MR. OBAMA: Thank you. Thank you so much. Vice President Biden, Mr. Chief Justice, Members of the United States Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens:谢谢，非常感谢大家。拜登副总统、首席大法官先生、国会议员们、尊敬的各位嘉宾、亲爱的公民们。Each time we gather to inaugurate（开创; 创始） a president, we bear witness to the enduring strength of our Constitution. We affirm（断言；肯定；证实）the promise of our democracy. We recall that what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the tenets(信条；教义；教条) of our faith or the origins of our names. What makes us exceptional – what makes us American – is our allegiance（忠诚；拥护） to an idea, articulated （清晰阐述）in a declaration made more than two centuries ago:每一次我们集会庆祝总统就职都是在见证美国宪法的持久力量。我们都是在肯定美国民主的承诺。我们重申，将这个国家紧密联系在一起的不是我们的肤色，也不是 我们信仰的教条，更不是我们名字的来源。让我们与众不同，让我们成为美国人的是我们对于一种理念的恪守。200 多年前，这一理念在一篇宣言中被清晰阐述：“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed（捐赠；使天生具有） by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”“我们认为下述真理是不言而喻的，人人生而平等。造物主赋予他们若干不可剥夺的权利，包括生存、自由和追求幸福的权利。”Today we continue a never-ending journey, to bridge the meaning of those words with the realities of our time. For history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they have never been self-executing; that while freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by His people here on Earth. The patriots(爱国者) of 1776 did not fight to replace the tyranny of a king with the privileges...
