评论
打印
1. On behalf of the great state of Illinois, crossroads of a nation, Land of Lincoln, let me express my deepest gratitude for the privilege of addressing this convention. Tonight is a particular honor for me because, let's face it, my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely. My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof shack. His father-my grandfather-was a cook, a domestic servant to the British.
1.今晚我将在这里代表（on behalf of）伟大的伊利诺伊州来向大会发表演讲，为此我感到无上荣幸(privilege)。众所周知，伊利诺伊州是全国的交通枢纽(crossroads)，林肯总统的发祥地(ladn)。另外，我能够站在讲台上向全党的代表发言实在是有点受宠若惊，(particular honor)因为坦率地讲，这对我而言几乎是做梦都想不到的事情。请允许我先从我的出身讲起，我的父亲是个外国留学生，他土生土长在肯尼亚的一个小村庄，他从小在那里放羊，在简陋的铁皮顶小屋里上学。他的父亲，也就是我的爷爷，是一位为别人做饭的家庭佣工(domestic servant)。
2. But my grandfather had larger dreams for his son. Through hard work and perseverance my father got a scholarship to study in a magical place, America, that shone as a beacon of freedom and opportunity to so many who had come before. While studying here, my father met my mother. She was born in a town on the other side of the world, in Kansas. Her father worked on oil rigs and farms through most of the Depression. The day after Pearl Harbor my grandfather signed up for duty; joined Patton's army, marched across Europe. Back home, my grandmother raised a baby and went to work on a bomber assembly line. After the war, they studied on the G.I. Bill, bought a house through F.H.A., and later moved west all the way to Hawaii in search of opportunity.
2.但是我爷爷不想让我父亲步其后尘，他对我的父亲有着更大的期许和梦想。艰辛的努力和顽强的毅力(perseverance)使我父亲拿到了到美国留学的奖学金(scholarship)。于是我父亲漂洋过海，来到了美国这片神奇的国土。美国是自由的灯塔，她给予了早年来这里闯世界的人大量的机会。在留学期间，我父亲遇到了我母亲。我母亲出生在堪萨斯的一个小镇上，这里和肯尼亚分属地球的两端。我的外祖父在大萧条时期(through most of the Depression)为了养家糊口，不是在石油钻井架下打工，就是在农场务农。珍珠港事件后他自愿入伍(sign up for duty)，进入巴顿将军的部队，曾在整个欧洲大陆辗转作战。在后方家中，外祖母养育着他们的孩子，并在一条轰炸机流水线上工作。战后，他们研究了《退伍军人权利法案bill》，通过联邦住宅管理局提供的贷款买了一套房子，并移居到美国西部的夏威夷，以寻找更好的发展机会。
3. And they, too, had big dreams for their daughter. A common dream, born of two continents. My parents shared not only an improbable love, they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name, Barack, or "blessed," believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success. They imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even though they weren't rich, because in a generous America you don't have to be rich to achieve your potential. They're both passed away now. And yet, I know that on this night they look down on me with great pride.
3.他们对我的母亲也有着同样的期许和梦想。这是一个来自两个大洲的共同梦想。我的父母不但共同享受着来自父母们无以复加(improbable)的爱，他们也笃信(an abiding faithi不变的信念)在美国这个国家一切皆有可能（possibility）。他们赐予我一个非洲名字，巴拉克，意为“受神福佑的(blessed)”。他们相信在宽容大度的美国(a tolerant America)，一个人的名字不是通向成功的障碍(barrier)。尽管生活并不富裕，但他们还是想让我去最好的学校接受最好的教育，因为在慷慨大方的美国(a generous America)，一个人即使不富裕也能淋漓尽致地发挥他的潜能(potential)。现在他们都过世了。不过我知道，在这个夜晚，他们正满怀骄傲(with great pride)自天堂注视着我(look down on me)。
4. They stand here and I stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents' dreams live on in my two precious daughters. I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that, in no other country on earth, is my story even possible. Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation, not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy. Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago," We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
4.今天他们站在这里，我站在这里，为我血液里流淌着多样遗传基因而满怀感激，我知道我父母的梦想正在我的两个宝贝(precious)女儿身上延续(live on)。我站在这里，知道我的故事是更宏大的美国故事集里的一部分，也知道我应该感激那些在我之前来到这里的先辈们，更知道我的故事在这个世界的任何其他地方都不可能发生。今晚，我们欢聚一堂，更加坚定地相信我们国家的伟大，这个伟大并不在于(不是因为)我们的摩天大楼(skyscraper)有多高，也不在于我们的军备（military）实力有多强，更不在于我们的经济规模有多大。我们对这个伟大的国家的自豪感建筑在一个相当简单的前提(premise)之上，用两百多年前先辈们写就的《独立宣言》里的话概括起来(sum up)就是：“我们坚信以下真理(truth)不言而喻(self-evident)：人人生而平等。造物主赋予(endow)他们某些不可剥夺的(inalienable)权利，包括生命权、自由权和追求幸福的权利。”
5.That is the true genius of America, a faith in simple dreams, an insistence on small miracles; that we can tuck in our children at night and know that they are fed and clothed and safe from harm; that we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door; that we can have an idea and start our own business without paying a bribe; that we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution, and that our votes will be counted-at least most of the time.
5.这就是美国的本质(genius)之所在：我们对简单梦想的无比信任，我们对生命中小小奇迹(miracle)的执着追求。我们能在深夜给孩子掖好(tuck in)被子时确信他们衣食无忧且远离伤害(safe from harm)；我们能言吾所想，写吾所悟，而毋庸担心因言获罪；我们一旦有了某种奇思妙想，就可以大干一场，开创自己的事业而无须去行贿(bribe)。我们能参与(participate in)政治进程而不必担心被报复(retribution)，也无需担心我们的投票是否有效（至少绝大多数时候，我们的选票是被计票的）。
6. This year, in this election we are called to reaffirm our values and our commitments, to hold them against a hard reality and see how we're measuring up to the legacy of our forbearers and the promise of future generations. And fellow Americans, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, I say to you tonight: We have more work to do-more work to do for the workers I met in Galesburg, Illinois, who are losing their union jobs at the Maytag plant that's moving to Mexico, and now are having to compete with their own children for jobs that pay seven bucks an hour; more to do for the father that I met who was losing his job and choking back the tears, wondering how he would pay 4,500 dollars a month for the drugs his son needs without the health benefits that he counted on; more to do for the young woman in East St. Louis, and thousands more like her, who has the grades, has the drive, has the will, but doesn't have the money to go to college.
6.在今年这次选举中，我们要重申(reaffirm)我们的价值观和承诺(commitment)，秉持它们去对抗(against)艰难时局；并继承(measure up to)先辈的精神遗产，谨守对后世子孙(future gendrations)的诺言。所有的美国公民们，无论你是民主党人(democrat)、共和党人(republican)还是无党派人士，今晚我要对你们说：我们还有更多的工作要做。(1)伊利诺伊州盖尔斯堡市的那些工人们需要我们做更多的努力，他们正面临无法在美泰格工厂里工作的危险，该工厂正准备搬迁到墨西哥，因此他们现今被迫同他们的子女争抢每小时7美金的工作机会；(2)一位失业的父亲需要我们做更多的工作，当我遇到他时，他勉强克制住(choke back)泪水向我叙述他的不幸遭遇，他在担心他如何负担(pay for)儿子每个月多需要的4500美金的医药费，而原本这些费用是可以指望他的医疗保险(health benefits)报销的；(3)伊利诺伊州东圣路易斯市的一个年轻女孩需要我们做更多的工作，她有成绩、有动力，也愿意去上大学，但她却没钱去实现她的大学梦，处境像她这样的人还有成千上万。(举了三个例子)
7. Now, don't get me wrong. The people I meet-in small towns and big cities, in diners and office parks- they don't expect government to solve all their problems. They know they have to work hard to get ahead, and they want to. Go into the collar counties around Chicago, and people will tell you they don't want their tax money wasted, by a welfare agency or by the Pentagon. Go into any inner city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government alone can't teach our kids to learn; they know that parents have to teach, that children can't achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white. They know those things. People don't expect-People don't expect government to solve all their problems. But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a slight change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all. They know we can do better. And they want that choice.
7.请不要误解我说的话，(认为政府应该包揽一切)。事实上，我所接触的人们，无论是在大城还是小镇，无论是在餐厅还是在办公楼停车场(office parks)偶然遇到的，他们并未期待政府去解决他们所有的困难。他们清楚他们自己必须勤劳工作去克服难关，他们也真的想这样做。你若走进芝加哥周边的卫星城镇(the ollar counties)，人们会告诉你他们不愿让政府的福利机构或是五角大楼浪费自己所纳的税款。走进市中心的任何街区，人们会告诉你仅仅靠政府是不可能让孩子好好读书的。他们知道父母需要教育孩子，需要提高(raise)孩子的期望值(expectation)，需要关掉电视机，需要消除诽谤--一个读过书的黑人小孩，其行为举止就会变得和白人青年--只有这样孩子才能进步。(让步状语从句unless)他们什么都知道，人们并不指望政府解决他们面临的困难。但他们从骨子里认为(sense)，只要是政府理顺执政的轻重缓急(priority)，它就能确保美国的每个孩子的生活有个像样的(decent)目标，让机遇向所有人敞开大门。他们知道我们能做的更好。他们选择的就是我们。
8. John Kerry believes in America. And he knows that it's not enough for just some of us to prosper-for alongside our famous individualism, there's another ingredient in the American saga, a belief that we're all connected as one people. If there is a child on the south side of Chicago who can't read, that matters to me, even if it's not my child. If there is a senior citizen somewhere who can't pay for their prescription drugs, and having to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it's not my grandparent. If there's an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties. It is that fundamental belief-I am my brother's keeper. I am my sister's keeper-that makes this country work. It's what allows us to pursue our individual dreams and yet still come together as one American family. "E pluribus unum."(拉丁词语) Out of many, one.
8.约翰克里相信美国。他也知道仅仅一部分公民的富足远远不够，与我们闻名于世的个人主义(individualism)如影随形的(alongside)，是美国激荡的历史中的另一种元素(ingredient)。这个元素就是我们的信仰，即我们形形色色的人心心相通，凝聚成一个民族。(1)假如芝加哥南部的一个小朋友不识字，即使那不是我的孩子，我也会因此惴惴不安。(2)如果一个年事已高的老人付不起他(她)的诊疗费(prescription drug)而被迫在医疗费和房租(the rent)之间进行选择，即使她不是我的祖母，也会使我羞愧难当。(3)如果一个阿拉伯裔的美国家庭未经律师辩护(benefit of an attorney)或诉讼程序(due process)就遭到驱逐(being rounded up)，我也会感到我的公民自由(civil liberty)受到了威胁(threathen)。正是这个基本的(fundamental)信仰使我们美国国祚棉长(work)--“我是我的兄弟的守护人，我是我的姐妹的守护人”。这样的信念确保我们在被允许追逐个人梦想的同时，还能紧密团结成一个美利坚大家庭。“合众为一”，众志成城。
9. In the end, that's what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or do we participate in a politics of hope? I'm not talking about blind optimism here-the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don't think about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about something more substantial. It's the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta; the hope of a mill worker's son who dares to defy the odds; the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope!
9.一言以蔽之，这才是这次选举的意义：我们投入愤世嫉俗的(cynicism)政治还是参与满怀希望的政治？我不是在谈盲目的乐观主义。不要以为如果我们不讨论失业问题它便会自动消失，不要以为只要是我们无视医疗保险中存在的问题它就会自行解除，那是一厢情愿的(willful)无知(ignorance)。我要说的不是这个，我在此谈论的都是实质性问题。我谈的是希望，希望就是奴隶们围坐在篝火旁吟唱自由的歌曲；希望就是移民们(immigrants)背井离乡驾船出发(set out)驶向遥远的彼岸；希望就是年轻的海军上尉勇敢地(bravely)在湄公河三角洲巡逻(patrol)；希望就是一个工厂工人的儿子对厄运(the odds)的不屈抗争(defy)；希望就是一个有着怪怪(funny)名字的、干瘦的(skinny)小孩也相信美国会有一片属于他的天地。有希望则无所畏惧！
10. In the end, that is God's greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation. A belief in things not seen. A belief that there are better days ahead. I believe that we can give our middle class relief and provide working families with a road to opportunity. I believe we can provide jobs to the jobless, homes to the homeless, and reclaim young people in cities across America from violence and despair. I believe that we have a righteous wind at our backs and that as we stand on the crossroads of history, we can make the right choices, and meet the challenges that face us.
10.其实，希望是上帝赐予我们的最好礼物，是这个民族的基石(bedrock)，是对未来的愿景，是对明天更美好的坚信。我相信我们民主党人能为中产阶级(middle class)提供帮助，为工薪阶层(working families)制造更多的机会；我相信我们能为失业者提供工作，为无家可归者提供归宿，能把陷于暴力(violence)和绝望(despair)中的美国都市里的年轻人挽救出来(reclaim)。我相信(我们会相互支持,把握正确的方向),我相信当我们站在历史的十字路口时，我们能做出正确的抉择，并迎接(meet)我们面临的挑战。
