第一篇：克林頓第二次就職演講

My fellow citizens:

At this last presidential inauguration of the 20th century, let us lift our eyes toward the challenges that await us in the next century.It is our great good fortune that time and chance have put us not only at the edge of a new century, in a new millennium, but on the edge of a bright new prospect in human affairs--a moment that will define our course, and our character, for decades to come.We must keep our old democracy forever young.Guided by the ancient vision of a promised land, let us set our sights upon a land of new promise.The promise of America was born in the 18th century out of the bold conviction that we are all created equal.It was extended and preserved in the 19th century, when our nation spread across the continent, saved the union, and abolished the awful scourge of slavery.Then, in turmoil and triumph, that promise exploded onto the world stage to make this the American Century.And what a century it has been.America became the world s mightiest industrial power;saved the world from tyranny in two world wars and a long cold war;and time and again, reached out across the globe to millions who, like us, longed for the blessings of liberty.Along the way, Americans produced a great middle class and security in old age;built unrivaled centers of learning and opened public schools to all;split the atom and explored the heavens;invented the computer and the microchip;and deepened the wellspring of justice by making a revolution in civil rights for African Americans and all minorities, and extending the circle of citizenship, opportunity and dignity to women.Now, for the third time, a new century is upon us, and another time to choose.We began the 19th century with a choice, to spread our nation from coast to coast.We began the 20th century with a choice, to harness the Industrial Revolution to our values of free enterprise, conservation, and human decency.Those choices made all the difference.At the dawn of the 21st century a free people must now choose to shape the forces of the Information Age and the global society, to unleash the limitless potential of all our people, and, yes, to form a more perfect union.When last we gathered, our march to this new future seemed less certain than it does today.We vowed then to set a clear course to renew our nation.In these four years, we have been touched by tragedy, exhilarated by challenge, strengthened by achievement.America

stands alone as the world s in

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dispensable nation.Once again, our economy is the strongest on Earth.Once again, we are building stronger families, thriving communities, better educational opportunities, a cleaner environment.Problems that once seemed destined to deepen now bend to our efforts: our streets are safer and record numbers of our fellow citizens have moved from welfare to work.And once again, we have resolved for our time a great debate over the role of government.Today we can declare: Government is not the problem, and government is not the solution.We--the American people--we are the solution.(Applause.)Our founders understood that well and gave us a democracy strong enough to endure for centuries, flexible enough to face our common challenges and advance our common dreams in each new day.As times change, so government must change.We need a new government for a new century--humble enough not to try to solve all our problems for us, but strong enough to give us the tools to solve our problems for ourselves;a government that is smaller, lives within its means, and does more with less.Yet where it can stand up for our values and interests in the world, and where it can give Americans the power to make a real difference in their everyday lives, government should do more, not less.The preeminent mission of our new government is to give all Americans an opportunity--not a guarantee, but a real opportunity--to build better lives.(Applause.)

Beyond that, my fellow citizens, the future is up to us.Our founders taught us that the preservation of our liberty and our union depends upon responsible citizenship.And we need a new sense of responsibility for a new century.There is work to do, work that government alone cannot do: teaching children to read;hiring people off welfare rolls;coming out from behind locked doors and shuttered windows to help reclaim our streets from drugs and gangs and crime;taking time out of our own lives to serve others.Each and every one of us, in our own way, must assume personal

responsibility--not only for ourselves and our families, but for our neighbors and our nation.(Applause.)Our greatest responsibility is to embrace a new spirit of community for a new century.For any one of us to succeed, we must succeed as one

America.The challenge of our past remains the challenge of our future--will we be one nation, one people, with one common destiny, or not? Will we all come together, or come apart?

The divide of race has been America s constant curse.And each new wave of immigrants gives new targets to old prejudices.Prejudice and contempt, cloaked in the pretense of religious or political conviction are no different.(Applause.)These forces have nearly destro

第二篇：克林頓第二次就職演講(英語)

citizens:At this last presidential inauguration of the 20th century, let us lift our eyes toward the challenges that await us in the next century.It is our great good fortune that time and chance have put us not only at the edge of a new century, in a new millennium, but on the edge of a bright new prospect in human affairs--a moment that will define our course, and our character, for decades to come.We must keep our old democracy forever young.Guided by the ancient vision of a promised land, let us set our sights upon a land of new promise.The promise of America was born in the 18th century out of the bold conviction that we are all created equal.It was extended and preserved in the 19th century, when our nation spread across the continent, saved the union, and abolished the awful scourge of slavery.Then, in turmoil and triumph, that promise exploded onto the world stage to make this the American Century.And what a century it has been.America became the world s mightiest industrial power;saved the world from tyranny in two world wars and a long cold war;and time and again, reached out across the globe to millions who, like us, longed for the blessings of liberty.Along the way, Americans produced a great middle class and

security in old age;built unrivaled centers of learning and opened public schools to all;split the atom and explored the heavens;invented the computer and the microchip;and deepened the wellspring of justice by making a revolution in civil rights for African Americans and all minorities, and extending the circle of citizenship, opportunity and dignity to women.Now, for the third time, a new century is upon us, and another time to choose.We began the 19th century with a choice, to spread our nation from coast to coast.We began the 20th century with a choice, to harness the Industrial Revolution to our values of free enterprise, conservation, and human decency.Those choices made all the difference.At the dawn of the 21st century a free people must now choose to shape the forces of the Information Age and the global society, to unleash the limitless potential of all our people, and, yes, to form a more perfect union.When last we gathered, our march to this new future seemed less certain than it does today.We vowed then to set a clear course to renew our nation.In these four years, we have been touched by tragedy, exhilarated by challenge, strengthened by achievement.America stands alone as the world s

indispensable nation.Once again, our economy is the strongest on Earth.Once again, we are building stronger families, thriving communities, better educational opportunities, a cleaner environment.Problems that once seemed destined to deepen now bend to our efforts: our streets are safer and record numbers of our fellow citizens have moved from welfare to work.And once again, we have resolved for our time a great debate over the role of government.Today we can declare: Government is not the problem, and government is not the solution.We--the American people--we are the solution.(Applause.)Our founders understood that well and gave us a democracy strong enough to endure for centuries, flexible enough to face our common challenges and advance our common

dreams in each new day.As times change, so government must change.We need a new government for a new century--humble enough not to try to solve all our problems for us, but strong enough to give us the tools to solve our problems for ourselves;a government that is smaller, lives within its means, and does more with less.Yet where it can stand up for our values and interests in the world, and where it can give Americans the power to make a real difference in their everyday lives, government should do more, not less.The preeminent mission of our new government is to give all Americans an opportunity--not a guarantee, but a real opportunity--to build better lives.(Applause.)Beyond that, my fellow citizens, the future is up to us.Our founders taught us that the preservation of our liberty and our union depends upon responsible citizenship.And we need a new sense of

responsibility for a new century.There is work to do, work that government alone cannot do: teaching children to read;hiring people off welfare rolls;coming out from behind

locked doors and shuttered windows to help reclaim our streets from drugs and gangs and crime;taking time out of our own lives to serve others.Each and every one of us, in our own way, must assume personal responsibility--not only for ourselves and our families, but for our neighbors and our nation.(Applause.)Our greatest responsibility is to embrace a new spirit of community for a new century.For any one of us to succeed, we must

succeed as one America.The challenge of our past remains the challenge of our future--will we be one nation, one people, with one common destiny, or not? Will we all come together, or come apart?The divide of race has been America s constant curse.And each new wave of immigrants gives new targets to old prejudices.Prejudice and contempt, cloaked in the pretense of religious or political conviction are no different.(Applause.)These forces have nearly destro

第三篇：克林頓1993年就職演講

January 20, 1993, Inaugural Address of William J.Clinton（克林頓1993年就職演講）My fellow citizens :（同胞們）

Today we celebrate the mystery of American renewal.今天，我們慶祝振興美國這件令人感到異常驚奇的事。

This ceremony is held in the depth of winter.But, by the words we speak and the faces we show the world, we force the spring.A spring reborn in the world's oldest democracy, that brings forth the vision and courage to reinvent America.盡管這個儀式在隆冬舉行，但是，我們所說的話，我們向全世界所顯示的面貌，將促使春天的早日來臨。春天重新降臨到這個世界上最古老的民主國家，它給我們帶來了重新塑造美國的構(gòu)想和勇氣。

When our founders boldly declared America's independence to the world and our purposes to the Almighty, they knew that America, to endure, would have to change.Not change for change's sake, but change to preserve America's ideals;life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness.Though we march to the music of our time, our mission is timeless.Each generation of Americans must define what it means to be an American.當(dāng)我們的締造者們大膽地向全世界宣布美國的獨立，向上帝宣布我們的目的時，他們知道，美國要長久地存在下去，就必須改革。我們不是為改革而改革，而是為了保持美國的理想——生活、自由和追求幸福。雖然我們伴隨著時代的樂曲前進(jìn)，我們的使命卻是永恒的。每一代美國人都必須明確作為一個美國人意味著什么。

On behalf of our nation, I salute my predecessor, President Bush, for his half-century of service to America.And I thank the millions of men and women whose steadfastness and sacrifice triumphed over Depression, fascism and Communism.我的前任布什總統(tǒng)為美國服務(wù)了半個世紀(jì)，在此，我代表我們的國家向他致以崇高的敬意。Today, a generation raised in the shadows of the Cold War assumes new responsibilities in a world warmed by the sunshine of freedom but threatened still by ancient hatreds and new plagues.我還要向千百萬人民表示感謝，他們以堅定的信念和犧牲戰(zhàn)勝了經(jīng)濟蕭條、法西斯主義。今天，在冷戰(zhàn)的陰影下成長起來的一代人在世界上已肩負(fù)起新的責(zé)任。這個世界雖然沐浴在自由的陽光下，但仍然面臨著舊的仇恨和新的災(zāi)禍的威脅。

Raised in unrivaled prosperity, we inherit an economy that is still the world's strongest, but is weakened by business failures, stagnant wages, increasing inequality, and deep divisions among our people.我們在無與倫比的繁榮中成長，繼承了一個仍然是世界上最強大經(jīng)濟，但是，商業(yè)失敗、工資停滯、不平等加劇，以及我們自己的人民四分五裂，削弱了這個經(jīng)濟。

When George Washington first took the oath I have just sworn to uphold, news traveled slowly across the land by horseback and across the ocean by boat.Now, the sights and sounds of this ceremony are broadcast instantaneously to billions around the world.當(dāng)喬治華盛頓第一次發(fā)出我剛才宣誓信守的誓言時，消息緩慢地通過騎馬傳遍大陸和乘船漂洋過海。而今，這個儀式的情景和聲音可以立即向全世界數(shù)十億人廣播。

Communications and commerce are global;investment is mobile;technology is almost magical;and ambition for a better life is now universal.We earn our livelihood in peaceful competition with people all across the earth.通訊和商業(yè)是全球性的，投資是流動性的，技術(shù)幾乎是神秘的，而要求改善生活的強烈愿望

是全世界人民共同的。今天，我們美國人是和全世界人民在和平競爭中謀求我們的生計。Profound and powerful forces are shaking and remaking our world, and the urgent question of our time is whether we can make change our friend and not our enemy.各種根深蒂固和強大的勢力正在動搖和重新塑造我們的世界。我們時代迫切需要解決的問題是，我們能否使改革成為我們的朋友，而不是我們的敵人。

This new world has already enriched the lives of millions of Americans who are able to compete and win in it.But when most people are working harder for less;when others cannot work at all;when the cost of health care devastates families and threatens to bankrupt many of our enterprises, great and small;when fear of crime robs law-abiding citizens of their freedom;and when millions of poor children cannot even imagine the lives we are calling them to lead, we have not made change our friend.盡管這個新的世界已經(jīng)使千百萬能夠在其中競爭并取勝的美國人富裕起來了，但是，在大多數(shù)人更加拼命地工作而收入?yún)s在減少的時候，在還有人根本找不到工作的時候，在衛(wèi)生保健費用使許多人傾家蕩產(chǎn)、使大大小小的企業(yè)行將倒閉的時候，在恐懼犯罪而使奉公守法的公民喪失自由的時候，在千百萬貧困兒童甚至難以想象我們正召喚他們?nèi)ミ^的那種生活的時候，我們卻還沒有使改革成為我們的朋友。

We know we have to face hard truths and take strong steps.But we have not done so.Instead, we have drifted, and that drifting has eroded our resources, fractured our economy, and shaken our confidence.我們知道，我們必須正視嚴(yán)酷的現(xiàn)實并且采取有力的措施，但是，我們沒有這樣做。相反，我們所奉行的是放任自流的政策，這種政策已經(jīng)削弱了我們的力量，破壞了我們的經(jīng)濟，動搖了我們的信心。

Though our challenges are fearsome, so are our strengths.And Americans have ever been a restless, questing, hopeful people.We must bring to our task today the vision and will of those who came before us.雖然我們的挑戰(zhàn)是可畏的，但我們的力量也是可畏的。美國人民從來就是一個不甘寂寞、勇于探索和充滿希望的人民。我們必須使我們今天的任務(wù)體現(xiàn)我們前人的遠(yuǎn)見和意志。

From our revolution, the Civil War, to the Great Depression to the civil rights movement, our people have always mustered the determination to construct from these crises the pillars of our history.從美國革命到南北戰(zhàn)爭，到大蕭條，到民權(quán)運動，我們的人民總是下定決心，從這些危機中擺脫出來去建立我們歷史的支柱。

Thomas Jefferson believed that to preserve the very foundations of our nation, we would need dramatic change from time to time.Well, my fellow citizens, this is our time.Let us embrace it.托馬斯杰斐遜認(rèn)為，要保持我們國家的基礎(chǔ)，我們就需要不時地進(jìn)行改革。同胞們，這是我們的時代，讓我們?nèi)肀?/p>

Our democracy must be not only the envy of the world but the engine of our own renewal.There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America.我們的民主制度不僅要為全世界所仰慕，還必須成為我們自我振興的發(fā)動機。美國完全有能力自己解救自己。

And so today, we pledge an end to the era of deadlock and drift;a new season of American renewal has begun.To renew America, we must be bold.We must do what no generation has had to do before.We must invest more in our own people, in their jobs, in their future, and at the same time cut our massive debt.And we must do so in a world in which we must compete for every

opportunity.It will not be easy;it will require sacrifice.But it can be done, and done fairly, not choosing sacrifice for its own sake, but for our own sake.We must provide for our nation the way a family provides for its children.因此，今天我們決心結(jié)束這個僵持停頓和放任自流的時代。一個振興美國的新時代已經(jīng)到來。要振興美國，我們必須有足夠的勇氣和膽量。我們必須對自己的人民——對他們的工作和對他們的未來——增加投資，同時削減我們的巨額債務(wù)。在一個我們必須靠競爭才能獲得每個機會的世界上，我們一定要這樣做。雖然，這不是一件輕而易舉的事，它需要作出犧牲。但是，我們能夠做到，而且能夠做得很好。我們不是為了犧牲而犧牲，而是為我們自己的利益而犧牲。我們必須像一個家庭撫育它的孩子那樣撫育我們的國家。

Our Founders saw themselves in the light of posterity.We can do no less.Anyone who has ever watched a child's eyes wander into sleep knows what posterity is.Posterity is the world to come;the world for whom we hold our ideals, from whom we have borrowed our planet, and to whom we bear sacred responsibility.We must do what America does best: offer more opportunity to all and demand responsibility from all.我們的締造者們是從子孫后代的角度來審視他們自己的行為。我們也必須這樣做。任何曾經(jīng)注意過孩子的雙眼朦朧進(jìn)入夢鄉(xiāng)的人，都知道后代是什么。后代是未來的世界。為了他們，我們滿懷理想。從他們那里，我們借用了這塊地球，對他們，我們負(fù)有神圣的責(zé)任。我們必須盡美國之所能：向所有人提供更多的機會，要求所有人承擔(dān)更多的責(zé)任。

It is time to break the bad habit of expecting something for nothing, from our government or from each other.Let us all take more responsibility, not only for ourselves and our families but for our communities and our country.To renew America, we must revitalize our democracy.現(xiàn)在，已經(jīng)到了該破除那種只望政府或別人給予，而自己不愿付出的壞習(xí)慣的時候了。讓我們大家都擔(dān)負(fù)起更多的責(zé)任，不光是為我們自己和我們的家庭，而且是我們的社會和我們的國家。為振興美國，我們必須給我們的民主制度帶來新的活力。

This beautiful capital, like every capital since the dawn of civilization, is often a place of intrigue and calculation.Powerful people maneuver for position and worry endlessly about who is in and who is out, who is up and who is down, forgetting those people whose toil and sweat sends us here and pays our way.這個美麗的首都，就像文明出現(xiàn)以來的所有首都一樣，往往是一個搞陰謀詭計和勾心斗角的地方。達(dá)官貴族們玩弄權(quán)術(shù)、爭名奪利，隨時都在擔(dān)心誰進(jìn)誰出、誰升誰降，忘記了那些用辛勤和汗水把我們送到這里，并為我們承擔(dān)費用的人。

Americans deserve better, and in this city today, there are people who want to do better.And so I say to all of us here, let us resolve to reform our politics, so that power and privilege no longer shout down the voice of the people.Let us put aside personal advantage so that we can feel the pain and see the promise of America.Let us resolve to make our government a place for what Franklin Roosevelt called “bold, persistent experimentation,” a government for our tomorrows, not our yesterdays.Let us give this capital back to the people to whom it belongs.美國人應(yīng)當(dāng)生活得更好。今天，在這座城市里，人們希望把事情辦得更好。所以，我要向在場的諸位說，讓我們下定決心改革我們的政治，使人民的呼聲不再被權(quán)力和特權(quán)所壓倒。讓我們拋開個人利益，這樣，我們便能感受到美國的痛苦，也看到美國的希望。讓我們下定決心，使我們的政府成為一個富蘭克林羅斯福所說的，進(jìn)行“大膽而持久的實驗”的地方，即是說，成為一個著眼于未來，而不是留戀過去的政府。讓我們把這個首都還給她所屬的人民。To renew America, we must meet challenges abroad as well at home.There is no longer division

between what is foreign and what is domestic;the world economy, the world environment, the world AIDS crisis, the world arms race;they affect us all.為了振興美國，我們必須迎接來自國內(nèi)、國外的種種挑戰(zhàn)。在什么是國外和什么是國內(nèi)之間已不再有明確的界線。全球經(jīng)濟、全球環(huán)境、全球艾滋病危機和全球軍備競賽，這一切影響著所有的人。

Today, as an old order passes, the new world is more free but less stable.Communism's collapse has called forth old animosities and new dangers.Clearly America must continue to lead the world we did so much to make.今天，隨著舊秩序被打破，新的世界更加自由，但又更加不穩(wěn)定。共產(chǎn)主義的崩潰激起了舊的仇恨和新的危險。顯然，美國必須繼續(xù)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)這個我們曾經(jīng)付出巨大努力而創(chuàng)造的世界。While America rebuilds at home, we will not shrink from the challenges, nor fail to seize the opportunities, of this new world.Together with our friends and allies, we will work to shape change, lest it engulf us.當(dāng)我們致力于重建美國的時候，我們不會在這個新世界的挑戰(zhàn)面前退縮，也不會坐失良機。我們將同我們的朋友和盟國一道，努力確定改革和發(fā)展方向，以免被改革所吞沒。

When our vital interests are challenged, or the will and conscience of the international community is defied, we will act;with peaceful diplomacy when ever possible, with force when necessary.The brave Americans serving our nation today in the Persian Gulf, in Somalia, and wherever else they stand are testament to our resolve.當(dāng)我們的國家利益受到挑戰(zhàn)，或者國際社會的意志及公德遭到蔑視的時候，我們將盡可能地通過和平外交手段去解決。必要時也可以訴諸武力。今天，在波斯灣，在索馬里，在其他地方，那些為國效力的美國勇士們都證明了我們的決心。

But our greatest strength is the power of our ideas, which are still new in many lands.Across the world, we see them embraced, and we rejoice.Our hopes, our hearts, our hands, are with those on every continent who are building democracy and freedom.Their cause is America's cause.然而，我們最大的實力是我們的思想力量。在許多國家，美國的思想還是一種新生力量?？吹竭@些思想為世界各國所接受，我們感到由衷的高興。我們的希望、我們的心，我們的手，同五大洲正在建設(shè)民主和自由的人民是聯(lián)在一起的。他們的事業(yè)就是美國的事業(yè)。

The American people have summoned the change we celebrate today.You have raised your voices in an unmistakable chorus.You have cast your votes in historic numbers.And you have changed the face of Congress, the presidency and the political process itself.Yes, you, my fellow Americans have forced the spring.Now, we must do the work the season demands.美國人民呼喚我們今天慶祝的變革。你們異口同聲地提高了自己的呼聲。你們以前所未有的人數(shù)參加了投票。你們改變了國會、總統(tǒng)以及政治進(jìn)程本身的面貌。同胞們，是的，你們已經(jīng)促使春天提前到來了?，F(xiàn)在，我們必須致力于這個時期所賦予我們的任務(wù)。

To that work I now turn, with all the authority of my office.I ask the Congress to join with me.But no president, no Congress, no government, can undertake this mission alone.My fellow Americans, you, too, must play your part in our renewal.I challenge a new generation of young Americans to a season of service;to act on your idealism by helping troubled children, keeping company with those in need, reconnecting our torn communities.There is so much to be done;enough indeed for millions of others who are still young in spirit to give of themselves in service, too.為了這個任務(wù)，我將充分行使我的職權(quán)。我請求國會同我合作。但是，任何一位總統(tǒng)，任何一個國會，任何一屆政府，都無法獨自承擔(dān)這一使命。同胞們，你們也必須在國家的振興中

發(fā)揮作用。我要求新一代美國青年按照你們的理想行動起來，幫助困難兒童，同患難者休戚與共，把我們這個四分五裂的社會重新凝為一體，為祖國貢獻(xiàn)你們的力量。要做的事情太多——確實足以使千百萬精神上依然年輕的其他人也投身其中。

In serving, we recognize a simple but powerful truth, we need each other.And we must care for one another.Today, we do more than celebrate America;we rededicate ourselves to the very idea of America.在振興祖國的事業(yè)中，我們認(rèn)識到一個簡單而強有力的真理。我們不僅彼此需要，還必須相互關(guān)心。今天，我們不只是在慶祝美國，而且是在重新獻(xiàn)身于美國的思想。

An idea born in revolution and renewed through two centuries of challenge.An idea tempered by the knowledge that, but for fate we, the fortunate and the unfortunate, might have been each other.An idea ennobled by the faith that our nation can summon from its myriad diversity the deepest measure of unity.An idea infused with the conviction that America's long heroic journey must go forever upward.這種思想是一種在革命中誕生、經(jīng)過兩個世紀(jì)的挑戰(zhàn)而獲得新生的思想。一種經(jīng)受過這種認(rèn)識錘煉的思想，即我們這些幸運者和不幸者，若非因為命運的安排，可能已經(jīng)變換位置。一種因為這種信念而變得崇高的思想，即相信我們的國家能夠從無數(shù)的分歧中求得最大程度的團結(jié)一致。一種充滿信心的思想，即相信美國漫長而英勇的旅程定會永遠(yuǎn)向上。

And so, my fellow Americans, at the edge of the 21st century, let us begin with energy and hope, with faith and discipline, and let us work until our work is done.The scripture says, “And let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season, we shall reap, if we faint not.”

為此，同胞們，在即將跨入21世紀(jì)的時候，讓我們重新開始，鼓起勇氣、滿懷希望、堅定信念、遵守紀(jì)律，把我們的事業(yè)進(jìn)行到底。《圣經(jīng)》說：“我們行善，不可喪志，只要堅持，終有收獲?！?/p>

From this joyful mountaintop of celebration, we hear a call to service in the valley.We have heard the trumpets.We have changed the guard.And now, each in our way, and with God's help, we must answer the call.在這個歡慶的高山之巔，我們聽到山谷里傳來為國效力的召喚。我們聽到了號聲。我們已經(jīng)換崗?，F(xiàn)在，我們每個人都必須以自己的方式在上帝的幫助下響應(yīng)這一號召。

Thank you, and God bless you all.謝謝你們。愿上帝保佑大家。

第四篇：克林頓就職演講雙語

? 【美國總統(tǒng)就職演說系列】克林頓連任

作者：news 日期：2010年05月21日(2周前)

The Second Inaugural Address by Bill Clinton

January 20, 1997

My fellow citizens :

At this last presidential inauguration of the 20th century, let us lift our eyes toward the challenges that await us in the next century.It is our great good fortune that time and chance have put us not only at the edge of a new century, in a new millennium, but on the edge of a bright new prospect in human affairs, a moment that will define our course, and our character, for decades to come.We must keep our old democracy forever young.Guided by the ancient vision of a promised land, let us set our sights upon a land of new promise.The promise of America was born in the 18th century out of the bold conviction that we are all created equal.It was extended and preserved in the 19th century, when our nation spread across the continent, saved the union, and abolished the awful scourge of slavery.Then, in turmoil and triumph, that promise exploded onto the world stage to make this the American Century.And what a century it has been.America became the world's mightiest industrial power;saved the world from tyranny in two world wars and a long cold war;and time and again, reached out across the globe to millions who, like us, longed for the blessings of liberty.Along the way, Americans produced a great middle class and security in old age;built unrivaled centers of learning and opened public schools to all;split the atom and explored the heavens;invented the computer and the microchip;and deepened the wellspring of justice by making a revolution in civil rights for African Americans and all minorities, and extending the circle of citizenship, opportunity and dignity to women.Now, for the third time, a new century is upon us, and another time to choose.We began the 19th century with a choice, to spread our nation from coast to coast.We began the 20th century with a choice, to harness the Industrial Revolution to our values of free enterprise, conservation, and human decency.Those choices made all the difference.At the dawn of the 21st century a free people must now choose to shape the forces of the Information Age and the global society, to unleash the limitless potential of all our people, and, yes, to form a more perfect union.When last we gathered, our march to this new future seemed less certain than it does today.We vowed then to set a clear course to renew our nation.In these four years, we have been touched by tragedy, exhilarated by challenge, strengthened by achievement.America stands alone as the world's indispensable nation.Once again, our economy is the strongest on Earth.Once again, we are building stronger families, thriving communities, better educational opportunities, a cleaner environment.Problems that once seemed destined to deepen now bend to our

efforts: our streets are safer and record numbers of our fellow citizens have moved from welfare to work.And once again, we have resolved for our time a great debate over the role of government.Today we can declare: Government is not the problem, and government is not the solution.We,-the American people, we are the solution.Our founders understood that well and gave us a democracy strong enough to endure for centuries, flexible enough to face our common challenges and advance our common dreams in each new day.As times change, so government must change.We need a new government for a new century-humble enough not to try to solve all our problems for us, but strong enough to give us the tools to solve our problems for ourselves;a government that is smaller, lives within its means, and does more with less.Yet where it can stand up for our values and interests in the world, and where it can give Americans the power to make a real difference in their everyday lives, government should do more, not less.The preeminent mission of our new government is to give all Americans an opportunity,-not a guarantee, but a real opportunity to build better lives.Beyond that, my fellow citizens, the future is up to us.Our founders taught us that the preservation of our liberty and our union depends upon responsible citizenship.And we need a new sense of responsibility for a new century.There is work to do, work that government alone cannot do: teaching children to read;hiring people off welfare rolls;coming out from behind locked doors and shuttered windows to help reclaim our streets from drugs and gangs and crime;taking time out of our own lives to serve others.Each and every one of us, in our own way, must assume personal responsibility, not only for ourselves and our families, but for our neighbors and our nation.Our greatest responsibility is to embrace a new spirit of community for a new century.For any one of us to succeed, we must succeed as one America.The challenge of our past remains the challenge of our future, will we be one nation, one people, with one common destiny, or not? Will we all come together, or come apart? The divide of race has been America's constant curse.And each new wave of immigrants gives new targets to old prejudices.Prejudice and contempt, cloaked in the pretense of religious or political conviction are no different.These forces have nearly destroyed our nation in the past.They plague us still.They fuel the fanaticism of terror.And they torment the lives of millions in fractured nations all around the world.These obsessions cripple both those who hate and, of course, those who are hated, robbing both of what they might become.We cannot, we will not, succumb to the dark impulses that lurk in the far regions of the soul everywhere.We shall overcome them.And we shall replace them with the generous spirit of a people who feel at home with one another.Our rich texture of racial, religious and political diversity will be a Godsend in the 21st century.Great rewards will come to those who can live together, learn together, work together, forge new ties that bind together.As this new era approaches we can already see its broad outlines.Ten years ago,the Internet was the mystical province of physicists;today, it is a commonplace encyclopedia for millions of schoolchildren.Scientists now are decoding the blueprint of human life.Cures for our most feared illnesses seem close at hand.The world is no longer divided into two hostile camps.Instead, now we are building bonds with nations that once were our adversaries.Growing connections of commerce and culture give us a chance to lift the fortunes and spirits of people the world over.And for the very first time in all of history, more people on this planet live under democracy than dictatorship.My fellow Americans, as we look back at this remarkable century, we may ask, can we hope not just to follow, but even to surpass the achievements of the 20th century in America and to avoid the awful bloodshed that stained its legacy? To that question, every American here and every American in our land today must answer a resounding “Yes.”

This is the heart of our task.With a new vision of government, a new sense of responsibility, a new spirit of community, we will sustain America's journey.The promise we sought in a new land we will find again in a land of new promise.In this new land, education will be every citizen's most prized possession.Our schools will have the highest standards in the world, igniting the spark of

possibility in the eyes of every girl and every boy.And the doors of higher education will be open to all.The knowledge and power of the Information Age will be within reach not just of the few, but of every classroom, every library, every child.Parents and children will have time not only to work, but to read and play together.And the plans they make at their kitchen table will be those of a better home, a better job, the certain chance to go to college.Our streets will echo again with the laughter of our children, because no one will try to shoot them or sell them drugs anymore.Everyone who can work, will work, with today's permanent under class part of tomorrow's growing middle class.New miracles of medicine at last will reach not only those who can claim care now, but the children and hardworking families too long denied.We will stand mighty for peace and freedom, and maintain a strong defense against terror and destruction.Our children will sleep free from the threat of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.Ports and airports, farms and factories will thrive with trade and innovation and ideas.And the world's greatest democracy will lead a whole world of democracies.Our land of new promise will be a nation that meets its obligations, a nation that balances its budget, but never loses the balance of its values.A nation where our grandparents have secure retirement and health care, and their grandchildren know we have made the reforms necessary to sustain those benefits for their time.A nation that fortifies the world's most productive economy even as it protects the great natural bounty of our water, air, and majestic land.And in this land of new promise, we will have reformed our politics so that the voice of the people will always speak louder than the din of narrow interests, regaining the participation and deserving the trust of all Americans.Fellow citizens, let us build that America, a nation ever moving forward toward

realizing the full potential of all its citizens.Prosperity and power, yes, they are important, and we must maintain them.But let us never forget: The greatest progress we have made, and the greatest progress we have yet to make, is in the human heart.In the end, all the world's wealth and a thousand armies are no match for the strength and decency of the human spirit.Thirty-four years ago, the man whose life we celebrate today spoke to us down there, at the other end of this Mall, in words that moved the conscience of a nation.Like a prophet of old, he told of his dream that one day America would rise up and treat all its citizens as equals before the law and in the heart.Martin Luther King's dream was the American Dream.His quest is our quest: the ceaseless striving to live out our true creed.Our history has been built on such dreams and labors.And by our dreams and labors we will redeem the promise of America in the 21st century.To that effort I pledge all my strength and every power of my office.I ask the members of Congress here to join in that pledge.The American people returned to office a President of one party and a Congress of another.Surely, they did not do this to advance the politics of petty bickering and extreme partisanship they plainly deplore.No, they call on us instead to be repairers of the breach, and to move on with America's mission.America demands and deserves big things from us,-and nothing big ever came from being small.Let us remember the timeless wisdom of Cardinal Bernardin, when facing the end of his own life.He said, “It is wrong to waste the precious gift of time, on acrimony and division.”

Fellow citizens, we must not waste the precious gift of this time.For all of us are on that same journey of our lives, and our journey, too, will come to an end.But the journey of our America must go on.And so, my fellow Americans, we must be strong, for there is much to dare.The demands of our time are great and they are different.Let us meet them with faith and courage, with patience and a grateful and happy heart.Let us shape the hope of this day into the noblest chapter in our history.Yes, let us build our bridge.A bridge wide enough and strong enough for every American to cross over to a blessed land of new promise.May those generations whose faces we cannot yet see, whose names we may never know, say of us here that we led our beloved land into a new century with the American Dream alive for all her children;with the American promise of a more perfect union a reality for all her people;with America's bright flame of freedom spreading throughout all the world.From the height of this place and the summit of this century, let us go forth.May God strengthen our hands for the good work ahead, and always, always bless our America.【中文譯文】：

克林頓第二次就職演說

同胞們：

藉此二十世紀(jì)最后一屆總統(tǒng)就職演說之際，讓我們睜開眼睛迎接下一世紀(jì)我們將面臨的挑戰(zhàn)。所幸的是，時間和機遇不僅將我們置身于一個新世紀(jì)的邊緣，一個新的千周年，而且將我們置身于人類事業(yè)一個嶄新新的、光輝的邊緣——一個決定我們未來數(shù)十年方向和地位的時刻。我們必須使我們古老的民主永葆青春。在“希望之鄉(xiāng)”這一古老憧憬的指引下，讓我們著眼于新的“希望之鄉(xiāng)”。

美國的希望源于十八世紀(jì)一種無畏的信念：人生來皆平等。在十九世紀(jì)，我們的國家橫跨大陸，拯救了聯(lián)邦，廢除了恐怖的奴隸制的蹂躪。

這一信念得以流傳和擴展。然后，在辛勞和勝利之中，這種希望奔上了世界的舞臺，使本世紀(jì)成為美國的世紀(jì)。

這是怎樣的一個世紀(jì)啊。美國成為世界上最強大的工業(yè)大國，它把世界從兩次世界大戰(zhàn)和曠日持久的冷戰(zhàn)的暴虐中拯救出來，并且一再向全球上百萬像我們一樣渴望自由賜福的人們伸出援助之手。

在這一進(jìn)程中，美國產(chǎn)生 了龐大的中產(chǎn)階級和老年人保險制度，建立了無與倫比的學(xué)習(xí)中心，并對全民開放公立學(xué)校，分裂了原子且探索了太空，發(fā)明了計算機和微芯片，通過發(fā)起一場非裔美國人和少數(shù)民族的民權(quán)革命，及擴大婦女的公民權(quán)利，就業(yè)機會和人身尊嚴(yán)，而深掘了正義之泉。

現(xiàn)在，也是第三次，一個新世紀(jì)來到我們面前，這又是一個選擇的時候，我們進(jìn)入十九世紀(jì)時有一個選擇，使得我們國家從一個海岸擴展到另一個海岸，我們進(jìn)入二十世紀(jì)時又有一個選擇，使得工業(yè)革命能符合我們的價值觀，即自由經(jīng)營，水土保持，和恪守人類正義，這些選擇使得一切迥然不同。

在二十一世紀(jì)曙光來臨之際，一個自由的民族必須做出選擇，去打造信息時代和全球一體化的力量。去釋放全民無盡的潛能，并且，去成就一個更完美的聯(lián)邦國家。

上次我們在此相聚時，我們向這個新未來的進(jìn)軍似乎沒有今天這么明確，我們那時曾宣誓 確立新的道路，復(fù)興我們的國家。

在這四年中，我們感到悲劇帶來的觸動，挑戰(zhàn)帶來的興奮，成就帶來的增強，美國作為世界不可缺少的國家巍然挺立，再一次，我們的經(jīng)濟是世界上最強大的經(jīng)濟，再一次，我們建設(shè)著更牢固的家庭，繁榮的社區(qū)，更好的教育機會，更清潔的環(huán)境，曾經(jīng)似乎注定要惡化的問題現(xiàn)在也屈服于我們 的努力，我們的街道更安全，我們的同胞有創(chuàng)記錄的人數(shù)已從福利走向工作。

再一次，我們解決了當(dāng)前關(guān)于政府角色問題的巨大爭論。今天我們可以宣告：政府不是問題的產(chǎn)生者，政府也不是問題的解決者，我們-美國人民-我們才是問題的解決者，我們的締造者深深地了解這一點，他們給予我們的民主強壯的足以持續(xù)幾個世紀(jì)。柔韌地足以在每一新的日子里迎接我們共同的挑戰(zhàn)并推進(jìn)我們共同的夢想。

同胞們，讓我們建設(shè)這樣的美國，一個永遠(yuǎn)前進(jìn)，以充分發(fā)揮全民潛力的國家。是的，我們必須保持繁榮強大。但是，我們不能忘記：我們已取得的偉大成就，我們將取得的偉大的成就，就在人民心中。到最后，整個世界的財富和千支軍隊都無法與人類精神力量和精神文明相匹敵。

三十四年前，有一個人，他的一生為我們今天所歌頌，他就在那邊，在廣場的另一端對我們演講，他的話打動了國民的良知。像是一個古時的預(yù)言家，他訴說著他的夢想：有一天美國終會站起來，在法律面前和人們心中所有公民都將得到平等對待。馬丁·路德·金的夢是美國之夢。他的要求就是我們的要求，即不斷努力實現(xiàn)我們生活信條。我們的歷史就建立在這樣的夢想和努力上。通過我們的夢想和努力，我們重贖二十一世紀(jì)美國的希望。

同胞們，我們不能浪費當(dāng)前寶貴的時機。因為我們大家都在生命的同一旅途上，我們的旅途會有終點。但我們的美國之路必須走下去。

我們還看不到我們的后代的面孔，也永遠(yuǎn)不會知道他們的名字，但是當(dāng)他們談?wù)摰轿覀兊臅r候，希望他們會說我們把祖國領(lǐng)進(jìn)了新的世紀(jì)，把有活力的美國夢留給了所有的子孫

讓我們從此地之峰，從世紀(jì)之巔前進(jìn)。愿上帝給我們強有力的雙手，做好未來的工作——并且，永遠(yuǎn)，永遠(yuǎn)保佑我們美國。

PS：如上做標(biāo)記的部分，我實在是找不到中文版本了，要么大家主動參與一次，自我翻譯一下吧，我也嘗試著將我的翻譯附上，謝謝大家的共享與參與。

第五篇：克林頓第一次就職演講(英語)

President Bill Clinton:

Thank you.I am honored to share the podium with my Senator, though I think I should be introducing her.I’m proud of her and so grateful to the people of New York that the best public servant in our family is still on the job and grateful to all of you, especially my friends from Arkansas, for the chance you gave us to serve our country in the White House.I am also honored to share this night with President Carter, who has inspired the world with his work for peace, democracy, and human rights.And with Al Gore, my friend and partner for eight years, who played such a large role in building the prosperity and progress that brought America into the 21st century, who showed incredible grace and patriotism under pressure, and who is the living embodiment that every vote counts—and must be counted in every state in America.Tonight I speak as a citizen, returning to the role I have played for most of my life as a foot soldier in the fight for our future, as we nominate a true New England patriot for president.The state that gave us John Adams and John Kennedy has now given us John Kerry, a good man, a great senator, a visionary leader.We are constantly told America is deeply divided.But all Americans value freedom, faith, and family.We all honor the service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world.We all want good jobs, good schools, health care, safe streets, a clean environment.We all want our children to grow up in a secure America leading the world toward a peaceful future.Our differences are in how we can best achieve these things, in a time of unprecedented change.Therefore, we Democrats will bring the American people a positive campaign, arguing not who’s good and who’s bad, but what is the best way to build the safe, prosperous world our children deserve.The 21st century is marked by serious security threats, serious economic challenges, and serious problems like global warming and the AIDS epidemic.But it is also full of enormous opportunities—to create millions of high paying jobs in clean energy, and biotechnology;to restore the manufacturing base and reap the benefits of the global economy through our diversity and our commitment to decent labor and environmental standards everywhere;and to create a world where we can celebrate our religious and racial differences, because our common humanity matters more.To build that kind of world we must make the right choices;and we must have a president who will lead the way.Democrats and Republicans have very different and honestly held ideas on that choices we should make, rooted in fundamentally different views of how we should meet our common challenges at home and how we should play our role in the world.Democrats want to build an America of shared responsibilities and shared opportunities and more global cooperation, acting alone only when we must.We think the role of government is to give people the tools and conditions to make the most of their lives.Republicans believe in an America run by the right people, their people, in a world in which we act unilaterally when we can, and cooperate when we have to.They think the role of government is to concentrate wealth and power in the hands of those who embrace their political, economic, and social views, leaving ordinary citizens to fend for themselves on matters like health care and retirement security.Since most Americans are not that far to the right, they have to portray us Democrats as unacceptable, lacking in strength and values.In other words, they need a divided America.But Americans long to be united.After 9/11, we all wanted to be one nation, strong in the fight against terror.The president had a great opportunity to bring us together under his slogan of compassionate conservatism and to unite the world in common cause against terror.Instead, he and his congressional allies made a very different choice: to use the moment of unity to push America too far to the right and to walk away from our allies, not only in attacking Iraq before the weapons inspectors finished their jobs, but in withdrawing American support for the Climate Change Treaty, the International Court for war criminals, the ABM treaty, and even the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.Now they are working to develop two new nuclear weapons which they say we might use first.At home, the President and the Republican Congress have made equally fateful choices indeed.For the first time ever when America was on a war footing, there were two huge tax cuts, nearly half of which went to the top one percent.I’m in that group now for the first time in my life.When I was in office, the Republicans were pretty mean to me.When I left and made money, I became part of the most important group in the world to them.At first I thought I should send them a thank you note—until I realized they were sending you the bill.They protected my tax cuts while: · Withholding promised funding for the Leave No Child Behind Act, leaving over 2 million children behind · Cutting 140,000 unemployed workers out of job training · 100,000 working families out of child care assistance · 300,000 poor children out of after school programs · Raising out of pocket healthcare costs to veterans

· Weakening or reversing important environmental advances for clean air and the preservation of our forests.Everyone had to sacrifice except the wealthiest Americans, who wanted to do their part but were asked only to expend the energy necessary to open the envelopes containing our tax cuts.If you agree with these choices, you should vote to return them to the White House and Congress.If not, take a look at John Kerry, John Edwards and the Democrats.In this year’s budget, the White House wants to cut off federal funding for 88,000 uniformed police, including more than 700 on the New York City police force who put their lives on the line on 9/11.As gang violence is rising and we look for terrorists in our midst, Congress and the President are also about to allow the ten-year-old ban on assault weapons to expire.Our crime policy was to put more police on the streets and take assault weapons off the streets.It brought eight years of declining crime and violence.Their policy is the reverse, they’re taking police off the streets and putting assault weapons back on the streets.If you agree with their choices, vote to continue them.If not, join John Kerry, John Edwards and the Democrats in making America safer, smarter, and stronger.On Homeland Security, Democrats tried to double the number of containers at ports and airports checked for Weapons of Mass Destruction.The one billion dollar cost would have been paid for by reducing the tax cut of 200,000 millionaires by five thousand dollars each.Almost all 200,000 of us would have been glad to pay 5,000 dollars to make the nearly 300 million Americans safer—but the measure failed because the White House and the Republican leadership in the House decided my tax cut was more important-If you agree with that choice, re-elect them.If not, give John Kerry and John Edwards a chance.These policies have turned the projected 5.8 trillion dollar surplus we left—enough to pay for the baby boomers retirement—into a projected debt of nearly 5 trillion dollars, with a 400 plus billion dollar deficit this year and for years to come.How do they pay for it? First by taking the monthly surplus in Social Security payments and endorsing the checks of working people over to me to cover my tax cut.But it’s not enough.They are borrowing the rest from foreign governments, mostly Japan and China.Sure, they’re competing with us for good jobs but how can we enforce our trade laws against our bankers? If you think it’s good policy to pay for my tax cut with the Social Security checks of working men and women, and borrowed money from China, vote for them.If not, John Kerry’s your man.We Americans must choose for President one of two strong men who both love our country, but who have very different worldviews: Democrats favor shared responsibility, shared opportunity, and more global cooperation.Republicans favor concentrated wealth and power, leaving people to fend for themselves and more unilateral action.I think we’re right for two reasons: First, America works better when all people have a chance to live their dreams.Second, we live in an interdependent world in which we can’t kill, jail, or occupy all our potential adversaries, so we have to both fight terror and build a world with more partners and fewer terrorists.We tried it their way for twelve years, our way for eight, and then their way for four more.By the only test that matters, whether people were better off when we finished than when we started, our way works better—it produced over 22 million good jobs, rising incomes, and 100 times as many people moving out of poverty into the middle class.It produced more health care, the largest increase in college aid in 50 years, record home ownership, a cleaner environment, three surpluses in a row, a modernized defense force, strong efforts against terror, and an America respected as a world leader for peace, security and prosperity.More importantly, we have great new champions in John Kerry and John Edwards.Two good men with wonderful wives—Teresa a generous and wise woman who understands the world we are trying to shape.And Elizabeth, a lawyer and mother who understands the lives we are all trying to lift.Here is what I know about John Kerry.During the Vietnam War, many young men—including the current president, the vice president and me—could have gone to Vietnam but didn’t.John Kerry came from a privileged background and could have avoided it too.Instead he said, send me.When they sent those swift-boats up the river in Vietnam, and told them their job was to draw hostile fire—to show the American flag and bait the enemy to come out and fight—John Kerry said, send me.When it was time to heal the wounds of war and normalize relations with Vietnam—and to demand an accounting of the POWs and MIAs we lost there—John Kerry said, send me.When we needed someone to push the cause of inner-city kids struggling to avoid a life of crime, or to bring the benefits of high technology to ordinary Americans, or to clean the environment in a way that creates jobs, or to give small businesses a better chance to make it, John Kerry said send me.Tonight my friends, I ask you to join me for the next 100 days in telling John Kerry’s story and promoting his plans.Let every person in this hall and all across America say to him what he has always said to America: Send Me.The bravery that the men who fought by his side saw in battle I’ve seen in the political arena.When I was President, John Kerry showed courage and conviction on crime, on welfare reform, on balancing the budget at a time when those priorities were not exactly a way to win a popularity contest in our party.He took tough positions on tough problems.John Kerry knows who he is and where he’s going.He has the experience, the character, the ideas and the values to be a great President.In a time of change he has two other important qualities: his insatiable curiosity to understand the forces shaping our lives, and a willingness to hear the views even of those who disagree with him.Therefore his choices will be full of both conviction and common sense.He proved that when he picked a tremendous partner in John Edwards.Everybody talks about John Edwards’ energy, intellect, and charisma.The important thing is how he has used his talents to improve the lives of people who—like John himself—had to work hard for all they’ve got.He has always championed the cause of people too often left out or left behind.And that’s what he’ll do as our Vice President.Their opponents will tell you to be afraid of John Kerry and John Edwards, because they won’t stand up to the terrorists—don’t you believe it.Strength and wisdom are not conflicting values—they go hand in hand.John Kerry has both.His first priority will be keeping America safe.Remember the scripture: Be Not Afraid.John Kerry and John Edwards, have good ideas: · To make this economy work again for middle-class Americans;· To restore fiscal responsibility;

· To save Social Security;to make healthcare more affordable and college more available;· To free us from dependence on foreign oil and create new jobs in clean energy;· To rally the world to win the war on terror and to make more friends and fewer terrorists.At every turning point in our history we the people have chosen unity over division, heeding our founders’ call to America’s eternal mission: to form a more perfect union, to widen the circle of opportunity, deepen the reach of freedom, and strengthen the bonds of community.It happened because we made the right choices.In the early days of the republic, America was at a crossroads much like it is today, deeply divided over whether or not to build a real nation with a national economy, and a national legal system.We chose a more perfect union.In the Civil War, America was at a crossroads, divided over whether to save the union and end slavery—we chose a more perfect union.In the 1960s, America was at a crossroads, divided again over civil rights and women’s rights.Again, we chose a more perfect union.As I said in 1992, we’re all in this together;we have an obligation both to work hard and to help our fellow citizens, both to fight terror and to build a world with more cooperation and less terror.Now again, it is time to choose.Since we’re all in the same boat, let us chose as the captain of our ship a brave good man who knows how to steer a vessel though troubled waters to the calm seas and clear skies of our more perfect union.We know our mission.Let us join as one and say in a loud, clear voice: Send John Kerry.