奥巴马就职演说全文

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Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address

My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedomFor us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sanh.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraintWe are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generationshttp://news.ifeng.com/world/spec ... 1_5433_978580.shtmlBarack Obama’s Inaugural Address

My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedomFor us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sanh.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraintWe are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generationshttp://news.ifeng.com/world/spec ... 1_5433_978580.shtml
我的国民:

我今天站在这,为我们眼前的任务感到谦卑,为你们给我的信任感激,为我们先人的牺牲不忘怀。我多谢乔治布什总统对国家的服务,以及他在整个权力过度过程展示的慷慨和合作。

至今44位美国人宣读过总统誓词。这些言词在繁荣潮起、在和平的风平浪静中说过,但很多时候,誓词是在阴霾密布中宣读。美国在这些时刻挺下去,不止是因为在位者的技巧或视野,而是因为我们人民坚信先人的理想,信守我们的立国文献。

过去如是,这一代美国人也如是。

我们正身陷危机,现在大家都很清楚了。国家正在打仗,对抗一个广大的暴力和仇恨网络。我们的经济严重地衰弱,是部份人贪婪和不负责任的结果,也是因为我们集体失败,未能作出艰难的决定,为国家进入新纪元作好准备。很多家没有了,工作被裁了,企业倒闭了。我们的医疗费太贵,我们的学校有负于太多人,每天都有新证据显示,我们用能源的方法,令我们的敌人强大,又威胁我们的星球。

这些都是危机的指针,有数据和统计。较难测量但同样影响深远的,是全国信心受重创,挥之不去的恐惧,担心美国衰落无可避免,担心下一代一定要降低期望。

今日我向你们说,我们面对的挑战千真万确,很严重也很多,不能轻易解决,不能短时间解决,但美国知道:挑战一定会克服。

这一天,我们聚首一堂,是因为我们选择希望,而非恐惧,选择目标一致,而不是冲突和争吵。

这一天,我们来宣布结束埋怨、虚假承诺、指摘和过时的条,它们窒息我们的政治太久了。

我们仍是一个年轻的国家,但正如《圣经》所说,是时候将孩子气放在一旁了。重申我们不灭精神的时候到了,去选取我们历史好的一面,去发扬那珍宝,那一代传一代的高尚理念:上帝承诺人人平等,人人自由,人人值得有机会追求快乐。

当我们再次肯定我国的伟大,我们知道伟大从来不是天生,而是争取得来的。我们的旅程从来没有走快捷方式,从不退而求其次。这不是胆小的人之路,这条路不是给那些喜欢安逸多于工作、只追求名利之乐的人。这条路是给肯冒险的人、做实事的人、创造事物的人的。这些人有些得到颂扬,但多数都是默默耕耘,是他们带领我们通过那漫长崎岖之路,通往繁荣和自由。

为了我们,他们收拾起仅有的财产,飘洋过海寻找新生命。

为了我们,他们在血汗工厂辛勤工作,在西部安顿下来,忍受鞭打,开垦恶土。

为了我们,他们战斗死亡,在康科德和葛底斯堡,在诺曼底和溪山。

一次又一次,这些男男女女挣扎牺牲,干活至双手粗糙,要让我们可以活得更好。他们以美国为大,大于小我,大于因出身、财富或派系的分歧。

今天我们延续这个旅程。我们仍是世上最富强的国家。我国工人的生产力,不输于危机开始的时候。还有我们脑袋的创造力不减,对我们货品和服务的需求,也不少于上周、上月或上一年。我们的能力并未衰减。但我们固守立场、保护狭隘利益和推迟作出不快决定的日子肯定已消逝。由今天开始,我们必须振作起来,拍掉身上的灰烟,再度开始重塑美国。

因为无论我们放眼那,都有工作要做。现时的经济情况亟待果断而迅即行动,而我们会手──不仅是创造新职位,而且是为经济增长奠下新基础。我们将修桥筑路,铺设电缆网络和数码线路,以协助商业发展,也让我们紧密联系。我们会让科学重归正当地位,运用科技的奇,提高健康水平和减少医疗开支。我们会撷取太阳、风力和泥土,为汽车提供燃料,让工厂运作。我们更会改变中小学和大学,迎合新时代的需要。这些我们都做得到。而且我们会手去做。

有些人质疑我们野心太大,他们说大计太多,政府应付不来。他们太善忘了。他们忘记了这国家的成绩;忘记了只要结合想象力和共同目标,结合需要和勇气,自由的人可以成就甚么事情。

愤世疾俗之辈没法理解的是,他们的论据已站不住脚──那些烦扰我们多时的陈腐政治论据,已不再合用。我们今天要问的,并非政府是否太大或太小,而是能否做出成绩──能否帮助家庭找到薪金合理的工作,获得负担得起的医疗照顾,以及过得到有尊严的退休生活。答案是肯定的话,我们就会看下一项;答案是否定的话,计划或要打住。我们这些管理公帑的人将要负起责任──钱要花得其所,改掉坏习惯,还要将一切决定公开──惟其如此,才可重建人民对政府的信任。

我们面对的问题,亦非市场力量是正是邪。市场创造财富、推动自由的威力,无可比拟,但这次危机提醒我们,欠缺监察的话,市场就会失控──而一个国家若偏帮富人,将不能得享长久的繁盛。我们的经济得到成功,除了端视我国国内生产总值之外,还要让更多人共享繁荣,以及让有心人得到机会──不是出于慈悲怜悯,而是因为这才是达到共荣的最确切途径。

至于共同防卫问题,我们不认为需要在安全和理想之间作出抉择。我国的开国元勋们,当年面对我们难以想象的险境,依然拟出确保法治和人权的宪章,并由历代人的鲜血加以发扬。那些理念至今仍照亮世人,我们断不会为一时之便而放弃这些理念。今天在看我们的各国政府和人民、由最宏伟的首都到家父出生的小村落,请听好:美国是每个国家的朋友,是想寻找和平与尊严的男人、女人和小孩的朋友,还有就是,我们已准备好,再一次领导世界。

要记得先辈压倒法西斯主义和共产主义,不只用导弹和坦克,还凭坚定的团结和不挠的信念。他们明了,单凭一己力量,我们不足以自保,更不能自把自为。反之,他们明白到,只有审慎运用,我们的力量才能壮大起来;我们的安稳,源自我们目标之正确、我们所作榜样的力量,还有谦卑与克制的温和质量。

我们是这个遗产的保存者。在这些原则的再次引领下,我们可以迎战需要更大努力、国家间更强合作和更大的理解而面对的新威胁。我们要开始负责任地将伊拉克,交还给该国人民,并在阿富汗打造要辛苦攫取的和平。在旧朋友和前敌人的陪同下,我们会努力不懈地减低核威胁,并逆转正在变暖的地球。我们不会为我们的生活方式道歉,也不会放弃防卫,对于那些透过恐怖手段和屠杀无辜者而达到目标的人,我们现在对你们说,我们的意志比你们更坚强,我们不会被击败,你们无法比我们更长久,我们会击败你们。

因为我们知道,祖先的遗产是力量,而非软弱。我们是一个基督徒、伊斯兰教徒、犹太教徒、印度教徒和无信仰者的国家。世界上每种语文和文化,塑造出我们。由于我们尝过内战和种族隔离的痛苦,我们能够更强和更团结地走出黑暗的一章。我们深切相信宿怨有一天会过去;种族部落间的裂缝很快会消弭;当世界变得越来越小时,我们的人性会彰显;美国必须扮演引导世界走向新和平纪元的角色。

对于穆斯林世界,我们基于互利和互相尊重的原则上,寻找新的前路。对于世界上那些散布冲突、或将自己社会的病态怪罪于西方的领袖:要知道你们的人民,会根据你的建设而非破坏去评核你。对于那些透过贪污、欺骗、打压异见者而稳住政权的人,要知道你们处于历史错误的一面,但如果你们愿意放松拳头,我们愿意向你们伸出手。

对于贫穷国家的人民,我们承诺与你一起,令你的农田肥沃,令洁净的水川流不息;令饥饿的身体得到滋养,并喂养饥饿的心灵。对于那些与我们一样,享受丰盛物资的国家,我们不能再对在国界外受苦的人漠不关心;我们也不能不理会效能地,耗用世界的资源。因为世界改了,我们也必须改变。

当我们考虑前路要怎样走时,我们要以谦虚的态度,记住那些每小时都在遥远沙漠和山区巡逻的勇敢美国人。他们今天有话跟我们说,就像长眠在阿灵顿国家公墓下的英雄一样,跨越世代向我们耳语。我们尊崇他们,不只因为他们是捍卫自由的卫士,也因为他们体现了服务的精神;这是一种寻找超越自身意义的意愿。在这个时刻,将会为一个时代下定义的时刻,我们正需要这种精神,居于我们全部人身上政府有许多事可以做和必须做,但这个国家建基的,始终是美国人的信念和决心。令我们得以度过黑暗时刻的美德,就是当大堤破裂时,救助一名陌生人的仁慈;就是工人宁愿减工时,也不愿看到一个好朋友失业。最后决定我们命运的,就是消防员走入浓烟密布的走廊的勇气,还有父母愿意培养小孩的热诚。

我们的挑战可能是新的。我们迎接挑战的工具也可能是新的。但令我们成功的价值,包括勤劳、诚实、勇气、公平竞赛、容忍、好奇心、忠诚和爱国,都是既有的。它们都是实实在在的。它们一直是我们跨越历史的寂静动力。所需要的,是回归这些真理。现在需要我们做的,是一个负责任的新时代,一个认知,就是每个美国人,都要对我们自己、我们的国家和世界负责。我们非但不能不情愿,相反要乐意地捉紧这些责任。我们要相信,没有任何事比全情投入迎接艰难的任务,更能满足我们的精神,更能为我们的性格下定义。

这就是做公民代价与承诺。

这是我们信心的泉源──就是对主感召我们塑造不明确命运的认知。

这是我们自由和我们信仰的意思──为甚么每个种族、每种信仰的男女和孩子能在这个宏伟的广场一起庆祝;为甚么一个父亲在差不多六十年前或在餐厅不获招待的男子今天能站在你们的面前,作出最庄严的宣誓。

因此,让我们铭记这一天,毋忘我们是谁、我们走了多远的路。在美国诞生的一年,在最寒的岁月,一小群爱国的人在冰封的河畔,围拢一堆营火余烬取暖。首都失守。敌人进攻。白雪染血。在我们革命成果备受疑惑的时刻,我们的开国父亲下令向人们宣读:

“告诉未来的世界……在严冬一无所有之际,只有希望和德行存活……这个城市和这个国家,必须迎上前克服共同的危难。”

美利坚。面对共同的危难,在我们困境的寒冬,让我们紧记这些不朽的文字。凭希望和德行,让我们再一次勇敢对抗冰冷的寒流,承受所有来袭的风暴。告诉我们孩子的孩子,当我们经历考验,我们绝不让这旅程终结,我们不掉头,我们不畏缩;放眼未来,有主给我们的恩典,我们带自由的赞礼向前进,将它安然相传给未来世界。