The name of an old English kingdom, and now also the name of a part of England in stories.

The name of an old English kingdom Wessex是一個古英格蘭王國的名字, and而 now also the name of a part of England in stories現在也是故事裡英格蘭某個地區的名字。

Long ago, before England was one country, the island held several small Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. Wessex was the one in the south and southwest. It mattered because it was the one that lasted: its king, Alfred the Great, held out against the Vikings in the 800s, and it was Wessex's royal family that ended up ruling all of England — so in a real sense England grew out of Wessex.

Long ago, before England was one country很久以前，在英格蘭還不是一個國家的時候, the island這座島 held several small Anglo-Saxon kingdoms上有好幾個小小的盎格魯撒克遜王國。Wessex Wessex was the one in the south and southwest是位於南部和西南部的那一個。It它 mattered because it was the one that lasted之所以重要，是因為它是撐下來的那個: its king, Alfred the Great它的國王，阿佛烈大帝, held out against the Vikings in the 800s在九世紀時擋住了維京人, and而 it was Wessex's royal family that ended up ruling all of England最後就是Wessex的王室最終統治了整個英格蘭 — so所以 in a real sense England grew out of Wessex某種意義上，英格蘭是從Wessex長出來的。

That is the history. The second use is literary.

That is the history這是歷史上的用法。The second use is literary第二個用法是文學上的。

The novelist Thomas Hardy (1840–1928) took this dead name off the map and used it for the setting of his novels — a countryside of small farms and small towns, closely based on the real southwest of England, especially Dorset, where he lived. He changed the town names but kept the real shape of the land. He did this so well that *Wessex* came back into ordinary English: hotels, buses, and businesses in that part of England still use the name today, and people there will talk about "Wessex" meaning simply their own region.

The novelist Thomas Hardy (1840–1928)小說家湯瑪斯．哈代（Thomas Hardy，1840–1928） took this dead name off the map把這個從地圖上消失的名字拿回來 and而 used it for the setting of his novels用來當作他小說的背景設定 — a countryside of small farms and small towns一片由小農場和小鎮組成的鄉間, closely based on the real southwest of England, especially Dorset, where he lived緊密根據他居住的英格蘭西南部，尤其是多塞特郡而寫成。He他 changed the town names but kept the real shape of the land改了小鎮的名字，但保留了那片土地真實的樣貌。He did this so well他做得太成功 that *Wessex* came back into ordinary English以至於Wessex又重新回到日常英文裡: hotels, buses, and businesses in that part of England still use the name today那個地區的飯店、公車、商家現在還在用這個名字, and而 people there will talk about "Wessex" meaning simply their own region當地人聊天講到「Wessex」，指的就是他們自己的地區。

So the word carries a feeling as well as a fact — old, rural, English, a bit romantic. It is a proper name, always capitalised, and you would meet it in history books, in Hardy's novels, or on a map of the West Country.

So所以 the word carries a feeling as well as a fact這個字帶著的不只是事實，還有一種感覺 — old, rural, English, a bit romantic古老、鄉村、英格蘭式、帶點浪漫。It它 is a proper name, always capitalised是專有名詞，永遠大寫, and而 you你 would meet it in history books, in Hardy's novels, or on a map of the West Country會在歷史書、哈代的小說，或西南英格蘭地圖上遇到它。