亚伯拉罕ˇ林肯
(ABRAHAM LINCOLN)

葛底斯堡演说
The Gettysburg Address

(American Memory Collection, Library of Congress)

　

八十七年以前ˇ我们的祖先在这块大陆上创立了一个孕育于自由的新国家。他们主张人人生而平等ˇ并爲此而ˇ身。

1863年7月3日。联邦军在宾夕法尼亚州葛底斯堡的胜利标志着美国内战的关键转折点。 罗伯特ˇ更ˇ李将军侵占宾夕法尼亚ˇ曾希望以此来分割北方并打击北方的士气ˇ以便迅速结束这场战争。葛底斯堡战役是一场流血最多的战争。联邦军损失二万三千人ˇ而南方邦联伤亡失踪的士兵达二万八千人。北方对葛底斯堡的胜利欢欣鼓舞。四个月后林肯总统到葛底斯堡战场访问ˇ爲这场伟大战役的阵亡将士墓举行落成仪式。这篇演说是在1863年11月19日发表的。

林肯的葛底斯堡演说是美国文学中最漂亮、最富有诗意的文章之一。虽然这是一篇庆祝军事胜利的演说ˇ但它没有好战之气ˇˇ反地ˇ这是一篇感人肺腑的颂辞ˇ赞美那些作出最后牺牲的人ˇ以及他们爲之ˇ身的那些理ˇ。

八十七年以前ˇ我们的祖先在这块大陆上创立了一个孕育于自由的新国家。他们主张人人生而平等ˇ并爲此而ˇ身。ˇ在我们正进行一场伟大的内战ˇ这是一场检验这一国家或者任何一个ˇ我们这样孕育 于自由并信守其主张的国家是否能长久存在的战争。我们聚集在这场战争中的一个伟大战场上ˇ将这个战场上的一块土地奉ˇ给那些在此地爲了这个国家的生存而牺牲了自己生命的人ˇ作爲他们的最终安息之所。我们这样做是完全适当和正确的。

可是ˇ从更广的意义上说ˇ我们并不能奉ˇ这块土地ˇˇ我们不能使之神圣ˇˇ我们也不能使之光荣。因爲那些在此地奋战过的勇士们ˇ不论是还活着的或是已死去的ˇ已经使这块土地神圣了ˇ远非我们微薄的力量所能予以增减的。世人将不大会注意ˇ更不会长久记住我们在这里所说的话ˇ然而ˇ他们将永远不会忘记这些勇士们在这里所做的事。ˇ反地ˇ我们活着的人ˇ应该ˇ身 于勇士们未竟的工作ˇ那些曾在此地战斗过的人们已经把这ˇ工作英勇地ˇ前推进了。我们应该ˇ身于留在我们面前的伟大任务ˇˇ由于他们的光荣牺牲ˇ我们会更加ˇ身于他们爲之奉ˇ了最后一切的事业ˇˇ我们要下定决心使那些死去的人不致白白牺牲ˇˇ我们要使这个国家在上帝的庇佑下ˇ获得自由的新生ˇˇ我们要使这个民有、民治、民ˇ的政府不致从地球上ˇ失。

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

    Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

    But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicateˇwe can not consecrateˇwe can not hallowˇthis ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before usˇthat from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotionˇthat we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vainˇthat this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedomˇand that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.