Thank you so much, everybody. Thank you. Thank you. To Caroline and the Kennedy family, to all the members of Congress and distinguished guests here tonight，it is an extraordinary pleasure to join you to mark the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s inauguration. (Applause.) And I can’t think of a better place to do it than here, in a living memorial that reflects not only his love of the arts，but also his recognition of how the arts can help sustain our national strength. (Applause.)

非常感謝，謝謝大家，謝謝。卡羅琳和肯尼迪家族的各位成員、今晚在場(chǎng)的 各位國(guó)會(huì)議員和尊貴的客人們，非常高興能和大家一起紀(jì)念約翰•肯尼迪就任總統(tǒng) 50周年。（掌聲）我想不出一個(gè)更好的地方來(lái)舉行這次紀(jì)念活動(dòng)，這個(gè)紀(jì)念場(chǎng)所不 僅反映了他對(duì)藝術(shù)的熱愛(ài)，而且還反映了他對(duì)藝術(shù)如何推動(dòng)維持本國(guó)國(guó)力的認(rèn)知。(掌聲）

Now, we mark this anniversary with a measure of sadness, as we remember the extraordinary life of Sargent Shriver—(applause)—a man who embodied the spirit of the New Frontier as well as anybody. When a person passes away, there’s often an urge to define their legacy, and find a way in which it will endure. In the case of Sarge，that is not hard to do. His legacy is written in the villages around the world that have clean water or a new school through the Peace Corps. It’s written into the lives of all the children in our own country whose fortunes have been lifted through Head Start. And it will endure in the work of his children who are living out his legacy of service, and our thoughts and prayers are with them tonight.

現(xiàn)在，我們?cè)诰拺阉_金特•施萊弗不平凡的一生的同時(shí)紀(jì)念這個(gè)周年，令人不 免感到悲傷——（掌聲）——他同任何一個(gè)人一樣，身體力行新邊疆精神。在一個(gè) 人逝去的時(shí)候，人們總希望對(duì)他遺留的東西作出定位，并試圖將其繼承傳揚(yáng)。對(duì)施 萊弗的一生來(lái)說(shuō)，這并不困難。他的遺產(chǎn)就書(shū)寫(xiě)在世界各地的村莊和新的學(xué)校里， 那里的人們從美國(guó)和平部隊(duì)那里獲得了清潔用水；他的遺產(chǎn)寫(xiě)進(jìn)了我國(guó)孩子們的生活中，那些孩子因?yàn)?ldquo;起跑計(jì)劃”而改變了命運(yùn)。他的子女們繼承了這份為人服務(wù) 的遺產(chǎn)，并將通過(guò)自己的努力使之永恒。今晚，我們的心和他們連在一起，我們?yōu)?/p>

One of the remarkable aspects in commemorating the JFK inauguration, in remembering those who were part of his team, like Sargent Shriver, who would help bring Kennedy’s soaring vision to life, is that none of it feels dated. Even now, one half century later, there is something about that day~January 20, 1961—that feels immediate, feels new and urgent and exciting, despite the graininess of the 16-millimeter news reels that recorded it for posterity.

在紀(jì)念約翰•肯尼迪就任總統(tǒng)50周年之時(shí)，在懷念薩金特•施萊弗等為實(shí)現(xiàn)肯 尼迪的宏大生活愿景而努力的隊(duì)友之時(shí)，人們可以看到這一切都沒(méi)有過(guò)時(shí)。即使是 半個(gè)世紀(jì)后的現(xiàn)在，那一天——1961年1月20日~仍然讓人感到那么得貼近，那么 得新鮮，那么得緊迫和激動(dòng)，盡管為后人記錄這一天使用的16毫米新聞膠卷已經(jīng)老

There he is，the handsome Bostonian, summoning a generation to service and a nation to greatness, in a speech that would become part of the American canon. And there，s the crowd, bundled up for the cold，making their way through streets white with snow, full of expectation. A nation, feeling young again, its mood brightened by the promise of a new decade.

就在那里，一位英俊的波士頓人通過(guò)一篇演講，號(hào)召一代人為國(guó)服務(wù)，號(hào)召著 整個(gè)國(guó)家?jiàn)^發(fā)圖強(qiáng)。這則演講后來(lái)成為美國(guó)準(zhǔn)則的一部分。當(dāng)時(shí)那一群人穿著厚厚 的冬衣，充滿期待地在白雪覆蓋的街道上行進(jìn)。一個(gè)國(guó)家，青春煥發(fā)，它的精神照 亮了希望滿滿的新的十年。

A quick wit with a light touch, he was dealt, in many ways, a fortunate hand at birth. Attending one event, early in his career, where every speaker before him pompously claimed humble roots~things haven’t changed that much—(laughter)— John Kennedy confessed, when he took the podium, that he was—and I quote一“the only fellow here who didn’t  come up the hard way.” (Laughter.)

他機(jī)智敏捷，從他出生，在很多方面他都很幸運(yùn)。在從政早期，他曾參加過(guò) 一次活動(dòng)，當(dāng)時(shí)，他前面的所有發(fā)言人都大談自己卑微的身世——現(xiàn)在的情況和那他們祈禱時(shí)也差不多——（笑聲）——約翰•肯尼迪走上講臺(tái)時(shí)坦白道，他是——我引用原 話^ “這里唯一一個(gè)不是窮苦出身的人” 6 (笑聲）

And yet, it cannot be said that John F. Kennedy lived an easy life. He lost an older brother in the war； a sister shortly thereafter. He nearly lost his own life, too, when a Japanese gunship cut his PT boat in half, casting him into the water, from which he swam a crewmate to safety. Another sister struggled with a severe mental handicap. His own health was so poor that priests pronounced his last rites on several different occasions. And he endured the personal prejudice and political poison of anti-Catholic fervor.

然而，我們并不能說(shuō)約翰•肯尼迪一生都是一帆風(fēng)順的。他在戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)中失去了哥 哥；之后又失去了一個(gè)妹妹。他自己也險(xiǎn)些喪命，當(dāng)時(shí)一架日本戰(zhàn)機(jī)把他的魚(yú)雷艇 截成了兩半，他被拋人水中，但他卻從水里救起一名船員。他的另一個(gè)妹妹患有嚴(yán) 重的心理障礙。他自己的健康令人憂心，牧師曾經(jīng)幾次為他作過(guò)臨終禱告。他還忍 受了因反天主教狂熱而引發(fā)的個(gè)人偏見(jiàn)和政治毒害。

And there is surely a possibility, under such circumstances, that a person will retreat from the world; that a person, particularly one born to wealth, will seek a life of luxury and ease; that a person, confronted by the coldness of chance, will become bitter or cynical or small. It has happened to others.

在這種情況下，一個(gè)人遁世隱居的可能性很大，特別是一個(gè)天生富貴的人， 可能會(huì)追求奢華安逸的生活；一個(gè)機(jī)會(huì)渺茫的人，可能會(huì)變得尖刻、憤世嫉俗或狹 隘。這種情況非常普遍。

But that is not the life that John F. Kennedy chose. As he famously said at a press conference, “life is unfair.” We can’t choose the lots we are given in life, but we can choose how to live that life, John ¥• Kennedy chose a life in the arena, full of confidence that our country could surmount any obstacle, as he’d seen it do himself. He chose a life of leadership, fired not by naive optimism, but committed realism; “idealism,” as his wife Jackie put it, “without illusions.” That is the idealism~soaring but sober~that inspired the country and the world one half century ago.

但是，這種人生并不是約翰•肯尼迪選擇的。在一次新聞發(fā)布會(huì)上，他說(shuō)得 極好：“生活是不公平的。”我們不能選擇生活給予我們的一切，但我們可以選擇 如何度過(guò)一生。約翰•肯尼迪選擇生活在公眾舞臺(tái)上，堅(jiān)信我們的國(guó)家能夠掃除任何障礙，就像他親眼看到的那樣。他選擇了做領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的生活，并不是由天真的樂(lè)觀主 義所激發(fā)的，而是受到堅(jiān)定的現(xiàn)實(shí)主義、即他的夫人杰基所提到的“不抱任何幻想 的理想主義”的鼓舞。正是這種理想主義——熱血沸騰卻又認(rèn)真冷靜——半個(gè)世紀(jì) 前，這種精神鼓舞了整個(gè)國(guó)家乃至整個(gè)世界。

I can only imagine how he must have felt, entering the Oval Office in turbulent times. (Laughter and applause.) The Soviet Premier, Khrushchev, had threatened to “bury” America just a few years before. Wars of Liberation, as they were called, were being waged around the globe—from Laos and Vietnam to Congo and Cuba, just 90 miles from our shore. At home, a young preacher’s cause was gaining traction across a segregated land.

我只能想象在那個(gè)動(dòng)蕩的年代，當(dāng)走入橢圓形辦公室時(shí)，他會(huì)有什么樣的感 覺(jué)。（笑聲和掌聲）蘇聯(lián)總理赫魯曉夫，幾年前曾威脅說(shuō)要“埋葬”美國(guó)。他們所 說(shuō)的“解放戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)”在世界各地蔓延開(kāi)來(lái)——從老撾和越南，再到剛果以及距我國(guó)海 岸僅有90英里的古巴。而在國(guó)內(nèi)，一位年輕牧師致力于擺脫種族隔離制度的事業(yè)臝 得了人心。

In this volatile America, this tinderbox of a world, President Kennedy led with a steadying hand, defusing the most perilous crisis of the Cold War without firing a single shot. Enforcing the rights of young black men and women to attend the university of their choice. Launching a corps of volunteers as ambassadors for peace in distant centers of the globe. Setting America’s sights on the moon, unwilling to lose the Space Race in the wake of Sputnik,

在這個(gè)動(dòng)蕩的美國(guó)，在那個(gè)隨即爆發(fā)戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)的地區(qū)，肯尼迪總統(tǒng)以堅(jiān)定的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)， 不用一槍一炮化解了冷戰(zhàn)時(shí)期最棘手的危機(jī)。他強(qiáng)制使黑人男女青年獲得了選擇大 學(xué)的權(quán)利。他發(fā)動(dòng)志愿者隊(duì)伍，前往遙遠(yuǎn)的世界各地?fù)?dān)任和平大使。他讓美國(guó)放眼 月球，在“斯普特尼克”升空后，不愿意在太空競(jìng)賽中落于人后。

The science just wasn’t there. President Kennedy understood that. But he also knew something else. He knew that we，as a people, can do big things. We can reach great heights. We can rise to any challenge, so long as we’re willing to ask what we can do for our country; so long as we，re willing to take America’s destiny into our own hands. What President Kennedy understood was the character of the people he led: our resilience, our fearlessness, our distinctly American ability, revealed time and again throughout history, to defy the odds, to fashion our future, to make the world anew.

但是當(dāng)時(shí)的科學(xué)水平還沒(méi)有達(dá)到那個(gè)高度。肯尼迪總統(tǒng)理解這一點(diǎn)，但是他 也清楚另外一些事。他知道，作為一個(gè)民族，我們能成大事。我們能夠攀登高峰。 我們能夠應(yīng)對(duì)任何挑戰(zhàn)，只要我們?cè)敢庠儐?wèn)自己：我們能為我們的國(guó)家做些什么， 只要我們?cè)敢鈱⒚绹?guó)的命運(yùn)把握在自己手中。肯尼迪總統(tǒng)懂得他所領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的人民的品 質(zhì)：我們的堅(jiān)韌；我們的無(wú)畏；我們與眾不同的能力，這種能力久經(jīng)歷史考驗(yàn)，藐 視苦難，創(chuàng)造未來(lái)，使世界煥然一新。

The world is very different now than it was in 1961. We face new trials and new uncertainties, from our economy to our security. We have a politics that can often seem too small for the hardships at hand. So meeting these tests won’t be easy. But we cannot forget, we are the heirs of this President, who showed us what is possible. Because of his vision, more people prospered； more people served; our union was made more perfect. Because of that vision, I can stand here tonight as President of the United States. (Applause.)

當(dāng)今世界與1961年相比已經(jīng)大不相同。在從經(jīng)濟(jì)到安全的諸多領(lǐng)域，我們面 臨新的考驗(yàn)、新的不確定因素。面對(duì)目前的困難，我們的政治運(yùn)作能力有些不足。 所以，解決這些困難并非易事。然而，我們不能忘記，我們是這位總統(tǒng)的繼承人， 他曾經(jīng)教導(dǎo)我們，什么事情都是有可能的。由于他的遠(yuǎn)見(jiàn)卓識(shí)，更多的人走向了繁 榮；更多的人作出奉獻(xiàn)；我們的國(guó)家變得更加完美。由于這一遠(yuǎn)見(jiàn)，今晚我才能夠 以美國(guó)總統(tǒng)的身份來(lái)到這里。（掌聲）

So John F. Kennedy captured that American spirit that not only put a man on the moon, but saved a continent from tyranny and overcame a Great Depression; that forged, from 13 colonies, the last best hope on Earth. And if we can hold onto that spirit today, I know that our generation will answer its call as ably as earlier ones did before us.

約翰•肯尼迪激發(fā)了美國(guó)精神，這一精神不僅使人類(lèi)登上了月球，還把一個(gè)大 陸從暴政中解救出來(lái)，戰(zhàn)勝了經(jīng)濟(jì)大蕭條，在13塊殖民地締造了世界上最后、最大的希望。如果我們今天繼續(xù)堅(jiān)持這一精神，那么我們這一代人將會(huì)像前幾代人那樣 以非凡的能力響應(yīng)這一召喚。

In December 1962，President Kennedy was asked by the Saturday Evening Post to submit his favorite quotation. A student not only of history，but also of literature, he chose a passage written by the poet Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr father of the Supreme Court justice. Mr. Holmes wrote：

1962年12月，《星期六晚報(bào)》邀請(qǐng)肯尼迪總統(tǒng)講述他的座右銘。因?yàn)樵诖髮W(xué)時(shí) 他兼修了歷史和文學(xué)，所以他挑選了詩(shī)人奧利弗•溫德?tīng)?bull;霍姆斯，即最高法院大 法官霍姆斯的父親的一段話。霍姆斯先生寫(xiě)道：

“I find the great things in this world—is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving: to reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it~but we must sail，and not drift, nor lie at anchor."

“我發(fā)現(xiàn)，這個(gè)世界上的偉大事業(yè)——并不在于我們身處何地，而在于我們前 進(jìn)的方向：為了到達(dá)天堂之門(mén)，我們有時(shí)順風(fēng)順?biāo)袝r(shí)逆海行舟——但我們必須 航行，不是隨波逐流也不是停泊靠岸。”

That, I think, captures well the daring，graceful spirit of the unfinished life we celebrate today; a life that inspires us and lights our way, as we sail on to the new frontiers of our own time. Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless this country that we love. Thank you. (Applause.)
 

我覺(jué)得，這段話確切地再現(xiàn)了我們今天所紀(jì)念的沒(méi)有走完的人生中那種無(wú)畏 而高尚的精神，當(dāng)我們駛向我們這個(gè)時(shí)代的新前沿時(shí)，這一生命激勵(lì)著我們，照亮 我們的前進(jìn)道路。多謝各位，愿主保佑你們，愿主保佑我們所摯愛(ài)的國(guó)家。謝謝。(掌聲）

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