奧巴馬在紀念肯尼迪就任總統(tǒng)50周年活動上的講話

奧巴馬在紀念肯尼迪就任總統(tǒng)50周年活動上的講話

2011年1月20日，美國總統(tǒng)奧巴馬在華盛頓肯尼迪中心發(fā)表講話，紀念肯尼迪就任總統(tǒng)50周年，以下為奧巴馬的致辭全文。備考2011年春季口譯的同學可以試做視譯練習并總結學習筆記。

Remarks at the 50th Anniversary of John F. Kennedy's Inauguration Barack Obama, President of the United States January 20, 2011

The Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.

在紀念約翰?肯尼迪就任總統(tǒng)50周年活動上的講話美國總統(tǒng) 巴拉克?奧巴馬

2011年1月20日

華盛頓特區(qū)肯尼迪中心

Thank you so much, everybody. Thank you. Thank you. To Caroline and the Kennedy family, to all the members of Congress and distinguished guests here tonight, it is an extraordinary pleasure to join you to mark the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s inauguration. (Applause.) And I can’t think of a better place to do it than here, in a living memorial that reflects not only his love of the arts, but also his recognition of how the arts can help sustain our national strength. (Applause.)非常感謝，謝謝大家，謝謝。卡羅琳和肯尼迪家族各位成員、今晚在場的各位國會議員和尊貴的客人們，十分高興同你們一起紀念約翰?肯尼迪就任總統(tǒng)50周年。（掌聲）在此舉行這次活動是最恰當的，這個供人們日常使用的紀念場所不僅反映了他對藝術的熱愛，而且反映了他對藝術在保持我國國力中所能發(fā)揮的作用的認識。（掌聲）Now, we mark this anniversary with a measure of sadness, as we remember the extraordinary life of Sargent Shriver -- (applause) -- a man who embodied the spirit of the New Frontier as well as anybody. When a person passes away, there’s often an urge to define their legacy, and find a way in which it will endure. In the case of Sarge, that is not hard to do. His legacy is written in the villages around the world that have clean water or a new school through the Peace Corps. It’s written into the lives of all the children in our own country whose fortunes have been lifted through Head Start. And it will endure in the work of his children who are living out his legacy of service, and our thoughts and prayers are with them tonight.

我們在緬懷薩金特?施萊弗[肯尼迪總統(tǒng)的妹夫－譯者注]不平凡的一生之時來紀念這個周年不免感到一種悲傷——（掌聲）——在體現“新前沿”精神方面，他是一個出類拔萃的人。在一個人逝去的時候，常會產生一種界定其遺產并設法使之永存的動力。對施萊弗來說，做到這一條并非難事。他的遺產就寫在世界各地那些通過和平隊獲得了清潔用水或新的學校的村莊里，寫在我國那些因“起跑”計劃[美國的一項幫助貧困兒童的教育計劃－譯者注]而改變命運的所有孩子的生活中。他的子女們繼承了這份為他人奉獻的遺產，并將通過自己的努力使之發(fā)揚光大。今晚，我們的心和他們連在一起，我們?yōu)樗麄兤矶\。

One of the remarkable aspects in commemorating the JFK inauguration, in remembering those who were part of his team, like Sargent Shriver, who would help bring Kennedy’s soaring vision to life, is that none of it feels dated. Even now, one half century later, there is something about that day -– January 20, 1961 -– that feels immediate, feels new and urgent and exciting, despite the graininess of the 16-millimeter news reels that recorded it for posterity.

在紀念約翰?肯尼迪就任總統(tǒng)50周年之時，在懷念薩金特?施萊弗等為實現肯尼迪的宏大愿景而努力的團隊成員之時，值得一提的是，人們可以看到這一切并沒有過時。即便在今日，半個世紀之后，那一天——1961年1月20日——仍然讓人感到歷歷在目，感到新鮮，感到緊迫和振奮，盡管為后人記錄這一天的16毫米新聞膠卷已經老舊。

There he is, the handsome Bostonian, summoning a generation to service and a nation to greatness, in a speech that would become part of the American canon. And there’s the crowd, bundled up for the cold, making their way through streets white with snow, full of expectation. A nation, feeling young again, its mood brightened by the promise of a new decade.

他——一位英俊的波士頓人——就在那里，以一篇后來成為美國行為準則一部分的演說，呼喚一代人為他人奉獻，呼喚整個國家創(chuàng)造偉大業(yè)績。當時那一群人穿著厚厚的冬衣，滿懷期待地行進在白雪覆蓋的街道上。一個國家，青春煥發(fā)，充滿著朝氣，憧憬著充滿希望的新的十年。

Now, I confess, I don’t have my own memories of that day. (Laughter.) I wasn’t born until later that year. (Laughter.) What I know of that day and the 1,000 days that followed -– what I know of President Kennedy –- came from a mother and grandparents who adored him; from books I read and classes I took; from growing up in a country still mourning its beloved leader, whose name was spoken with reverence. And I know him through the legacy of his children and his brother Teddy who became extraordinarily dear friends of mine.

我得坦率承認，我對那一天沒有直接的記憶。（笑聲）我是那一年稍晚的時候才出生的。（笑聲）我對那一天及其后1000天的了解——我對肯尼迪總統(tǒng)的了解——來自于一位崇敬他的母親和外祖父母；來自于我閱讀的書籍和學校的課堂；來自于在一個依然思念其敬愛領袖的國家里的成長過程，在這個國家里，他的名字依然讓人肅然起敬。我對他的了解還來自于他遺留身后的子女和他的弟弟特迪[即已故參議員愛德華·肯尼迪－譯者注），他們后來成為我的摯友。

But I know him, John F. Kennedy, less as a man than as an icon, as a larger-than-life figure who graced this Earth for one brief and shining moment. But part of the function of this event, on this day, we must remember him as he was -- as a father who loved his children, as a friend who lived life fully, as a noble public servant who wanted to make a difference.

但在我心目中，約翰·肯尼迪并不是一個凡人，而是一位偶像，一個富有傳奇色彩的人物，在地球上度過了短暫而光輝的時光。而本次活動的目的之一是，在今天，我們必須記住他曾是怎樣一個人——一位疼愛自己孩子的父親、一個生活充實的朋友、一名想有所作為的高尚公仆。

A quick wit with a light touch, he was dealt, in many ways, a fortunate hand at birth. Attending one event, early in his career, where every speaker before him pompously claimed humble roots -- things haven’t changed that much -- (laughter) -- John Kennedy confessed, when he took the podium, that he was –- and I quote -– “the only fellow here who didn’t come up the hard way.” (Laughter.)他機敏巧智，從多方面講，一出生就應天承運。他在從政早期曾參加過一次活動，當時所有在他前面發(fā)言的人都大談自己卑微的身世——現在的情況和那時也差不多——（笑聲）——約翰·肯尼迪走上講臺時自報家底說，他是——我引用原話—— “這里唯一一個不是苦出身的人”。(笑聲)

And yet, it cannot be said that John F. Kennedy lived an easy life. He lost an older brother in the war; a sister shortly thereafter. He nearly lost his own life, too, when a Japanese gunship cut his PT boat in half, casting him into the water, from which he swam a crewmate to safety. Another sister struggled with a severe mental handicap. His own health was so poor that priests pronounced his last rites on several different occasions. And he endured the personal prejudice and political poison of anti-Catholic fervor.

然而，并不能說約翰·肯尼迪一生都安逸順利。他在戰(zhàn)爭中失去了哥哥；之后不久又失去了一個妹妹。他自己也幾乎遇難，當時一架日本戰(zhàn)機把他的魚雷艇截成兩半，他被拋入水中，但他從水里救起另一名水手，一起安然逃生。他的另一個妹妹患有嚴重腦障。他自己的身體狀況也很差，以至于牧師數次為他做過臨終禱告。他還忍受了反天主教狂熱所引發(fā)的個人偏見和政治毒害。

And there is surely a possibility, under such circumstances, that a person will retreat from the world; that a person, particularly one born to wealth, will seek a life of luxury and ease; that a person, confronted by the coldness of chance, will become bitter or cynical or small. It has happened to others.

在這種情況下，一個人確實有可能遁世隱居；特別是一個天生富貴的人，有可能會追求一種奢華安逸的生活；一個面對機會之冷漠的人，可能會變得刻薄、憤世嫉俗或心胸狹隘。這種情況并不罕見。

But that is not the life that John F. Kennedy chose. As he famously said at a press conference, “l(fā)ife is unfair.” We can’t choose the lots we are given in life, but we can choose how to live that life. John F. Kennedy chose a life in the arena, full of confidence that our country could surmount any obstacle, as he’d seen it do himself. He chose a life of leadership, fired not by na?ve optimism, but committed realism; “idealism,” as his wife Jackie put it, “without illusions.” That is the idealism -– soaring but sober –- that inspired the country and the world one half century ago.

但是，這并不是約翰·肯尼迪選擇的人生。他在一次新聞發(fā)布會上說得好：“生活是不公平的?！蔽覀儾荒苓x擇生活給予我們的定數，但我們可以選擇如何度過一生。約翰·肯尼迪選擇生活在公眾舞臺上，堅信我們的國家能夠克服任何困難，就像他親眼目睹的那樣。他選擇了做領袖的生活，不為天真的樂觀主義所驅使，而是受到堅定的現實主義、即他的夫人杰基所說的“不抱幻想的理想主義”的鼓舞。正是這種理想主義——豪情沖天又冷靜沉著——在半個世紀前感召了這個國家和整個世界。

I can only imagine how he must have felt, entering the Oval Office in turbulent times. (Laughter and applause.) The Soviet Premier, Khrushchev, had threatened to “bury” America just a few years before. Wars of Liberation, as they were called, were being waged around the globe -– from Laos and Vietnam to Congo and Cuba, just 90 miles from our shore. At home, a young preacher’s cause was gaining traction across a segregated land.

我只能想象他在那個動蕩的年代步入橢圓形辦公室時的所思所想。（笑聲和掌聲）蘇聯總理赫魯曉夫，僅僅幾年前曾揚言要“埋葬”美國。所謂的“解放戰(zhàn)爭”在世界各地蔓延——從老撾和越南到剛果及距我國海岸只有90英里的古巴。而當時在國內，一位年輕牧師（即馬丁·路德·金－譯者注）的事業(yè)正在種族隔離的土地上贏得人心。

In this volatile America, this tinderbox of a world, President Kennedy led with a steadying hand, defusing the most perilous crisis of the Cold War without firing a single shot. Enforcing the rights of young black men and women to attend the university of their choice. Launching a corps of volunteers as ambassadors for peace in distant centers of the globe. Setting America’s sights on the moon, unwilling to lose the Space Race in the wake of Sputnik.

在這個動蕩的美國，在這個戰(zhàn)爭一觸即發(fā)的地區(qū)，肯尼迪總統(tǒng)以穩(wěn)健之手擔綱，不費一槍一彈化解了冷戰(zhàn)時期最危險的危機。他強制履行了黑人男女青年選擇大學的權利。他動員志愿者隊伍，前往遙遠的異鄉(xiāng)擔任和平大使。他讓美國放眼月球，在 “斯普特尼克”升空后的太空競賽中力爭上游。

We know the moon-shot story. It’s a familiar one, often invoked to make the case for an ambitious idea. But it’s easy to lose sight of just how improbable it seemed in May of 1961. When President Kennedy proposed going to the moon, America had just 15 minutes of manned flight experience in space. NASA had neither a plan nor a shuttle for making a lunar voyage. (Laughter.) Its own engineers had taken out the slide rules, and they were deeply skeptical of the mission. (Laughter.)我們都知道飛船登月的故事。這個故事為人們所熟知，人們經常用它來激勵一個遠大理想。然而，人們很容易忽略，在1961年5月這個想法看來是多么遙不可及。當肯尼迪總統(tǒng)提出登月計劃時，美國的載人太空飛行經歷不過15分鐘。美國國家航空航天局既無月球飛行的計劃又無可用于登月的飛船。（笑聲）該局的工程師們已將計算尺收了起來，他們對這一使命表示十分懷疑。（笑聲）The science just wasn’t there. President Kennedy understood that. But he also knew something else. He knew that we, as a people, can do big things. We can reach great heights. We can rise to any challenge, so long as we’re willing to ask what we can do for our country; so long as we’re willing to take America’s destiny into our own hands. What President Kennedy understood was the character of the people he led: our resilience, our fearlessness, our distinctly American ability, revealed time and again throughout history, to defy the odds, to fashion our future, to make the world anew.

當時的科學還沒有發(fā)展到那一步?？夏岬峡偨y(tǒng)理解這一點，但是他也清楚另一點。他知道，我們作為一個國家能夠大有作為。我們能夠攀登高峰。我們能夠迎接任何挑戰(zhàn)，只要我們愿意捫心自問：我們能為我們的國家做些什么，只要我們自己愿意主宰美國的命運?？夏岬峡偨y(tǒng)看到的是他所率領的人民的個性：我們的堅韌；我們的無畏；我們美國與眾不同的能力，這種能力歷經考驗，在整個歷史進程中反復展現，它造就未來，使世界煥然一新。

The world is very different now than it was in 1961. We face new trials and new uncertainties, from our economy to our security. We have a politics that can often seem too small for the hardships at hand. So meeting these tests won’t be easy. But we cannot forget, we are the heirs of this President, who showed us what is possible. Because of his vision, more people prospered; more people served; our union was made more perfect. Because of that vision, I can stand here tonight as President of the United States. (Applause.)當今世界與1961年相比已經全然不同。在從經濟到安全的諸多領域，我們面臨新的考驗、新的變數。面對眼前的困難，我們的政治運作常常顯得偏于狹隘。因此，應對這些考驗并非易事。然而，我們不能忘記，我們是這位總統(tǒng)的傳人，他曾向我們昭示我們的潛力。由于他的遠大理想，更多的人走向繁榮；更多的人作出奉獻；我們的合眾國變得更加美好。由于這一遠大理想，我今晚才能夠以美國總統(tǒng)的身份來到這里。（掌聲）So John F. Kennedy captured that American spirit that not only put a man on the moon, but saved a continent from tyranny and overcame a Great Depression; that forged, from 13 colonies, the last best hope on Earth. And if we can hold onto that spirit today, I know that our generation will answer its call as ably as earlier ones did before us.

約翰?肯尼迪激發(fā)了美國精神，這一精神使人類登上月球，把一個大陸從暴政下拯救出來，戰(zhàn)勝了大蕭條，還從13個殖民地開始，締造了世界迄今最美好的希望。如果我們今天繼續(xù)弘揚這一精神，我知道我們這一代人將會像前幾代人那樣以非凡的能力響應這一召喚。

In December 1962, President Kennedy was asked by the Saturday Evening Post to submit his favorite quotation. A student not only of history, but also of literature, he chose a passage written by the poet Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., father of the Supreme Court justice. Mr. Holmes wrote:1962年12月，《星期六晚報》邀請肯尼迪總統(tǒng)介紹他的座右銘。由于他在大學時兼修歷史和文學，他挑選了詩人奧利弗?溫德爾?霍姆斯——即最高法院大法官霍姆斯的父親——的一段話?；裟匪瓜壬鷮懙溃骸癐 find the great things in this world -- is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving: to reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it -– but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor.”

“我感悟到，這個世界上的偉大事業(yè)——并非在于我們身處何地，而在于我們走向何方：為了到達天堂之門，我們有時必須順風而行，有時則必須逆風而行——但我們必須航行，而非隨波逐流或原地不動?！?

That, I think, captures well the daring, graceful spirit of the unfinished life we celebrate today; a life that inspires us and lights our way, as we sail on to the new frontiers of our own time. Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless this country that we love. Thank you. (Applause.)我認為，這段話確切地再現了我們今日所慶祝的依然延續(xù)的生命中那種無畏而高尚的精神，這一生命激勵著我們，照亮我們的前進道路，伴隨著我們駛向我們這個時代的新前沿。多謝各位，愿主保佑你們，愿主保佑我們所摯愛的國家。謝謝。（掌聲）