奧巴馬就職演說全文（中英文）
● 巴拉克·奧巴馬
巴拉克·奧巴馬(Barack Obama)於2009年1月20日宣誓就職美國第44任總統。以下是奧巴馬總統就職演說的中譯文，由美國國務院國際信息局(IIP)根據演說記錄稿翻譯。
巴拉克·奧巴馬總統就職演說
2009年1月20日星期二
華盛頓哥倫比亞特區
(Washington,D.C.)
我的同胞們：
我今天站在這裏，我們麵臨的任務使我謙遜，我感謝你們的信任，我會謹記我們的祖輩所承受的犧牲。我感謝布什總統為我們國家作出的服務，感謝他在過渡期間所展示的慷慨與合作。
如今已有44位美國人宣誓成為總統。這些誓言曾在繁榮的高潮以及平靜時期說過。然而，這些誓言也常常會遭遇愁雲慘霧和狂風暴雨。在這些時刻，美國繼續前進，這不僅是因為那些身居高位者的技巧或者遠見，而且因為我們的人民仍然終於祖輩們的理念，並忠於我們的立國文件。
一直如此。這一代的美國人也必須如此。
我們都明白我們現在處於危機當中。我們的國家處於戰爭狀態，與一個影響深遠的、暴力與仇恨的網絡作戰。我們的經濟遭到嚴重削弱，這是部分人貪婪和不負責任的後果，但也因為我們作為一個集體沒能作出艱難選擇，為新時代作好準備。有人失去了家園；就業減少；企業倒閉。我們的醫療過於昂貴；我們的學校有太多缺陷；每一天都有更多證據證明我們使用能源的方法助長了我們的敵人，威脅了我們的地球。
這些是危機的指示燈，可以用數據和統計說明。不那麽容易衡量的、但同樣深刻的是我國信心的削弱——一種焦灼，擔心美國的衰退是一種必然，而且下一代必須降低期望。
今天，我要告訴你們，我們麵臨的挑戰是真實的。它們是嚴重的，而且數量眾多。我們無法輕易解決它們，無法在短期內解決它們。但知道這一點，美國——它們將得到解決。
今天，我們聚集在一起，是因為我們選擇希望而不是選擇恐懼，選擇團結目標而不是衝突和不協調。
今天，我們宣布結束瑣碎的委屈、虛偽的承諾、互相揭醜、陳舊的教條，這些東西扼殺我們政治的時間太長久了。
我們仍然是一個年輕的國家，但擺脫幼稚的時機已經來臨。重申我們持久的精神，選擇更好的曆史，弘揚祖祖輩輩薪火相傳的崇高理念和珍貴禮物的時機已經到臨：人人生而平等，生而自由，都應該獲得機會追求充分的幸福。
在重申我們國家的偉大的時候，我們明白這種偉大並非既定。它是必須爭取的。這不是怯懦者走的路，不是喜歡悠閑甚於工作的人所走的路，不是隻尋求名利的人所走的路。帶領我們走過漫長崎嶇的繁榮與自由之路的，是冒險家、實幹家、創造者——他們有些是名人，當更多的是默默勞動的男人和女人。
為了我們，他們帶著為數不多的財產，遠渡重洋尋求新生活。
為了我們，他們在血汗工廠辛苦工作，在西部定居；忍受鞭子的抽打，耕耘堅硬的土地。
為了我們，他們在康科德和蓋茨堡、諾曼底和溪山（Khe Sanh）等地方戰鬥，死亡。
這些男人和女人一次又一次地奮鬥、犧牲，工作到雙手疼痛，以便讓我們過上更美好的生活。他們認為美國大於我們個人野心的總和，大於出身、財富或派別的差異。
這是我們今天要繼續的旅程。我們仍然是地球上最繁榮最強大的國家。我們的工人的生產能力並不弱於危機開始時。我們的心靈同樣善於創新，我們的商品和服務和上周、上月、去年一樣受歡迎。我們的能力不減。但我們固執、保護狹隘利益以及推搪不愉快的決定的時光肯定成為過去。從今天開始，我們必須從跌倒中起來，拍拍灰塵，再次開始重塑美國。
處處都有工作要做。經濟狀況需要果斷迅速的行動，我們不僅僅要行動起來創造新就業，而且要為增長鋪墊新基礎。我們將修建道路與橋梁，電網、數字線，幫助我們的商業，讓我們聯係在一起。我們將給科學恢複應有的地位，並運用技術的奇跡提高醫療的質量，降低成本。我們將利用太陽能、風能和土壤的能力為我們的汽車和工廠提供燃料。我們將改造我們的學校、學院和大學，滿足新時代的要求。所有這些我們都是可以做的。而且所有這些我們都將會做。
如今，有人質疑我們的雄心——他們認為我們的製度無法容忍太多的大計劃。他們的記憶太短暫。他們忘了這個國家已經做過什麽；當想象力與共同的目標、必要的勇氣結合，自由的男人和女人可以實現什麽。
憤世嫉俗者不明白他們腳下的大地已經改變——消耗我們這麽長時間的陳舊政治論據不再適用。我們今天要說的問題不是關於政府太大或者太小，而是它是否有效——它能否幫助家庭尋找到薪水不錯的工作，提供他們可以負擔得起的醫療，以及有品質的退休生活。哪裏能提供肯定的答案，我們就往哪走。哪裏提出否定的答案，計劃就將中止。而且我們這些管理公共財產的人將要負起責任，明智地花錢，改革壞習慣，在陽光下做事——因為隻有這樣，我們才能重塑民眾與重負之間至關重要的信任。
我們眼前的問題也不是市場是一股善的力量還是惡的力量的問題。它創造財富與擴大自由的能力無與倫比，但這次危機提醒我們，如果不加以監督，市場可能失控，而且如果它隻偏愛有錢人，國家就不能長久繁榮。我們經濟的成功不是取決於我們GDP的規模，而是取決於繁榮的可及範圍；取決於我們為每一位願意做事的人拓展機會的能力——這不是處於慈善，而是因為這是達到共同利益的最穩健途徑。
至於我們共同的防務，我們拒絕在安全與理想之間作出虛假的選擇。我們的國父麵對我們難以想象的危險，起草了一份確保法治和人權的憲章，一份以世代人的鮮血擴展的憲章。那些理想仍然照亮著世界，我們不會為了權宜而放棄它們。今天正在觀看我們的所有人和政府，從最宏偉的首都到我們父輩出生的小村莊，要知道美國是每一個國家，每一個尋求和平與尊嚴的未來的男人、女人和兒童的朋友，要知道我們準備再次領導。
回想起降服法西斯和共產主義的先輩們，他們可不僅僅是用導彈和坦克實現目的的，而是通過堅固的同盟以及持久的信念而實現的。他們明白，僅憑我們的力量不足以保護我們，也不足以讓我們隨心所欲。相反，他們知道我們的力量透過謹慎的應用而增長；我們的安全來自我們事業的正義性，來自我們作為榜樣的力量，謙卑與克製的品質。
我們是這些遺產的維護者。再一次遵循這些原則的指引，我們可以應對那些新威脅——要解決這些威脅需要付出更大努力，甚至需要國與國之間更大的合作和諒解。我們將開始負責任地把伊拉克留給它的人民，在阿富汗締造來之不易的和平。和老朋友及前對手一起，我們將努力消除核威脅，抵擋全球變暖的幽靈。我們不會為我們的生活方式道歉，也不會在防務方麵動搖，對那些尋求通過引誘恐怖主義和屠殺無辜者的人，我們要說，現在我們的精神更加強大、牢不可破了；你們不會活得比我們長久，我們將擊敗你們。
因為我們知道我們混雜的遺產是一種優勢，而非弱點。我們是一個由基督徒、穆斯林、猶太教徒、印度教徒以及非信徒組成的國家。我們的各種語言和文化來自地球的每個角落；而且因為我們應嚐過內戰和種族隔離的苦，我們隻能認為古老的仇恨終將過去；部族的界限應該很快消散；隨著世界變得更小，我們共同的人性應該自然展現；美國必須扮演迎接新和平時代的角色。
對穆斯林世界，我們尋求新的、基於共同利益和相互尊重的前進方式。至於全世界那些尋求播下衝突種子、或者把社會弊病歸咎於西方的領導人，你們要知道你們的人民將會根據你能建設的而不是根據你們所摧毀的來評價你們。至於那些透過腐敗、謊言以及鎮壓異見堅持掌權的人們，你們要知道你們站在曆史的錯誤一邊；但如果你們願意鬆開拳頭，我們願意向你們伸出手。
對窮國的人們，我們承諾會與你們一起，讓你們的農場繁茂，碧水長流；滋養挨餓的軀體，喂飽饑渴的心靈。對那些和我們一樣相對富裕的國家，我們要說，我們再也不會對國界之外的苦難無動於衷；我們也不能不顧後果地消耗世界的資源。世界在改變，我們必須隨之改變。
我們在考慮前路的時候，我們要記得謙卑地感激那些在非常時刻於遙遠的沙漠及山區巡邏的、勇敢的美國人。和那些已經躺在阿林頓國家公墓裏的逝去英雄一樣，他們今天要告訴我們一些東西。我們尊重他們不僅是因為他們是我們的自由的捍衛者，而且因為他們是服務精神的化身；他們願意尋求大於自身的意義。而且，在這個時刻，在這個將定義一代人的時刻，這種精神正是我們所有人所必須具備的。
政府可以做而且必須做很多事情，但國家最終仰賴的是美國人民的信念與決心。幫助我們走過最黑暗時刻的，是在決堤時拉住陌生人的善意，是工人情願減少自己的時間也不願意看到朋友失去工作的那種無私。最終決定我們命運的，是消防員衝上充滿煙霧的樓梯的勇氣，是父母培養孩子的意願。
我們的挑戰可能是新的。我們迎接挑戰的工具可能是新的。但我們的成功所仰賴的那些價值——辛勤工作和誠實、勇氣和公平競爭、寬容和好奇、忠誠與愛國——這些是不變的。這些是真實的。縱觀我們的曆史，它們是一股安靜的推動力。我們回歸這些真理。我們現在所需要的是一個新的責任時代——每一位美國人的一種承認，承認我們對我們自己、我們國家、這世界的責任，承認且樂意接受任務，堅定地認識到，沒有什麽比交給我們全體一項艱巨任務更能滿足這種精神，定義我們的性格。
這是公民的價值與承諾。
這是我們信心的來源——知道上帝召喚我們塑造不可預測的命運。
這是我們的自由與信條的意義——這是各種族各個信仰的男人、女人和兒童可以一起在這個宏偉的廣場慶祝的原因，這是一個在不到六十年前、其父親還不能在當地餐館工作的人之所以能在你們麵前宣讀最神聖誓言的原因。
因此，讓我們以懷念紀念這個日子，回想我們是誰，我們走過了多遠。在美國誕生那年，在最寒冷的日子裏，一小群愛國者在冰冷河岸將熄的火堆旁蜷成一團。首都放棄了。敵人在推進。雪上沾染著血跡。在我們的革命最成問題的時刻，我們的立國之父下令向人們傳達這些話：
“讓未來的世界知道……在隆冬時節，隻有希望和美德可以存活下去……這個城市與這個國家，被共同的危險警醒，走出來應對（它）。”
在我們共同的危險麵前，美國處於困難的冬季，讓我們記住這些永恒的話。帶著希望與美德，讓我們再次挑戰冰流，經受可能前來的風暴。讓我們孩子的孩子可以說，當我們受到考驗的時候，我們拒絕結束旅程，我們沒有走回頭路，也沒有動搖；放眼地平線，憑著上帝的恩典，我們背負自由這種偉大禮物前行，並把它安全地交付給後代。
謝謝大家。上帝保佑你們。上帝保佑美利堅合眾國。
Obama's inaugural speech
(CNN) -- Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States and the nation's first African-American president Tuesday. This is a transcript of his prepared speech.
My fellow citizens:
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often, the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebearers, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet. Watch the full inauguration speech »
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land -- a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the fainthearted -- for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor -- who have carried us up the long, rugged path toward prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
Time and again, these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act -- not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions -- who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them -- that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works -- whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account -- to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day -- because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control -- and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: Know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort -- even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West: Know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment -- a moment that will define a generation -- it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends -- hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence -- the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed -- why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested, we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back, nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
