I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation wil1 rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equa1.”
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former s1aveowners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood; I have a dream...
That one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice; I have a dream...
That my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character; I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers; I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, and rough places will be made plane and crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope.
This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring!
root // n. 根 v. (使) 扎根
creed // n. 信條
self-evident adj. 不言而喻的
brotherhood // n. 手足情誼
swelter // v. (使) 悶熱
injustice // n. 不公平
oasis // n. 綠洲
vicious // adj. 惡毒的,不道德的
racist // n. 種旅主義者
interposition // n. 插入
nullification // n. 廢棄
exalt // v. 晉升
crooked // adj. 彎曲的
glory // n. 榮譽(yù)
reveal // v. 揭露
hew // v. 砍
despair // n. 絕望
jangle // v. 刺耳作響 n. 吵嚷
discord // n. 不一致, 不和諧
symphony // n. 交響樂
curvaceous // adj. 曲線美的
slope // n. 斜坡
molehill // n. 山丘
mountainside // n. 山岡, 山腰
1963年8月28日
朋友們,今天我要對(duì)你們說,盡管今天和明天困難重重,但我依然懷有一個(gè)夢(mèng)。這個(gè)夢(mèng)深植于美國夢(mèng)之中。
我夢(mèng)想有一天,這個(gè)國家將會(huì)奮起,實(shí)現(xiàn)其立國信條的真諦:“我們認(rèn)為這些真理不言而喻:人人生而平等。”
我夢(mèng)想有一天,在佐治亞州的紅色山岡上,昔日奴隸的兒子能夠同昔日奴隸主的兒子同席而坐,親如手足;
我夢(mèng)想有一天甚至連密西西比州,一個(gè)非正義和壓迫的熱浪逼人的荒漠之州,也會(huì)改造成自由和公正的青青綠洲;
我夢(mèng)想有一天,我的四個(gè)小兒女將生活在一個(gè)不是以膚色,而是以品格的優(yōu)劣作為評(píng)判標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的國家里;我今天懷有一個(gè)夢(mèng)。
我夢(mèng)想有一天,亞拉巴馬州會(huì)有所改變--盡管那兒種族主義者猖獗,盡管該州州長仍在滔滔不絕地說什么要對(duì)聯(lián)邦法令提出異議和拒絕執(zhí)行,但總有一天,那兒的黑人兒童能夠與白人兒童兄弟姐妹般地?cái)y手并行;我今天懷有一個(gè)夢(mèng)。
我夢(mèng)想有一天,深谷彌合,高山夷平,崎路化坦途,曲徑成通衢,上帝的光華再現(xiàn),普天下生靈共謁。
這就是我們的希望,這就是我將帶回南方去的信念。有了這個(gè)信念,我們就能從絕望之山開采出希望之石。有了這個(gè)信念,我們就能把這個(gè)國家嘈雜刺耳的爭吵聲,變?yōu)槌錆M手足之情的悅耳交響曲。有了這個(gè)信念,我們就能一同工作,一同祈禱,一同斗爭,一同入獄,一同維護(hù)自由。因?yàn)槲覀冎?,我們終有一天會(huì)獲得自由。
讓自由之聲響徹科羅拉多白雪皚皚的洛基山!
讓自由之聲響徹加利福尼亞州的婀娜群峰!
不,不僅如此;讓自由之聲響徹佐治亞州的石山!
讓自由之聲響徹田納西州的瞭望山!
讓自由之聲響徹密西西比州的一座座山峰,一個(gè)個(gè)土丘。讓自由之聲響徹每一個(gè)山岡!