評論
打印
Mr. Chief Justice, Mr. Vice President, my friends, you will understand and, I believe,
首席大法官先生、副總統先生、朋友們，你們會理解，
agree with my wish that the form of this inauguration be simple and its words brief.
而且我相信也會贊同我的愿望，把這次就職典禮辦成一個簡簡單單的儀式，而我則只發表一個簡短的演說。
We Americans of today, together with our allies, are passing through a period of supreme test.
我們今天的美國人和我們的盟友一道，正經歷一個最為嚴峻的考驗時期。
It is a test of our courage of our resolve of our wisdom our essential democracy.
這是一次對我們的勇氣、決心和智慧的考驗，也是一次對我們根本性的民主制的考驗。
If we meet that test successfully and honorably we shall perform a service of historic importance which men and women and children will honor throughout all time.
我們若能成功而光榮地經受住這次考驗，那我們就可以創造具有重要歷史意義的業績，受到人民世世代代的紀念。
As I stand here today, having taken the solemn oath of office in the presence of my fellow countrymen-in the presence of our God
今天，我佇立于此，在我國同胞的面前，在我們上帝的面前，
I know that it is America's purpose that we shall not fail.
進行了莊嚴的就職宣誓。當此之際，我深知美國的目標要求我們決不能失敗。
In the days and in the years that are to come we shall work for a just and honorable peace, a durable peace,
在未來的歲月里，我們要致力于建設一種公正而光榮的和平，建設一種持久的和平，
as today we work and fight for total victory in war.
就像我們今天正在為戰爭的徹底勝利而工作和戰斗一樣。
We can and we will achieve such a peace.
我們能夠而且必將獲得這樣一種和平。
We shall strive for perfection. We shall not achieve it immediately—but we still shall strive.
我們要為完美的局面而奮斗。我們不會馬上達到目標，但我們仍要為之奮斗。
We may make mistakes—but they must never be mistakes which result from faintness of heart or abandonment of moral principle.
我們也許會犯下錯誤，但我們決不能因為喪失意志和拋棄道義原則而犯錯誤。
I remember that my old schoolmaster, Dr. Peabody, said, in days that seemed to us then to be secure and untroubled: "Things in life will not always run smoothly.
我記得，在我們似乎感到安穩無憂的日子里，我們的老校長皮博迪博士說過：“生活中的事情并不總是一帆風順的。
Sometimes we will be rising toward the heights then all will seem to reverse itself and start downward.
有時我們眼看就要登上頂峰，可是情況似乎很快急轉直下，又開始走下坡路了。
The great fact to remember is that the trend of civilization itself is forever upward;
但我們要牢記一個重要事實：文明本身的趨向永遠是向上的，
that a line drawn through the middle of the peaks and the valleys of the centuries always has an upward trend."
如果從數個世紀的高峰和低谷之間劃出的中線來看，這條線一直都是呈上升趨勢的?！?/p>
