爱华网无论从现实意义还是文本意义上讲，美国总统奥巴马的两次就职演说均颇具研析价值。相比2009年，开启第二个任期的奥氏在2013年的演讲中更加自信、务实，这在一定程度上暗示华府今后四年的内政外交方向……
【2013年奥巴马就职演讲】
【关键词：人民、时间、共同、民族、更多、自由、旅程、平等】
当地时间2013年1月21日中午(北京时间21日晚-22日凌晨)，美国总统奥巴马在国会山公开宣誓后发表第二任期就职演讲，演讲强调美国建国精神，并提及就业、医疗、移民、气候、同性恋、儿童安全等多项议题。以下为奥巴马就职演说全文：
拜登副总统、首席大法官先生、国会议员们、尊敬的各位嘉宾、亲爱的公民们：
（Vice President Biden, Mr. Chief Justice, Members of the UnitedStates Congress, distinguished guests, and fellowcitizens:）
每一次我们集会庆祝总统就职，我们都在见证美国宪法的持久力量。我们都在确认美国民主的承诺。我们重申，将这个国家紧密联系在一起的不是我们的肤色，也不是我们信仰的教条，更不是我们族名的来源。让我们与众不同，让我们成为美国人的是，我们对于一种理念的恪守。200多年前，这一理念在一篇宣言中被清晰表明：
（Each time we gather toinaugurate a president, we bear witness to the enduring strength ofour Constitution. We affirm the promise of our democracy. We recallthat what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skinor the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names. What makesus exceptional – what makes us American – is our allegiance to anidea, articulated in a declaration made more than two centuriesago:）
“我们认为下述真理是不言而喻的：人人生而平等。造物主赋予他们若干不可剥夺的权利，包括生命权、自由权和追求幸福的权利。”
（“We hold these truths to beself-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowedby their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among theseare Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”）
今天，我们继续着这一未竟的征程，架起这些理念与我们时代现实之间的桥梁。因为历史告诉我们，即便这些真理是不言而喻的，它们也从来不会自动生效。因为虽然自由是上帝赋予的礼物，但仍需要世间的子民去捍卫。1776年，美国的爱国先驱们不是只为了推翻国王的暴政而战，也不是为赢得少数人的特权，建立暴民的统治。先驱们留给我们一个共和国，一个民有、民治、民享的政府。他们委托每一代美国人捍卫我们的建国信条。
（Today we continue a never-ending journey, to bridge the meaning ofthose words with the realities of our time. For history tells usthat while these truths may be self-evident, they have never beenself-executing; that while freedom is a gift from God, it must besecured by His people here on Earth. The patriots of 1776 did notfight to replace the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a fewor 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 safeour founding creed.）
在过去的200多年里，我们做到了。
（For more than two hundred years, we have.）
从奴役的血腥枷锁和刀剑的血光厮杀中我们懂得了，建立在自由与平等原则之上的联邦不能永远维持半奴隶和半自由的状态。我们赢得了新生，誓言共同前进。
（Through blood drawn by lash and blood drawn by sword, we learnedthat no union founded on the principles of liberty and equalitycould survive half-slave and half-free. We made ourselves anew, andvowed to move forward together.）
我们共同努力，建立起现代的经济体系。架设铁路与高速公路，加速了旅行和商业交流。建立学校与大学，培训我们的工人。
（Together, we determined that a modern economy requires railroadsand highways to speed travel and commerce; schools and colleges totrain our workers。）
我们一起发现，自由市场的繁荣只能建立在保障竞争与公平竞争的原则之上。
（Together, we discovered that a free market only thrives when thereare rules to ensure competition and fair play.）
我们共同决定让这个伟大的国家远离危险，保护她的人民不受生命威胁和不幸的侵扰。一路走来，我们从未放弃对集权的质疑。
（Together, we resolved that a great nation must care for thevulnerable, and protect its people from life’s worst hazards andmisfortune.）
我们同样不屈服于这一谎言：一切的社会弊端都能够只靠政府来解决。我们对积极向上与奋发进取的赞扬，我们对努力工作与个人责任的坚持，这些都是美国精神的基本要义。
（Through it all, we have never relinquished our skepticism ofcentral authority, nor have we succumbed to the fiction that allsociety’s ills can be cured through government alone. Ourcelebration of initiative and enterprise; our insistence on hardwork and personal responsibility, these are constants in ourcharacter.）
我们也理解，时代在变化，我们同样需要变革。对建国精神的忠诚，需要我们肩负起新的责任，迎接新的挑战。保护我们的个人自由，最终需要所有人的共同努力。因为美国人不能再独力迎接当今世界的挑战，正如美国士兵们不能再像先辈一样，用步枪和民兵同敌人(法西斯主义与共产主义)作战。一个人无法培训所有的数学与科学老师，我们需要他们为了未来去教育孩子们。一个人无法建设道路、铺设网络、建立实验室来为国内带来新的工作岗位和商业机会。现在，与以往任何时候相比，我们都更需要团结合作。作为一个国家，一个民族团结起来。
（But we have always understood that when times change, so must we;that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses tonew challenges; that preserving our individual freedoms ultimatelyrequires collective action. For the American people can no moremeet the demands of today’s world by acting alone than Americansoldiers could have met the forces of fascism or communism withmuskets and militias. No single person can train all the math andscience teachers we’ll need to equip our children for the future,or build the roads and networks and research labs that will bringnew jobs and businesses to our shores. Now, more than ever, we mustdo these things together, as one nation, and onepeople.）
这一代美国人经历了危机的考验，经济危机坚定了我们的决心，证明了我们的恢复力。长达十年的战争正在结束，经济的复苏已经开始。美国的可能性是无限的，因为我们拥有当今没有边界的世界所需要的所有品质：年轻与活力、多样性与开放、无穷的冒险精神以及创造的天赋才能。我亲爱的同胞们，我们正是为此刻而生，我们更要在此刻团结一致，抓住当下的机会。
（This generation of Americans has been tested by crises thatsteeled our resolve and proved our resilience. A decade of war isnow ending. An economic recovery has begun. America’s possibilitiesare limitless, for we possess all the qualities that this worldwithout boundaries demands: youth and drive; diversity andopenness; an endless capacity for risk and a gift for reinvention.My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seizeit – so long as we seize it together.）
因为我们，美国人民，清楚如果只有不断萎缩的少数人群体获得成功，而大多数人不能成功，我们的国家就无法成功。我们相信，美国的繁荣必须建立在不断上升的中产阶级的宽阔臂膀之上，我们知道美国的繁荣只有这样才能实现。只有当每个人都能找到工作中的自立与自豪时才能实现。只有当诚实劳动获得的薪水足够让家庭摆脱困苦的悬崖时才能实现。我们忠诚于我们的事业，保证让一个出生于最贫穷环境中的小女孩都能知道，她有同其他所有人一样的成功机会。因为她是一个美国人，她是自由的、平等的。她的自由平等不仅由上帝来见证，更由我们亲手保护。
（For we, the people, understand that our country cannot succeedwhen a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely makeit. We believe that America’s prosperity must rest upon the broadshoulders of a rising middle class. We know that America thriveswhen every person can find independence and pride in their work;when the wages of honest labor liberate families from the brink ofhardship. We are true to our creed when a little girl born into thebleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed asanybody else, because she is an American, she is free, and she isequal, not just in the eyes of God but also in our own.）
我们知道，我们已然陈旧的程序不足以满足时代的需要。我们必须应用新理念和新技术重塑我们的政府，改进我们的税法，改革我们的学校，让我们的公民拥有他们所需要的技能，更加努力地工作，学更多的知识，向更高处发展。这意味着变革，我们的目标是：国家可以奖励每个美国人的努力和果断。这是现在需要的。这将给我们的信条赋予真正的意义。
（We understand that outworn programs are inadequate to the needs ofour time. We must harness new ideas and technology to remake ourgovernment, revamp our tax code, reform our schools, and empowerour citizens with the skills they need to work harder, learn more,and reach higher. But while the means will change, our purposeendures: a nation that rewards the effort and determination ofevery single American. That is what this moment requires. That iswhat will give real meaning to our creed.）
我们，人民，仍然认为，每个公民都应当获得基本的安全和尊严。我们必须做出艰难抉择，降低医疗成本，缩减赤字规模。但我们拒绝在照顾建设国家的这一代和投资即将建设国家的下一代间做出选择。因为我们记得过去的教训：老年人的夕阳时光在贫困中度过，家有残障儿童的父母无处求助。我们相信，在这个国家，自由不只是那些幸运儿的专属，或者说幸福只属于少数人。我们知道，不管我们怎样负责任地生活，我们任何人在任何时候都可能面临失业、突发疾病或住房被可怕的飓风摧毁的风险。我们通过医疗保险、联邦医疗补助计划、社会保障项目向每个人做出承诺，这些不会让我们的创造力衰竭，而是会让我们更强大。这些不会让我们成为充满不劳而获者的国度，这些让我们敢于承担风险，让国家伟大。
（We, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basicmeasure of security and dignity. We must make the hard choices toreduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit. But wereject the belief that America must choose between caring for thegeneration that built this country and investing in the generationthat will build its future. For we remember the lessons of ourpast, when twilight years were spent in poverty, and parents of achild with a disability had nowhere to turn. We do not believe thatin this country, freedom is reserved for the lucky, or happinessfor the few. We recognize that no matter how responsibly we liveour lives, any one of us, at any time, may face a job loss, or asudden illness, or a home swept away in a terrible storm. Thecommitments we make to each other – through Medicare, and Medicaid,and Social Security – these things do not sap our initiative; theystrengthen us. They do not make us a nation of takers; they free usto take the risks that make this country great.）
我们，人民，仍然相信，我们作为美国人的义务不只是对我们自己而言，还包括对子孙后代。我们将应对气候变化的威胁，认识到不采取措施应对气候变化就是对我们的孩子和后代的背叛。一些人可能仍在否定科学界的压倒性判断，但没有人能够避免熊熊火灾、严重旱灾、更强力风暴带来的灾难性打击。通向可再生能源利用的道路是漫长的，有时是困难的。但美国不能抵制这种趋势，我们必须引领这种趋势。我们不能把制造新就业机会和新行业的技术让给其他国家，我们必须明确这一承诺。这是我们保持经济活力和国家财富(我们的森林和航道，我们的农田与雪峰)的方法。这将是我们保护我们星球的办法，上帝把这个星球托付给我们。这将给我们的建国之父们曾宣布的信条赋予意义。
（We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americansare not just to ourselves, but to all posterity. We will respond tothe threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do sowould betray our children and future generations. Some may stilldeny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid thedevastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and morepowerful storms. The path towards sustainable energy sources willbe long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist thistransition; we must lead it. We cannot cede to other nations thetechnology that will power new jobs and new industries – we mustclaim its promise. That is how we will maintain our economicvitality and our national treasure – our forests and waterways; ourcroplands and snowcapped peaks. That is how we will preserve ourplanet, commanded to our care by God. That’s what will lend meaningto the creed our fathers once declared.）
我们，人民，仍然相信持久的安全与和平，不需要持续的战争。我们勇敢的士兵经受了战火的考验，他们的技能和勇气是无可匹敌的。我们的公民依然铭记着那些阵亡者，他们非常清楚我们为自由付出的代价。明白他们的牺牲将让我们永远对那些试图伤害我们的势力保持警惕。但我们也是那些赢得和平而不只是战争的人们的后代，他们将仇敌转变成最可靠的朋友，我们也必须把这些经验带到这个时代。
（We, the people, still believe that enduring security and lastingpeace do not require perpetual war. Our brave men and women inuniform, tempered by the flames of battle, are unmatched in skilland courage. Our citizens, seared by the memory of those we havelost, know too well the price that is paid for liberty. Theknowledge of their sacrifice will keep us forever vigilant againstthose who would do us harm. But we are also heirs to those who wonthe peace and not just the war, who turned sworn enemies into thesurest of friends, and we must carry those lessons into this timeas well.）
我们将通过强大的军力和法制保护我们的人民，捍卫我们的价值观。我们将展现试图和平解决与其它国家分歧的勇气，但这不是因为我们对面临的危险持幼稚的态度，而是因为接触能够更持久地化解疑虑和恐惧。美国将在全球保持强大的联盟，我们将更新这些能扩展我们应对海外危机能力的机制。因为作为世界上最强大的国家，我们在世界和平方面拥有最大的利益。我们将支持从亚洲到非洲、从美洲至中东的民主国家，因为我们的利益和良心驱使我们代表那些想获得自由的人们采取行动。我们必须成为贫困者、病患者、被边缘化的人士、异见受害者的希望来源，不仅仅是出于慈善，也是因为这个时代的和平需要不断推进我们共同信念中的原则：宽容和机遇，人类尊严与正义。
（We will defend our people and uphold our values through strengthof arms and rule of law. We will show the courage to try andresolve our differences with other nations peacefully – not becausewe are naïve about the dangers we face, but because engagement canmore durably lift suspicion and fear. America will remain theanchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe; and wewill renew those institutions that extend our capacity to managecrisis abroad, for no one has a greater stake in a peaceful worldthan its most powerful nation. We will support democracy from Asiato Africa; from the Americas to the Middle East, because ourinterests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of thosewho long for freedom. And we must be a source of hope to the poor,the sick, the marginalized, the victims of prejudice – not out ofmere charity, but because peace in our time requires the constantadvance of those principles that our common creed describes:tolerance and opportunity; human dignity and justice.）
我们，人民，今天昭示的最明白的事实是——我们所有人都是生而平等的，这是依然引领我们的恒星。它引领我们的先辈穿越纽约塞尼卡瀑布城(女权抗议事件)、塞尔马(黑人权力事件)和石墙骚乱(同性恋与警察发生的暴力事件)，引领着所有的男性和女性，留下姓名和没留姓名的人。在伟大的征程中，一路上留下足迹的人。曾经听一位牧师说，我们不能独自前行。马丁-路德-金说，我们个人的自由与地球上每个灵魂的自由不可分割。
（We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths –that all of us are created equal – is the star that guides usstill; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, andSelma, and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women,sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to heara preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaimthat our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom ofevery soul on Earth.）
继续先辈开创的事业是我们这代人的任务。直到我们的妻子、母亲和女儿的付出能够与她们的努力相称，我们的征途才会结束。我们的征途不会终结，我们要让同性恋的兄弟姐妹在法律之下得到与其他人同样的待遇。如果我们真正是生而平等的，那么我们对彼此的爱也应该是平等的。我们的征途没有结束，直到没有公民需要等待数个小时去行使投票权。我们的征途不会结束，直到我们找到更好的方法迎接努力、有憧憬的移民，他们依旧视美国是一块充满机会的土地。直到聪颖年轻的学生和工程师为我们所用，而不是被逐出美国。我们的征途不会结束，直到我们所有的儿童，从底特律的街道到阿巴拉契亚的山岭，再到康涅狄格州纽镇安静的小巷，直到他们得到关心和珍视，永远避免受到伤害。
（It is now our generation’s task to carry on what those pioneersbegan. For our journey is not complete until our wives, ourmothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts.Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters aretreated like anyone else under the law – for if we are trulycreated equal, then surely the love we commit to one another mustbe equal as well. Our journey is not complete until no citizen isforced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote. Our journeyis not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving,hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity;until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in ourworkforce rather than expelled from our country. Our journey is notcomplete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to thehills of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that theyare cared for, and cherished, and always safe fromharm.）
那是我们这一代的任务——让生存、自由和追求幸福的言语、权力和价值切实体现在每个美国人的身上。我们的立国文本没有要求我们将每个人的生活一致化。这并不意味着，我们会以完全一样的方式去定义自由，沿着同样的道路通向幸福。进步不会终止几个世纪以来一直纠结的关于政府角色的争论，但这要求我们现在就采取行动。
（That is our generation’s task – to make these words, these rights,these values – of Life, and Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness –real for every American. Being true to our founding documents doesnot require us to agree on every contour of life; it does not meanwe will all define liberty in exactly the same way, or follow thesame precise path to happiness. Progress does not compel us tosettle centuries-long debates about the role of government for alltime – but it does require us to act in our time.）
目前是由我们决策，我们不能拖延。我们不能将绝对主义当作原则，或者以表象代替政治，或将中伤视作理性的辩论。我们必须行动，要意识到我们的工作并不完美。我们必须行动，意识到今天的胜利是并不完全的。这些将有赖于未来4年、40年或是400年致力于这项事业的人，去推进当年在费城制宪会议大厅传承给我们的永恒精神。
（For now decisions are upon us, and we cannot afford delay. Wecannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectaclefor politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate. We mustact, knowing that our work will be imperfect. We must act, knowingthat today’s victories will be only partial, and that it will be upto those who stand here in four years, and forty years, and fourhundred years hence to advance the timeless spirit once conferredto us in a spare Philadelphia hall.）
我的美国同胞，我今天在你们面前宣读的誓词，如同在国会山服务的其他人曾宣读过的誓词一样，是对上帝和国家的誓词，不是对党派或是派别的，我们必须在任期内忠实地履行这些承诺。但我今天宣读的誓词与士兵报名参军或者是移民实现梦想时所宣读的誓词没有多少差别。我的誓词与我们所有的人向我们头顶飘扬的、让我们心怀自豪的国旗所表达的誓言没有多大差别。
（My fellow Americans, the oath I have sworn before you today, likethe one recited by others who serve in this Capitol, was an oath toGod and country, not party or faction – and we must faithfullyexecute that pledge during the duration of our service. But thewords I spoke today are not so different from the oath that istaken each time a soldier signs up for duty, or an immigrantrealizes her dream. My oath is not so different from the pledge weall make to the flag that waves above and that fills our heartswith pride.）
这些是公民的誓词，代表着我们最伟大的希望。
（They are the words of citizens,and they represent our greatest hope.）
你和我，作为公民，都有为这个国家设定道路的权力。
你和我，作为公民，有义务塑造我们时代的辩题，不仅是通过我们的选票，而且要为捍卫悠久的价值观和持久的理想发声。
（You and I, ascitizens, have the power to set this country’scourse.
You and I, as citizens, have the obligation toshape the debates of our time – not only with the votes we cast,but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient valuesand enduring ideals. ）
现在让我们相互拥抱，怀着庄严的职责和无比的快乐，这是我们永恒的与生俱来的权利。有共同的努力和共同的目标，用热情与奉献，让我们回应历史的召唤，将珍贵的自由之光带入并不确定的未来。
感谢你们，上帝保佑你们，愿上帝永远保佑美利坚合众国。
（Let each of us now embrace, withsolemn duty and awesome joy, what is our lasting birthright. Withcommon effort and common purpose, with passion and dedication, letus answer the call of history, and carry into an uncertain futurethat precious light of freedom.
Thank you, GodBless you, and may He forever bless these United States ofAmerica.）
【2009年奥巴马就职演说】
【关键词：美国、民族、人民、新的、每个、世界、共同、必须】
美国当地时间2009年1月20日上午12点05分(北京时间21日凌晨1点05分)，第44届美国总统奥巴马发表了就职演说。以下为演讲全文实录：
朋友们、同胞们：
（My fellow citizens:）
今天我站在这里，看到眼前面临的重大任务，深感卑微。我感谢你们对我的信任，也知道先辈们为了这个国家所作的牺牲。我要感谢布什总统为国家做出的贡献，以及感谢他在两届政府过渡期间给与的慷慨协作。
（I stand here today humbled by thetask before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindfulof the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bushfor his service to our nation, as well as the generosity andcooperation he has shown throughout this transition.）
迄今为止，已经有44个美国总统宣誓就职。总统的宣誓有时面对的是国家的和平繁荣，但通常面临的是乌云密布的紧张形势。在紧张的形势中，支持美国前进的不仅仅是领导人的能力和远见，也在于美国人民对国家先驱者理想的信仰，以及对美国立国文件的忠诚。
前辈们如此，我们这一代美国人也要如此。
（Forty-four Americans have nowtaken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken duringrising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet,every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and ragingstorms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply becauseof the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we thepeople have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, andtrue to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be withthis generation of Americans.）
现在我们都深知，我们身处危机之中。我们的国家在战斗，对手是影响深远的暴力和憎恨；国家的经济也受到严重的削弱，原因虽有一些人的贪婪和不负责任，但更为重要的是我们作为一个整体在一些重大问题上决策失误，同时也未能做好应对新时代的准备。
我们的人民正在失去家园，失去工作，很多且要倒闭。社会的医疗过于昂贵、学校教育让许多人失望，而且每天都会有新的证据显示，我们利用能源的方式助长了我们的敌对势力，同时也威胁着我们的星球。
（That we are in the midst ofcrisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against afar-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badlyweakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the partof some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices andprepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed;businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schoolsfail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the wayswe use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten ourplanet.）
统计数据的指标传达着危机的消息。危机难以测量，但更难以测量的是其对美国人国家自信的侵蚀——现在一种认为美国衰落不可避免，我们的下一代必须低调的言论正在吞噬着人们的自信。
今天我要说，我们的确面临着很多严峻的挑战，而且在短期内不大可能轻易解决。但是我们要相信，我们一定会度过难关。
（These are the indicators ofcrisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no lessprofound is a sapping of confidence across our land, a nagging fearthat America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generationmust lower its sights.
Today I say to you that thechallengeswe face are real. They are serious and they are many.They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But knowthis, America, they will be met.）
今天，我们在这里齐聚一堂，因为我们战胜恐惧选择了希望，摒弃了冲突和矛盾而选择了团结。
今天，我们宣布要为无谓的摩擦、不实的承诺和指责画上句号，我们要打破牵制美国政治发展的若干陈旧教条。
（On this day, we gather because wehave chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict anddiscord.
On this day, we come to proclaiman end to the petty grievances and false promises, therecriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long havestrangled our politics.）
美国仍是一个年轻的国家，借用《圣经》的话说，放弃幼稚的时代已经到来了。重拾坚韧精神的时代已经到来，我们要为历史作出更好的选择，我们要秉承历史赋予的宝贵权利，秉承那种代代相传的高贵理念：上帝赋予我们每个人以平等和自由，以及每个人尽全力去追求幸福的机会。
（We remain a young nation, but inthe words of scripture, the time has come to set aside childishthings. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; tochoose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift,that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: theGod-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deservea chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.）
在重申我们国家伟大之处的同时，我们深知伟大从来不是上天赐予的，伟大需要努力赢得。(我们的民族一路走来)，这旅途之中从未有过捷径或者妥协，这旅途也不适合胆怯之人、或者爱安逸胜过爱工作之人、或者单单追求名利之人。这条路是勇于承担风险者之路，是实干家、创造者之路。这其中有一些人名留青史，但是更多的人却在默默无闻地工作着。正是这些人带领我们走过了漫长崎岖的旅行，带领我们走向富强和自由。
（In reaffirming the greatness ofour nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It mustbe earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settlingfor less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted -- forthose who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures ofriches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers,the makers of things -- some celebrated but more often men andwomen obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long,rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.）
为了我们，先辈们带着微薄的细软，横渡大洋，寻找新生活；
为了我们，先辈们忍辱负重，用血汗浇铸工厂；
为了我们，先辈们在荒芜的西部大地辛勤耕作，定居他乡；为了我们，先辈们奔赴(独立战争中的)康科德城和葛底斯堡、(二战中的)诺曼底、(越战中的)KheSahn，他们征战、死去。
（For us, they packed up their fewworldly possessionsand traveled across oceans in search of a newlife.
For us, they toiled in sweatshopsand settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed thehard earth.
For us, they fought and died, inplaces like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and KheSahn.）
一次又一次，我们的先辈们战斗着、牺牲着、操劳着，只为了我们可以生活得更好。在他们看来，美国的强盛与伟大超越了个人雄心，也超越了个人的出身、贫富和派别差异。
（Time and again these men andwomen struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were rawso that we might live a better life. They saw America as biggerthan the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all thedifferences of birth or wealth or faction.）
今天我们继续先辈们的旅途。美国依然是地球上最富裕、最强大的国家。同危机初露端倪之时相比，美国人民的生产力依然旺盛；与上周、上个月或者去年相比，我们的头脑依然富于创造力，我们的商品和服务依然很有市场，我们的实力不曾削弱。但是，可以肯定的是，轻歌曼舞的时代、保护狭隘利益的时代以及对艰难决定犹豫不决的时代已经过去了。从今天开始，我们必须跌倒后爬起来，拍拍身上的泥土，重新开始工作，重塑美国。
（This is the journey we continuetoday. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Ourworkers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Ourminds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less neededthan they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacityremains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protectingnarrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that timehas surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dustourselves off, and begin again the work of remakingAmerica.）
我目之所及，都有工作有待完成。国家的经济情况要求我们采取大胆且快速的行动，我们的确是要行动，不仅是要创造就业，更要为(下一轮经济)增长打下新的基础。我们将造桥铺路，为企业铺设电网和数字线路，将我们联系在一起。我们将回归科学，运用科技的奇迹提高医疗质量，降低医疗费用。我们将利用风能、太阳能和土壤驱动车辆，为工厂提供能源。我们将改革中小学以及大专院校，以适应新时代的要求。这一切，我们都能做到，而且我们都将会做到。
（For everywhere we look, there iswork to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, boldand swift, and we will act, not only to create new jobs, but to laya new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges,the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce andbind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place,and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality andlower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soilto fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform ourschools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a newage. All this we can do. And all this we will do.）
现在，有一些人开始质疑我们的野心是不是太大了，他们认为我们的体制承载不了太多的宏伟计划。他们是健忘了。他们已经忘了这个国家已经取得的成就；他们已经忘了当创造力与共同目标以及必要的勇气结合起来时，自由的美国人民所能发挥的能量。
（Now, there are some who questionthe scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannottolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For theyhave forgotten what this country has already done; what free menand women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose,and necessity to courage.）
这些怀疑论者的错误在于，他们没有意识到政治现实已经发生了变化，长期以来耗掉我们太多精力的陈腐政治论争已经不再适用。今天，我们的问题不在于政府的大小，而在于政府能否起作用，政府能否帮助家庭找到薪水合适的工作、给他们可以负担得起的医疗保障并让他们体面地退休。哪个方案能给与肯定的答案，我们就推进哪个方案。哪个方案的答案是否定的，我们就选择终止。而掌管纳税人税金的人应当承担起责任，合理支出，摒弃陋习，磊落做事，这有这样才能在政府和人民之间重建至关重要的相互信任。
（What the cynics fail tounderstand is that the ground has shifted beneath them, that thestale political arguments that have consumed us for so long nolonger apply. The question we ask today is not whether ourgovernment is too big or too small, but whether it works, whetherit helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford,a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intendto move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. Andthose of us who manage the public's dollars will be held toaccount, to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business inthe light of day, because only then can we restore the vital trustbetween a people and their government.）
我们面临的问题也不是市场好坏的问题。市场创造财富、拓展自由的能力无可匹敌，但是这场危机提醒我们，如果没有监管，市场很可能就会失去控制，而且偏袒富人国家的繁荣无法持久。国家经济的成败不仅仅取决于国内生产总值的大小，而且取决于繁荣的覆盖面，取决于我们是否有能力让所有有意愿的人都有机会走向富裕。我们这样做不是慈善，而是因为这是确保实现共同利益的途径。
（Nor is the question before uswhether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power togenerate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisishas reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spinout of control, and that a nation cannot prosper long when itfavors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has alwaysdepended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but onthe reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunityto every willing heart, not out of charity, but because it is thesurest route to our common good.）
就共同防御而言，我们认为国家安全与国家理想的只能选其一的排他选择是错的。面对我们几乎无法想像的危险，我们的先辈们起草了确保法治和个人权利的宪章。一代代人民的鲜血夯实了这一宪章。宪章中的理想依然照亮着世界，我们不能以经验之谈放弃这些理想。因此我想对正在观看这一仪式的其他国家的人民和政府说，不论他们现在各国伟大的首府还是在如同我父亲出生地一般的小村落，我想让他们知道：对于每个追求和平和自尊的国家和个人而言，美国都是朋友，我们愿意再次领导大家踏上追寻之旅。
（As for our common defense, wereject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Ourfounding 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 stilllight the world, and we will not give them up for expedience'ssake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watchingtoday, from the grandest capitals to the small village where myfather was born: know that America is a friend of each nation andevery man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace anddignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.）
回想先辈们在抵抗法西斯主义之时，他们不仅依靠手中的导弹或坦克，他们还依靠稳固的联盟和坚定的信仰。他们深知单凭自己的力量我们无法保护自己，他们也深知我们强大并不足以使我们有权利为所欲为。他们明白，正是因为使用谨慎，我们的实力才不断增强；正是因为我们的事业是公正的、我们为世界树立了榜样，因为我们的谦卑和节制，我们才安全。
（Recall that earlier generationsfaced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks,but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understoodthat our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us todo as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows throughits prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of ourcause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities ofhumility and restraint.）
我们继承了这些遗产。在这些原则的再次领导下，我们有能力应对新的威胁，我们需要付出更多的努力、进行国家间更广泛的合作以及增进国家间的理解。首先，我们将以负责任的态度，将伊拉克交还给伊拉克人民，同时巩固阿富汗来之不易的和平。对于老朋友和老对手，我们将继续努力，不遗余力，削弱核威胁，遏制全球变暖的幽灵。我们不会为我们的生活方式感到报歉，我们会不动摇地捍卫我们的生活方式。对于那些企图通过恐怖主义或屠杀无辜平民达成目标的人，我们要对他们说：我们的信仰更加坚定，不可动摇，你们不可能拖垮我们，我们定将战胜你们。
（We are the keepers of thislegacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those newthreats that demand even greater effort, even greater cooperationand understanding between nations. We will begin to responsiblyleave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace inAfghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will worktirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specterof a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, norwill we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advancetheir aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say toyou now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; youcannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.）
因为我们知道，我们的多元化遗产是一个优势，而非劣势。我们国家里有基督徒也有穆斯林，有犹太教徒也有印度教徒，同时也有非宗教信徒。我们民族的成长受到许多语言和文化的影响，我们吸取了这个星球上任何一个角落的有益成分。正是因为我们民族曾亲尝过内战和种族隔离的苦酒，并且在经历了这些黑色的篇章之后变得更加强大更加团结，因此我们不由自主，只能相信一切仇恨终有一天都会成为过去，种族的划分不久就会消失，而且随着世界变得越来越小，我们相信终有一天人类共有的人性品德将会自动显现。在迎接新的和平时代到来的过程中，美国需要发挥自己的作用。
（For we know that our patchworkheritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation ofChristians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non-believers. We areshaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of thisEarth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war andsegregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and moreunited, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shallsomeday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that asthe world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself;and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era ofpeace.）
思索前方的路，我们无时无刻不在铭记那些远征沙漠和偏远山区的英勇美国战士，对他们充满了感激之情，他们和那些安息在阿灵顿国家公墓之下的战争英雄们一样，给与我们启示。
（As we consider the road thatunfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those braveAmericans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts anddistant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just asthe fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through theages.）
我们尊敬他们，不仅因为他们是自由的守护者，还因为他们代表的是为国家服务的精神，他们自愿追寻比自身的价值更伟大的意义(美国国家之伟大)。此时此刻，在这个要塑造一代人的时刻，我们需要的正是这样一种精神。
（We honor them not only becausethey are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody thespirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in somethinggreater than themselves. And yet, at this moment, a moment thatwill define a generation, it is precisely this spirit that mustinhabit us all.）
因为无论美国政府能做多少，必须做多少，美国国家的立国之本最终还是美国人的决心和信念。于防洪堤坝决堤之时收留陌生受难者的善意，于在经济不景气的时候宁愿减少自己工时也不肯看着朋友失业的无私，正是他们支撑我们走过黑暗的时刻。消防队员冲入满是浓烟的楼梯抢救生命的勇气，父母养育孩子的坚持，正是这些决定了我们的命运。
（For as much as government can doand must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of theAmerican people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindnessto take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness ofworkers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend losetheir job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is thefirefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, butalso a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finallydecides our fate.）
我们面临的挑战也许是新的，我们应对挑战的措施也许也是新的，但那些长期以来指导我们成功的价值观——勤奋、诚实、勇气、公平竞争、包容以及对世界保持好奇心，还有对国家的忠诚和爱国主义——却是历久弥新，这些价值观是可靠的。他们是创造美国历史的无声力量。我们现在需要的就是回归这些古老的价值观。我们需要一个新的负责任的时代，一个觉醒的时代，每个国人都应意识到即我们对自己、对国家和世界负有责任，我们不应该不情愿地接受这些责任，而应该快乐地承担起这些责任。我们应该坚定这一认识，即没有什么比全身心投入一项艰巨的工作更能锻炼我们的性格，更能获得精神上的满足。
（Our challenges may be new. Theinstruments with which we meet them may be new. But those valuesupon which our success depends -- hard work and honesty, courageand fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism --these things are old. These things are true. They have been thequiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demandedthen is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is anew era of responsibility, a recognition, on the part of everyAmerican, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and theworld, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seizegladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfyingto the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all toa difficult task.）
这是公民应尽的义务，应做出的承诺。
（This is the price and the promiseof citizenship.）
我们自信源于对上帝的信仰，上帝号召我们要掌握自己的命运。
（This is the source of ourconfidence, the knowledge that God calls on us to shape anuncertain destiny.）
这就是我们自由和信仰的意义，这也是为何不同种族、不同信仰、不同性别和年龄的人可以同聚一堂在此欢庆的原因，也是我今天能站在这里庄严宣誓的原因，而在50多年前我的父亲甚至都不能成为地方餐馆的服务生。
（This is the meaning of ourliberty and our creed, why men and women and children of every raceand every faith can join in celebration across this magnificentmall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago mightnot have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before youto take a most sacred oath.）
所以，让我们铭记自己的身份，镌刻自己的足迹。在美国诞生的时代，那最寒冷的岁月里，一群勇敢的爱国人士围着篝火在冰封的河边取暖。首都被占领，敌人在挺进，冬天的雪被鲜血染成了红色。在美国大革命最受质疑的时刻，我们的国父们这样说：
（So let us mark this day withremembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In theyear of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band ofpatriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river.The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow wasstained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolutionwas most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words beread to the people:）
“我们要让未来的世界知道……在深冬的严寒里，唯有希望和勇气才能让我们存活……面对共同的危险时，我们的城市和国家要勇敢地上前去面对。”
（"Let it be told to the futureworld ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope andvirtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed atone common danger, came forth to meet (it)."）
今天的美国也在严峻的寒冬中面对共同的挑战，让我们记住国父们不朽的语言。带着希望和勇气，让我们再一次勇敢地面对寒流，迎接可能会发生的风暴。我们要让我们的子孙后代记住，在面临挑战的时候，我们没有屈服，我们没有逃避也没有犹豫，我们脚踏实地、心怀信仰，秉承了宝贵的自由权利并将其安全地交到了下一代的手中。
（America, in the face of ourcommon dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us rememberthese timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once morethe icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be saidby our children's children that when we were tested we refused tolet 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, wecarried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely tofuture generations.）
