評論
打印
Thank you. Thank you so much. Vice President Biden, Mr. Chief Justice, members of the United States Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens:
拜登副總統，最高法院首席大法官先生， 美國國會議員們，尊敬的客人們，同胞們：
Each time we gather to inaugurate a President we bear witness to the enduring strength of our Constitution.
當我們每次聚集在一起為總統舉行就職典禮時，我們都是在見證美國憲法的不朽力量。
We affirm the promise of our democracy.
我們是在又一次立下美國民主的承諾。
We recall that what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names.
我們再次提醒說，把這個國家凝聚在一起的不是我們的膚色，不是信仰的教條，也不是我們的姓氏源于何處。
What makes us exceptional what makes us American is our allegiance to an idea articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago.
使我們與眾不同——使我們成為美國人——的，是我們對一個在兩個多世紀以前發表的宣言中所表述的理念。
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal;
我們認為這些真理是不言而喻的：人人生而平等，
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
他們都從他們的造物主那里被賦予了某些不可剝奪的權利，包括生命權、自由權和追求幸福的權利。
Today we continue a never-ending journey to bridge the meaning of those words with the realities of our time.
今天，我們仍在繼續這個永恒的旅程，讓那些字句體現在我們這個時代的現實中。
For history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident,
因為歷史告訴我們，雖然這些真理是不言而喻的，
they’ve never been self-executing; that while freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by His people here on Earth.
但它們卻不會自動實現；雖然自由是上帝給我們的禮物，但自由只能靠他在世間的子民的奮斗才能獲得。
The patriots of 1776 did not fight to replace the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a few or the rule of a mob.
1776年愛國先驅們所進行的斗爭并不是以少數人的特權或烏合之眾的統治來替代專制君主。
They gave to us a republic, a government of, and by, and for the people, entrusting each generation to keep safe our founding creed.
他們為我們締造的是一個共和國，一個民有、民治、民享的政府，并將捍衛這個建國理念的任務交給一代又一代的后人。
And for more than two hundred years, we have.
兩百多年的歷史證明，我們做到了。
Through blood drawn by lash and blood drawn by sword, we learned that no union founded on the principles of liberty and equality could survive half-slave and half-free.
從皮鞭下和刺刀尖流出的鮮血中，我們發現，建立在自由和平等原則之上的合眾國不能一半是蓄奴的，一半是自由的。
We made ourselves anew, and vowed to move forward together.
我們浴火重生，我們發誓共同努力向前。
Together, we determined that a modern economy requires railroads and highways to speed travel and commerce, schools and colleges to train our workers.
我們共同決定，現代經濟需要鐵路和公路，以加快旅行和商業，也需要中小學和大學來培訓我們的工人。
