Remarks at the 50th Anniversary of John F. Kennedy's Inauguration¹

Barack Obama, President of the United States

January 20, 2011

The Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.

在纪念约翰∙肯尼迪就任总统50周年活动上的讲话

美国总统 巴拉克∙奥巴马

2011年1月20日

华盛顿特区肯尼迪中心

Thank you so much, everybody. Thank you. Thank you. To Caroline and the Kennedy family, to all the members of Congress and distinguished² 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.)

非常感谢，谢谢大家，谢谢。卡罗琳和肯尼迪家族各位成员、今晚在场的各位国会议员和尊贵的客人们，十分高兴同你们一起纪念约翰∙肯尼迪就任总统50周年。（掌声）在此举行这次活动是最恰当的，这个供人们日常使用的纪念场所不仅反映了他对艺术的热爱，而且反映了他对艺术在保持我国国力中所能发挥的作用的认识。（掌声）

Now, we mark this anniversary with a measure of sadness, as we remember the extraordinary life of Sargent Shriver -- (applause) -- a man who embodied³ the spirit of the New Frontier as well as anybody. When a person passes away, there’s often an urge to define their legacy⁴, 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 Corps⁵. 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.

我们在缅怀萨金特∙施莱弗[肯尼迪总统的妹夫－译者注]不平凡的一生之时来纪念这个周年不免感到一种悲伤——（掌声）——在体现“新前沿”精神方面，他是一个出类拔萃的人。在一个人逝去的时候，常会产生一种界定其遗产并设法使之永存的动力。对施莱弗来说，做到这一条并非难事。他的遗产就写在世界各地那些通过和平队获得了清洁用水或新的学校的村庄里，写在我国那些因“起跑”计划[美国的一项帮助贫困儿童的教育计划－译者注]而改变命运的所有孩子的生活中。他的子女们继承了这份为他人奉献的遗产，并将通过自己的努力使之发扬光大。今晚，我们的心和他们连在一起，我们为他们祈祷。

One of the remarkable⁶ aspects in commemorating⁷ 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 immediate⁸, feels new and urgent and exciting, despite the graininess of the 16-millimeter news reels that recorded it for posterity⁹.

在纪念约翰∙肯尼迪就任总统50周年之时，在怀念萨金特∙施莱弗等为实现肯尼迪的宏大愿景而努力的团队成员之时，值得一提的是，人们可以看到这一切并没有过时。即便在今日，半个世纪之后，那一天——1961年1月20日——仍然让人感到历历在目，感到新鲜，感到紧迫和振奋，尽管为后人记录这一天的16毫米新闻胶卷已经老旧。

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.

他——一位英俊的波士顿人——就在那里，以一篇后来成为美国行为准则一部分的演说，呼唤一代人为他人奉献，呼唤整个国家创造伟大业绩。当时那一群人穿着厚厚的冬衣，满怀期待地行进在白雪覆盖的街道上。一个国家，青春焕发，充满着朝气，憧憬着充满希望的新的十年。

Now, I confess, I don’t have my own memories of that day. (Laughter.) I wasn’t born until later that year. (Laughter.) What I know of that day and the 1,000 days that followed -– what I know of President Kennedy –- came from a mother and grandparents who adored him; from books I read and classes I took; from growing up in a country still mourning its beloved leader, whose name was spoken with reverence¹⁰. And I know him through the legacy of his children and his brother Teddy who became extraordinarily¹¹ dear friends of mine.

我得坦率承认，我对那一天没有直接的记忆。（笑声）我是那一年稍晚的时候才出生的。（笑声）我对那一天及其后1000天的了解——我对肯尼迪总统的了解——来自于一位崇敬他的母亲和外祖父母；来自于我阅读的书籍和学校的课堂；来自于在一个依然思念其敬爱领袖的国家里的成长过程，在这个国家里，他的名字依然让人肃然起敬。我对他的了解还来自于他遗留身后的子女和他的弟弟特迪[即已故参议员爱德华·肯尼迪－译者注），他们后来成为我的挚友。

But I know him, John F. Kennedy, less as a man than as an icon¹², as a larger-than-life figure who graced this Earth for one brief and shining moment. But part of the function of this event, on this day, we must remember him as he was -- as a father who loved his children, as a friend who lived life fully¹³, as a noble public servant who wanted to make a difference.

但在我心目中，约翰·肯尼迪并不是一个凡人，而是一位偶像，一个富有传奇色彩的人物，在地球上度过了短暂而光辉的时光。而本次活动的目的之一是，在今天，我们必须记住他曾是怎样一个人——一位疼爱自己孩子的父亲、一个生活充实的朋友、一名想有所作为的高尚公仆。

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 pompously¹⁴ claimed humble¹⁵ roots -- things haven’t changed that much -- (laughter) -- John Kennedy confessed, when he took the podium, that he was –- and I quote -– “the only fellow here who didn’t come up the hard way.” (Laughter.)

他机敏巧智，从多方面讲，一出生就应天承运。他在从政早期曾参加过一次活动，当时所有在他前面发言的人都大谈自己卑微的身世——现在的情况和那时也差不多——（笑声）——约翰·肯尼迪走上讲台时自报家底说，他是——我引用原话—— “这里唯一一个不是苦出身的人”。(笑声)