SAT阅读必读：林肯第二次就职演讲及解析

　　这是林肯的第二次就职演说，与以往典型的总统就职演说相比篇幅比较简短。而且，比较少见地，在这种政治场合，林肯却并没有从政治和道德角度长篇大论，而是引用了《圣经》里的两段话，从宗教和上帝的角度诠释内战的意义。

　　演讲正文：

　　Fellow-Countrymen:

　　At this second appearing to take the oath of the Presidential office there is less occasion for an extended address than there was at the first. Then a statement somewhat in detail of a course to be pursued seemed fitting and proper. Now, at the expiration of four years, during which public declarations have been constantly called forth on every point and phase of the great contest which still absorbs the attention and engrosses the energies of the nation, little that is new could be presented. The progress of our arms, upon which all else chiefly depends, is as well known to the public as to myself, and it is, I trust, reasonably satisfactory and encouraging to all. With high hope for the future, no prediction in regard to it is ventured.

　　On the occasion corresponding to this, four years ago all thoughts were anxiously directed to an impending civil war. All dreaded it, all sought to avert it. While the inaugural address was being delivered from this place, devoted altogether to saving the Union without war, insurgent agents were in the city seeking to destroy it without war—seeking to dissolve the Union and divide effects by negotiation. Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish, and the war came.

　　One-eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war. To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union even by war, while the Government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it. Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with or even before the conflict itself should cease. Each looked for an easier triumph, and a result less fundamental and astounding. Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces, but let us judge not, that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes. "Woe unto the world because of offenses; for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh."[1] If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him? Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."[2]

　　With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

　　注释:

　　[1] From the Bible: Matthew 18:7

　　[2] From the Bible: Psalm 19:9

　　来源：http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres32.html

　　演讲译文：

　　同胞们：

　　这是我第二次宣誓就任总统，所以不太适合像第一次就职那样作长篇的演讲。初次就职时比较适合较为详细地叙述我们要追求的道路。而现在，我的四年任期刚刚结束。在这四年里，对于这场旷日持久、举国瞩目的斗争的方方面面，我一直不断地发表公开宣言，所以也没有什么新的内容要讲。军事力量是决定一切的关键，这方面的进展，大家跟我一样熟知，并且我相信，大家也对此感到满意和鼓舞。既然我们对未来抱有很大希望，那么在军事方面也就无须再做什么预言。

　　四年前我初次就职之时，所有的想法和忧虑都集中在即将爆发的内战问题上。大家害怕内战，都设法避免它的发生。当时我在此发表的就职演说，全部致力于不战而拯救联邦，然而，这座城市里的造反派却企图通过主张不战而摧毁联邦，他们企图通过妥协和谈判来瓦解联邦，瓜分这个国家。两方都反对战争，但其中一方宁愿发动战争也不愿联邦存续，而另一方不愿看到联邦解体，所以他们宁肯接受战争，于是内战就爆发了。

　　我国八分之一的人口是黑奴，他们并非不是广泛分布于全国各地，而是集中在美国南部。这些黑奴带来了一种特殊而强大的利益。所有人都知道这种利益迟早会成为战争的起因。为了加强、延续和扩展这种利益，造反派不惜发动战争分裂联邦，而政府所做的仅仅是要求将奴隶制限于原来区域，不能再扩张。双方都未曾料到战争会发展到这么大的规模，会持续这么久，也不觉得引起冲突的原因会在冲突本身停止时或者停止前就消失。双方都想轻而易举地得到胜利，也不想执着于一个彻底或让世人震惊的结果。双方读的是同一本圣经，向同一位上帝祷告，都诉求上帝帮助自己战胜对方。看起来很奇怪吧，居然有人敢请求公正的上帝帮助自己去榨取他人的血汗，掠夺他人的劳动成果;但我们还是不要随意鉴定吧，以免我们自己也被人说三道四。双方的祈求上帝不能回应，也没有任何一方得到满意的回应，因为全能的上帝自有他的主张。“苦难降临于世，是因为人犯下了罪过，因为人注定要犯错，然而苦难只降临在那些带来罪过的人身上。”我们如果肯相信奴隶制是那些罪过之一，是按照上帝的旨意降给我们的罪过，而这罪过已经到了上帝指定的期限，上帝现在要让这罪过消失，所以他把这场可怕的战争给予南北双方，他要惩罚那些犯下罪过的人们，那么笃信上帝并把许多神圣的属性赋予上帝的信徒们能说上帝的行为与他的神圣相违背吗?我们满怀着希望，我们热忱地祈祷，愿这战争的鞭笞早日过去。然而，假如上帝要这场战争延续下去，直至两百五十年来利用奴隶的无偿劳动所积聚的财富全部散尽，直至奴隶在皮鞭下流淌的每一滴血都用刀剑下的血来偿还，那么，如同三千年前《圣经》中所说的，“我们仍要称颂上帝的判决是公允合理的。”

　　我们对任何人都没有恶意，对所有人都怀有善心，我们坚信上帝赋予了我们明辨是非的能力，让我们努力完成我们正在进行的事业，包扎这个国家的伤痕，关怀每一位战死的烈士和他的妻儿，尽一切力量争取和维护我们国家及各个国家公正且长久的和平。

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