歐巴馬這位總統的演說魅力確實出色，數十年難見一二。演說內容雖有文膽捉刀，但由他口中說出來的字字句句卻更能打動人心。卻不知他是否真實了解美國目前的困境，並且有準備與方法面對。讓我們拭目以待吧！翻譯如下...
President Obama's Inaugural Address 2009-1-20 USA
My fellow citizens:
各位同胞們：
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.
今天我站在這裡，為眼前的重責大任感到謙卑，對各位所給予的信任心懷感激，對先賢的犧牲銘記在心。我要謝謝布希總統為這個國家的服務，也感謝他在政權移交期間的寬大和合作。
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 forbearers, and true to our founding documents.
到今天為止，已經有四十四位美國人發表過總統就職誓言就任總統，這些誓詞或是在繁榮富強及和平寧靜之際發表，或是在烏雲密布，時局動盪之時。在艱困的時候，美國能箕裘相繼，不僅因為領導階層有能力或願景，也因為人民對先人的理念有持續的信心，也對建國的法統有忠實的信念所致。
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
因此，美國這樣走過來了。也就這樣，這一代美國人必須承繼下去。
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.
現在大家都知道我們正置身危機核心，我國正處於對抗深遠暴力和憎恨的戰爭。我們的經濟元氣大傷，是某些人貪婪且不負責任的後果，也是大眾未能做出艱難的選擇，為國家進入新時代做準備所致。許多人失去房子，丟了工作，生意垮了。我們的醫療照護太昂貴，學校教育辜負了許多人。每天都有更多證據顯示，我們使用能源的方式，更加威脅我們所居住的星球並加深與之敵對。
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.
這些都是得自資料和統計數據的危機指標。然而其他較無法量測但卻同樣深沉的警訊，是舉國信心盡失─持續地擔心美國將無可避免地衰退，也害怕下一代被迫必須降低其眼界與期望。
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.
今天我要告訴各位，我們面臨的挑戰是真的，挑戰非常嚴峻且多，而且無法輕易地，或在短時間內解決。但是，美國會解決這些挑戰的！
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
今天，我們會聚在一起，是因為我們選擇了希望而非恐懼，選擇了有目的之團結而非紛爭與不合。
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.
今天，我們要向那些無用的抱怨和虛偽的承諾，那些扭曲我們政治已久的相互指控和陳舊教條--宣告終結。
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.
我們仍是個年輕的國家，但如同聖經上所言，讓我們擺脫幼稚的事物，現在是重申我們堅忍精神的時候了。我們要選擇創造更好的歷史，實踐那種代代傳承的珍貴權利與高貴的理念：就是上帝應許的，眾人平等，人人自由，所有人都有追求最大幸福的機會與自由。
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 short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - 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 towards prosperity and freedom.
在肯定我們國家偉大的同時，我們必須了解偉大絕非天賜而來，而是必須努力方能達成的。我們奮鬥的路途，從來就沒有捷徑或是輕易達成的。這不是一條給懦弱、好逸惡勞或只想追求名利就滿足的人的道路。相反的，走上這條路的人，將是勇於冒險、做事的、成事的人。其中有些人很出名，但有更多的堅守崗位的無名英雄，支持我們走在這條漫長而崎嶇的道路上，邁向繁榮自由。
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.
他們曾經輕裝簡騎，遠渡重洋，追尋新的生活。
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
他們曾經辛苦地工作，在西部開拓、安頓；忍受風吹雨打，篳路藍縷。
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
為了我們，他們在各地奮戰甚至捐軀，在康科特和蓋茨堡，法國諾曼地與越南溪山等地。
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.
我們的先人們，不斷奮鬥與犧牲直到雙手傷痕累累，我們現在才能享有比較好的生活。在他們的心目中，美國存在的價值遠大於所有個人企圖的總和，也凌越所有出身、財富或群聚所屬的差異。
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.
這是我們今天繼續前進的旅程。到目前為止，我們仍舊是全球最繁榮強盛的國家。這場危機爆發時，我們的勞工生產力並未減弱。我們的創新能力並未稍減，我們的產品和服務仍然是必需的。我們的能力並未減損，但是我們墨守成規、維護短小利益、遲遲不願做出不討好的決定的這種狀況的時期肯定過去了。從今天起，我們必須重整旗鼓、重新出發、開始再造美國的工作。
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.
我們無論朝何處望去，都有必須完成的工作。目前的經濟情勢需要大膽、迅速的行動，而我們也必將有所行動，我們不只是要創造新工作，更要奠定往後成長新的基礎。我們必須造橋鋪路，興建電力網與數位線路，振興商業並將我們聯繫在一起。我們將讓科學回歸正確的用途，並運用科技奇蹟來提高醫療的品質並降低其費用。我們將開發利用太陽能、風能和農作物資源，作為車輛和工廠的能源。我們必須讓中小學及大專院校轉型以因應新時代的要求。這些任務我們都可以作到。我們也將會作到。
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.
現在有人質疑我們的企圖心太大了，說我們的系統無法承受太多的大計畫。但是這些人的記性不好，因為他們忘記了這個國家過去已經成就的，忘記了當我們朝同一個目標投注期待與共同無比的勇氣，我們這群自由的人們將可以完成何等成就。
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.
憤世嫉俗的犬儒人士們，竟無法理解他們的主張已經站不住腳，長期以來折磨我們的陳腐政治爭議已經行不通了。我們今天的問題不是政府太大或太小，而是是否有效，是否能幫助家庭找到薪水不錯的工作，可以支付得的社會福利照護，可以有尊嚴的退休。哪個方向能夠提供有效解決的答案，我們就朝那裡走。答案是否定的無效的，計畫就會被停止。所有我們這些管理大眾金錢的人都必須負起責任，聰明地花錢，改掉過去惡習，正大光明地作事情。只有這樣，我們才能重建政府與人民間最重要的信任。
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.
我們眼前的問題也不是去說市場是善的力量或是惡的力量。市場創造財富和延伸自由的力量是無可比擬的，但是這場危機提醒我們：當市場沒有一種監督機制時，市場發展將會失控；當市場只偏坦有錢的一群時，國家將無法持續繁榮下去。我們的經濟成功所依據的，不只是國內生產毛額的規模，還有經濟繁榮可擴展的範圍，以及將機會延伸至每個願意努力的人，而不是因為施捨，因為這就是達到我們共同利益的一條最穩健的途徑。
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.
至於我們的共同國家防衛，我們拒絕必須在我們的自由和理想之間僅能作單一抉擇的想法。我們建國諸父在難以想像的危難之中，擬具了確保法治和人權的憲章，那是一部被是世世代代以鮮血擴充完善的憲章。而這些理想依然照亮著這個世界，我們不會為了不合宜的簡單理由而揚棄它。同樣地，今日此時正在觀看轉播的其他國家的人民和政府，從最宏偉的首都到家父出生的小村莊，對任何一個追求和平與尊嚴的國家與人們、男女和小孩，美國是你們的朋友，而我們將再次帶領大家。
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.
回想以前的世代，除了靠飛彈和戰車力抗法西斯主義和共產主義之外，還需要強固的合作聯盟和持久不衰的信念支持。他們知道單憑武力不足以讓我們自保，也不能利用武力讓我們為所欲為。相反地，他們知道我們的力量會因為謹慎使用而增強、我們的安全源自於我們行為的正當性、我們所樹立楷模的形象力量，以及謙遜和克制所具有的調和特質。
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.
我們是這些過去典範的保存者，在這些原則的再次指引下，我們可以面對這些新威脅，這些威脅有賴國與國間更多的合作與諒解方能因應。我們將開始負責任地把伊拉克還給它的人民，並在阿富汗鞏固贏來不易的和平。我們會努力不懈地與老朋友和昔日的敵人合作，以降低核子威脅，並挽救地球的暖化危機。我們不會為我們的生活方式而道歉，也會全力地保護它。對那些想要藉由製造恐怖與殺害無辜以遂其目的者，我們現在告訴你，我們的意志力強過你們且無法摧折，你們不可能比我們支撐更久，我們必定會打敗你們。
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 non-believers. 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.
因為我們知道，我們繼承來自多種來源的遺產反而是我們的強處，而非弱點。我們世多種族的國家，是由基督徒和穆斯林，猶太教徒和印度教徒，以及無宗教信仰者組成的國家。我們自世界各處的各種語文和文化所形塑。而且由於我們曾嘗過內戰和種族隔離的苦果，並走出那黑暗時期而變得更堅強和團結。我們相信舊日的仇恨終究會過去，部族之間的界線很快就會消失。隨著世界越來越小，我們共通的人性光輝也將彰顯，而美國必須扮演其促進新和平時代的角色。
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.
對於穆斯林世界，我們尋求一種基於共同利益和尊重的新方式前進。對於想製造擴散衝突並把自己的社會問題怪罪於西方的那些領袖們，須知你的人民以你能建立什麼，而非你能毀壞什麼來評判你。那些利用貪腐欺騙和箝制異己以保住權勢的人，須知你們是站在歷史錯誤的一邊，而只要你願意，我們就會幫忙你把手鬆開。
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.
那些窮國的人民，我們保證會和你們合作，讓們的農場豐收，讓乾淨的水得以流播，得以餵養飢餓的身體，滋潤空虛的心靈。而對那些和我們一樣比較富裕的國家，我要說，我們不能再對國界以外的苦痛視而不見，也不能再消耗世上的資源而不計後果。因為這個世界已經變了，我們也要跟著改變。
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.
在我們思索眼前展開的道路何去何從之時，我們要以謙虛感激的心想到，有些勇敢的美國同胞正在遙遠的沙漠和山嶺間巡邏著。今天他們要對我們說的話，就和躺在阿靈頓公墓的英雄們世世代代輕聲向我們訴說的一樣。我們尊崇他們，不只因為他們捍衛了我們的自由，更因為他們代表著奉獻服務的精神；願意在自己身外更大的事物上投注價值與意義。而在此刻，在這個界定一個世代的此刻，這正是必須常駐你我心中的一種精神。
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.
不論政府能做和必須做的有多少，這個國家最終仍得靠美國人民的信念與決心支持。在堤防決堤時，是人們的善心，讓他們招待陌生人。是有工作人員的無私，寧可減少工時，也不願看到朋友失業，陪伴我們度過最黑暗時期。是消防員的勇氣，讓他們衝進滿是濃煙的樓梯間。也是父母心甘情願培育孩子，而最終決定了我們的命運。
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.
我們的挑戰也許是新的，我們迎接挑戰的工具也許是新的，但我們賴以成功的價值觀─辛勤工作和誠實、勇氣和公平競爭、容忍和好奇心、忠實和愛國心─這些都是固有的，這些價值是真實的。這些都是是我們過去歷史過程中進步的沈默力量，我們必須找回這些真實的價值與典範。我們現在需要一個勇於負責的新時代，每一個美國人都體認到我們對自己、對國家、對世界都負有責任，我們不是不情願地接受這些責任，而是要欣然接受，堅信沒有什麼比全力以赴完成艱難的工作，更能得到精神上的滿足，更能找到自我。
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
這是公民的代價和承諾。
This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
這是我們信心的來源，體認上帝召喚我們去改造一個不確定的命運。
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 sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
這是我們自由和信條的真諦，為什麼不同種族和信仰的男女老幼能在這個大草坪上共同慶祝，為什麼一個人的父親在不到六十年前也許還不能進當地的餐廳用餐，這個人現在卻能站在你們面前做最神聖的宣誓。
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:
讓我們記住這一天，記住我們是誰、我們在此刻之前走了有多遠。在美國誕生的那一年，在最寒冷的月份裏，在結冰的河岸上，一群愛國人士抱著垂死的同志，首都已棄守，敵人正進逼，雪沾了鮮血。在當時，我們革命的成果正受到質疑，我們的國父下令向人民宣讀這段話：
“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].”
「讓這段話流傳後世，在深冬，只有希望和美德尚存，這個城市和這個國家，面臨著共同危險，站起來迎向它。」
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.
美國啊！當面對我們共同的危險，在我們這個充滿艱困的冬天時，讓我們記得這些永恆的話語。讓我們懷著希望和美德，再度衝破結冰的橫流，度過即將來臨的暴風雪。讓我們孩子的孩子繼續流傳下去，說當我們受到考驗時，我們拒絕放棄，我們沒有回頭，也不躊躇；眼睛注視著遠方地平線，上帝的恩典終將降臨我們，我們帶著自由這份偉大的禮物，安全地傳送給未來的世世代代。
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