一.
Man’s dearest possession is life. It is given to him but once, and he must live it so as to feel no torturing regrets for wasted years, never know the burning shame of a mean and petty past; so live that, dying, he might say: all my life, all my strength were given to the finest cause in all the world—the fight for the Liberation of Mankind.
人生最宝贵的是生命。生命对于人来说只有一次。一个人的生命应该这样度过:当他回首往事时,不因虚度年华而悔恨;也不会因为碌碌无为而羞耻。在临死的时候他能够说:我的整个生命和全部精力都已经献给了世界上最壮丽的事业――为人类的解放事业而斗争!
HELP:
possession: n.财产
torturing : adj. 使痛苦的
二.
Happiness lies not in the mere1 possession of money, it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative efforts, the joy and moral stimulation2 of work no longer must be forgotten in the mad chase of evanescent profits. These dark days, my friends, will be worth all they cost us, if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered on to , but to minister to ourselves, to our fellow men.
幸福并不在于单纯的占有金钱,幸福还在于取得成功后的喜悦,在于创造努力时的激情。务必不能再忘记劳动带来的喜悦和激励,而去疯狂追逐那转瞬即逝的利润。如果这些黯淡的日子能使我们认识到,我们真正的使命不是要别人侍奉,而是要为自己和同胞们服务的话,那么,我们付出的代价是完全值得的。
HELP:
stimulation: n.激励,刺激
evanescent: adj.渐渐消失的,易消散的
profit: vi.得益,利用
三.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed-we hold theses truths to be self-Oevident, that all men are created equal. I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, sons of former slaves and sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood3. I have a dream my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. i have a dream today! When we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and hamlet, from every state and city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children-black men and white men , jews and Gentiles, Catholics and Protestants-will be able to join hands and to sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “free at least ,free at last . Thank God Almighty4, we are free at last.”
我有一个梦:有一天,这个国家将站起来,并实现他的信条的真正含义:我们将捍卫这些不言而喻的真理,即所有人生来平等。我有一个梦:有一天在乔治亚洲红色的山丘上,从前的奴隶的子孙们能和奴隶主的子孙们像兄弟一样坐在同一张桌旁;我有一个梦我的四个孩子有一天将生活在这样一个国度,在那里,人们不以肤色,而是以品格来评价他们。当自由的钟声响起的时候,当我们让它从每一个村庄,每一个州,每一个城市响起的时候 ,我们将能够加速这一天的到来。那是,上帝所有的孩子,无论黑人白人还是犹太人,异教徒。天主教徒,还是新教徒,他们都能够手挽手歌唱那古老的黑人圣歌:“终于自由了,终于自由了,感谢上帝,我们终于自由了!”
HELP:
Creed: n.信条
Brotherhood : n.手足情意, 兄弟关系
四.
I have nothing to offer but blood, toil5, tears and sweat. We have before us an ordeal6 of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many months of struggle and suffering. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word, it is victory. Victory at all costs—victory in spite of all terrors—victory, however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival. Let that be realized, no survival for the British Empire, no survival for all that British Empire has stood for , no survival for the urge, the impulse of the ages, that mankind shall more forward toward his goal. I take up my task in buoyancy and hope. I feel sure that our cause will not be suffered to fail among men. I feel entitled at this juncture7, at this time, to claim the aid of all and to say, “Come then, let us go forward together with our united strength.”
我能奉献的唯有热血、辛劳、泪水和汗水。我们所面临的将是一场极为残酷的考验,我们面临的将是旷日持久的斗争和苦难。你若问我们的目标是什么?我可以用一个词来概括,那就是胜利。不惜一切代价去夺取胜利,不畏惧一切恐怖去夺取胜利,不论前路再长再苦也要多去胜利,因为没有胜利纠无法生存!我们必须意识到,没有胜利就没有大英帝国,没有胜利就没有大英帝国所象征的一切,没有胜利就没有多少世纪以来强烈的要求和冲动:人类应当向自己的目标迈进。此刻,我的精神振奋,满怀信心地承当起自己的人物。我确信,只要我们大家联合,我们的事业就不会挫败。此时此刻千钧一发之际,我觉得我有权要求各方面的支持。我要呼吁:“来吧,让我们群策努力,并肩迈进!”
HELP:
Grievous: adj. 令人忧伤的
Buoyancy: n. 浮性 浮力 轻快
Entitled: adj. 有资格的