罗伯特·肯尼迪 民主党大会上的演讲

1964年8月27日，1964年民主党全国大会在纽约召开，时任美国总统林登·约翰逊获得总统候选人提名，罗伯特·肯尼迪受邀来到大会，代表肯尼迪家族发表演讲，他表明自己支持林登·约翰逊，并希望全体民主党人继承其亡兄约翰·肯尼迪的遗志，带来美国继续前进。

If my brother was alive, I wouldn't be here. I rather have it that way. —— Robert Kennedy

如果我哥哥还活着，我不可能坐在今天的位置。我宁愿是那样。 —— 罗伯特·肯尼迪

Mr. Chairman, I wish to speak just for a few moments.

主席先生，我想在此说那么几句。

I first want to thank all of you delegates to the Democratic National Convention and the supporters of the Democratic Party for all that you did for President John F. Kennedy.

我首先想要感谢所有出席民主党全国大会的代表，感谢所有民主党的支持者，感谢你们曾为约翰·F·肯尼迪总统所做的一切。

I want to express my appreciation to you for the efforts that you made on his behalf at the convention four years ago, the efforts that you made on his behalf for his election in November of 1960, and perhaps most importantly, the encouragement and the strength that you gave him after he was elected President of the United States.

我希望感谢你们在四年前的大会上为他所做的一切，感谢你们帮助他赢得了1960年11月的大选，最重要的是，感谢各位在他担任总统期间，给予的鼓励和支持。

I know that it was a source of the greatest strength to him to know that there were thousands of people all over the United States who were together with him, dedicated to certain principles and to certain ideals.

我相信，肯尼迪总统一直都知道亿万美国人民与他同在，愿意献身他的理念和理想，这是他最大的力量源泉。

No matter what talent an individual possesses, what energy he might have, no matter how much integrity and how much honesty he might have, if he is by himself, and particularly a political figure, he can accomplish very little. But if he is sustained, as President Kennedy was, by the Democratic Party all over the United States, dedicated to the same things that he was attempting to accomplish, he can accomplish a great deal.

一个人纵使有再大的本领，有再多的精力，纵使他再正直再正义，但只要他孤军奋战，他就很难成事，对于政治家来说更是如此。但如果他能像肯尼迪总统那样，得到全国民主党的支持，献身于肯尼迪总统生前的理想，那么他一定成就伟业。

No one knew that more than President John F. Kennedy. He used to take great pride in telling of the trip that Thomas Jefferson and James Madison made up the Hudson River in 1800 on a botanical expedition searching for butterflies; that they ended up down in New York City and that they formed the Democratic Party.

没人比约翰·F·肯尼迪总统更明白这一点。他常常骄傲地谈起，托马斯·杰斐逊和詹姆斯·麦迪逊在1800年一起去哈德孙河研究植物，一起抓蝴蝶；他们的这场旅途结束于纽约；而他们二人缔造了民主党。

He took great pride in the fact that the Democratic Party was the oldest political Party in the world, and he knew that this linkage of Madison and Jefferson with the leaders in New York combined the North and South, and combined the industrial areas of the country with the rural farms and that this combination was always dedicated to progress and all of our Presidents have been dedicated to progress.

他常常自豪地说，民主党是世界上最古老的政党，他也知道，麦迪逊、杰斐逊和纽约高层的这种友关系，团结了我国南北，凝聚了我国的工业和农业，帮助我国实现了进步，而我们历任总统无不希望推动国家进步。

He thought of Thomas Jefferson in the Louisiana Purchase, and also when Jefferson realized that the United States could not remain on the Eastern Seaboard and sent Lewis and Clark to the West Coast; of Andrew Jackson; of Woodrow Wilson; of Franklin Roosevelt who saved our citizens who were in great despair because of the financial crisis; of Harry Truman who not only spoke but acted for freedom.

他常常想到托马斯·杰斐逊的《路易斯安纳购地案》，想到杰斐逊明白美国不能只安居东海岸，于是派遣路易斯和克拉克去探索西海岸；他想到安德鲁·杰克逊；想到伍德罗·威尔逊；带领我们人民走出绝望与大萧条的富兰克林·罗斯福；还有言出必行、捍卫自由的哈里·杜鲁门。

So, when he became President he not only had his own principles and his own ideals but he had the strength of the Democratic Party. As President he wanted to do something for the mentally ill and the mentally retarded; for those who were not covered by Social Security; for those who were not receiving an adequate minimum wage; for those who did not have adequate housing; for our elderly people who had difficulty paying their medical bills; for our fellow citizens who are not white and who had difficulty living in this society. To all this he dedicated himself.

所以当他成为总统时，他不仅拥有自己的思想理念，他还有整个民主党的支持。总统任内，他希望改善精神疾病、智力疾病患者的处境；他希望让更多公民享有社保；他希望为穷苦百姓争取更高的底薪；他希望居者有其屋；他希望老年人能付得起医疗费用；他希望我国有色公民能够平等地生活。他为这一切英勇献身。

But he realized also that in order for us to make progress here at home, that we had to be strong overseas, that our military strength had to be strong. He said one time, "Only when our arms are sufficient, without doubt, can we be certain, without doubt, that they will never have to be employed." So when we had the crisis with the Soviet Union and the Communist Bloc in October of 1962, the Soviet Union withdrew their missiles and bombers from Cuba.

他也明白，我们国家想要安然前进，就必须在海外孔武有力，我们必须建立强大的军事力量。他曾说过，“只有我们的武装力量强大到毋庸置疑的程度，我们才能确保敌人不敢打破和平。”所以1962年10月，美国和苏东集团爆发了古巴导弹危机，最终是苏联选择从古巴撤出导弹和轰炸机。

Even beyond that, his idea really was that this country, that this world, should be a better place when we turned it over to the next generation than when we inherited it from the last generation. That is why--with all of the other efforts that he made--the Test Ban Treaty, which was done with Averell Harriman, was so important to him.

他的理想不止于次，他希望我们能让我们这代人接手的这个国家、这个世界变得更好，然后将之交予下一代人。正是因此——他才尽其所能——在埃夫里尔·哈里曼的帮助下，签署了《禁止核试验条约》，因为这是他的主要目标。

And that's why he made such an effort and was committed to the young people not only of the United States but to the young people of the world. And in all of these efforts you were there all of you.

正是因此，他才致力于帮助美国和全世界的青年。且这一过程中，各位都与他并肩前进。

When there were difficulties, you sustained him.

他遭遇困难时，各位总是伸出援手。

When there were periods of crisis, you stood beside him. When there were periods of happiness, you laughed with him. And when there were periods of sorrow, you comforted him. I realize that as individuals we can't just look back, that we must look forward. When I think of President Kennedy, I think of what Shakespeare said in Romeo and Juliet:

他面临危机时，你们站在他的身边。他欢欣时，你们与他共同欢笑。他沮丧时，你们说没关系。我明白，我们所有人不能回头，我们必须向前看。我每每想到肯尼迪总统，都可以用莎士比亚在《罗密欧与朱丽叶》中的话来说：

"When he shall die take him and cut him out into stars and he shall make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with night and pay no worship to the garish sun."

“在他死后，把他切碎成漫天繁星，他会照亮天堂的美好，人类从此会爱上夜晚，不再崇拜灿烂的艳阳。”

I realize that as individuals, and even more important, as a political party and as a country, we can't just look to the past, we must look to the future.

我明白，我们所有人，我们民主党，我们美国不能沉溺于过去，我们必须面向未来。

So I join with you in realizing that what started four years ago--what everyone here started four years ago--that is to be sustained; that is to be continued.

所以我和大家一样，想起了我们四年前开启的事业——四年前我们汇聚于此的目标——我们要不忘初心；我们要继往开来。

The same effort and the same energy and the same dedication that was given to President John F. Kennedy must be given to President Lyndon Johnson and Hubert Humphrey.

我们要拿出帮助约翰·F·肯尼迪总统的力量、热情和精神，来支持林登·约翰逊总统和休伯特·汉弗莱。

If we make that evident, it will not only be for the benefit of the Democratic Party, but, far more important, it will be for the benefit of this whole country.

如果我们能做到，我们惠及的将远不止民主党，而是整个国家。

When we look at this film we must think that President Kennedy once said:

观看这部影片时，我们必须记住肯尼迪总统的话语：

"We have the capacity to make this the best generation in the history of mankind, or make it the last."

“我们这一代人有能力成为人类史上上最杰出的一代，也可能成为最后一代。”

If we do our duty, if we meet our responsibilities and our obligations, not just as Democrats, but as American citizens in our local cities and towns and farms and our states and in the country as a whole, then this generation of Americans is going to be the best generation in the history of mankind.

只要我们能各尽职守，勇于承担身为民主党人和美国公民的责任义务，在城市、乡镇、农场、各州和国家做贡献，这一代美国人必将成为人类历史上最杰出的一代。

He often quoted from Robert Frost--and said it applied to himself--but we could apply it to the Democratic Party and to all of us as individuals:

肯尼迪总统常常引用罗伯特·弗罗斯特的诗——他借此形容自己——我们也可以借这首诗形容民主党，形容我们自己：

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep, 

but I have promises to keep 

and miles to go before I sleep, 

and miles to go before I sleep."

“这树林幽深可羡，

可我却有约要赴，

睡前再行几里路，

睡前再行几里路。 ”

I thank you.

谢谢大家。

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