爲意大利末代王朝守靈的儀仗隊

ROME — For 136 years, the Honor Guard to the Royal Tombs of the Pantheon has stood watch over the mortal remains of the Savoy kings who formerly ruled Italy, paying a discreet, sober tribute to a once-powerful dynasty in recognition of its role in unifying the country.

羅馬——136年來，萬神殿皇陵儀仗隊一直守衛着曾經統治意大利的薩伏依王朝國王的遺骸，向這個曾經不可一世的王朝表達樸素而莊重的敬意，紀念他們在國家統一過程中扮演的角色。

Standing ramrod straight at the sides of the massive mausoleums commemorating King Vittorio Emanuele II and his son Umberto I, they are meant to remain silent, though more often than not they end up fielding questions from inquisitive tourists.

儀仗隊衛兵筆直地站在維托裏奧·埃馬努埃萊二世(King Vittorio Emanuele II)和兒子翁貝託一世(Umberto I)宏偉的陵墓兩側，他們本應該保持沉默，但卻常常要應付好奇的遊客提出的各種問題。

That is, when they are present. Despite recent efforts to attract new members, the ranks of the Honor Guard have grown thin, and the tombs are often unattended.

但他們也並不總在那裏。儘管最近一直在努力吸引新成員，儀仗隊的人數仍在減少，皇陵常常無人看護。

The guards themselves attribute the decline to the waning commitment to the Savoy kings among a younger generation of Italians who they say have forgotten values like patriotism. Others, however, point to the checkered history of the former royal family, and the troubles of their current heirs, which have done more to inspire tabloid headlines than passion for the family's long role in Italy.

儀仗隊自身把原因歸結爲，薩伏依國王在意大利年輕一代心目中的地位在降低，他們說，這些年輕人已經忘記了愛國主義這樣的價值觀。而另外一些人則將其歸因於這個曾經的皇室家族盛衰無常的歷史，以及他們如今的後代惹出的種種麻煩，後者更多時候成了八卦報紙的頭條，對家族在意大利的漫長曆史卻沒多大興趣。

King Vittorio Emanuele II, who died in 1878, played an essential part in founding modern Italy, and his memorial at the Pantheon in Rome is dedicated to the "Father of the Homeland." It also houses Umberto I, who was assassinated in 1900. Umberto's wife, Queen Margherita of Savoy, is buried next to him.

逝世於1878年的維托裏奧·埃馬努埃萊二世對現代意大利的建立起到了關鍵作用，萬神殿裏的埃馬努埃萊二世紀念館將他稱作“祖國之父”。萬神殿裏還安放着1900年被暗殺的翁貝託一世的遺體。翁貝託的妻子——薩伏伊皇后瑪格麗特(Queen Margherita)——就葬在他旁邊。

But the royal family was tainted for supporting the rise of Fascism in the years between the world wars, and in 1938 King Vittorio Emanuele III signed racial laws that discriminated against Jews. The king eventually dismissed Mussolini in 1943, but after signing an armistice with the Allies, he and his government fled German-occupied Rome for Brindisi, in Puglia, effectively leaving Italy's troops leaderless.

但該皇室家族卻因在兩次世界大戰之間支持法西斯主義的崛起而名聲受損，維托裏奧·埃馬努埃萊三世還在1938年簽署了歧視猶太人的種族法案。這位國王最終在1943年解除了墨索里尼的職務，但在與盟軍簽署停火協議後，他和當局政府逃離了德軍佔領的羅馬，前往普利亞大區的布林迪西，致使意大利軍隊羣龍無首。

The male descendants of the family were formally exiled as punishment in 1948, two years after Italians voted in a referendum to abolish the monarchy in favor of a republican government. That ban was lifted in 2002, but the family's reputation never fully recovered.

1948年，意大利公投廢除君主制、選擇共和政府兩年後，這個家族的男性子嗣被正式驅逐作爲懲戒。驅逐令在2002年被取消，但家族的名譽從未徹底恢復。

Even now, some visitors to the Royal Tombs of the Pantheon "come to insult us," said Giuseppe Persico, a police officer from Velletri, a town of about 50,000 in the Lazio region, as he carried out Honor Guard service on a hot August morning. "They think that Italy today is better than it was before," he added disdainfully.

即使現在，有些參觀萬神殿的遊客還“來侮辱我們”，一名正在儀仗隊中值崗的朱塞佩·佩西克(Giuseppe Persico)說道，八月的早晨天氣炎熱。他是一名來自韋萊特里(Velletri)的警察，該鎮位於拉齊奧區，人口五萬。“他們認爲意大利今天比過去要好，”他輕蔑地說。

Those attracted to the Honor Guard are apt to overlook the less-savory parts of the family's history, or are drawn to what they see as the larger, enduring values that they believe are represented in the institution of the monarchy. Many lament that young Italians feel little sense of civic duty.

被儀仗隊所吸引的人們往往忽略了家族歷史中不那麼光彩的篇章，或者是受到了在他們看來君主制所代表的更宏大、永恆的價值觀的驅使。許多人抱怨稱，年輕的意大利人沒有公民責任感。

"Believing in values like patriotism is fairly atypical among people my age," acknowledged Carmelo Raia, 22, a law student who last month traveled to Rome from Agrigento, Sicily, to stand guard in the Pantheon. Like most other new recruits, Mr. Raia labels himself a "history buff" who was drawn to the guards because of their emphasis on national identity, history and tradition. "My contemporaries don't even know the meaning of the word patriotism," he said.

“在我這個年齡的人中，信仰愛國主義這類價值觀是另類，”22歲的卡梅洛·拉亞(Carmelo Raia)說。拉亞是法律系學生，上個月從西西里島的阿格里真託來到羅馬守衛萬神殿。就像多數其他新兵一樣，拉亞說自己是一個“歷史迷”，被儀仗隊的士兵所感召，因爲他們重視民族身份、歷史和傳統。“我的同代人根本不知道愛國主義這個詞的意思，”他說。

For others, the values embodied in the Savoy dynasty are less than noble, and there is little sentiment in Italy for any kind of restoration.

對於其他人來說，薩伏伊王朝代表的價值觀談不上崇高，意大利也沒有任何要復興這種價值的意思。

The guards are commendable, because "right or wrong they believe in the ideals of the institution," said Lorenzo Del Boca, an essayist who has written extensively about the royal family. "But we only had disasters from the House of Savoy. With the exception of Umberto II, who was king for 40 days, there is little to say that is positive," he said.

這些士兵值得稱讚，因爲“不管怎樣，他們是相信那個制度的理想，”洛倫索·德爾博卡(Lorenzo Del Boca)撰寫過大量關於這個皇室家族的文章。“但我們從薩伏伊家族只得到了災難。除了擔任國王40天的翁貝託二世，沒有什麼積極的東西可言，”他說。

Trying to attract recruits, the Honor Guard relaxed its requirement that members belong to the military, and gradually opened to civilians. The spike in membership — topping 5,000 guards — peaked in 2006, a few years after the Savoy male heirs were allowed to return to Italy.

爲了吸引新成員，儀仗隊放寬了要求，成員不必來自軍方，逐漸對平民開放。成員最多的時候——超過5000名士兵——是在2006年，在薩伏伊的男性子嗣被允許回到意大利的幾年之後。

But numbers have dropped since then, in part because of the prince's legal troubles, but also because the novelty of the monarchy's return wore off. Today, the average age of the guards is between 50 and 60, and only about 5 percent are under 30.

但在此之後，這個數字出現了下滑，一個原因是這位王子在法律上惹下的麻煩，同時也因爲皇室後裔迴歸祖國的新鮮感已經退去。今天，儀仗隊士兵的平均年齡在50到60歲之間，只有約5%年齡在30歲以下。

A youth honor guard — the Giovane Guardia, or the Young Guard — took root, "but they've never been that numerous," said Capt. Ugo d'Atri, a retired navy officer who has tried to broaden the appeal of the Honor Guard since he was named its president in 2003. "And this I regret."

一個青年儀仗隊(Giovane Guardia)開始形成，但隊長烏戈·達特里(Ugo d'Atri)說“人數一直不多”。達特里是一名退役海軍軍官，2003年被任命爲隊長以來，他一直試圖增加儀仗隊的吸引力。“這讓我感到遺憾。”

Anyone can apply to become an honor guard, as long as the applicant does not have a criminal record and shares the ideals the institute promotes. But it can be a tough sell.

任何人都可以申請加入儀仗隊，只要申請者沒有犯罪記錄，且認同機構倡導的理念。但要招到人也並不容易。

"Our store offers the kind of merchandise that doesn't always find buyers," Captain d'Atri said, admitting the difficulties he has had in increasing the guard's ranks with like-minded people. "We're living in an increasingly global, consumerism-driven society. It's not a place where strong sentiments and values prevail."

“我們的商店提供的商品並不總是能找到買家，”隊長說，他承認尋找志同道合的人來壯大儀仗隊面臨很多困難。“我們生活在一個越來越全球化、受到消費主義驅動的社會。這不是一個強烈情感和價值觀佔上風的世界。”

The institute is not affiliated with any political party, and is not a revanchist movement. But it has been campaigning — with petitions and support of parliamentary bills — to bury in the Pantheon the remains of the four Savoy family members who died outside Italy during the exile. They are buried in Egypt and France.

該機構不附屬於任何政黨，也不是一個復仇主義組織。但它一直在呼籲——通過請願以及對議會法案的支持——把四名薩伏伊家族成員的遺骸埋在萬神殿。後者在流亡期間死在異鄉，目前葬在埃及和法國。

"I think that most people with a sense of history would agree with our request," Captain d'Atri said. So far, however, the bills have foundered in preliminary parliamentary commissions, suggesting the issue is not a priority.

“我認爲多數有歷史觀的人會支持我們的請求，”達特里隊長說。然而迄今爲止，這些法案已經在初步的議會委員會受挫，後者表示該問題並非當務之急。

Beyond any political questions, Captain d'Atri said, "it's like putting a photograph back into the family album." Bringing the remains back to the Pantheon, he said, would be an "act of reconciliation between those who voted for the republic and those who voted for the monarchy and their heirs — it's underscoring that this history belongs to Italy."

達特里說，拋開政治上的疑慮不談，“這就像是把一張照片重新放回家族的相冊裏。”他說，把他們的遺體送回萬神殿，將是“共和國的支持者與君主制及其後代的支持者的一次和解——這是在強調這段歷史屬於意大利。”