The last quarter of a century has seen the number of democracies and republics in the world explode from 40 to about 120. Monarchs, as a consequence, have come to seem as obsolete as court jesters or princesses in towers. Royalty is the stuff of fairy tales.
在最近的四分之一個世紀，世界上的民主國家和共和國從四十個暴增到大約一百二十個；因此，君主政體似乎已像宮廷弄臣或城堡的公主一樣式微了，王權成為童話的材料。
Yet in much of Asia, royalty is still a fact of life, a constant and living presence. In Thailand, king Bhumibol Adulyadej is just such a presence. In early June, Thais marked, with genuine joy, the 60th anniversary of the King's coronation-five days of dazzling celebrations attended by crowned heads from 25 nations.
然而，在亞洲，君主大多仍是活生生持續存在的事實。泰皇蒲美蓬是如此存在著；六月初，泰國人衷心歡慶他登基六十周年，來自二十五個國家的君王參加五天耀眼的慶典。
Not long ago, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck Of Bhutan startled the world by announcing that he will voluntarily dethrone himself to encourage democracy in his country. In nearby Nepal, King Gyanendra moved in the opposite direction, claiming absolute power for himself and reinstating his parliament only after his people rose up to protest his rule.
不久前，不丹國王旺楚克為了激勵國家的民主制度，宣布他將自動退位，因而震驚世界。在鄰近的尼泊爾，國王賈南德拉反其道而行，要求獨攬絕對的權力，並恢復議會，造成人民群起反抗他的統治。
Thailand's King possesses the moral authority. He knows that his role as King is to be a symbol, because (unlike a politician) he does not have to hustle and promote himself to win the people's favor. King Bhumibol is hugely admired across Thailand, acclaimed as a musician, painter, patent-holding inventor and philanthropist, who constantly goes around his kingdom offering development projects to help his people.
泰皇擁有精神道德權威，他知道自己身為國王的角色是一種象徵，因為他不必像政客一樣汲汲營營促銷自己，以贏得人民的支持。泰皇受到全國的愛戴，他以一位音樂家、畫家、擁有專利權的發明家，以及慈善家在他的王國走透透，提供了發展計畫，並且幫助子民而備受歡迎。
King Bhumibol seems to have mastered the art of remaining highly visible, yet at some level out of sight. His thoughts and longings are not chronicled in the daily papers; instead, he remains a figurehead who holds the country together by projecting an image of constancy, changeless even as he guides his nation through a series of dramatic, modernizing changes.
泰皇似乎已精通於保持高能見度，卻又某種程度淡出的藝術。他的思想和憧憬並非每天上報，而是以一個象徵人物，藉由投射堅貞的形象，讓國家團結在一起，甚至在他引領的國家，歷經一連串戲劇性現代化的變革時，讓他維持不變的形象。
In Japan, the imperial family stays in place partly thanks to a compliant press, which preserves a veil over its many difficulties, in part through a determination to keep its private lives relatively private. Monarchs can only function if we don’t look at them too closely, and quietly consent to the notion that they can bring us all together.
在日本，王室的存在，部分是因為順從的新聞界為王室的許多困境保留了神秘的面紗，而多少也因為王室決意保留其私生活秘而不宣。如果大家不緊盯著君主，而默認他們可以讓大家凝聚在一起的觀念，唯有如此君主才能發揮作用。
It's different in the West. In Scandinavia, royal figures endear themselves to their people by bicycling around just like everyone else; in Britain and Monaco, an omnipresent press spotlights the heir to the British throne.
在西方就不同了，北歐王室人物受到人民的愛戴，像其他每個人一樣，騎著腳踏車到處轉。在英國和摩洛哥，無所不在的新聞界，使王位繼承人成為眾所矚目的焦點。
Many of the kings of Asia have opened up to the modern, international world-King Bhumibol saw his oldest child marry an American; King Jigme was educated in Britain; and the Emperor of Japan married a commoner. Yet they have managed not to lose their dignity in the process.
很多亞洲的國王已對現代化的國際世界開放；像泰皇蒲美蓬的長女嫁給美國人，不丹國王吉格梅在英國受教育，日皇娶了平民。然而，君主已設法在這過程中不讓他們喪失尊嚴。