1981 年，吉米·卡特（Jimmy Carter) 和杰拉尔德·福特 (Gerald Ford) 在空军一号上。图片来源：Dirck Halstead / Getty Images
译者按：
窗外雪花飞舞。
我对家人感慨道：“卡特总统真是个好人。这次国葬为期六天，而我们这里竟接连下了两场大雪，还放了三天雪假，仿佛连老天都在为他悲恸，以此纪念他。”
我全程在线参加了六天的追思活动，聆听每一位悼念者对卡特总统的深情追忆。最后，在卡特的故乡，当隆隆的21声礼炮响过之后，小号手吹起了《安息号》（Taps）。那纯净而略带哀伤的旋律，如同安魂曲一般，诉说着无法言表的思念。当军官将覆盖过卡特灵柩的美国国旗分别赠与卡特的四个孩子后，在牧师的祷告声中，卡特总统安息于他深爱的那片土地。
在葬礼上，许多回忆令人动容，是那种在追忆往事中突然爆发出笑声的同时，又有泪花闪烁的意境。小张老师特别挑选了一篇，将其翻译成中文，供读者们中英文对照学习。
2025年1月9日，在华盛顿国家大教堂举行的美国第39任总统吉米·卡特的全国葬礼上，史蒂夫·福特（Steven Ford) 发表了感人的悼词，悼词是他父亲、美国第38任总统杰拉尔德·福特(Gerald Ford)多年前准备的，福特总统于 2006 年去世。
在1976年的总统选举中，卡特击败了福特。然而，在卸任总统之后，两人从昔日的政敌逐渐发展为深厚的挚友。这种超越党派的友谊在当代美国政坛尤为难得和珍贵。
美国"总统俱乐部"现有成员悉数出席了这场葬礼，希望后来的领导人能从中获取养分。首先做个人，其次再做领导。
小张老师提供了悼词的译文，并附上原文，供读者们对照学习。如果译文有不妥之处，欢迎大家指正并分享您的见解。
史蒂夫·福特（Steven Ford) 在卡特国葬上发表了感人的悼词，悼词是他父亲、美国第38任总统杰拉尔德·福特(Gerald Ford)多年前准备的。图片来源：公共领域
在我父亲生命的暮年，父亲和卡特总统通过电话交谈，父亲问卡特总统是否愿意在父亲的葬礼上致悼词。卡特总统大方地同意了——然后他还问父亲是否愿意在卡特总统的葬礼上致悼词。
父亲很高兴同意了。你可以想象，在那个电话之后，他们俩都挂了电话，笑得很开心，考虑着他们中的哪一个会亲自回来致第二篇悼词。如你所知，父亲于 2006 年去世，卡特总统的悼词继续给我们家带来安慰、微笑、欢笑、欢乐和自豪。因此，我代表父亲，很荣幸能与他这位老朋友分享父亲的悼词。
我仿佛看到父亲拿出他的黄色便笺簿和笔，为他挚爱的朋友写下这些。
— 史蒂夫·福特
命运使然，吉米·卡特和我曾在政坛上是竞争对手。然而，在随后的许多年里，深厚的友谊将我们紧密相连，如同约翰·亚当斯与托马斯·杰斐逊这两位总统在政治生涯后的情谊。据说，亚当斯总统的临终遗言是“托马斯·杰斐逊依然健在”。如今，因吉米比我年轻十岁，我决定将对吉米的追忆托付给我的儿子史蒂夫，以备不时之需。
从地图上看，密歇根州的大急流城与佐治亚州的平原镇相隔千里。然而，若以价值观而非地理距离来衡量，这样的遥远便显得微不足道。正是因为我们共享的价值观，在成为亲密朋友之前，我们早已彼此尊重，即使身为政治对手。
当然，这并不意味着吉米从未让我感到恼火——但哪一对政客之间没有过争执呢？1976年的竞选中，吉米精准地抓住并指出了我的政治弱点，这在当时让我颇为不快。然而，我无论如何也未曾料到，这场选举的结果最终为我带来了人生中最深厚、最持久的友谊之一。
1981年夏天，我们再次相聚，这一次是在空军一号上，共赴伟大的和平缔造者安瓦尔·萨达特（译者注：被刺杀的埃及总统）的葬礼。俗话说，一个房间里容不下两个总统。坦白讲，起飞前我曾担心飞往开罗的漫长旅程会有多尴尬——那的确是一次漫长的飞行，但归途中却显得太短了。正是在大西洋上空的某个地方，吉米和我建立了超越政治的深厚友谊。
我们很快决定行使前总统的特权之一：忘记曾在激烈交锋中对彼此说过的那些严厉甚至刻薄的话语。于是，我们转而聊起更有趣的话题，谈论家庭与信仰，分享彼此的经历，发现即便离开白宫，生活依然可以丰富而有意义。
我们对总统图书馆建设的高昂成本感同身受，更遗憾的是，为了建立这项意义深远的机构，我们必须亲自投入大量时间精力去筹款。在旅途中，我们当即达成共识：将互相支持对方图书馆的项目，首批合作将围绕一系列军备控制会议展开。为了让消息更具新闻价值，我们在飞机上向记者宣布：实现中东持久和平需要美国做出艰难抉择，包括直面巴勒斯坦问题，从而接续萨达特总统毕生为之奋斗的事业。这是我们第一次公开展现这种“不太可能的伙伴关系”，但绝非最后一次。结果，我们这一友谊之举令华盛顿的当权派颇感不安。
如今，“诚实”和“真诚”几乎成了吉米·卡特名字的代名词。这些品质源于他慈爱的父母——莉莲·卡特和厄尔·卡特的言传身教，也在他于美国南部乡村度过的童年时光中得到了进一步的强化，那是一个社会变革蓄势待发的时代。在他的海军军官、州议员、州长、总统以及世界领导人的多重角色中，吉米始终以诚实立身，展现出这一品质的恒久力量。
对吉米·卡特而言，诚实并非一种理想的追求，而是融入他灵魂深处的本质。我印象中，吉米写的书可能比任何一位前总统都多。有人问他是否真的热爱写作，他闪烁着那熟悉的眼光回答：“这总比采棉花要好。”但我认为，写作于他而言还有更深的意义：它让他无需屈服于任何外部压力，不必迎合政治选民或潜在捐助者的期待，而能够自由地表达自己的真实想法。
我们两人都经历过选举失败的苦涩，这种挫败是痛苦的，但它也带来了另一种意想不到的解脱。政治的失利和写作的自由，让我们能够心无旁骛地讨论那些可能与短期政治受欢迎度相悖的、更为深远的话题。
吉米早就明白，仅仅在星期天早晨的教堂长椅上为信仰作证是不够的。他将信仰付诸实践，跨越国界、传统、种姓的束缚，追求一种超越一切界限的兄弟情谊。在美国的城市社区和世界偏远的乡村，他提醒人们，基督曾是一位木匠。在第三世界的村庄，他不是为选票而奔走，而是为消灭那些让发达国家羞愧的疾病而努力，因为这些疾病在不发达地区肆虐横行。
当然，吉米的时间并未全部用于建造房屋、根除疾病、促成停火或监督选举上。他或许是唯一一位每周讲授《圣经》课程的前总统，但毫无疑问，他是唯一一位与威利·纳尔逊（译者注：一位高产的美国音乐家）合唱《重返道路》的前总统。乔治亚州不仅深深镌刻在吉米的记忆中，更流淌在他的血液里。无论他走得多远，他始终铭记自己的根在哪里，而如今，他终将回到那片土地上。
吉米和我有许多共同之处，其中最重要的一点是：我们都娶了一个远远超出自己水平的伴侣。在吉米的一生中，每一步都伴随着来自平原的第一夫人罗莎琳的支持和陪伴。在他那充满祝福的生命旅程中，没有什么比他与罗莎琳之间深厚的爱情，以及他们与孩子、孙子、曾孙之间的温暖亲情更伟大。
和吉米一样，罗莎琳过去是——现在依然是——美国同情与关怀的象征。与历史上的许多第一夫人不同，罗莎琳·卡特真正是一位世界公民。她不仅是吉米坚定的伴侣，也成为了我妻子贝蒂和我，以及福特家族所有人的挚友。虽然卡特和福特夫妇中的男士们在游说国会方面成绩平平，但罗莎琳和贝蒂却在为数百万人的权利而奋斗中展现了无与伦比的成就。她们帮助无数人摆脱绝望和耻辱的阴影，重获尊严和希望。
妇女权利倡导者，包括第一夫人罗莎琳·卡特（左三）和贝蒂·福特（左四）参加了 1977 年在休斯顿举行的支持平等权利修正案的晚会。图片来源：Bettmann/Getty
如今到了说再见的时候——我们深感悲伤，但也充满了喜悦、感恩与安慰，因为我们曾有幸认识这样一个人，这样一位受人爱戴的、无与伦比的人。上帝赋予了他岁月的恩赐，而美国人民与全世界人民都将因他数十年的善行而永远蒙受祝福。
吉米·卡特的和平与同情的遗产将永远独一无二，因为它是永恒的。整个福特家族向你们表达我们的深切爱意，与全世界数以千万计的人一起为你们祈祷。在与这位度过充实一生、以无数善举体现信仰、完成使命、灵魂得享永恒的人告别之际，愿上帝保佑并守护这位善良的人，愿他赐予卡特一家内心的平安。
至于我自己，亲爱的吉米，我期待着我们在天国的重逢，因为还有太多话题等待我们尽情畅谈。
谢谢您，总统先生。欢迎回家，我的老朋友。
原文：
In the twilight of my dad’s life, Dad and President Carter spoke by phone and Dad asked President Carter if he would do a eulogy at Dad’s funeral. President Carter graciously agreed — and then he also asked if Dad would deliver a eulogy at President Carter’s funeral.
Now, Dad was thrilled to agree. After that call, as you can imagine, both of them got off the phone, had a pretty good chuckle, considering which one of them would return in person to deliver that second eulogy. As you know, Dad died in 2006 and President Carter’s eulogy continues to bring comfort, smile, laughter, joy, pride to our family. And thus, on behalf of my dad, it’s an honor to share Dad’s eulogy to his old friend.
I can just see my dad getting his yellow legal pad out with his pen and writing this for his beloved friend. — Steve Ford
By fate of a brief season, Jimmy Carter and I were rivals. But for the many wonderful years that followed, friendship bonded us as no two presidents since John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. It is said that President Adams’ last words were “Thomas Jefferson still survives.” Now since Jimmy has a good decade on me, I’m hedging my bets by entrusting my remembrances of Jimmy to my son Steve.
According to a map, it’s a long way between Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Plains, Georgia. But distances have a way of vanishing when measured in values, rather than miles, and it was because of our shared values that Jimmy and I respected each other as adversaries, even before we cherished one another as dear friends.
Now this is not to say that Jimmy never got under my skin — but has there ever been a group of politicians that didn’t do that to one another? During our 1976 contest, Jimmy knew my political vulnerabilities, and he successfully pointed them out. Now I didn’t like it, but little could I know that the outcome of that 1976 election would bring about one of my deepest and most enduring friendships.
In the summer of 1981, the two of us found ourselves together again, this time aboard Air Force One, bound for the funeral of the great peacemaker Anwar Sadat. There’s an old line to the effect that two presidents in a room is one too many. Frankly, I wondered how awkward that long flight might be to Cairo — and it was a long flight, but the return trip was not nearly long enough. For it was somewhere over the Atlantic that Jimmy and I forged a friendship that transcends politics.
We immediately decided to exercise one of the privileges of a former president, forgetting that either one of us had ever said any harsh words about the other one in the heat of battle. Then we got on to much more enjoyable subjects, discussing our families, our faith, and sharing our experiences and discovering that there is, indeed, life after the White House.
We commiserated over the high cost of building presidential libraries — and the even more regrettable fact that most of that fundraising for these otherwise admirable institutions fell to us personally. On the spot, we agreed to participate in programs at each other’s library, beginning with a series of conferences on arms control. And if that wasn’t newsworthy enough, we told reporters on the plane that a lasting Middle East peace would require the United States to make tough decisions, like confronting the Palestinian issue directly, thereby building on the work to which President Sadat had literally given his life. It was the first time, but by no means the last time, that our unlikely partnership ruffled feathers in the Washington establishment.
Now, honesty and truth-telling were synonymous with the name Jimmy Carter. Those traits were instilled in him by his loving parents, Lillian and Earl Carter, and the strength of his honesty was reinforced by his upbringing in the rural South, poised on the brink of social transformation. He displayed that honesty throughout his life as a naval officer, state legislator, governor, president and world leader.
For Jimmy Carter, honesty was not an aspirational goal; it was part of his very soul. Now I think Jimmy wrote more books than any former president. Once asked if he really enjoyed writing, he replied with that familiar twinkle in his eye: “It beats picking cotton.” But I think he enjoyed writing for another reason: As an author, he was under no pressure to tailor his opinions to some political constituency or potential contributor.
Now both of us had experienced the harsh reality that defeat at the polls can be painful. But we also came to know a more important consequence: Political defeat and writing can also be liberating, if it frees you to discuss topics that aren’t necessarily consistent with short-term political popularity.
Now Jimmy learned early on that it was not enough merely to bear witness in a pew on a Sunday morning. Inspired by his faith, he pursued brotherhood across boundaries of nationhood, across boundaries of tradition, across boundaries of caste. In America’s urban neighborhoods and in rural villages around the world, he reminded us that Christ had been a carpenter. And in Third World villages, he successfully campaigned — not for votes, but for the eradication of diseases that shamed the developed world as they ravaged the undeveloped one.
Now, of course, not all of Jimmy’s time was spent building houses, eradicating disease, brokering ceasefires, monitoring elections. While Jimmy is probably the only former president to conduct a weekly Bible class, I know for certain he is the only former president to perform a duet of “On the Road Again” with Willie Nelson. Georgia wasn’t just on Jimmy’s mind — it was in his blood. However far he traveled, he never forgot where he came home to or where, now, in the end, he would finally come home to.
Of the many things Jimmy and I had in common, the most important is this: We both married way above ourselves — way above. With Jimmy every step of the way was his first lady from Plains. In a life rich with blessings, none was greater for Jimmy than the love he shared with Rosalynn and the love the two of them shared with their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Like Jimmy, Rosalynn was — and is — a symbol of American compassion. Like no other first lady in our history, Rosalynn Carter is indeed a true citizen of the world. And she became a beloved friend to my wife, Betty, and me and to all the Ford family. While the Carter and Ford men were a decidedly mixed record when it came to lobbying Congress, Rosalynn and Betty were unbeatable in their advocacy for millions of people whom they brought out of the shadows of despair and shame.
Now is the time to say goodbye — our grief comforted with the joy and the thanksgiving of knowing this man, this beloved man, this very special man. He was given the gift of years, and the American people and the people of the world will be forever blessed by his decades of good works.
Jimmy Carter’s legacy of peace and compassion will remain unique as it is timeless. The entire Ford family, we extend our love to you, and we add our prayers to the prayers of tens of millions of people around the world. May God bless and watch over this good man. May he grant peace to the Carter family as they say goodbye to a man whose life was lived to the fullest, with a faith demonstrated in countless good works, with a mission richly fulfilled, and a soul rewarded with everlasting life.
As for myself, Jimmy, I’m looking forward to our reunion. We have much to catch up on.
Thank you, Mr. President. Welcome home, old friend.
英文原文来源：
https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/read-gerald-ford-jimmy-carter-eulogy-full-text-rcna187015
请参看小张老师所写的有关卡特总统的其他文章：
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