葛底斯堡宣言(英汉双语)

496

10/21

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 thatwar. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, asa 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 dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this 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 us—that from thesehonored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people,for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

87年前,我们的先辈们在这个大陆上接生了一个新型的共和国,她受孕育自由的理念,并献身于一切人生来平等的理想。

现在我们进行了一场重大的内战,以考验这个共和国,或者任何一个受孕于自由和献身于上述理想的共和国是否能够长久生存下去。我们站在这场战争中的一个重要战场上聚集。烈士们为使这个共和国能够生存下去而献出了自己的生命,我们来到这里,是要把这个战场的一部分奉献给他们作为最后安息之所。我们这样做是完全应该而 且是非常恰当的。但是,从更广泛的意义上来说,这块土地我们不能够奉献,不能够圣化,不能够神化。正是那些活着的或者已经死去的曾经在这里战斗过的英雄们才使得这块土地成为神圣之土。我们无力使之增减一分。我们在这里说什么,世人不会注意,也不会长期记住,但是英雄们的行为永远不会被人们遗忘。

这更要求我们这些活着的人去继续英雄们为之战斗,并使之前进的未尽事业。倒是我们应该在这里把自己奉献于仍然留在我们面前的伟大任务——我们要从这些光荣的死者身上汲取更多的献身精神,来完成他们已经完全彻底为之献身的事业;我们要在这里下定最大的决心,不让这些死者白白牺牲;我们要使共和国在上帝保佑下得到自由的新生,要使这个民有、民治、民享的政府永世长存。