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馬丁·路德·金（公元1929—1968年），美國黑人律師，著名黑人民權運動領袖。一生曾三次被捕，三次被行刺，1964年獲諾貝爾和平獎。1968年被種族主義分子槍殺。他被譽為近百年來八大最具有說服力的演說家之一。1963年他領導25萬人向華盛頓進軍“大游行”，為黑人爭取自由平等和就業。馬丁·路德·金在游行集會上發表了這篇著名演說。
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.
100年前，一位偉大的美國人——今天我們就站在他象征性的身影下——簽署了《解放宣言》。這項重要法令的頒布，對于千百萬灼烤于非正義殘焰中的黑奴，猶如帶來希望之光的碩大燈塔，恰似結束漫漫長夜禁錮的歡暢黎明。
But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition.
然而，100年后，黑人依然沒有獲得自由。100年后，黑人依然悲慘地蹣跚于種族隔離和種族歧視的枷鎖之下。100年后，黑人依然生活在物質繁榮翰海的貧困孤島上。100年后，黑人依然在美國社會中間向隅而泣，依然感到自己在國土家園中流離漂泊。所以，我們今天來到這里，要把這駭人聽聞的情況公諸于眾。
In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
從某種意義上說，我們來到國家的首都是為了兌現一張支票。我們共和國的締造者在擬寫憲法和獨立宣言的輝煌篇章時，就簽署了一張每一個美國人都能繼承的期票。這張期票向所有人承諾——不論白人還是黑人——都享有不可讓渡的生存權、自由權和追求幸福權。
It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.
然而，今天美國顯然對她的有色公民拖欠著這張期票。美國沒有承兌這筆神圣的債務，而是開始給黑人一張空頭支票——一張蓋著“資金不足”的印戳被退回的支票。但是，我們決不相信正義的銀行會破產。我們決不相信這個國家巨大的機會寶庫會資金不足。
