We Shall Overcome -- Lyndon Baines Johnson
Delivered 15 March 1965 • Washington, D.C.
1965 年 3 月 15 日交付 • 华盛顿特区
Mr. Speaker , Mr. President , Members of the Congress:
议长先生、总统先生、国会议员们：
I speak tonight for the dignity of man and the destiny of democracy.
今晚我是为了人类的尊严和民主的命运而发言。
I urge every member of both parties , Americans of all religions and of all colors , from every section of this country , to join me in that cause.
我敦促两党的每一位成员、来自这个国家各个地区、各种宗教和各种肤色的美国人，加入我的事业。
At times history and fate meet at a single time in a single place to shape a turning point in man ’ s unending search for freedom.
有时，历史和命运在同一时间、同一地点相遇，形成人类对自由永无休止的追求的转折点。
So it was at Lexington and Concord.
列克星敦和康科德的情况也是如此。
So it was a century ago at Appomattox.
那是一个世纪前的阿波马托克斯事件了。
So it was last week in Selma , Alabama.
上周在阿拉巴马州塞尔玛就是这样。
There , long-suffering men and women peacefully protested the denial of their rights as Americans.
在那里，长期受苦受难的男女和平抗议他们作为美国人的权利被剥夺。
Many were brutally assaulted.
许多人遭到残酷袭击。
One good man , a man of God , was killed.
一位好人，一位神的人，被杀了。
There is no cause for pride in what has happened in Selma.
塞尔玛发生的事情没有理由值得骄傲。
There is no cause for self-satisfaction in the long denial of equal rights of millions of Americans.
数百万美国人的平等权利长期被剥夺，这是没有理由沾沾自喜的。
But there is cause for hope and for faith in our democracy in what is happening here tonight.
但今晚这里发生的事情让我们对我们的民主抱有希望和信心。
For the cries of pain and the hymns and protests of oppressed people have summoned into convocation all the majesty of this great government -- the government of the greatest nation on earth.
因为被压迫人民的痛苦呼喊、赞美诗和抗议已经召集了这个伟大政府——地球上最伟大国家的政府——的所有威严。
Our mission is at once the oldest and the most basic of this country: to right wrong , to do justice , to serve man.
我们的使命既是这个国家最古老也是最基本的使命：纠正错误、伸张正义、为人类服务。
In our time we have come to live with the moments of great crisis.
在我们这个时代，我们已经经历了巨大危机的时刻。
Our lives have been marked with debate about great issues -- issues of war and peace , issues of prosperity and depression.
我们的生活充满了关于重大问题的辩论——战争与和平问题、繁荣与萧条问题。
But rarely in any time does an issue lay bare the secret heart of America itself.
但在任何时候，很少有一个问题能够揭露美国本身的秘密核心。
Rarely are we met with a challenge , not to our growth or abundance , or our welfare or our security , but rather to the values , and the purposes , and the meaning of our beloved nation.
我们很少遇到挑战，不是针对我们的增长或富足、我们的福利或我们的安全，而是针对我们深爱的国家的价值观、宗旨和意义。
The issue of equal rights for American Negroes is such an issue.
美国黑人的平等权利问题就是这样一个问题。
And should we defeat every enemy , and should we double our wealth and conquer the stars , and still be unequal to this issue , then we will have failed as a people and as a nation.
如果我们击败每一个敌人，如果我们加倍我们的财富并征服星星，但在这个问题上仍然不平等，那么作为一个民族和一个国家，我们将失败。
For with a country as with a person , “ What is a man profited , if he shall gain the whole world , and lose his own soul?
因为对于一个国家和一个人来说，“人若赚得全世界，赔上自己的灵魂，又有什么益处呢？”
”
”
There is no Negro problem.
不存在黑人问题。
There is no Southern problem.
不存在南方问题。
There is no Northern problem.
不存在北方问题。
There is only an American problem.
只有美国的问题。
And we are met here tonight as Americans -- not as Democrats or Republicans.
今晚我们以美国人的身份聚集在这里，而不是以民主党人或共和党人的身份。
We are met here as Americans to solve that problem.
我们作为美国人聚集在这里解决这个问题。
This was the first nation in the history of the world to be founded with a purpose.
这是世界历史上第一个有目的建立的国家。
The great phrases of that purpose still sound in every American heart , North and South: “ All men are created equal , ” “ government by consent of the governed , ” “ give me liberty or give me death.
这一目标的伟大短语仍然响彻在每个美国人的心中，无论南北：“人人生而平等”、“政府经被统治者同意”、“不自由，毋宁死”。
” Well , those are not just clever words , or those are not just empty theories.
” 嗯，这些不仅仅是聪明的话，或者那些不仅仅是空洞的理论。
In their name Americans have fought and died for two centuries , and tonight around the world they stand there as guardians of our liberty , risking their lives.
美国人以他们的名义战斗并牺牲了两个世纪，今晚，他们在世界各地冒着生命危险，作为我们自由的守护者站在那里。
Those words are a promise to every citizen that he shall share in the dignity of man.
这些话是对每个公民的承诺，即他将分享人的尊严。
This dignity cannot be found in a man ’ s possessions; it cannot be found in his power , or in his position.
这种尊严不能在一个人的财产中找到。在他的权力或地位中找不到它。
It really rests on his right to be treated as a man equal in opportunity to all others.
他确实有权被视为与其他人享有平等机会的人。
It says that he shall share in freedom , he shall choose his leaders , educate his children , provide for his family according to his ability and his merits as a human being.
它说他应该分享自由，他应该根据他作为人的能力和优点选择他的领导人，教育他的孩子，养活他的家庭。
To apply any other test -- to deny a man his hopes because of his color , or race , or his religion , or the place of his birth is not only to do injustice , it is to deny America and to dishonor the dead who gave their lives for American freedom.
应用任何其他标准——因为一个人的肤色、种族、宗教或出生地而否定他的希望，不仅是不公正，也是对美国的否定，是对那些为美国自由献出生命的死者的侮辱。
Our fathers believed that if this noble view of the rights of man was to flourish , it must be rooted in democracy.
我们的父辈相信，如果这种崇高的人权观念要蓬勃发展，它就必须植根于民主。
The most basic right of all was the right to choose your own leaders.
最基本的权利是选择自己领导人的权利。
The history of this country , in large measure , is the history of the expansion of that right to all of our people.
在很大程度上，这个国家的历史就是向我们全体人民扩展这一权利的历史。
Many of the issues of civil rights are very complex and most difficult.
公民权利的许多问题非常复杂且最困难。
But about this there can and should be no argument.
但对于这一点，不能也不应该有任何争论。
Every American citizen must have an equal right to vote.
每个美国公民都必须拥有平等的投票权。
There is no reason which can excuse the denial of that right.
没有任何理由可以原谅拒绝这项权利。
There is no duty which weighs more heavily on us than the duty we have to ensure that right.
对我们来说，没有什么责任比我们必须确保这一权利更重要的了。
Yet the harsh fact is that in many places in this country men and women are kept from voting simply because they are Negroes.
然而严酷的事实是，在这个国家的许多地方，男人和女人仅仅因为是黑人就被禁止投票。
Every device of which human ingenuity is capable has been used to deny this right.
人类聪明才智能够使用的每一种手段都被用来否认这一权利。
The Negro citizen may go to register only to be told that the day is wrong , or the hour is late , or the official in charge is absent.
黑人公民去登记时可能会被告知日期不对，或者时间晚了，或者负责官员不在。
And if he persists , and if he manages to present himself to the registrar , he may be disqualified because he did not spell out his middle name or because he abbreviated a word on the application.
如果他坚持这样做，并且他设法向注册官介绍自己，他可能会被取消资格，因为他没有拼写出自己的中间名或因为他在申请表上缩写了一个单词。
And if he manages to fill out an application , he is given a test.
如果他成功填写了申请表，他就会接受测试。
The registrar is the sole judge of whether he passes this test.
注册官是他是否通过这项测试的唯一判断者。
He may be asked to recite the entire Constitution , or explain the most complex provisions of State law.
他可能会被要求背诵整部宪法，或解释州法律最复杂的条款。
And even a college degree cannot be used to prove that he can read and write.
而且即使是大学学位也不能用来证明他会读会写。
For the fact is that the only way to pass these barriers is to show a white skin.
事实上，克服这些障碍的唯一方法就是展现白皙的皮肤。
Experience has clearly shown that the existing process of law cannot overcome systematic and ingenious discrimination.
经验清楚地表明，现有的法律程序无法克服系统性和巧妙的歧视。
No law that we now have on the books -- and I have helped to put three of them there -- can ensure the right to vote when local officials are determined to deny it.
当地方官员坚决拒绝投票权时，我们现在制定的任何法律（我已经帮助制定了其中三项法律）都无法确保投票权。
In such a case our duty must be clear to all of us.
在这种情况下，我们所有人都必须清楚我们的职责。
The Constitution says that no person shall be kept from voting because of his race or his color.
宪法规定，任何人不得因其种族或肤色而被阻止投票。
We have all sworn an oath before God to support and to defend that Constitution.
我们所有人都在上帝面前宣誓支持和捍卫这部宪法。
We must now act in obedience to that oath.
我们现在必须遵守这一誓言。
Wednesday , I will send to Congress a law designed to eliminate illegal barriers to the right to vote.
周三，我将向国会提交一项旨在消除投票权非法障碍的法律。
The broad principles of that bill will be in the hands of the Democratic and Republican leaders tomorrow.
该法案的主要原则明天将由民主党和共和党领导人掌握。
After they have reviewed it , it will come here formally as a bill.
他们审核后，将作为法案正式送达这里。
I am grateful for this opportunity to come here tonight at the invitation of the leadership to reason with my friends , to give them my views , and to visit with my former colleagues.
很高兴今晚有机会应领导的邀请来到这里，与朋友们讲道理，讲讲自己的看法，并看望以前的同事。
I ’ ve had prepared a more comprehensive analysis of the legislation which I had intended to transmit to the clerk tomorrow , but which I will submit to the clerks tonight.
我已经准备了对立法的更全面的分析，我本来打算明天将其转交给书记员，但我将在今晚提交给书记员。
But I want to really discuss with you now , briefly , the main proposals of this legislation.
但我现在想与大家简单地讨论一下这项立法的主要建议。
This bill will strike down restrictions to voting in all elections -- Federal , State , and local -- which have been used to deny Negroes the right to vote.
该法案将取消所有选举（联邦、州和地方）的投票限制，这些限制一直被用来剥夺黑人的投票权。
This bill will establish a simple , uniform standard which cannot be used , however ingenious the effort , to flout our Constitution.
该法案将建立一个简单、统一的标准，无论其努力多么巧妙，都不能用来藐视我们的宪法。
It will provide for citizens to be registered by officials of the United States Government , if the State officials refuse to register them.
如果州官员拒绝为公民登记，它将规定由美国政府官员对其进行登记。
It will eliminate tedious , unnecessary lawsuits which delay the right to vote.
它将消除拖延投票权的繁琐、不必要的诉讼。
Finally , this legislation will ensure that properly registered individuals are not prohibited from voting.
最后，这项立法将确保正确登记的个人不会被禁止投票。
I will welcome the suggestions from all of the Members of Congress -- I have no doubt that I will get some -- on ways and means to strengthen this law and to make it effective.
我欢迎所有国会议员就加强这项法律并使其有效的方式方法提出建议——我毫不怀疑我会收到一些建议。
But experience has plainly shown that this is the only path to carry out the command of the Constitution.
但经验清楚地表明，这是贯彻宪法命令的唯一途径。
To those who seek to avoid action by their National Government in their own communities , who want to and who seek to maintain purely local control over elections , the answer is simple: open your polling places to all your people.
对于那些试图避免国家政府在自己社区采取行动、想要并寻求保持对选举的纯粹地方控制的人来说，答案很简单：向所有人民开放投票站。
Allow men and women to register and vote whatever the color of their skin.
允许男性和女性登记和投票，无论其肤色如何。
Extend the rights of citizenship to every citizen of this land.
将公民权利扩大到这片土地上的每个公民。
There is no constitutional issue here.
这里不存在宪法问题。
The command of the Constitution is plain.
宪法的命令是明确的。
There is no moral issue.
不存在道德问题。
It is wrong -- deadly wrong -- to deny any of your fellow Americans the right to vote in this country.
剥夺任何美国同胞在这个国家投票的权利是错误的——致命的错误。
There is no issue of States ’ rights or national rights.
不存在国家权利或民族权利问题。
There is only the struggle for human rights.
只有争取人权的斗争。
I have not the slightest doubt what will be your answer.
我毫不怀疑你的答案是什么。
But the last time a President sent a civil rights bill to the Congress , it contained a provision to protect voting rights in Federal elections.
但上一次总统向国会提交民权法案时，其中包含一项保护联邦选举投票权的条款。
That civil rights bill was passed after eight long months of debate.
该民权法案经过八个月的漫长辩论后获得通过。
And when that bill came to my desk from the Congress for my signature , the heart of the voting provision had been eliminated.
当该法案从国会送到我的办公桌上供我签署时，投票条款的核心已被消除。
This time , on this issue , there must be no delay , or no hesitation , or no compromise with our purpose.
这一次，在这个问题上，我们不能再拖延，不能犹豫，不能妥协。
We cannot , we must not , refuse to protect the right of every American to vote in every election that he may desire to participate in.
我们不能，我们决不能拒绝保护每个美国人在他可能希望参加的每一次选举中投票的权利。
And we ought not , and we cannot , and we must not wait another eight months before we get a bill.
我们不应该，我们不能，我们不能再等八个月才能收到账单。
We have already waited a hundred years and more , and the time for waiting is gone.
我们已经等了一百多年了，等待的时间已经过去了。
So I ask you to join me in working long hours -- nights and weekends , if necessary -- to pass this bill.
因此，我请求你们和我一起长时间工作——晚上和周末，如果有必要的话——以通过这项法案。
And I don ’ t make that request lightly.
我不会轻易提出这个要求。
For from the window where I sit with the problems of our country , I recognize that from outside this chamber is the outraged conscience of a nation , the grave concern of many nations , and the harsh judgment of history on our acts.
因为从我坐在窗口讨论我国问题的地方，我认识到，在这个会议厅之外，有一个国家良知的愤怒、许多国家的严重关切，以及历史对我们行为的严厉评判。
But even if we pass this bill , the battle will not be over.
但即使我们通过了这项法案，战斗也不会结束。
What happened in Selma is part of a far larger movement which reaches into every section and State of America.
塞尔玛发生的事情是一场更大的运动的一部分，该运动涉及美国的每个地区和每个州。
It is the effort of American Negroes to secure for themselves the full blessings of American life.
这是美国黑人为自己获得美国生活的全部幸福而做出的努力。
Their cause must be our cause too.
他们的事业也一定是我们的事业。
Because it ’ s not just Negroes , but really it ’ s all of us , who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice.
因为不仅是黑人，而且实际上是我们所有人，都必须克服偏执和不公正的严重影响。
As a man whose roots go deeply into Southern soil , I know how agonizing racial feelings are.
作为一个扎根南方土地的人，我知道种族感情是多么痛苦。
I know how difficult it is to reshape the attitudes and the structure of our society.
我知道重塑我们社会的态度和结构是多么困难。
But a century has passed , more than a hundred years since the Negro was freed.
但一个世纪过去了，黑人获得自由已有一百多年了。
And he is not fully free tonight.
而他今晚也没有完全自由。
It was more than a hundred years ago that Abraham Lincoln , a great President of another party , signed the Emancipation Proclamation; but emancipation is a proclamation , and not a fact.
一百多年前，另一个政党的伟大总统亚伯拉罕·林肯签署了《解放黑人奴隶宣言》；但解放只是一个宣言，而不是一个事实。
A century has passed , more than a hundred years , since equality was promised.
距离平等的承诺已经过去了一个世纪，一百多年了。
And yet the Negro is not equal.
然而黑人并不是平等的。
A century has passed since the day of promise.
自许诺之日起，一个世纪过去了。
And the promise is un-kept.
而且这个承诺没有兑现。
The time of justice has now come.
正义的时刻已经到来。
I tell you that I believe sincerely that no force can hold it back.
我告诉你，我真诚地相信，没有任何力量可以阻挡它。
It is right in the eyes of man and God that it should come.
在人和神看来，它应该到来是正确的。
And when it does , I think that day will brighten the lives of every American.
当它到来时，我认为那一天将照亮每个美国人的生活。
For Negroes are not the only victims.
因为黑人并不是唯一的受害者。
How many white children have gone uneducated?
有多少白人儿童没有受过教育？
How many white families have lived in stark poverty?
有多少白人家庭生活在赤贫之中？
How many white lives have been scarred by fear , because we ’ ve wasted our energy and our substance to maintain the barriers of hatred and terror?
有多少白人的生命因恐惧而伤痕累累，因为我们浪费了精力和物质来维持仇恨和恐怖的屏障？
And so I say to all of you here , and to all in the nation tonight , that those who appeal to you to hold on to the past do so at the cost of denying you your future.
因此，我对在座的所有人以及今晚全国的所有人说，那些呼吁你们坚持过去的人这样做的代价是否认你们的未来。
This great , rich , restless country can offer opportunity and education and hope to all , all black and white , all North and South , sharecropper and city dweller.
这个伟大、富裕、不安的国家可以为所有人，无论是黑人还是白人，无论是北方还是南方，无论是佃农还是城市居民，提供机会、教育和希望。
These are the enemies: poverty , ignorance , disease.
这些是敌人：贫穷、无知、疾病。
They ’ re our enemies , not our fellow man , not our neighbor.
他们是我们的敌人，不是我们的同胞，也不是我们的邻居。
And these enemies too -- poverty , disease , and ignorance: we shall overcome.
还有这些敌人——贫穷、疾病和无知：我们一定会克服的。
Now let none of us in any section look with prideful righteousness on the troubles in another section , or the problems of our neighbors.
现在，我们任何一个部门中的任何人都不要以骄傲的正义眼光看待另一个部门的麻烦或我们邻居的问题。
There ’ s really no part of America where the promise of equality has been fully kept.
美国确实没有一个地方完全兑现了平等的承诺。
In Buffalo as well as in Birmingham , in Philadelphia as well as Selma , Americans are struggling for the fruits of freedom.
在布法罗和伯明翰，在费城和塞尔玛，美国人正在为自由的果实而奋斗。
This is one nation.
这是一个民族。
What happens in Selma or in Cincinnati is a matter of legitimate concern to every American.
塞尔玛或辛辛那提发生的事情是每个美国人合理关注的问题。
But let each of us look within our own hearts and our own communities , and let each of us put our shoulder to the wheel to root out injustice wherever it exists.
但是，让我们每个人审视自己的内心和自己的社区，让我们每个人都肩负起责任，根除存在于任何地方的不公正现象。
As we meet here in this peaceful , historic chamber tonight , men from the South , some of whom were at Iwo Jima , men from the North who have carried Old Glory to far corners of the world and brought it back without a stain on it , men from the East and from the West , are all fighting together without regard to religion , or color , or region , in Vietnam.
当我们今晚在这个和平的、历史性的会议厅里相聚时，来自南方的人们，其中一些人曾在硫磺岛，来自北方的人们，他们将古老的荣耀带到了世界的遥远角落，并将其完好无损地带回来，来自东方和西方的人们，不分宗教、肤色或地区，在越南共同战斗。
Men from every region fought for us across the world twenty years ago.
二十年前，来自各个地区的人们在世界各地为我们而战。
And now in these common dangers and these common sacrifices , the South made its contribution of honor and gallantry no less than any other region in the Great Republic -- and in some instances , a great many of them , more.
现在，在这些共同的危险和这些共同的牺牲中，南方所做出的荣誉和英勇的贡献不亚于大共和国的任何其他地区——在某些情况下，他们中的很多人，甚至更多。
And I have not the slightest doubt that good men from everywhere in this country , from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico , from the Golden Gate to the harbors along the Atlantic , will rally now together in this cause to vindicate the freedom of all Americans.
我毫不怀疑，来自这个国家各地的好人，从五大湖到墨西哥湾，从金门到大西洋沿岸的港口，现在将在这一事业中团结起来，捍卫所有美国人的自由。
For all of us owe this duty; and I believe that all of us will respond to it.
因为我们所有人都负有这项责任；我相信我们所有人都会对此做出回应。
Your President makes that request of every American.
你们的总统向每个美国人提出了这个要求。
The real hero of this struggle is the American Negro.
这场斗争的真正英雄是美国黑人。
His actions and protests , his courage to risk safety and even to risk his life , have awakened the conscience of this nation.
他的行动和抗议，他冒着安全甚至生命危险的勇气，唤醒了这个民族的良知。
His demonstrations have been designed to call attention to injustice , designed to provoke change , designed to stir reform.
他的示威活动旨在引起人们对不公正现象的关注，旨在引发变革，旨在推动改革。
He has called upon us to make good the promise of America.
他呼吁我们兑现美国的承诺。
And who among us can say that we would have made the same progress were it not for his persistent bravery , and his faith in American democracy.
我们当中谁能说，如果没有他坚持不懈的勇气和他对美国民主的信念，我们会取得同样的进步。
For at the real heart of battle for equality is a deep seated belief in the democratic process.
因为争取平等之战的真正核心是对民主进程的根深蒂固的信念。
Equality depends not on the force of arms or tear gas but depends upon the force of moral right; not on recourse to violence but on respect for law and order.
平等不取决于武力或催泪瓦斯的力量，而取决于道德权利的力量；不是诉诸暴力，而是尊重法律和秩序。
And there have been many pressures upon your President and there will be others as the days come and go.
你们的总统面临着很多压力，随着时间的推移，还会有其他压力。
But I pledge you tonight that we intend to fight this battle where it should be fought -- in the courts , and in the Congress , and in the hearts of men.
但今晚我向你们保证，我们打算在应该进行的地方进行这场战斗——在法庭、在国会、在人们的心中。
We must preserve the right of free speech and the right of free assembly.
我们必须维护言论自由权和自由集会权。
But the right of free speech does not carry with it , as has been said , the right to holler fire in a crowded theater.
但正如人们所说，言论自由权并不意味着在拥挤的剧院里大声喊叫的权利。
We must preserve the right to free assembly.
我们必须维护自由集会的权利。
But free assembly does not carry with it the right to block public thoroughfares to traffic.
但自由集会并不意味着有权封锁公共交通通道。
We do have a right to protest , and a right to march under conditions that do not infringe the constitutional rights of our neighbors.
我们确实有权抗议，也有权在不侵犯邻国宪法权利的情况下游行。
And I intend to protect all those rights as long as I am permitted to serve in this office.
只要我被允许在这个办公室任职，我就会保护所有这些权利。
We will guard against violence , knowing it strikes from our hands the very weapons which we seek: progress , obedience to law , and belief in American values.
我们将防范暴力，因为我们知道暴力会从我们手中夺取我们所寻求的武器：进步、遵守法律和对美国价值观的信仰。
In Selma , as elsewhere , we seek and pray for peace.
在塞尔玛，和其他地方一样，我们寻求并祈祷和平。
We seek order.
我们寻求秩序。
We seek unity.
我们寻求团结。
But we will not accept the peace of stifled rights , or the order imposed by fear , or the unity that stifles protest.
但我们不会接受被压制的权利的和平，或恐惧强加的秩序，或压制抗议的团结。
For peace cannot be purchased at the cost of liberty.
因为和平不能以自由为代价。
In Selma tonight -- and we had a good day there -- as in every city , we are working for a just and peaceful settlement And we must all remember that after this speech I am making tonight , after the police and the FBI and the Marshals have all gone , and after you have promptly passed this bill , the people of Selma and the other cities of the Nation must still live and work together.
今晚在塞尔玛——我们在那里度过了美好的一天——就像在每个城市一样，我们正在努力实现公正与和平的解决。我们都必须记住，在我今晚发表的演讲之后，在警察、联邦调查局和法警全部离开之后，在你们迅速通过这项法案之后，塞尔玛和国家其他城市的人民必须仍然共同生活和工作。
And when the attention of the nation has gone elsewhere , they must try to heal the wounds and to build a new community.
当国家的注意力转移到其他地方时，他们必须努力治愈伤口并建立一个新的社区。
This cannot be easily done on a battleground of violence , as the history of the South itself shows.
正如南方历史本身所表明的那样，这在暴力战场上是不容易做到的。
It is in recognition of this that men of both races have shown such an outstandingly impressive responsibility in recent days -- last Tuesday , again today.
正是认识到这一点，两个种族的男人在最近几天——上周二和今天——都表现出了如此令人印象深刻的责任。
The bill that I am presenting to you will be known as a civil rights bill.
我向你们提出的法案将被称为民权法案。
But , in a larger sense , most of the program I am recommending is a civil rights program.
但是，从更大的意义上来说，我推荐的大部分计划都是民权计划。
Its object is to open the city of hope to all people of all races.
其目标是向所有种族的所有人开放希望之城。
Because all Americans just must have the right to vote.
因为所有美国人都必须有投票权。
And we are going to give them that right.
我们将给予他们这个权利。
All Americans must have the privileges of citizenship -- regardless of race.
所有美国人都必须享有公民特权——无论种族如何。
And they are going to have those privileges of citizenship -- regardless of race.
他们将拥有公民身份的特权——无论种族如何。
But I would like to caution you and remind you that to exercise these privileges takes much more than just legal right.
但我想提醒您，行使这些特权需要的不仅仅是合法权利。
It requires a trained mind and a healthy body.
它需要训练有素的头脑和健康的身体。
It requires a decent home , and the chance to find a job , and the opportunity to escape from the clutches of poverty.
它需要一个体面的家庭、找到工作的机会、以及摆脱贫困的机会。
Of course , people cannot contribute to the nation if they are never taught to read or write , if their bodies are stunted from hunger , if their sickness goes untended , if their life is spent in hopeless poverty just drawing a welfare check.
当然，如果人们从未被教导读书写字，如果他们的身体因饥饿而发育不良，如果他们的疾病得不到治疗，如果他们的一生都在绝望的贫困中度过，只是领取福利支票，那么他们就无法为国家做出贡献。
So we want to open the gates to opportunity.
因此，我们想打开机会之门。
But we ’ re also going to give all our people , black and white , the help that they need to walk through those gates.
但我们也将为我们所有的人民，无论黑人还是白人，提供他们走过这些大门所需的帮助。
My first job after college was as a teacher in Cotulla , Texas , in a small Mexican-American school.
大学毕业后，我的第一份工作是在德克萨斯州科图拉的一所小型墨西哥裔美国人学校担任教师。
Few of them could speak English , and I couldn ’ t speak much Spanish.
他们中很少有人会说英语，而我也不会说太多西班牙语。
My students were poor and they often came to class without breakfast , hungry.
我的学生很穷，他们经常不吃早饭，饿着肚子来上课。
And they knew , even in their youth , the pain of prejudice.
即使在年轻的时候，他们也知道偏见带来的痛苦。
They never seemed to know why people disliked them.
他们似乎永远不知道为什么人们不喜欢他们。
But they knew it was so , because I saw it in their eyes.
但他们知道事实如此，因为我从他们的眼中看到了这一点。
I often walked home late in the afternoon , after the classes were finished , wishing there was more that I could do.
我经常在下午晚些时候，课程结束后步行回家，希望我能做更多的事情。
But all I knew was to teach them the little that I knew , hoping that it might help them against the hardships that lay ahead.
但我所知道的只是教给他们我所知道的一点点，希望这能帮助他们应对未来的困难。
And somehow you never forget what poverty and hatred can do when you see its scars on the hopeful face of a young child.
当你在一个年幼的孩子充满希望的脸上看到贫穷和仇恨的伤痕时，你永远不会忘记贫穷和仇恨会造成什么后果。
I never thought then , in 1928 , that I would be standing here in 1965.
1928 年，我从未想到 1965 年我会站在这里。
It never even occurred to me in my fondest dreams that I might have the chance to help the sons and daughters of those students and to help people like them all over this country.
在我最美好的梦想中，我什至从未想过我可能有机会帮助这些学生的儿女，并帮助全国各地像他们一样的人。
But now I do have that chance -- and I ’ ll let you in on a secret -- I mean to use it.
但现在我确实有这个机会——我会让你知道一个秘密——我打算利用它。
And I hope that you will use it with me.
我希望你能和我一起使用它。
This is the richest and the most powerful country which ever occupied this globe.
这是地球上有史以来最富有、最强大的国家。
The might of past empires is little compared to ours.
过去帝国的力量与我们相比微不足道。
But I do not want to be the President who built empires , or sought grandeur , or extended dominion.
但我不想成为建立帝国、追求宏伟或扩大统治的总统。
I want to be the President who educated young children to the wonders of their world.
我想成为一位教育年幼的孩子们发现世界奇迹的总统。
I want to be the President who helped to feed the hungry and to prepare them to be tax-payers instead of tax-eaters.
我想成为一位帮助养活饥饿者并帮助他们成为纳税人而不是纳税人的总统。
I want to be the President who helped the poor to find their own way and who protected the right of every citizen to vote in every election.
我想成为一位帮助穷人找到自己的道路并保护每个公民在每次选举中投票的权利的总统。
I want to be the President who helped to end hatred among his fellow men , and who promoted love among the people of all races and all regions and all parties.
我想成为一位帮助结束同胞之间的仇恨、促进各族、各地区、各党派人民之间的爱的总统。
I want to be the President who helped to end war among the brothers of this earth.
我想成为帮助结束地球兄弟之间战争的总统。
And so , at the request of your beloved Speaker , and the Senator from Montana , the majority leader , the Senator from Illinois , the minority leader , Mr. McCulloch , and other Members of both parties , I came here tonight -- not as President Roosevelt came down one time , in person , to veto a bonus bill , not as President Truman came down one time to urge the passage of a railroad bill -- but I came down here to ask you to share this task with me , and to share it with the people that we both work for.
因此，应你们敬爱的议长、蒙大拿州参议员、多数党领袖、伊利诺伊州参议员、少数党领袖麦卡洛克先生和两党其他议员的要求，我今晚来到这里——不是像罗斯福总统亲自下来否决一项奖金法案，不是像杜鲁门总统一次下来敦促通过一项铁路法案——而是我来这里是为了请你们分担这项任务。与我一起，并与我们共同工作的人分享。
I want this to be the Congress , Republicans and Democrats alike , which did all these things for all these people.
我希望国会，无论是共和党还是民主党，都为所有这些人做了所有这些事情。
Beyond this great chamber , out yonder in fifty States , are the people that we serve.
在这个伟大的会议厅之外，在五十个州的另一边，是我们所服务的人民。
Who can tell what deep and unspoken hopes are in their hearts tonight as they sit there and listen.
今晚，当他们坐在那里聆听时，谁能说出他们心中有哪些深沉而未言明的希望。
We all can guess , from our own lives , how difficult they often find their own pursuit of happiness , how many problems each little family has.
我们都可以从自己的生活中猜到，他们常常发现自己追求幸福有多么困难，每个小家庭都有多少问题。
They look most of all to themselves for their futures.
他们最看重的是自己的未来。
But I think that they also look to each of us.
但我认为他们也关心我们每个人。
Above the pyramid on the great seal of the United States it says in Latin: “ God has favored our undertaking.
金字塔上方的美国国徽上用拉丁文写着：“上帝眷顾了我们的事业。
” God will not favor everything that we do.
“上帝不会偏爱我们所做的一切。
It is rather our duty to divine His will.
相反，我们有责任了解他的旨意。
But I cannot help believing that He truly understands and that He really favors the undertaking that we begin here tonight.
但我情不自禁地相信他真的理解，并且他真的赞成我们今晚在这里开始的事业。