亚伯拉罕・林肯在演讲开篇回顾了美国建国时秉持的自由和平等理念，指出当下正处于一场严峻的内战之中，人们来到内战的一处战场，准备将此地一部分作为烈士安息之所，不过从更深远意义来讲，这片土地已因战士们的英勇奋战而无比神圣，活着的人应致力于完成烈士们未竟的崇高事业，要怀着更坚定的信念让烈士的牺牲有价值，让国家在上帝护佑下重获自由新生，确保民有、民治、民享的政府永世长存。这是林肯于 1863 年 11 月 19 日所表达的内容。 听力练习：为帮助大家提升实战英语听力能力，后续文章会融入多种英语口音，正常语速，挑战一下能听懂多少！ |
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.
八十七年前，我们的先辈们在这块大陆上创立了一个新国家，它孕育于自由之中，奉行一切人生来平等的原则。
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.
现在我们正投身于一场伟大的内战，以考验这个国家，或者任何一个孕育于自由且奉行上述原则的国家，是否能够长久存在下去。我们相聚在这场战争中的一个伟大战场上。我们来到这里，是要把这个战场的一部分奉献给那些为使这个国家能够生存下去而献出了自己生命的人们，作为他们最终的安息之所。我们这样做是完全恰当而且应该的。
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.
但是，从更广泛的意义上来说，这块土地我们不能够奉献，不能够圣化，不能够神化。那些曾在这里战斗过的勇士们，活着的和去世的，已经把这块土地圣化了，这远不是我们微薄的力量所能增减的。全世界将很少注意到、也不会长久地记住我们今天在这里所说的话，但全世界永远不会忘记勇士们在这里所做过的事。
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. 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.
毋宁说，倒是我们这些还活着的人，应该在这里把自己奉献于勇士们已经如此崇高地向前推进但尚未完成的事业。倒是我们应该在这里把自己奉献于仍然留在我们面前的伟大任务 —— 我们要从这些光荣的死者身上汲取更多的献身精神，来完成他们已经完全彻底为之献身的事业；我们要在这里下定最大的决心，不让这些死者白白牺牲；我们要使这个国家在上帝福佑下得到自由的新生，要使这个民有、民治、民享的政府永世长存。
