Contents
目录
01 Inaugural Address 2013
2013年就职演讲
02 Remarks on Election Night 2012
在2012年胜选之夜的讲话
03 Remarks After Surveying Damage from Hurricane Sandy
在考察“桑迪”飓风灾害之后的演讲
04 Remarks at the Pentagon Memorial Service in Remembrance of 911
在五角大楼911悼念仪式上的演讲
05 Remarks at a Campaign Event—Melbourne, Florida
在佛罗里达墨尔本竞选活动中的演讲
06 Remarks at Barnard College Commencement Ceremony
在巴纳德学院毕业典礼上的演讲
07 Remarks at the 18th Annual Gala for the Asian Pacific American
Institute for Congressional Studies
在第18届亚太裔美国研究所周年庆祝活动上的演讲
08 Remarks on World AIDS Day 2011
2011年世界艾滋病日讲话
09 Remarks at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Dedication
在马丁·路德·金纪念园落成仪式上的讲话
10 Remarks at A Concert for Hope for September 11
在911纪念音乐会《希望之声》上的讲话
11 Remarks on Osama bin Laden’s Death
关于奥萨马·本·拉登被击毙的讲话
12 Remarks at the White House Correspondent’s Dinner 2011
在2011年白宫记者协会晚宴上的讲话
13 Remarks on Innovation at Penn State University
在宾夕法尼亚州立大学关于创新的演讲
14 Remarks in State of Union Address 2011
2011年国情咨文演讲
15 Address to the U.N. General Assembly 2010
2010年在联合国大会上的讲话
16 Back-to-School Speech 2010
2010年新学期开学演讲
17 Remarks at West Point Grads
在西点军校毕业典礼上的演讲
18 Remarks at University of Michigan Commencement 2010
2010年在密歇根大学毕业典礼上的演讲
19 Remarks at Memorial Service for Miners of West Virginia
在西弗吉尼亚悼念矿工仪式上的致辞
20 Remarks on Health Insurance Reform in George Mason University
在乔治?梅森大学有关医保改革的演讲
21 Acceptance of Nobel Peace Prize 2009
2009年接受诺贝尔和平奖获奖感言
22 Remarks at Fudan University 2009
2009年在复旦大学的演讲
23 Fourth of July Message
独立纪念日献词
24 Remarks at Cairo University 2009
2009年在开罗大学的演讲
25 Remarks at Arizona State University Commencement
在亚利桑那州立大学毕业典礼上的演讲
26 Inaugural Address 2009
2009年就职演讲
27 Remarks on Election Night 2008
在2008年胜选之夜的演讲
28 Remarks on Remembrance Day 2008
2008年在阵亡将士纪念日的演讲
29 Remarks on Primary Night in New Hampshire
在新罕布什尔州初选之夜的演讲
30 Speech at the DNC 2004
2004年在民主党全国代表大会上的演讲
正文
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Vice President Biden,
Mr. Chief Justice, members of the United States Congress,
distinguished guests, and fellow citizens:
谢谢!谢谢!非常感谢大家!拜登副总统、首席大法官先生、美国国会议员们、各位贵宾、同胞们:
Each time we gather to inaugurate a President we bear witness to
the enduring strength of our Constitution . We affirm the promise
of our democracy. We recall that what binds this nation together is
not the colors of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the
origins of our names. What makes us exceptional—what makes us
American—is our allegiance to an idea articulated in a declaration
made more than two centuries ago:
每一次我们聚到一起举办总统就职典礼的时候,我们都在见证美国宪法历久弥新的力量。我们对民主的承诺矢志不渝。我们不会忘记,将这个国家紧密联系在一起的,不是人们的肤色,也不是每个人的宗教信仰,更不是我们姓名的起源。让我们与众不同的——也就是让我们成为美国人的——是我们对两个世纪前所发布的那份宣言中所阐述的一种理念的坚守:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness.”
“我们坚信这些是颠扑不破的真理:人人生而平等;造物主赋予了我们若干不可剥夺的权利;这些权利包括生存、自由和追求幸福的权利。”
Today we continue a never-ending journey to bridge the meaning of
those words with the realities of our time. For history tells us
that while these truths may be self-evident, they’ve never been
self-executing; that while freedom is a gift from God, it must be
secured by His people here on Earth. The patriots of 1776 did not
fight to replace the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a few
or the rule of a mob. They gave to us a republic, a government of,
and by, and for the people, entrusting each generation to keep safe
our founding creed.
今天,我们继续着一个永无止境的征程,在这些话语的意义与当今时代的现实之间架起一座桥梁。因为历史告诉我们,尽管这些真理是颠扑不破的,但是它们从来就不会自动生效;尽管自由是来自上帝的馈赠,但仍需要地球上他的这些子民去捍卫。1776
年的那些爱国者所为之奋斗的,不是用少数人的特权或者暴民统治取代君王的独裁。他们留给我们一个共和国,一个民有、民治、民享的政府,赋予了我们世世代代捍卫我们建国精神的权力。
And for more than two hundred years, we have.
在过去的200 多年里,我们就是这样做的。
Through blood drawn by lash and blood drawn by sword, we learned
that no union founded on the principles of liberty and equality
could survive half-slave and half-free. We made ourselves anew, and
vowed to move forward together.
通过鞭笞出的血泪和刀剑砍出的血光,我们懂得了,一个建立在自由与平等原则基础上的联邦,不可能在一半被奴役、一半是自由的状态下前行。我们让自己焕然一新,并立下了携手前行的誓言。
Together, we determined that a modern economy requires railroads
and highways to speed travel and commerce, schools and colleges to
train our workers.
我们大家都很确定,一个现代的经济体,需要铁路与高速公路来为旅行和商务交往提速,需要各类学校和大学来培训我们的工人。
Together, we discovered that a free market only thrives when
there are rules to ensure competition and fair play.
我们大家都发现,只有在规则能够保证竞争和公平竞赛的时候,自由市场才会繁荣。
Together, we resolved that a great nation must care for the
vulnerable, and protect its people from life’s worst hazards and
misfortune.
我们大家一致认为,一个伟大的国家必须照顾弱势群体,保护人民免受致命的伤害和不幸。
Through it all, we have never relinquished our skepticism of
central authority, nor have we succumbed to the fiction that all
society’s ills can be cured through government alone. Our
celebration of initiative and enterprise, our insistence on hard
work and personal responsibility, these are constants in our
character.
在整个过程中,我们从来没有放弃对中央集权的质疑,我们也从来没有屈从于这样的幻想,即所有的社会顽疾仅靠政府的力量就可以治愈。我们提倡敢为人先与奋发向上,我们坚持勤奋努力与个人责任,所有这些精神都是我们身上恒久不变的特质。
But we have always understood that when times change, so must we;
that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to
new challenges; that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately
requires collective action. For the American people can no more
meet the demands of today’s world by acting alone. No single person
can train all the math and science teachers we’ll need to equip our
children for the future, or build the roads and networks and
research labs that will bring new jobs and businesses to our
shores. Now, more than ever, we must do these things together, as
one nation and one people. Applause.
但是我们也清楚,时代在变,我们也要变;要忠于我们的建国精神,就需要我们对新的挑战作出应对;要从根本上保护我们的个人自由,就需要集体的行动。因为美国人不可能再靠单打独斗的方式应对当今世界的需求。没有哪个个人能够培养出全部的数学与科学老师,这些老师帮助我们的孩子作好赢得未来的准备,赢得新的工作机会和商机,包括建设道路、网络和实验室等。现在,比以往任何时候都更需要我们以一个国家、一个民族的方式,共同来做这些事情。(掌声)
This generation of Americans has been tested by crises that
steeled our resolve and proved our resilience. A decade of war is
now ending. Applause. An economic recovery has begun. Applause.
America’s possibilities are limitless, for we possess all the
qualities that this world without boundaries demands: youth and
drive; diversity and openness; an endless capacity for risk and a
gift for reinvention. My fellow Americans, we are made for this
moment, and we will seize it—so long as we seize it together.
Applause.
这一代美国人经受了各种危机的考验,这坚定了我们的意志,证明了我们的坚韧。历时十年的战争已经接近尾声。(掌声)经济复苏的大幕已经拉开。(掌声)美国拥有无限的可能,因为我们具备了这个没有边界的世界所需要的所有品质:年轻与干劲,多样性与开放性,冒险精神以及再创造的天赋。我的美国同胞们,我们就是为此刻而生,我们会把握好这个机会——只要我们大家一起努力。(掌声)
For we, the people, understand that our country cannot succeed
when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make
it. Applause. We believe that America’s prosperity must rest upon
the broad shoulders of a rising middle class. We know that America
thrives when every person can find independence and pride in their
work; when the wages of honest labor liberate families from the
brink of hardship. We are true to our creed when a little girl born
into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to
succeed as anybody else, because she is an American; she is free,
and she is equal, not just in the eyes of God but also in our own.
Applause.
因为我们广大的人民深知,在越来越少的人活得富足,而越来越多的人只能勉强度日的时候,国家不会成功。(掌声)我们相信,美国的繁荣必须紧紧依靠崛起的中产阶级那宽厚的臂膀。我们知道,当每个人都能在工作中找到独立与自豪的时候,当诚实劳动获得的薪水能让家庭远离困窘的时候,美国就繁荣了。我们一定恪守我们的信念,让一个家境贫寒的小女孩都能知道,她拥有的成功机会与所有人一样,因为她是美国人;她是自由的,也是平等的,这不仅由上帝见证,也由我们自己见证。(掌声)
We understand that outworn programs are inadequate to the needs
of our time. So we must harness new ideas and technology to remake
our government, revamp our tax code, reform our schools, and
empower our citizens with the skills they need to work harder,
learn more, reach higher. But while the means will change, our
purpose endures: a nation that rewards the effort and determination
of very single American. That is what this moment requires. That is
what will give real meaning to our creed.
我们深知,那些过时的计划无法满足我们这个时代的需要。所以,我们必须采用新理念和新技术重构政府,完善税制,改革学校,使公民能够获得各种必需的技能,更加努力地工作,学到更多的知识,实现更高的目标。但是,尽管所采用的方法可能不同,我们的目的却是一贯的:建设一个让每个人的努力和决心都能得到回报的国家。这就是此时此刻所要求的。这就是将给我们的信念赋予真正意义的做法。
We, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic
measure of security and dignity. We must make the hard choices to
reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit. But we
reject the belief that America must choose between caring for the
generation that built this country and investing in the generation
that will build its future. Applause. For we remember the lessons
of our past, when twilight years were spent in poverty and parents
of a child with a disability had nowhere to turn.
我们广大的人民仍然相信,每个公民都应该拥有安全和尊严的基本保障。我们必须作出艰难的抉择,降低医疗保险的成本,缩减赤字。但我们拒绝这一看法,即认为美国必须在赡养建设了这个国家的一代人和投资给即将建设这个国家的一代人之间作出非此即彼的选择。(掌声)因为我们牢记着过去的教训,那时,风烛残年只能在贫困中捱过,而家有残障孩子的父母求助无门。
We do not believe that in this country freedom is reserved for
the lucky, or happiness for the few. We recognize that no matter
how responsibly we live our lives, any one of us at any time may
face a job loss, or a sudden illness, or a home swept away in a
terrible storm. The commitments we make to each other through
Medicare and Medicaid and Social Security, these things do not sap
our initiative, they strengthen us. Applause. They do not make us
a nation of takers; they free us to take the risks that make this
country great. Applause.
我们不认为,在这个国家里,自由是那些幸运儿的专属,或者说幸福只能属于少数人。我们清楚,不管我们以多么负责任的态度生活,我们任何人在任何时候都可能面临失业、突发疾病或者在可怕的风暴中流离失所的窘境。我们以医疗保险、联邦医疗补助计划、社会保障项目等方式在相互间作出了承诺,这些事情不会打击我们的积极性,它们让我们更加坚强。(掌声)它们不会让我们的国家变为一个索取者的国度;它们让我们能放心大胆地去冒任何的风险,只要能让这个国家变得伟大。(掌声)
We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans
are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity. We will respond to
the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so
would betray our children and future generations. Applause. Some
may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can
avoid the devastating impact of raging fires and crippling drought
and more powerful storms.
我们广大的人民仍然相信,作为美国人,我们不只是对自己负有责任,我们还对所有的子孙后代负有责任。我们将积极应对气候变化的威胁,深知如果不这样做,就是背叛了我们的子孙后代。(掌声)有些人可能对这个几乎毋庸置疑的科学判断仍不以为然,但没有人能对肆虐的大火、严重的干旱、超强的暴雨造成的毁灭性影响熟视无睹。
注释
bear witness to 见证
tenet n. 原则,信条,教义
articulate v. 明确有力地表达
unalienable adj. 不可剥夺的
patriot n. 爱国者
thrive v. 繁荣,兴旺
vulnerable adj. 脆弱的,易受伤害的
relinquish v. 放弃
skepticism n. 怀疑,怀疑态度
succumb to 屈从于
fidelity n. 忠诚,尽责
bleak adj. 无希望的,冷酷的
revamp v. 修补,修改
twilight adj. 暮年的
sap v. 使衰竭,使伤元气