I, Me, Myself

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.

同胞們：

今天我站在這裡，謙卑地面對眼前重任，感謝你們的信任，對先人的犧牲奉獻誠惶誠恐。感謝布希總統對我們國家的貢獻，以及他在此次政權移交過程中展現的寬大及合作。

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 forebearers, and true to our founding documents.

44名美國人曾做此總統宣誓。這些詞句過去是在繁榮的漲潮高昇時刻及和平的靜水中說出。雖然，偶爾也在愁雲慘霧和狂風怒吼中做出宣誓。在這些時候，美國堅持下去了，不僅僅因為高官們的能力或高瞻遠矚，而是因為我們人民仍然信靠先人理想，並忠於我們的創國信念。
[附] 美國總統列表

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

以往如此，這一代美國人也將如此。

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.

大家對我們危機當頭的狀況都非常了解。我們的國家現在正在抗戰，對抗無遠弗屆的暴力和仇恨。我們經濟極度衰弱，根基於眾人中某些人的貪婪和不負責任，但沒為這個國家做出艱難選擇，為新時代做好準備，則是全體同擔失敗。家園喪失，工作流散，企業關門。健保索費太高，教育失敗太多，每天都有更多證據表明，我們使用能源的方式是助長敵人、威脅自己的星球。

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.

這些是數據和統計資料顯示出來的危機指標。較沒辦法量化但同樣重要的是縱橫全國的信心衰弱-坐立難安地恐懼著美國衰退不可避免，下一代必須降低他們的視野。

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.

今天我告訴你，我們面臨的挑戰是真的。它們很嚴重，數量也很多。它們不是輕拂而來或立時即來。但美國，你要知道：它們一定會來。

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

在這一天，我們超越恐懼選擇希望，超越衝突不和選擇目標一致，而共聚一堂。

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.

在這一天，我們宣示，氣量狹小的牢騷、虛假的承諾，長久以來讓政治窒息的互揭瘡疤和陳舊教條，一切到此為止。

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.

我們仍然是個年輕的國家，但如聖經所說，現在該把兒戲的行為放一邊了。是時候重申我們不朽的精神，選擇昔日美好的那部分，發揚這個珍貴天賦、這個代代相傳的崇高理念：上天承諾，人人平等，人人自由，人人得而追求其美滿幸福。

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 shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the fainthearted -- 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 toward prosperity and freedom.

在重申國家偉大之時，我們瞭解這份祟高絕不是誰給的。是得用掙的。我們的旅程從來不是條捷徑或為消極而設。這不是給懦弱者的路-那些人耽於玩樂勝於工作，或滿心追尋成名致富。相反地，它是給冒險家、實作者、製造者-其中有些人已經馳名，但有更多男人和女人的付出還未為人所了解-就是這些人在邁向富裕自由的崎嶇長路上引領眾人前行。

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

為了我們，他們收拾微薄行囊，遠渡重洋，尋找新生活。

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

為了我們，他們在工廠裡流血流汗、拓荒西部，忍受鞭打、開墾荒地。

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

為了我們，他們在類似康科特（Concord）、蓋茨堡（Gettysburg）、諾曼第（Normandy）和溪山（Khe Sahn）…等地，抗爭而死。
註：以上都是戰地，康科特（Concord）是獨立戰爭，蓋茨堡（Gettysburg）是美國內戰，諾曼第（Normandy）是二戰，溪山（Khe Sahn）則是越戰。

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.

一次又一次，這些先民們不斷地奮鬥犧牲，工作到雙手皮開肉綻，只為我們能有更美好的生活。他們視美國的強盛與偉大更勝個人雄心，超越出身、貧富和派系。

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.

這就是我們今天承續下去的旅程。美國依然是地球上最富裕、最強大的國家。和危機剛爆發時相比，我們的生產力毫不遜色。與上星期、上個月或者去年相比，我們頭腦的創造力毫無減退，商品和服務的市場需求也毫無衰弱。我們實力不減。但是，歌舞昇平、保護狹隘利益、猶疑做出艱難決定的時代已成過往。從今天開始，我們必須自立自強，拍掉身上的泥土，重塑美國。

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.

放眼望去，許多工作皆待完成。目前的經濟情況需要採取果斷且迅速的行動，而我們的確會起而行-不僅創造新的就業機會，更為未來發展奠定新的基礎。我們將造橋鋪路，舖設電子網絡促進商業發展，並讓我們緊密連結。我們將恢復科學應有的地位，運用科技的奇蹟提高醫療品質，同時降低醫療費用。我們將充分利用太陽、風和土壤為汽車和工廠提供動能。我們將改革國中小和高等院校，以符合新時代的需求。這是我們做得到的，而且我們一定會做。

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.

如今，有些人質疑我們企圖心的規模-暗示我國體系無法承受太多的大計劃。他們很健忘。因為他們忘了這個國家截至目前為止的成就，忘了當創造力有了共同的目標，加上必備的勇氣，自由人民能達成什麼樣的成就。

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.

這些憤世嫉俗的人不能理解，「風水輪流轉」-這些耗費我們多時的陳腐政論，早就不適用了。我們當前要問的問題不是我們的政府太大或太小，而是它有沒有用-是否是否能幫助家庭找到薪水不錯的工作，支付得起照顧費用，並能有尊嚴地退休。哪個地方答案是肯定的，我們就繼續向前邁進；哪個地方答案是否定的，規劃就中止。而我們這些管理公共財的人，被選舉出來是有重要緣由的-要明智地花費，革除陋習，光明正大地做事-因為只有這樣，我們才能恢復人民和政府之間那份不可或缺的信任。

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.

眼前的問題也不在市場力量是善是惡。它創造財富和擴展自由的力量是無與倫比，但這場危機提醒我們，一不留意市場便會失控-當一個國家只偏愛富者，它無法繁榮昌盛太久。我們經濟的成功，不僅依賴國內生產總值的規模大小，還包括我們的繁榮可達何處，能否拓展機會給每個想要的人-不是出於施捨，而是這才是達到共同利益最萬無一失的途徑。

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.

至於國防，我們拒絕在安全和理想中錯誤地二選一。我們的創國元老面對著難以想像的危險，起草確保法治和人權的憲章，這個憲章歷經好幾世代的鮮血逐漸擴大。這些理想仍然照亮世界，我們不會因權宜之故而摒棄它。讓他們為權宜的緣故。同時，對今日觀禮的各國人民和政府，上至首善之都，下至家父出生的小鄉村，我要說：「任何國家，無論男人或婦孺，只要你探求的是和平且有尊嚴的未來，美國就是你的朋友。我們已作好準備，要再次領導全世界。」

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 restraint.

回想上幾代對抗法西斯主義和共產主義時，用上飛彈和坦克不夠，還憑靠著堅定的聯盟和持久的信念。他們知道，單靠自己的力量不足以自保，也無法做自己想做的事。相反地，他們知道謹慎使用力量反而增強，我們的安全源自動機正當、典範的力量，以及謙卑自制的調和特質。

We 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.

我們是這些遺產的保存者。在這些信條的再次指引之下，我們可以面對那些比以往耗力更多的新威脅-就算需要國際間規模更大的合作和相互諒解。我們將開始負責任地把伊拉克還給它的人民，並在阿富汗鑄造得來不易的和平。和昔日老友與對手合作，不懈地努力減輕核子威脅，反轉地球的暖化。我們不會為我們的生活方式道歉，也不會對保衛它猶豫不決，對那些想藉由恐怖主義與濫殺無辜，以推進目標的人，我們現在告訴你，我們的靈魂比你們更堅強，不屈不撓，你們不可能比我們更屹立不搖，我們必定打敗你們。

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 nonbelievers. 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.

因為我們明白，東拼西湊的遺產是優點而非弱點。我們是由基督教、伊斯蘭教（穆斯林）、猶太教、印度教教徒，及無神論者所組成的國家。我們由各種語言和文化形塑，從地球的各端刻畫出我們的輪廓。我們嚐到內戰和種族隔離的苦果，脫離黑暗時期後更加強壯團結，因此我們相信舊的仇恨總有一天會過去，族群之間的界線很快會湮滅。隨著世界越來越小，我們共通的人性會展露出來，美國則必須扮演好自己的角色，迎接和平新時代。

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.

對伊斯蘭世界，我們基於相互利益和互相尊重，尋求新的前進道路。對那些想在全球各地製造紛爭，或將其社會問題怪罪於西方的領導者，我要說：「人民評斷的標準是你建立了什麼，而不是你摧毀了什麼。」那些貪汙、欺騙、消除異己、趨炎附勢的人，要知道你是站在歷史錯誤的一邊，但若你願意先鬆開拳頭，我們會伸出援手的。（好想翻成：若你願意先放下屠刀，我們會助你成佛。XDD）

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.

對來自貧窮國家的人民，我們保證和你們同心協力，使農場蓬勃發展，讓清水永不止息，滋養饑餓的肉體，豐富貧瘠的心靈。對那些和我們同等富庶的國家，我們說，我們再也不能對境外的苦痛無動於衷，不能不顧後果地消耗全球資源。世界變了，我們也得跟著改變。

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.

在思索眼前開展道路之時，我們謙卑感激地謹記此時此刻，在遙遠沙漠和遍僻山區有勇敢的美國人正在巡邏。今天，他們有話要對我們說，就和那些長眠阿靈頓的英雄們在歷史裡訴說的一樣。我們尊重他們，不僅因為他們是我們自由的捍衛者，而是因為它們體現了服務的精神，一種尋找超越自我意義的意願。然而，在此時，界定這個世代的時刻，不是別的，恰恰好是這種精神最為我們大家所需要擁有。

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.

因為政府能做且必須做的，這個國家最後能依賴的還是美國人民的信仰和決心。那是...當堤防潰堤時，讓我們接納陌生人的善念，當無私的工人寧願削減工時，而不願見朋友失業，這讓我們預見度過最黑暗的時刻。消防隊員直衝濃煙密佈樓梯間的大無畏精神，和父母培育孩子的任勞任怨，這些，最終決定了我們的命運。

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.

我們面臨的挑戰也許算新，迎戰未來的工具也許算新，但是成功所需要的價值觀-勤勞和誠實、勇氣和公平、寬容和好奇心、忠誠和愛國精神-這些都是舊的。這些都是真真實實的。他們在歷史演進中一直是沉默的推手。我們必須把這些價值觀找回來，我們現在需要的是一個負責任的新時代-每個美國人都體認到，我們對自己、我們的國家和整個世界都有責任。不是勉強接受，而是欣然緊握，堅定相信沒有事比全力以赴完成艱難的任務，更能得到精神上的滿足，界定自我價值。

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

這是公民的代價和承諾。

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

這是我們信心的來源，是上帝召喚我們創造未知命運的智識。

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 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

這也是我們自由和信條的真諦-為什麼不同種族和宗教信仰的男女老少可以在大草坪上一起慶祝，為什麼一個人，不到60年前他父親還可能無法在當地餐館工作，而現在可以卻能站在你們面前致上最神聖的宣誓。

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:

因此，讓我們把今日銘刻在心，勿忘我們是誰，我們走了多遠。美國誕生那年，最寒冷的那幾個月，有群愛國志士在漸弱的營火邊蜷曲成一團。首都棄守、敵人進逼，雪上血跡斑斑，在革命成果的最為動搖的時刻，美國國父下令宣讀這些話：

"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]."

「告訴後代子孫...在天寒地凍、希望和美德僅存之際，這個城市、這個國家，正面臨一個共同的難關，站出來迎戰（它）。」

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 generations.

美國。面對我們共同的難關，在這個困苦的寒冬，讓我們牢記這些雋永的話語。懷著希望和美德，讓我們再次奮戰冰流，忍受暴風雪可能帶來的一切。讓我們子子孫孫都傳誦說，當我們受到考驗，我們拒絕讓旅程結束。我們沒有回頭，也沒有動搖，堅定凝視地平線，上帝賜福，我們攜著自由這個偉大禮物向前行，並將它穩穩當當地交棒給下一代。

Thank you. God bless you and God bless the United States of America.

謝謝你們。天佑大家，天佑美國。


Source: CNN -- Obama's inaugural speech

ps. 我1:40:23拿到英文原稿，翻到12:12:10。