Abraham Lincoln

(C. Sandburg)
Dec. 12, 1959.

Before beginning the prepared address, I must make the remark that this introduction, this reception here, caused for humility rather than pride, I am well aware of that. Not often in the story of mankind has a man arrived on earth who is both steel and velvet, who is as hard as rock, and soft as drifting fog. There was in his heart and mind the paradox of terrible storm and peace, unspeakable and perfect. There have come, across centuries, reports of men alleged to have these contrasts, and the incomparable Abraham Lincoln, born one hundred and fifty years ago this day is an approach, if not a perfect realization of this character.
In the time of the April lilacs, in the year 1865, on his death, the casket with his body was carried north and west a thousands miles, and the American people wept as they never before. Bells sobbed, cities wore crepe. People stood in tears and with hats off as the red oak burial car paused in the leading cities of seven states, ending its journey at Springfield, Illinois, the hometown.
During the four years he was President, he, at times, especially in the first three months, took to himself the powers of a dictator. He commanded those powerful armies till then assembled in modern warfare, he enforced conscription of soldiers for the first time in American history and under imperative necessity he abolished the rights of Habeas Corpus.　He directed it politically and spiritually while massive　turbulent forces let loose in civil war, a war truly as time has　shown, of brothers. He argued and pleaded for compensated　emancipation of the slaves. The slaves were property they　were on the tax books along with horses and cats, the valuation　of each slave written next to his name on the tax assessors　books. And failing to get action on compensated emancipation.　He took the only other course. As a chief executive having more　powers, he issued the paper by which he declared the slaves to　be free, under military necessity. In the end, nearly four billion　dollars worth of property was taken away from those who were　legal owners of it. Property confiscated, wiped out as by fire　and turned to ashes. At his instigation and executive direction, chattel property recognized in law books for three hundred years was expropriated, seized without payment.
And how did Lincoln say he would like to be remembered? Something of it is in this present occasion, the atmosphere in this room. His beloved friend, Representative Owen Lovejoy of Princeton, Illinois, had died in May of 1864. And friends wrote to Lincoln, and he replied that the pressure of duties kept him from joining them in the efforts toward a marble monument to Lovejoy. The last sentence of Lincoln's letter saying: "Let him have the marble monument, along with the well-assured and the more enduring one in the hearts of those who love liberty unselfishly for all men."
Today when you say perhaps that the well-assured and the most enduring memorial to Lincoln is invisibly there today, tomorrow, and for a long, long time yet to come. It's there in the hearts of lovers of liberty. This country is always paying prices, men and women who understand that where there is freedom, there are those who fought, toiled and sacrificed. Thank you.

remark
名词
1.注意，观察。
2.话，言语；评论，意见。
worthy of remark 值得注意。 the remarks column 备注栏。 a theme of general remark 议论纷纷的事情。 Did you make a remark 你有没有说过什么话[发表意见]？ make a remark on 就…说一说〔表示一点意见〕。 make no remark 什么也不说。 make remarks 说东道西；评论；演说。 pass a remark 表示一点意见，略陈所见。 pass without remark 置之不理，置若罔闻，默认。

velvet
名词
1.丝绒，天鹅绒，天鹅绒一样的东西[表面]；天鹅绒海绵 (＝velvet sponge)。
2.鹿角上的绒毛状嫩皮，鹿茸的嫩皮。
3.〔俚语〕(赌博中)赢得的钱；盈利，赚头。
4.〔口语〕舒适愉悦的景况。
cotton velvet棉天鹅绒。 silk velvet(反面是棉的)丝(天鹅)绒。 cut velvet修剪过的天鹅绒。 pile [terry] velvet没有剪毛的天鹅绒。 velvet pile 天鹅绒一样的织品。 be on velvet＝ stand on velvet在有利地位上，(现在主指投机)在必赚地位上。 to the velvet【商业】给贷方。

drift
及物动词
1.使漂流；使漂积[冲积]；把…吹积；(吹积物等)覆盖。
2.【机械工程】(用冲头)冲孔。 The current drift-ed the boat to sea. 水流把船冲到海里去了。 a trail drift-ed with leaves 满是落叶的小道。 The wind drifted the snow. 风把雪吹成小堆。

paradox
名词
1.似非而是的论点[妙语]。
2.反面议论，反论，悖论；疑题。
3.自相矛盾的话；奇谈，怪论；前后矛盾的事物。
4.【物理学】佯谬。

unspeakable
形容词
1.说不出的，形容不出的。
2.恶劣透顶的，坏不堪言的。
3.不能说的，不可说的，怕说的，一说就讨厌[恐惧]的；〔美国〕不愿说的。

alleged
形容词
1.被提出而尚未证实的，有嫌疑的。
2.声称的，宣称的。
3.作为理由[辩解等]的。
the alleged thief 嫌疑盗窃犯。 the alleged reason 举出来的理由。

lilac
名词
1.【植物；植物学】丁香花属；丁香花，紫丁香。
2.淡紫色。
形容词
淡紫色的。

亚 伯 拉 罕 •林 肯
（斯 • 山 德 伯 格）
1959.12.12
在开始这篇准备好的演讲之前，我必须声明这番对我的介绍和接待使我深感谦卑甚于骄傲，这一点我很清楚。人类历史上并不经常出现一些铁血柔情式的人物。在这种人身上，暴力与和平这一对矛盾体揉和在一起，不可言喻但又天衣无缝。几个世纪以来，确实有过集这些矛盾于一身的人，而诞生于一百五十年前的今天的无与伦比的亚伯拉罕•林肯，如果不是最完美的，也是最近完美的。
1865年4月一个丁香花开的日子，他的灵柩向北向西行进了一千多英里，美国人民前所未有地伤心和哭泣。丧钟悲鸣，城市披上黑纱。由红橡木制成的灵车在七个州的主要城市停留时，人们含着泪水脱帽默哀。灵车最后停在依利诺斯州的斯普林菲尔德，林肯的故乡。
在四年的总统任期中，特别是在头三个月里，他时常运用独裁者的权力。他命令强大的军队集结投入现代战争，他在美国历史上首次推行征兵制度，在紧急形势的要求下，他废除了人身保护令所赋予的权力。当大规模的暴乱显示出内战的端倪时，他又在政治上和精神上发展了这一点做法，虽然时间证明这场战争纯属兄弟之争。他倡议并恳请实行有补偿的奴隶解放政策。当时，奴隶是财产，他们和马儿、猫儿一起列在税册上，在收税人的册子里，每个奴隶的名字旁边写着他们的价值。在这一倡议失败后，作为一个有更大权力的行政首脑，他不得不采取其他行动，签署文件，宣布奴隶是自由的，并在有必要的情况下使用武力。最后，那些原来法定的奴隶拥有者失去了近四十亿美元的财产。卖身契被没收并烧毁，一切灰飞烟灭。在他的鼓舞和领导下，法律承认了三百年的动产就这样没有补偿地被剥夺了。
林肯是怎么说他希望给后人留下什么印象？我们可以从今天这种场合，这个房间的氛围中找到一些答案。他至爱的朋友，于1864年五月去世的依利诺斯州普林斯顿的众议员欧文•拉夫佐伊，以及其他的友人，曾给林肯写信，他回信说，工作压力之大，使他无法和他们一起为莱威佐伊建一座大理石纪念碑了。在信的最后，他说：“就让我们用更坚固和持久的爱去为他建一座大理石纪念碑吧，这份爱深藏于那些无私地热爱全人类解放事业的人心中。”
今天，你也许会说，怀念林肯最真切而又持久的纪念碑无声矗立在那里，在今天，在明天或以后很长的一段时间永存于那些热爱解放事业的人的心中。这个国家总要付出代价，总有人清楚，要想获得自由，就得有人为此去斗争、去受苦、去牺牲。

Abraham Lincoln mp3