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.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.So it has been.So it must be with this generation of Americans.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.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.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.On this day,we gather because we have chosen hope over fear,unity of purpose over conflict and discord.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.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.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.For us,they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.For us,they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West;endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.For us,they fought and died,in places like Concord and Gettysburg;Normandy and Khe Sahn.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.
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.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.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.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.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.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.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.
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.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.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.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.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.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.
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.This is the price and the promise of citizenship.This is the source of our confidence --the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.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 60years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.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:\"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].\"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.
就職演說本報中譯
我的國民：我今天站在這里，為我們眼前的任務感到謙卑，為你們給我的信任感激，為我們先人的犧牲不忘懷。我多謝喬治布殊總統對國家的服務，以及他在整個權力過度過程展示的慷慨和合作。至今44位美國人宣讀過總統誓詞。這些言詞在繁榮潮起、在和平的風平浪靜中說過，但很多時候，誓詞是在陰霾密佈中宣讀。美國在這些時刻挺下去，不止是因為在位者的技巧或視野，而是因為我們人民堅信先人的理想，信守我們的立國文獻。過去如是，這一代美國人也如是。我們正身陷危機，現在大家都很清楚了。國家正在打仗，對抗一個廣大的暴力和仇恨網絡。我們的經濟嚴重地衰弱，是部份人貪婪和不負責任的結果，也是因為我們集體失敗，未能作出艱難的決定，為國家進入新紀元作好準備。很多家沒有了，工作被裁了，企業倒閉了。我們的醫療費太貴，我們的學校有負於太多人，每天都有新證據顯示，我們用能源的方法，令我們的敵人強大，又威脅我們的星球。這些都是危機的指標，有數據和統計。較難測量但同樣影響深遠的，是全國信心受重創，揮之不去的恐懼，擔心美國衰落無可避免，擔心下一代一定要降低期望。今日我向你們說，我們面對的挑戰千真萬確，很嚴重也很多，不能輕易解決，不能短時間解決，但美國知道：挑戰一定會克服。這一天，我們聚首一堂，是因為我們選擇希望，而非恐懼，選擇目標一致，而不是衝突和爭吵。這一天，我們來宣佈結束埋怨、虛假承諾、指摘和過時的教條，它們窒息我們的政治太久了。我們仍是一個年輕的國家，但正如《聖經》所說，是時候將孩子氣放在一旁了。重申我們不滅精神的時候到了，去選取我們歷史好的一面，去發揚那珍寶，那一代傳一代的高尚理念：上帝承諾人人平等，人人自由，人人值得有機會追求快樂。當我們再次肯定我國的偉大，我們知道偉大從來不是天生，而是爭取得來的。我們的旅程從來沒有走捷徑，從不退而求其次。這不是膽小的人之路，這條路不是給那些喜歡安逸多於工作、只追求名利之樂的人。這條路是給肯冒險的人、做實事的人、創造事物的人的。這些人有些得到頌揚，但多數都是默默耕耘，是他們帶領我們通過那漫長崎嶇之路，通往繁榮和自由。為了我們，他們收拾起僅有的財產，飄洋過海尋找新生命。為了我們，他們在血汗工廠辛勤工作，在西部安頓下來，忍受鞭打，開墾惡土。為了我們，他們戰鬥死亡，在康科德和蓋茨堡，在諾曼第和溪山。一次又一次，這些男男女女掙扎犧牲，幹活至雙手粗糙，要讓我們可以活得更好。他們以美國為大，大於小我，大於因出身、財富或派系的分歧。今天我們延續這個旅程。我們仍是世上最富強的國家。我國工人的生產力，不輸於危機開始的時候。還有我們腦袋的創造力不減，對我們貨品和服務的需求，也不少於上周、上月或上一年。我們的能力並未衰減。但我們固守立場、保護狹隘利益和推遲作出不快決定的日子肯定已消逝。由今天開始，我們必須振作起來，拍掉身上的灰煙，再度開始重塑美國。
因為無論我們放眼那里，都有工作要做。現時的經濟情況亟待果斷而迅即行動，而我們會著手──不僅是創造新職位，而且是為經濟增長奠下新基礎。我們將修橋築路，舖設電纜網絡和數碼線路，以協助商業發展，也讓我們緊密聯繫。我們會讓科學重歸正當地位，運用科技的奇跡，提高健康水平和減少醫療開支。我們會擷取太陽、風力和泥土，為汽車提供燃料，讓工廠運作。我們更會改變中小學和大學，迎合新時代的需要。這些我們都做得到。而且我們會著手去做。有些人質疑我們野心太大，他們說大計太多，政府應付不來。他們太善忘了。他們忘記了這國家的成績；忘記了只要結合想像力和共同目標，結合需要和勇氣，自由的人可以成就甚麼事情。憤世疾俗之輩沒法理解的是，他們的論據已站不住腳──那些煩擾我們多時的陳腐政治論據，已不再合用。我們今天要問的，並非政府是否太大或太小，而是能否做出成績──能否幫助家庭找到薪金合理的工作，獲得負擔得起的醫療照顧，以及過得到有尊嚴的退休生活。答案是肯定的話，我們就會看下一項；答案是否定的話，計劃或要打住。我們這些管理公帑的人將要負起責任──錢要花得其所，改掉壞習慣，還要將一切決定公開──惟其如此，才可重建人民對政府的信任。我們面對的問題，亦非市場力量是正是邪。市場創造財富、推動自由的威力，無可比擬，但這次危機提醒我們，欠缺監察的話，市場就會失控──而一個國家若偏幫富人，將不能得享長久的繁盛。我們的經濟得到成功，除了端視我國國內生產總值之外，還要讓更多人共享繁榮，以及讓有心人得到機會──不是出於慈悲憐憫，而是因為這才是達到共榮的最確切途徑。至於共同防衞問題，我們不認為需要在安全和理想之間作出抉擇。我國的開國元勳們，當年面對我們難以想像的險境，依然擬出確保法治和人權的憲章，並由歷代人的鮮血加以發揚。那些理念至今仍照亮世人，我們斷不會為一時之便而放棄這些理念。今天在看著我們的各國政府和人民、由最宏偉的首都到家父出生的小村落，請聽好：美國是每個國家的朋友，是想尋找和平與尊嚴的男人、女人和小孩的朋友，還有就是，我們已準備好，再一次領導世界。要記得先輩壓倒法西斯主義和共產主義，不只用導彈和坦克，還憑著堅定的團結和不撓的信念。他們明瞭，單憑一己力量，我們不足以自保，更不能自把自為。反之，他們明白到，只有審慎運用，我們的力量才能壯大起來；我們的安穩，源自我們目標之正確、我們所作榜樣的力量，還有謙卑與克制的溫和品質。
我們是這個遺產的保存者。在這些原則的再次引領下，我們可以迎戰需要更大努力、國家間更強合作和更大的理解而面對的新威脅。我們要開始負責任地將伊拉克，交還給該國人民，並在阿富汗打造要辛苦攫取的和平。在舊朋友和前敵人的陪同下，我們會努力不懈地減低核威脅，並逆轉正在變暖的地球。我們不會為我們的生活方式道歉，也不會放棄防衞，對於那些透過恐怖手段和屠殺無辜者而達到目標的人，我們現在對你們說，我們的意志比你們更堅強，我們不會被擊敗，你們無法比我們更長久，我們會擊敗你們。因為我們知道，祖先的遺產是力量，而非軟弱。我們是一個基督徒、回教徒、猶太教徒、印度教徒和無信仰者的國家。世界上每種語文和文化，塑造出我們。由於我們嘗過內戰和種族隔離的痛苦，我們能夠更強和更團結地走出黑暗的一章。我們深切相信宿怨有一天會過去；種族部落間的裂縫很快會消弭；當世界變得越來越小時，我們的人性會彰顯；美國必須扮演引導世界走向新和平紀元的角色。對於回教世界，我們基於互利和互相尊重的原則上，尋找新的前路。對於世界上那些散佈衝突、或將自己社會的病態怪罪於西方的領袖：要知道你們的人民，會根據你的建設而非破壞去評核你。對於那些透過貪污、欺騙、打壓異見者而穩住政權的人，要知道你們處於歷史錯誤的一面，但如果你們願意放鬆拳頭，我們願意向你們伸出手。對於貧窮國家的人民，我們承諾與你一起，令你的農田肥沃，令潔淨的水川流不息；令飢餓的身體得到滋養，並餵養飢餓的心靈。對於那些與我們一樣，享受豐盛物資的國家，我們不能再對在國界外受苦的人漠不關心；我們也不能不理會效能地，耗用世界的資源。因為世界改了，我們也必須改變。當我們考慮前路要怎樣走時，我們要以謙虛的態度，記住那些每小時都在遙遠沙漠和山區巡邏的勇敢美國人。他們今天有話跟我們說，就像長眠在阿靈頓國家公墓下的英雄一樣，跨越世代向我們耳語。我們尊崇他們，不只因為他們是捍衞自由的衞士，也因為他們體現了服務的精神；這是一種尋找超越自身意義的意願。在這個時刻，將會為一個時代下定義的時刻，我們正需要這種精神，居於我們全部人身上。政府有許多事可以做和必須做，但這個國家建基的，始終是美國人的信念和決心。令我們得以度過黑暗時刻的美德，就是當大堤破裂時，救助一名陌生人的仁慈；就是工人寧願減工時，也不願看到一個好朋友失業。最後決定我們命運的，就是消防員走入濃煙密佈的走廊的勇氣，還有父母願意培養小孩的熱誠。
我們的挑戰可能是新的。我們迎接挑戰的工具也可能是新的。但令我們成功的價值，包括勤勞、誠實、勇氣、公平競賽、容忍、好奇心、忠誠和愛國，都是既有的。它們都是實實在在的。它們一直是我們跨越歷史的寂靜動力。所需要的，是回歸這些真理。現在需要我們做的，是一個負責任的新時代，一個認知，就是每個美國人，都要對我們自己、我們的國家和世界負責。我們非但不能不情願，相反要樂意地捉緊這些責任。我們要相信，沒有任何事比全情投入迎接艱難的任務，更能滿足我們的精神，更能為我們的性格下定義。這就是做公民代價與承諾。這是我們信心的泉源──就是對主感召我們塑造不明確命運的認知。這是我們自由和我們信仰的意思──為甚麼每個種族、每種信仰的男女和孩子能在這個宏偉的廣場一起慶祝；為甚麼一個父親在差不多六十年前或在餐廳不獲招待的男子今天能站在你們的面前，作出最莊嚴的宣誓。因此，讓我們銘記這一天，毋忘我們是誰、我們走了多遠的路。在美國誕生的一年，在最寒的歲月，一小群愛國的人在冰封的河畔，圍攏著一堆營火餘燼取暖。首都失守。敵人進攻。白雪染血。在我們革命成果備受疑惑的時刻，我們的開國父親下令向人們宣讀：「告訴未來的世界……在嚴冬一無所有之際，只有希望和德行存活……這個城市和這個國家，必須迎上前克服共同的危難。」美利堅。面對著共同的危難，在我們困境的寒冬，讓我們緊記這些不朽的文字。憑著希望和德行，讓我們再一次勇敢對抗冰冷的寒流，承受所有來襲的風暴。告訴我們孩子的孩子，當我們經歷考驗，我們絕不讓這旅程終結，我們不掉頭，我們不畏縮；放眼未來，有著主給我們的恩典，我們帶著自由的讚禮向前進，將它安然相傳給未來世界。
在曼哈頓街頭，黑人舉起「由奴隸到創造歷史」的標語。 路透社from
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