奥巴马第44任第57届总统就职演讲(中英文)完美版

当地时间美国东部2013年1月21日中午，美国国会山，美国第44任第57届总统贝拉克·奥巴马发表就职演说，全文如下：

MR. OBAMA:

Vice President Biden, Mr. Chief Justice, Members of the United States Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens:

Each time we gather to inaugurate a president, we bear witness to the enduring strength of our Constitution. We affirm the promise of our democracy. We recall that what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names. What makes us exceptional – what makes us American – is our allegiance to an idea, articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Today we continue a never-ending journey, to bridge the meaning of those words with the realities of our time. For history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they have never been self-executing; that while freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by His people here on Earth. The patriots of 1776 did not fight to replace the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a few or the rule of a mob. They gave to us a Republic, a government of, and by, and for the people, entrusting each generation to keep safe our founding creed.

For more than two hundred years, we have.

Through blood drawn by lash and blood drawn by sword, we learned that no union founded on the principles of liberty and equality could survive half-slave and half-free. We made ourselves anew, and vowed to move forward together.

Together, we determined that a modern economy requires railroads and highways to speed travel and commerce; schools and colleges to train our workers。

Together, we discovered that a free market only thrives when there are rules to ensure competition and fair play.

Together, we resolved that a great nation must care for the vulnerable, and protect its people from life’s worst hazards and misfortune.

Through it all, we have never relinquished our skepticism of central authority, nor have we succumbed to the fiction that all society’s ills can be cured through government alone. Our celebration of initiative and enterprise; our insistence on hard work and personal responsibility, these are constants in our character.

But we have always understood that when times change, so must we; that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges; that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action. For the American people can no more meet the demands of today’s world by acting alone than American soldiers could have met the forces of fascism or communism with muskets and militias. No single person can train all the math and science teachers we’ll need to equip our children for the future, or build the roads and networks and research labs that will bring new jobs and businesses to our shores. Now, more than ever, we must do these things together, as one nation, and one people.

This generation of Americans has been tested by crises that steeled our resolve and proved our resilience. A decade of war is now ending. An economic recovery has begun. America’s possibilities are limitless, for we possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries demands: youth and drive; diversity and openness; an endless capacity for risk and a gift for reinvention. My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it – so long as we seize it together.

For we, the people, understand that our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it. We believe that America’s prosperity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middle class. We know that America thrives when every person can find independence and pride in their work; when the wages of honest labor liberate families from the brink of hardship. We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else, because she is an American, she is free, and she is equal, not just in the eyes of God but also in our own.

We understand that outworn programs are inadequate to the needs of our time. We must harness new ideas and technology to remake our government, revamp our tax code, reform our schools, and empower our citizens with the skills they need to work harder, learn more, and reach higher. But while the means will change, our purpose endures: a nation that rewards the effort and determination of every single American. That is what this moment requires. That is what will give real meaning to our creed.

We, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security and dignity. We must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit. But we reject the belief that America must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future. For we remember the lessons of our past, when twilight years were spent in poverty, and parents of a child with a disability had nowhere to turn. We do not believe that in this country, freedom is reserved for the lucky, or happiness for the few. We recognize that no matter how responsibly we live our lives, any one of us, at any time, may face a job loss, or a sudden illness, or a home swept away in a terrible storm. The commitments we make to each other –through Medicare, and Medicaid, and Social Security –these things do not sap our initiative; they strengthen us. They do not make us a nation of takers; they free us to take the risks that make this country great.

We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity. We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms. The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition; we must lead it. We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries – we must claim its promise. That is how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure –our forests and waterways; our croplands and snowcapped peaks. That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God. That’s what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared.

We, the people, still believe that enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war. Our brave men and women in uniform, tempered by the flames of battle, are unmatched in skill and courage. Our citizens, seared by the memory of those we have lost, know too well the price that is paid for liberty. The knowledge of their sacrifice will keep us forever vigilant against those who would do us harm. But we are also heirs to those who won the peace and not just the war, who turned sworn enemies into the surest of friends, and we must carry those lessons into this time as well.

We will defend our people and uphold our values through strength of arms and rule of law. We will show the courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully –not because we are na?ve about the dangers we face, but because engagement can more durably lift suspicion and fear. America will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe; and we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad, for no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation. We will support democracy from Asia to Africa; from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom. And we must be a source of hope to the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the victims of prejudice – not out of mere charity, but because peace in our time requires the constant advance of those principles that our common creed describes: tolerance and opportunity; human dignity and justice.

We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths – that all of us are created equal – is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth.

It is now our generation’s task to carry on what those pioneers began. For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts. Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law –for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. Our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote. Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving,

hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity; until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country. Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for, and cherished, and always safe from harm.

That is our generation’s task –to make these words, these rights, these values –of Life, and Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness –real for every American. Being true to our founding documents does not require us to agree on every contour of life; it does not mean we will all define liberty in exactly the same way, or follow the same precise path to happiness. Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time – but it does require us to act in our time.

For now decisions are upon us, and we cannot afford delay. We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate. We must act, knowing that our work will be imperfect. We must act, knowing that today’s victories will be only partial, and that it will be up to those who stand here in four years, and forty years, and four hundred years hence to advance the timeless spirit once conferred to us in a spare Philadelphia hall.

My fellow Americans, the oath I have sworn before you today, like the one recited by others who serve in this Capitol, was an oath to God and country, not party or faction – and we must faithfully execute that pledge during the duration of our service. But the words I spoke today are not so different from the oath that is taken each time a soldier signs up for duty, or an immigrant realizes her dream. My oath is not so different from the pledge we all make to the flag that waves above and that fills our hearts with pride.

They are the words of citizens, and they represent our greatest hope.

Y ou and I, as citizens, have the power to set this country’s course.

Y ou and I, as citizens, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time –not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideals.

Let each of us now embrace, with solemn duty and awesome joy, what is our lasting birthright. With common effort and common purpose, with passion and dedication, let us answer the call of history, and carry into an uncertain future that precious light of freedom.

Thank you, God Bless you, and may He forever bless these United States of America.

副总统拜登，首席大法官，美国国会议员们，尊敬的来宾们、同胞们：

每当我们聚集一堂，举行总统宣誓就职仪式，我们都见证着我国宪法效力之经久不衰，重新确认了我们民主制度的诺言。回想起团结我们民族的，并非肤色、信仰、或是名字的起源。我们之所以卓尔不凡，我们之所以为美国人，是因为我们拥护这个，在一份两百年前的宣言中被阐明的理念：人生而平等，这一事实不言自明。造物主赋予他们若干不可剥夺的权利，其中包括生存权、自由权和追求幸福的权利。

今天，我们继续无尽的旅程，将这些话语的真谛与我们的时代相连。历史告诉我们，这些事实也许不言自明，却仍需要我们的执行。自由虽是上帝的恩赐，却必须由他在世上的子民来捍卫。

1776年美国独立时的爱国者们反抗君王的暴政，并非要代之以少数人的特权或是暴民的统治。他们留给我们一个共和国，一个民有、民主、民享的政府，把维护我们建国信条的任务，托付给每一代人民。

200多年过去了，我们做到了。

(奴隶在)皮鞭和（战士在）刀剑下流淌的鲜血①，让我们明白了，建立在自由平等之原则上的联合体，若半数为奴隶，半数为自由人，则无法存续；我们重塑了我们的民族，誓将共同前行；我们共同决定，现代经济需要铁路和高速公路，以保证旅行和通商的快捷，需要各类学校来培养我们的工人；我们共同发现，自由市场若要繁荣，则必须以法规保证竞争及其公平性；我们共同决意，一个伟大的民族必须照顾弱小，保护其人民不要受到最严重的人身危害与不幸。

一路走来，我们从未放弃对中央权威的保持怀疑，也从未幻想过所有社会问题可以由政府独力解决；我们颂扬积极主动，锐意进取；我们强调矻矻实干与个人责任，这些都深深烙在每个人的品质中。

我们一直明白，当时代变革，我们便也需要变革。坚守我们的建国理念也需要应对新的挑战。

维护我们的个人自由最终也需要集体的努力。因为美国人民已无法仅靠单独行动满足当今世界的需求，正如美国士兵们已无法仅靠步枪和民兵队伍迎战法西斯主义；没有一个人能够培养出足够多的数学和理科教师，来满足我们教育孩子适应未来社会的需求；或是建设马路、网络、研究实验室，以吸引新工作和企业进入我国。现在，我们比以往更需要团结成同一个国家、同一个民族，共同完成这些事项。

我们这一代美国人经受了危机的考验，这铸就了我们的决心，验证了我们的韧性。十年之战已近尾声。经济复苏已然启动，美国拥有无限的发展潜力，因为我们拥有这个世界所需

要的所有品质，不分国界，全世界都需要青春与动力，多样性与开放性，至高的风险应对能力，以及善于革新的天赋。同胞们，我们应时而生，也将把握此刻，只要我们是共同把握的。

因为美利坚民族明白，倘若只有越来越少的人过得很好，越来越多的人勉强维持生计，我们国家则无法成功。我们深信，美国之繁荣必须以不断崛起的中产阶级为坚厚基础；我们深知，美国之昌盛必须以个人独立性和工作自豪感为前提.，确保诚实劳动能够使家庭不再有艰辛之忧。我们是否忠于我们的信条体现在，当一个生于极端贫困家庭小女孩知道，她和其他人享有同等的成功机会，因为她是个美国人，她是自由的，她与大家平等。这平等不只是在上帝眼中，同时也是在我们自己眼中。

我们明白，陈腐的计划无法满足当下的需求。我们必须利用新的理念与技术，重塑我们的政府，改进我们的税法，改革我们的教育体系，授技能于我们的公民，使大家干得更勤、学得更多、成就更高。

方法虽有变化，我们的目标始终如一：在美国，每一位美国人的努力与决心绝不会白费。这就是此刻所需，如此将赋我们的信条以实际意义。

美利坚民族仍然坚信，每一位公民应享有基本的安全与尊严保障。我们必须作出艰难抉择，减少医疗开支、降低赤字。有人认为，美国无法兼顾照顾建设了我国的这一代，与投资将建设我国未来的下一代。我们反对这一说法。因为我们记得历史的教训：当晚年在穷困中度过，家中残疾的长辈老无所依。我们不认为，在我国，自由是幸运或是幸福只属于少数人。我们认识到，无论我们如何谨慎负责，任何人，在任何时候，都有可能失业，或突患疾病，或遭暴风雨而流离失所。我们通过医疗保险、医疗补助和社会保险，对彼此做出承诺。这些都不会阻碍我们积极进取，只会让我们更强大。这不会让我们成为寄生虫般的民族，而是能让我们敢于冒险，为国家富强添砖加瓦。

美利坚民族仍然坚信，作为美国人，我们的义务不仅仅是针对自己，更不能忘记子孙后代。我们将对气候变化的威胁做出回应，因为我们明白，如果不去这么做，便是辜负了孩子与子孙后代。

科学的判断已经如此有说服力，但仍然有人会否认。可是熊熊大火，严重干旱，以及破坏更大的风暴带来的灾难性影响，谁都无法躲避。可持续能源之路会很漫长，有时甚至难走。但是美国人不可以拒绝这种转变，我们必须领导这个转变。

我们不能把这项能带来新工作、新产业的技术拱手相让。我们要履行诺言。这样我们才能保持我们经济的活力，保护我们的国家财富，我们的森林与水道，我们的农田和被雪覆盖的山顶。只有这样，我们才能保护这颗上帝交到我们手中的星球。这将给我们的国父曾经立下的那些信条，赋予新的意义。

美利坚民族仍然坚信，持久的安定与和平，不需要永无止尽的战争。我们那些勇敢的男兵女兵，接受过战火的洗礼，他们的技能与勇气无可匹敌；我们的公民，太清楚自由的代价，那些离去同胞，在所有人心里都烫了一道伤。我们会时时想起他们的牺牲，提醒我们警惕那些会伤害我们的人。但我们的祖先，不仅曾赢下战争，也曾赢下和平，让不共戴天的仇人变成了最信任的伙伴。在今天，我们也要将这些发扬光大。

我们将用团结的力量和法律的精神，维护我们的人民，我们的价值观。我们要让其他国家看到我们的勇气，用和平的方式解决分歧——不是因为我们天真，不知面临的危险，而是因为承诺才是怀疑与恐惧的更好终结。美国仍将是遍布世界的亲密盟友们的发言人；我们将重兴那些延展我们处理海外危机能力的机构，因为，作为世界最强的国家没人比我们更需要一个和平的世界。我们将继续支持民主，从亚洲到非洲，从美洲到中东，为了我们的利益与良知，我们必须为那些渴望自由的人们站出来。我们也必须做到，能成为穷苦、疾病、边缘化还有那些被歧视人们的希望之源——不仅是出于慈善之心，更因为我们这个时代的和平，需要不断努力去推动我们的共同信条：包容与机会，人类尊严与公正。

美利坚民族，今天郑重宣誓，那条最不可否认的真理，人人生而平等，仍是指引我们的北斗星；就像它曾经带领我们的祖先，走过西内加瀑布城，走过塞尔玛，走过石墙②；就像它曾经带领所有在这块伟大广场上，留下足印的知道或不知道姓名的男男女女,来聆听一位布道者告诉他们：我们不可以独行；来聆听一位领袖③宣告，每一个个体的自由，都和地球上每一个灵魂的自由密不可分。

前人开辟的道路，我们要继续走下去，这是我们这一代的任务。因为我们的旅程不会结束，直到在我们的妻子、母亲和女儿能过上与她们之努力相配的生活；我们的旅程不会结束，直到我们的同性恋兄弟姐妹能被法律一视同仁——如果我们真的是生而平等，那我们对彼此的爱也必须平等；我们的旅程不会结束，直到没有公民被迫等待数小时才能投出自己的一票；我们的旅程不会结束，直到我们找到了更好的方法去欢迎那些努力奋斗、满怀希望的移民，让他们眼中的美国仍然充满机会，让聪明的年轻学生、工程师能加入我们的劳动力量，而不是被驱赶出我们的国家；我们的旅程不会结束，直到我们所有的孩子，从底特律的街道，到阿帕拉契亚的山道，再到纽敦镇的寂静小道，都知道他们是备受呵护，备受珍视，也将永远远离伤害。这就是我们这一代的任务：让这些同生命、自由、以及对幸福的追求紧密连接的辞藻、权利、价值观，为每一个美国人变成现实。坚守我们的建国纲领，并不代表在方方面面都要与之吻合；并不代表我们仍需要对自由下一模一样的定义，或是走一模一样的幸福之路。进步并不需要我们去解决持续几个世纪的政府角色定位的争论，但进步的确需要我们现在行动。

从现在起，做出决定已是迫在眉睫，我们付不起拖延的代价。绝对主义不能和原则混为一谈，或者偷换政治阻碍的概念，换个名字，叫它合理的争执。我们必须行动，要明白我们的工作不会是完美的；我们必须行动，要明白今日的胜利只会是暂时的胜利。那些四年后、四十年后、四百年后站在这里的人们，还将接过很久以前，那间费城边厅里的人们，交给我们的永不熄灭的精神火炬，并且继续传递下去。

我亲爱的同胞们，今日我在你们面前的宣誓，那份不断被从前在国会大厦前，就职的人们重复的宣誓，是向上帝与国家起誓，而不是向任何党派或是小团体。在我们的就职期间，我们也必将忠诚的履行这份誓言。可是，我今天在这里说的，和每一位士兵的例行入伍宣誓，或是一个实现她梦想的移民之宣誓，并无不同。

我的誓言，同我们每一个，对飘扬在上空与我们心中，让我们倍感骄傲的旗帜许下的誓言并不不同。我所说的，都是公民之言，代表了我们最伟大的希望。你我，作为公民，有权

力为这个国家设定航向。你我，作为公民，有义务推动我们这个时代的辩论，要用到的，不仅仅是我们手上的选票，还有维护我们最古老的价值观、最经久不息的理想而发出的呐喊。

让我们每一个人都接受这份庄严的职责和无与伦比的喜悦吧，这是我们与生俱来的权利。让我们朝着共同的目标，共同努力，用热情与奉献，回应历史的召唤，进入那闪烁着自由光芒的未知的未来。

谢谢。

上帝保佑你们，愿他永远保佑美利坚。

注释：

①典自林肯总统的的第二次就职演说；

②三处地点分别指代女权运动、黑人民权运动及同性恋权益运动；

③“国王”指马丁·路德·金，“金”在英语里原为King, 即国王，引申为领袖