolt against despotism, so too Bastille Day remains perhaps the most famous of national days across the globe, with only America"s Fourth of July as its competition. With its magnificent parades and parties, this celebration of the French Republic will continue long into the future.
　　正如法国大革命在世界范围内都是一种反抗专制的象征一样，“巴士底日”也许依旧是全球国庆日中最著名的一个，唯有美国的7月4日可与之一搏。这一庆祝法国共和体制的活动将与其盛大的游行与聚会一道长久地开展下去。
　　
　　Sources: French senate website, Wikipedia, Encyclopaedia Britannica
　　文献出处：法国参议院网站、维基百科以及《大英百科全书》