林肯第二次就職演説

*Second Inaugural Address by Abraham Lincoln March 4, 1865

#林肯第二次就職演説（1865年3月4日）

Fellow-Countrymen:

At this second appearing to take the oath of the presidential office there is less occasion for an extended address than there was at the first. Then a statement somewhat in detail of a course to be pursued seemed fitting and proper. Now, at the expiration of four years, during which public declarations have been constantly called forth on every point and phase of his great contest which still absorbs the attention and engrosses the energies of the nation, little that is new could be presented. The progress of our arms, upon which all else chiefly depends, is as well known to the public as to myself, and it is, I trust, reasonably satisfactory and encouraging to all. With high hope for the future, no prediction in regard to it is ventured.

On the occasion corresponding to this four years ago all thoughts were anxiously directed to an impending civil war. All dreaded it; all sought to avert it. While the inaugural address was being delivered from this place, devoted altogether to saving teing delivered from thisurgent agents were in the city seeking to destroy it without war-seeking to dissolve the Union and divide effects by negotiation. Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish, and the war came. One-eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the southern part of it. Their slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war. To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union even by war, while the Government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it. Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration, which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with or even before the conflict itself should cease. Each looked for an easier triumph, and a result less fundamental and astounding. Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces, but let us judge not, that we be not judged. That of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes. "Woe unto the world because of offenses; for it must need be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comet." If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came, shall we discern there in any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him? Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away? Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago so still it must be said "The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the might, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

各位同胞：

在這第二任就職的宣誓典禮上，不必像在第一任的時候那樣做一個長篇的演説。在那時，對於當時所採取的政策多少作一點詳細的説明，自然是適當的。現在四年任期屆滿，對於眼前這場為全國所關注並佔用了全國力量的重大斗爭的每一重要關頭和方面，這四年已不斷地發出公告，所以現在很少有什麼新的發展可以奉告。我們的軍事進展，為其他一切問題的關鍵所在，而各界人士對其情形和我同樣瞭解，我深切相信，進展的狀況可以使我們全體人民滿意和信任。所以對於將來既然可以寄予極大的希望，那麼我們在這一方面就用不着做什麼預測了。

在四年前同一個場合裏，所有的思慮都焦急地指向於一場即將來臨的內戰。大家害怕它，想盡辦法避免它。當正在這裏就職演説的時候，盡心盡力地為了使聯邦不再用戰爭手段而能保存，然而，城內叛變分子的內奸卻在設法不用戰爭來破壞聯邦，在設法瓦解聯邦，而以談判的方法來分割聯邦。雙方都聲稱反對戰爭，可是有一方寧願打仗而不願意讓國家生存。另一方則寧可接受打這場仗，也不願國家滅亡，於是戰爭就來臨了。

我們全國人口的八分之一是黑奴，他們不是遍佈於全聯邦，而是局部地分佈於南方。這些奴隸構成了一種奇特而有力的權益。大家知道大體上這種權益就是這場戰爭的原因。為了使這種權益加強，永久不變，而且予以擴大，叛變分子曾不惜用戰爭來分裂聯邦，而政府則只要限制這種權益而使之區域化，並沒有再多要求別的權利。當初，任何一方都沒有想到戰爭會弄到目前這麼大的範圍和這麼長的時間，也沒有料想到衝突的原因會隨衝突本身的終止而終止，甚至會在衝突本身終止以前而終止。雙方都在尋求一個較為容易的勝利，都沒有期盼一個基本和驚人的結果。雙方唸誦同樣的聖經，祈禱同一個上帝，甚至每一方都求助神的援助以反對另一方。任何人都可以要求上帝的幫助，來奪取他人用血汗得來的麪包，這似乎很奇怪。可是我們不要批評別人，免得我們雙方的祈禱都不能夠如願，而且也沒有全部如願過。上帝自有他自己的主宰。"由於罪惡，世界才會遭受苦難。因為罪惡總是要有的，然而那個製造罪惡的人，要受苦難。"假使%的人，要C3攔吶ブ貧仁欽飧齬淼囊恢鄭廡┕碓諫系鄣牧煊蚶鐫謁衙猓紉丫中慫付ǖ囊歡問奔洌衷諞逑湊廡┕懟Ｍ保偈刮頤且隕系鄣拿迦盟醬郵掄獠伊業惱秸魑閲且鷲庖還淼娜説某頭＃頤強梢勻銜餳攏腧瞎┓鉅桓齟嬖詰納系鄣男磐矯槍楣τ謁哪切┦サ攏⑽薏鉅臁Ｎ頤腔匙派鈧康陌磁甕頤腔匙湃瘸覽雌淼唬Ｍ庹秸鬧胤？梢院芸斕毓ァ？墒牽偈股系垡謎秸偌絛氯ィ恢鋇鵲?50年來無償勞力所聚積的財富化為烏有，等到鞭打所流的每一滴血，為用刀劍所流的每一滴血所償付，那麼我們也只好像三千年前所説的那樣。"主的裁判是完全真實而且公道的。"

我們不對任何人懷有絲毫惡意，我們對任何人都抱着好感，上帝令我們看到哪一邊是對的，就堅定地信仰對的一邊，讓我們繼續奮鬥完成我們正在進行的工作──去治療國家的創傷，去照顧英勇作戰的志士和他的遺屬，去從事一切的努力以達成並維護在我們自己之間和我國與各國之間的一個公平而持久的和平.