語言村

Vice President Biden, Mr. Chief Justice,members of the United States Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens:

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:

“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.”

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. (Applause.) 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.

And for more than two hundred years, we have.

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.

Together, we determined that a modern economy requires railroads and highways to speed travel and commerce, schools and colleges to train our workers.

Together, we discovered that a free market only thrives when there are rules to ensure competition and fair play.

Together, we resolved that a great nation must care for the vulnerable, and protect its people from life’s worst hazards and misfortune.

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.

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 than American soldiers could have met the forces of fascism or communism with muskets and militias. 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.)

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.)

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.)

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 every single American. That is what this moment requires. That is what will give real meaning to our creed.

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.

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.)

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.

The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition, we must lead it. We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries, we must claim its promise. That’s how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure -- our forests and waterways, our crop lands and snow-capped peaks. That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God. That’s what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared.

We, the people, still believe that enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war. (Applause.) Our brave men and women in uniform, tempered by the flames of battle, are unmatched in skill and courage. (Applause.) Our citizens, seared by the memory of those we have lost, know too well the price that is paid for liberty. The knowledge of their sacrifice will keep us forever vigilant against those who would do us harm. But we are also heirs to those who won the peace and not just the war; who turned sworn enemies into the surest of friends -- and we must carry those lessons into this time as well.

We will defend our people and uphold our values through strength of arms and rule of law. We will show the courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully –- not because we are naïve about the dangers we face, but because engagement can more durably lift suspicion and fear. (Applause.)

America will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe. And we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad, for no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation. We will support democracy from Asia to Africa, from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom. And we must be a source of hope to the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the victims of prejudice –- not out of mere charity, but because peace in our time requires the constant advance of those principles that our common creed describes: tolerance and opportunity, human dignity and justice.

We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths –- that all of us are created equal –- is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth. (Applause.)

It is now our generation’s task to carry on what those pioneers began. For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts. (Applause.) Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law –- (applause) -- for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. (Applause.) Our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote. (Applause.) Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity -- (applause) -- until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country. (Applause.) Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia, to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for and cherished and always safe from harm.

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 does not require us to agree on every contour of life. It does not mean we all define liberty in exactly the same way or follow the same precise path to happiness. Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time, but it does require us to act in our time. (Applause.)

For now decisions are upon us and we cannot afford delay. We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate. (Applause.) We must act, knowing that our work will be imperfect. We must act, knowing that today’s victories will be only partial and that it will be up to those who stand here in four years and 40 years and 400 years hence to advance the timeless spirit once conferred to us in a spare Philadelphia hall.

My fellow Americans, the oath I have sworn before you today, like the one recited by others who serve in this Capitol, was an oath to God and country, not party or faction. And we must faithfully execute that pledge during the duration of our service. But the words I spoke today are not so different from the oath that is taken each time a soldier signs up for duty or an immigrant realizes her dream. My oath is not so different from the pledge we all make to the flag that waves above and that fills our hearts with pride.

They are the words of citizens and they represent our greatest hope. You and I, as citizens, have the power to set this country’s course. You and I, as citizens, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time -- not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideals. (Applause.)

Let us, each of us, now embrace with solemn duty and awesome joy what is our lasting birthright. With common effort and common purpose, with passion and dedication, let us answer the call of history and carry into an uncertain future that precious light of freedom.

Thank you. God bless you, and may He forever bless these United States of America. (Applause.)

Read more: http://iipdigital.ait.org.tw/st/english/texttrans/2013/01/20130121141254.html#ixzz2J5HbXJ5d

拜登副總統、首席大法官先生、各位國會議員、各位嘉賓、同胞們：

每一次舉行總統就職典禮，我們都共同見證了我國憲法經久不衰的力量。我們重申我們的民主制度的承諾。回顧歷史，這個國家的團結不是源於我們的膚色、我們的宗教信仰或我們家族的來源地。我們卓爾不凡——我們美國人獨具特色——的根本原因是我們對兩個多世紀以前的一份宣言中所闡明的思想忠誠不渝：

“我們認為以下真理是不言而喻的：人人生而平等，造物主賦予他們某些不可剝奪的權利，其中包括生存、自由和追求幸福的權利。”

今天，我們仍在繼續著這一永無終點的旅程——努力把這些話的含義化作我們時代的現實。歷史告訴我們，這些真理雖然不言而喻，卻從未自動降臨；自由雖然是上帝的恩賜，卻須上帝在普天之下的子民們加以捍衛（掌聲）。1776年愛國者們的奮鬥不是為了用少數人的特權或是一群暴民的統治來取代一個君王的專制。他們給予我們的是一個共和國——一個民有、民治、民享的政府——並託付每一代人去捍衛我們的立國之本。

兩百多年以來，我們做到了。

從皮鞭和刀劍留下的血跡中，我們認識到，建立在自由和平等原則基礎上的任何聯盟都不可能以半奴隸制、半自由的方式持續下去。我們浴火重生，並誓言一起向前邁進。

我們共同決定，一個現代經濟體需要鐵路和公路來加速旅行和商業活動，需要學校和學院培養我們的勞動者。

我們共同發現，只有在確立了能夠確保競爭和公平活動的規則時，自由市場才會蓬勃發展。

我們共同認定，一個偉大的國家必須照顧弱勢群體，保護其人民免受生靈涂炭及種種不幸。

在所有這些經歷中，我們從未放棄對中央權威的懷疑，也沒有屈從於社會的一切弊端僅通過政府便能解決的幻想。我們頌揚主動性和創業精神，我們堅持勤奮工作與個人責任——這些品質是我們的性格中始終存在的要素。

但我們一向知道，隨著時代更替，我們也當改變；忠實于我們的建國原則要求我們對新的挑戰採取新的應對措施；保護我們的個人自由最終需要集體行動，因為美國人民不能再像昔日美國士兵用步槍和民兵來對付法西斯主義或共産主義的力量那樣單獨行動來應對今日世界的要求。沒有哪一個人能夠培訓出我們所需的所有數學和科學老師，以幫助我們的下一代為未來做好準備；也沒有哪一個人能夠建造道路、網路和研究實驗室，為我們的國家帶來新的就業機會和商機。現在比以往任何時候都更加需要我們作為同一個國家和民族齊心合力地去做這些事情（掌聲）。

這一代美國人經歷了危機的考驗，練就了我們的鋼鐵意志,證明了我們的堅韌不拔。長達十年的戰爭逐步結束（掌聲）。經濟已經開始復甦（掌聲）。美國的未來無可限量，因為我們具有這個無限的世界所需要的一切特質：青春和動力；多樣性與開放性；永無止境的履險能力與自我重塑的天賦。美國同胞們，我們生逢其時，我們一定會抓住這個機會——只要我們齊心協力（掌聲）。

因為我們的人民知道，如果越來越少的人得以錦上添花，而越來越多的人難以為繼，我們的國家就不能成功（掌聲）。我們相信，美國的繁榮必須建立在不斷上升的中産階級的基礎之上。我們知道，如果每一個人都從自己的工作中獲得獨立性和自豪感，如果誠實的勞動所得能使家庭擺脫困境，那就是美國蓬勃發展之時。如果一名出身貧寒的小女孩知道，因為她是一個美國人，她和任何其他人一樣有著相同的成功機會，就説明我們堅守了我們的信念；她是自由的、她是平等的——並非僅在上帝的眼中如此，而且在我們眼中也是如此（掌聲）。

我們都知道，已經過時的項目和計劃無法滿足我們這個時代的需要。因此，我們必須利用新的思維和技術再造我們的政府，重訂我們的稅法，改革我們的學校，讓我們的公民獲得所需要的技能，從而更加努力地工作，掌握更多的知識，達到更高的水準。但是，雖然方式會發生改變，但我們的目的經久不衰：一個對每一位美國人的勤勞和努力都給予回報的國度。這是時代賦予我們的重任。這才能真正體現我們的信念之真諦。

我們的人民仍然相信，每一位公民都應享有基本的安全保障和尊嚴。我們必須作出艱難的抉擇來降低醫療照顧的開支和赤字的規模。但我們擯棄這樣的看法，即美國必須選擇要麼照顧建設起這個國家的那一代人，要麼投資于將要建設這個國家的未來的那一代人（掌聲）。因為我們記得我們過去的經驗教訓——暮年在貧困中度過，殘疾兒童的父母求告無門。

我們認為，在這個國家，自由不專屬於那些幸運兒，幸福也不專屬於少數人。我們知道，不管我們對自己的生活多麼負責，我們任何一個人都隨時有可能面臨失業，突發疾病，或者看到自己的住房被可怕的颶風摧毀。我們通過聯邦醫療保險（Medicare）、醫療補助（Medicaid）和社會安全福利（Social Security）等計劃對每一個人作出承諾，這些舉措不會使我們的創造力衰竭，而是讓我們更強大。（掌聲）它們不會讓我們成為一個依賴救濟的國家，而是讓我們敢於承擔風險，使這個國家更加偉大。（掌聲）

我們的人民依然相信，作為美國人，我們不僅僅對自己承擔義務，而且還對子孫後代承擔義務。我們將應對氣候變化的威脅，因為我們知道，不這麼做就是出賣子孫後代的利益。（掌聲）有人可能仍然拒絕接受大量的科學論斷，但沒有人能夠躲避肆虐的火災、嚴重的乾旱和更具破壞性的風暴所帶來的毀滅性後果。

通往可持續能源的道路漫長而曲折。但是，美國不能拒絕這種轉變，我們必須領導這種轉變。我們不能把推動創造新就業機會和新行業的技術拱手相讓給其他國家，我們必須抓住它所蘊含的機遇。這樣，我們才能保持我們的經濟活力、保護我們的國家財富——我們的森林與河流、農田與冰峰。這樣，我們才能保護上帝託付我們照料的星球。這樣，我們將能為建國先賢宣告的理念賦予意義。

我們——人民——依然相信，持久的安全與永久的和平不需要靠持續的戰爭來實現。（掌聲）我們英勇的男女軍人歷經戰火考驗，能力和勇氣舉世無雙。（掌聲）我們的公民們銘記陣亡者，深知自由的代價。他們的犧牲將讓我們對那些企圖傷害我們的勢力永遠保持警惕。但是，我們的先輩不僅贏得了戰爭，也贏得了和平；他們把不共戴天的仇敵轉變成我們最可靠的朋友——今天，我們也必須將那些經驗在我們這個時代傳承下去。

我們將通過武力與法治的力量保衛我們的人民、捍衛我們的價值觀。我們將展示勇氣，努力和平解決我們與其他國家的分歧——這不是因為我們對所面臨的危險天真無知，而是因為接觸交往能夠更持久地化解疑慮和恐懼。（掌聲）

美國將繼續成為全球各地強大聯盟的支柱。而且，我們將重振那些讓我們更有能力應對海外危機的機制，因為對於一個世界最強大的國家來説，和平的世界與它的利益最為攸關。我們將支援從亞洲到非洲、從美洲到中東的民主，因為我們的利益和良心驅使我們為那些渴望自由的人採取行動。而且，對於那些陷入貧困、疾病、被邊緣化、被歧視的人，我們必須成為他們的希望源泉——不是出於憐憫，而是因為我們這個時代的和平要求我們不斷推進我們的共同信念所闡述的原則：寬容和機遇、人類尊嚴和正義。

我們——人民——今天宣佈，最不言而喻的真理——人人生而平等——依然是為我們指引方向的星斗；如同它曾在塞尼卡福爾斯（Seneca Falls）、在塞爾瑪（Selma）、在石墻（Stonewall）指引我們的先輩一樣；如同它曾指引所有那些知名的、無名的男女公民一樣——他們在這片壯觀的草坪上留下足跡，聆聽一位姓金（King）的牧師説我們不能獨自前行，因為我們個人的自由與地球上每個靈魂的自由不可分割。（掌聲）

繼承先輩開創的事業是我們這一代人的任務。在我們的妻子、母親和女兒能夠掙得與她們的勞動等值的收入之前，我們的征途不會終結。（掌聲）在我們的同性戀兄弟姐妹獲得與其他人同樣的法律待遇之前，我們的征途不會終結——（掌聲）——因為，如果我們真正是生而平等的，那麼我們對彼此的愛也應該是平等的。（掌聲）在任何公民都不會被迫等待好幾個小時才能行使投票權之前，我們的征途不會終結。（掌聲）在我們找到更好的方式歡迎仍視美國為一塊充滿機會的土地、勤奮努力、滿懷憧憬的移民之前—— （掌聲）——在聰穎的青年學生和工程師加入我們的勞動大軍而不是被逐出美國之前，我們的征途不會終結。（掌聲）在從底特律（Detroit）的街道到阿巴拉契亞（Appalachia）的山嶺，再到紐頓（Newtown）的安靜小巷中的所有孩子都知道他們得到照護和珍視而且永遠不會受到傷害之前，我們的征途不會終結。

這就是我們這一代人的任務——讓這些有關生命、自由和追求幸福的言詞、權利和價值觀對每個美國人而言都切實存在。忠實于我國的建國文獻並不是要求我們對生活中的方方面面都看法一致。也不意味著我們所有人都以完全相同的方式去界定自由，或沿著一模一樣的道路走向幸福。時代的進步並不要求我們徹底解決持續了幾個世紀的關於政府作用的爭論，但的確要求我們現在就採取行動。（掌聲）

現在，我們必須作出決策，絕不能拖延。我們不能誤把絕對主義當作原則，不能以作秀來取代政治，亦不能將謾罵視為理性的辯論。（掌聲）我們必須採取行動，即便知道我們的工作將不盡完美。我們必須採取行動，即便知道今天取得的種種勝利並非大獲全勝，還要有賴於4年、40年甚或是400年之後站在這裡的人去推進當年在費城的一個簡陋的大廳裏傳承給我們的永恒精神。

美國同胞們，我今天在你們面前宣讀的誓詞，如同在國會山任職的其他人宣讀過的誓詞一樣，是對上帝和國家的誓詞，而不是對政黨或派別的誓詞。我們必須在我們任職期間忠實地履行這些誓言。不過，我今天宣讀的誓詞與士兵報名參軍或移民實現夢想時所宣讀的誓詞沒有多少差別。我的誓詞與我們所有人對著高高飄揚的、讓我們內心充滿自豪的國旗所發出的誓言沒有多大差別。

這些是公民的誓詞，代表著我們最偉大的希望。你和我，作為公民，都有為這個國家選擇道路的權力。你和我，作為公民，都有義務打造我們這個時代的議題——不僅要用我們的選票，而且要用我們為捍衛我國最悠久的價值觀和持久的理念而發出的呼聲。（掌聲）

現在，讓我們每一個人都以莊嚴的責任感和無比的快樂來接受我們永恒的與生俱來的權利。讓我們通過共同的努力和共同的目標，拿出熱情與奉獻，來響應歷史的召喚，高舉珍貴的自由之光去照亮充滿變數的未來。

謝謝大家。願上帝保祐你們，願上帝永遠保祐美利堅合眾國。（掌聲）