葛底斯堡的演讲学习笔记

《葛底斯堡演说》（Gettysburg Address）是第16任美国总统亚伯拉罕·林肯最著名的演说，是美国历史上为人引用最多之政治性演说，也是SAT考试推荐阅读材料。

我们一起来学习这篇短小精悍的传世之作吧。

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

八十七年以前，我们的祖先在这大陆上建立了一个国家，它孕育于自由，并且献身给一种理念，即所有人都是生来平等的。

four score: score在这里是20，four score就是80，是比较少见、但是抢眼的用法。

bring forth: 原意指产生、生产，此处指建立国家

conceive：孕育

be dedicated to：奉献给；献身于；致力于

proposition：主张、观点

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

当前，我们正在从事一次伟大的内战，我们在考验，究竟这个国家，或任何一个有这种主张和这种信仰的国家，是否能长久存在。我们在那次战争的一个伟大的战场上集会。我们来到这里，奉献那个战场上的一部分土地，作为在此地为那个国家的生存而牺牲了自己生命的人的永久眠息之所。我们这样做，是十分合情合理的。

engage in：参与

endure：持久、持续

dedicate sth. to sb. ：将某物献给某人

fitting and proper：恰当的、适宜的

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — we can not hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. 

可是，就更深一层意义而言，我们是无从奉献这片土地的–无从使它成为圣地–也不能把它变为人们景仰之所。那些在这里战斗的勇士，活着的和死去的，已使这块土地神圣化了，远非我们的菲薄能力所能左右。世人不会注意，更不会长久记得我们在此地所说的话，然而他们永远忘不了这些人在这里所做的事。相反，我们活着的人应该献身于那些曾在此作战的人们所英勇推动而尚未完成的事业。

in a sense：在某种意义上

consecrate：奉献、使深化

add or detract：增减，左右

the unfinished work：未竟的事业

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

我们应该在此献身于我们面前所留存的伟大工作–由于他们的光荣牺牲，我们要更坚定地致力于他们曾作最后全部贡献的那个事业–我们在此立志宣誓，不能让他们白白死去–要使这个国家在上帝的庇佑之下，得到新生的自由–要使那民有、民治、民享的政府不致从地球上消失。

full measure of ：最大限度的

resolve：下决心

in vain：徒然地

perish from：死于、短缺