宋美龄1943年在美国众议院的演说

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1943年2月17日，在中国抗日战争最艰难的时期，宋美龄以中国“第一夫人”的身份访美。2月18日她在美国众议院发表了这篇相当重要的演说。这是美国历史中继英国女王之后，第二位在国会殿堂里演讲的女性。她当时身穿一袭黑色旗袍，胸前别了一枚中国空军军徽，用一口纯正的美国南方口音、铿锵有力的语气，将中国人民奋力抗日的情况生动地介绍给美国国会和美国人民。唤起了美国朝野对中国的同情，争取了他们对中国反抗日侵略的更进一步支持与援助。                                               

jlytxl

以下为全文
Mr. Presdent, members of the Senate of the United States, ladies and gentlemen, I am rwhelmed by the warmth and spontaneity of the welcome of the American people, of whom you are the representatives. I did not know that I was to speak to you today at the Senate except to say, "How do you? I am so very gald to see you," and to bring the greetings of my people to the people of America. However, just before coming here, the Vice President told me that he would like to have me say a few words to you.
议长先生，美国参议院各位议员，各位女士、先生，受到诸位所代表的美国人民热情与真诚的欢迎，令我感动莫名。我事先不知今天要在参议员发表演说，只以为要到此说声“大家好，很高兴见到各位”，并向贵国人民转达敝国百姓的问候之意。不过，在来到此地之前，贵国副总统告诉我，他希望我和各位说几句话。
I am not a very good extemporaneous speaker; in fact I am no speaker at all; but I am not so very much discouraged, because a few days ago I was at Hyde Park, and went to the President’s library. Something I saw there encouraged me , and made me feel that perhaps you will not expect overmuch of me in speaking to you extemporaneously. What do you think I saw there? I saw many things, but the one thing which interested me most of all was that in a glass case there was the first draft of one of the President’s speeches, a second draft, and on and on up to the sixth draft. Yesterday I happened to mention this to the President, and told him that I am extremely glas that he he had to write so many drafts when he is such a well-known and acknowledgely fine speaker. His reply to me was that sometimes he writes 12 drafts of a speech. So my remarks here today, being extemporaneous, I am sure you will make allowances for me.
我并不善于即席演说，事实上根本称不上是演说家，但我不会因此怯场，因为前几天我在海德公园参观过总统图书馆，在那里看见一些东西鼓动了我，让我感觉各位或许不会对我的即席演说要求太多。各位知道我在那里见到什么吗？我看到了许多，但最让我感兴趣的，莫过于一个放着总统先生（译注：即罗斯福总统）演说草稿的玻璃箱，里头从第一份草稿，第二份草稿，一直到第六份草稿。昨天，我碰巧向总统先生提及此事，我说倭很高兴知道，以他如次知名又公认的演说家，还必须写这么多份草稿。他回答说，有时他一次演说得写12份草稿。因此，今天本人在此发表的即席演说，我确信各位一定会包容。
The traditional friendship between your country and mine has a history of 160 years. I feel -- and I believe that I am not the only one who feels this way -- that there are a great many similarities between your people and mine, and that these similaries are the basis of our friendship.
贵国和敝国之间有着160年悠久历史的情谊，我觉得贵国人民和敝国百姓有许许多多的相似点，而这些相似点正是两国情谊的基础，我也相信并非只有我有这样的感觉
I should like to tell you a little story which will illustrate this belief. When General Doolittle and his men went ot boom Tokyo, on their return some of your boys had to bail out in the interior of China. One of them later told me that he had to bail out out of his ship, and that when he landed on Chinese soil and saw the populace running towards him, he just waved his arm and shouted the only Chinese word he knew, "Mei-kuo, Mei-kuo," which means "America." (Applause.) Literally translated from the Chinese it means "Beautiful countries." This boy said our people laughed and almost hugged him, and greeted him like a long long lost brother. He further told me that he had come home when he saw our people; and that was the first time he had ever been to China. (Applause.)
在此，我想说个小故事，来说明此一信念。 杜利特尔将军和部下一起去轰炸东京，回程时有些美国子弟兵不得不在中国内陆跳伞，其中一人后来告诉我，他被迫从飞机跳伞，踏上中国的土地时，看到当地居民跑向他，他就挥着手，喊出他会说的唯一中国话：“美国。美国”，也就是“美利坚”的意思，（掌声）美国在中国话的意思是“美丽的国家”。这个大男孩说，敝国人民听了都笑起来，拥抱他，像欢迎失散多年的兄弟一般。他还告诉我说，当他看到我                 

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I believe, however, that it is not only I who am coming home; I feel that if the Chinese people could speak to you in your own tongue, or if you could understand our tongue, they would tell you that basically and fundamentally we are fighting for the same cause (great applause); that we have identity of ideals; that the "four freedoms," which your President proclaimed to thw world, resound throughout our vast land as the gong of freedom, the gong of freedom of the United Nations, and the death knell of the aggressions. (Applause.)
不过，我相信不只是我回到了家，我觉得，如果中国人民会用你们的语言与你们说话，或者你们能了解我们的语言，他们会告诉你们，根本而言，我们都在为相同的理念奋战（如雷掌声）；我们有一致的理想；亦即贵国总统向全世界揭示的“四个自由”：自由的钟声、联合国自由的钟声，和侵略者的丧钟响彻我国辽阔的土地。（掌声）
I assure you that our people are willing and eager to cooperate with you in the realization of these ideals, because we want to see it that they do not echo as empty phrases, but became relities for ourselves, for our children, for our children’s children, and for all mankind.(Applause.)
谨向各位保证，敝国人民深愿亦渴望为实现这些理想和贵国合作，因为我们希望这些理想不会流于空言，而是成为我们的子子孙孙、全人类的真况实境。（掌声）
How are we going to realize these ideals? I think I shall tell you a little story which just came to my mind. as you know, China is a very old nation. we have a history of 5,000 years. When we were obliged to evacuate Hankow and go into the hinterland to carry on and continue our resistance against aggression, the Generalissimo and I passed one of our fronts, the Changsha front. One day we went into the Heng-yang Mountains, where there are traces of a pavillion called "Rub-the-mirror" pavillion, which was built over 2,000 years ago. It will perhaps interest you to hear the story of that pavillion.
我们要如何实现这些理想？我想，我可以告诉各位一个我刚想到的小故事。各位知道，中国是一个非常古老的国家。我们有五千年历史。我们被迫从汉口撤退，转入大后方继续抵抗侵略的时候，蒋委员长和我经过一处前线，就在长沙。有一天，我们上衡山，山上有一处有名的遗迹，叫“磨镜台”，是两千多年前的古迹。诸位或许有兴趣听听这古迹的故事。
Two thousand years ago near that spot was an old Buddhist temple. One of the young monks went there, and all day along he sat cross-legged, with his hands clasped before him in an attitude of prayer, and murmured "Amita-Buddha! Amita-Buddha! Amita-Buddha!" He murmured and chanted day after day, because he hoped that he would acquire grace.
两千年前，台址近旁有一座古老的佛寺。一名年轻和尚来此修行，他整天盘腿坐禅，双手合一，口中喃喃念着“阿弥陀佛！阿弥陀佛！阿弥陀佛！”他唱念佛号，日复一日，因为他希望成佛。
The Father Prior of that temple took a piece of brick and rubbed it against a stone hour after hour, day after day, week after week. The little acolyte, being very young, sometimes cast his eyes around to see what the old father Prior was doing. The old Father Prior just kept on his work of rubbing the brick against the stone. So one day the young acolyte said to him, "Father Prior, what are you doing day after day rubbing this brick on the stone?" The Father Prior replied, "I am trying to make a mirror out of the brick." The young acolyte said, "But it is impossible to make a mirror out of a brick, Father Prior." "Yes," said the Father Prior, "and it is just as impossible for you to acquire grace by doing nothing except murmur ’Amita-Buddha’ all day long, day in and day out." (Applause.)
寺里的主持于是也跟着拿一块砖去磨一块石头，时时刻刻地磨，一天又一天地磨，一周又一周地磨。小和尚有时抬眼瞧瞧老和尚在做什么。主持只是一个劲儿拿砖磨石。终于有一天，小和尚对主持说：“大师，您每天拿这块砖磨石头。到底为什么呢？”主持答道：“我要用这块砖做镜子。”小和尚说：“可砖块是做不成镜子的呀，大师。”“没错，”主持说：“就像你成天光念阿                 

pxy1209

很经典的贴,感谢天南地北的斑斑支持.
                 

北窗高卧QQT

多谢楼主无私分享宋美龄1943年在美国众议院的演说。                 

hxb1221

经典宋英文不错