VOA Learning English presents America’s Presidents.
美国之音慢速英语介绍美国总统栏目。
Today we will finish our story about Abraham Lincoln.
今天，我们将要结束亚伯拉罕·林肯的故事。
He led the United States during the Civil War. That conflict lasted from 1861 to 1865. In it, the southern states of the Confederacy battled the Northern states of the Union.
他在内战期间领导美国。内战从1861年持续到1865年，它是南方联盟州与北方联邦州之间进行的战争。
As a wartime president, Lincoln was known for several things. He was actively involved in plotting the military campaign. When Lincoln was unhappy with the performance of his top generals, he dismissed them.
作为战时总统，林肯因几件事而闻名。他积极参与策划军事活动。当林肯对北军最高将领的表现不是很满意的时候，他撤换了他们。
He also greatly increased the power of the presidency, even beyond what the U.S. Constitution permitted.
他也极大地提升了总统的权利，甚至超出了美国宪法的允许范围。
And, Lincoln struck at the issue at the heart of the Civil War: slavery. He ordered that enslaved people in the Confederate states be “forever free.”
并且，林肯抨击了内战的核心问题：奴隶制。他宣布联盟各州的奴隶将永远获得自由。
His order is called the Emancipation Proclamation.
他的这一宣布被称为解放奴隶宣言。
Gettysburg 葛底斯堡
Seven months after the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect, the Confederacy and the Union clashed in the bloodiest battle of the Civil War.
解放奴隶宣言生效的七个月后，联盟和联邦之间发生了有史以来最惨烈的内战。
The army of Confederate General Robert E. Lee was on the offensive[1]. Lee planned to move the fighting out of the South and invade the North. He won a major victory against Union forces at Chancellorsville, Virginia. Then he pushed across Maryland and into Pennsylvania.
联盟军将军罗伯特·李处在攻势。李计划将战场从南方移至北方。他在弗吉尼亚州的钱斯勒斯维尔赢得了一场大胜。然后，他穿过马里兰州进入了宾夕法尼亚州。
A Union army, led by General George Meade, met Lee’s troops near a small, crossroads town called Gettysburg.
乔治·米德将军领导的联邦军在一个叫葛底斯堡的十字路口小镇遇到了李的部队。
In the first days of July 1863 – a little more than two years after the start of the Civil War – Confederate and Union troops each struggled to claim the territory. Both sides suffered massive casualties[2].
1863年7月初，距内战开战已经2年多以来，联盟和联邦军都在争夺领土。双方都遭受了巨大的伤亡。
But Lee believed Confederate troops were close to winning, and that Meade had spread his soldiers thin. So, on the third day of fighting, he ordered a direct attack on Union forces. Lee’s soldiers aimed at the center of the Union line, positioned behind stone walls at the top of a ridge, or raised area.
但李坚信联盟军就快赢得战争，并且米德分散了他的士兵。所以，在第三天，他向联邦军发动了直接攻击。李的部队瞄准了联邦战线的中心，中心位于山脊或高地的石墙后面。
Confederates first used cannons to fire artillery at the ridge.
联盟军首先使用加农炮向山脊开火。
Then about 15,000 Confederate soldiers began marching across more than a kilometer of an open field. The Union soldiers behind the walls fired on them.
然后，大约15000名联盟军士兵开始穿越1000米开外的空地，石墙后面的联邦军士兵向他们开火。
At the same time, more Union forces attacked the Confederate soldiers on the left and right.
同时，更多的联邦军从两翼包抄联盟军。
In half an hour, three-quarters[3] of the soldiers in the open field had been killed or wounded.
半小时后，空地处四分之三的士兵伤亡。
Thousands more on each side also died.
双方都有数千人的死亡。
The surviving Confederate forces quickly withdrew and waited for Meade to attack again. But, much to Lincoln’s dissatisfaction, he did not.
幸存下来的联盟军迅速撤离，等待米德再次进攻。但令林肯不满的是，他没有。
The following morning, Lee led the survivors back to Virginia. He left behind 28,000 soldiers dead, wounded or missing, more than one-third of his total army.
第二天清晨，李率残余部队回到了弗吉尼亚。这次战斗李损失了超过三分之一的部队，28000名士兵死亡、受伤或失踪。
The Union had suffered 23,000 casualties, almost as many.
联邦也遭受了23000名人员伤亡，几乎与联盟相当。
Gettysburg Address 葛底斯堡演讲
The Battle of Gettysburg is important in American history for several reasons. One is the large number of killed and wounded soldiers – the largest until World War II in the 20th century.
葛底斯堡战役由于数个原因在美国历史上具有重要意义。其中一个原因是士兵伤亡数巨大 —— 直到20世纪第二次世界大战都是最多的。
Another reason is because it was a turning point in the war. It ended Lee’s invasion of the North and weakened his army permanently.
另一个原因是因为这场战役是内战的转折点，它结束了李对北方的侵入并永久削弱了他的军事力量。
Over the same days, Union troops won another major victory under General Ulysses S. Grant in the southern city of Vicksburg, Mississippi.
同一期间，尤利西斯·辛普森·格兰特将军率领的联邦军在密西西比南部城市维克斯堡赢得了另一场重要的胜利。
The battles at Vicksburg and Gettysburg began to turn the conflict to the Union’s favor[4].
战争的有利天平在维克斯堡和葛底斯堡战役之后开始倾向联邦。
Finally, the Battle of Gettysburg is almost always linked to a speech Lincoln gave there, known as the Gettysburg Address. It is only about 270 words long. But it is one of the most famous speeches in American history.
最终，葛底斯堡战役几乎总是与林肯在那里发表的一次演讲联系起来，也就是广为人知的葛底斯堡演讲。演讲总长大约只有270个单词，但却是美国历史上最著名的演讲之一。
Lincoln spoke at the opening of a cemetery for all the soldiers who had died at Gettysburg. But he also used the event to speak to the entire country about the war.
林肯是在纪念葛底斯堡战役中阵亡将士的公墓揭幕式中发表的演说，但他也借助此次事件向全国重新定义了这场内战。
He said the conflict was a test of whether the American form of government could survive. That is, a “government of the people, by the people, for the people.”
他说，这场战争正考验着美国的政府形式能否存活下去，那就是一个民有、民治、民享的政府。
He also pointed to the Declaration of Independence as the country’s founding document. He said the nation had been “conceived[5] in liberty.” And, he said, it was dedicated[6] to the idea that “all men are created equal.”
他还指出，《独立宣言》是美国的建国文件。美国孕育于自由之中，奉行一切人生来平等的原则。
Historians have noted that, in the speech, Lincoln changed the reasoning behind the war effort. It continued to be a struggle to reunite the country. But after the Gettysburg Address, it was also more clearly a struggle to free enslaved people.
历史学家认为，林肯在这次演说中重新定义了这场内战。内战不只是为联邦存续而奋斗，葛底斯堡演说之后，亦是为解放奴隶而奋斗。
Surrender at Appomattox Courthouse[7] 阿波马托克斯县府投降
In 1864, Lincoln won re-election to a second term as president. His new vice president was Senator Andrew Johnson from the Southern state of Tennessee.
1864年，林肯赢得连任。他的新任副总统是来自南部田纳西州的参议员安德鲁·约翰逊。
At the swearing-in ceremony, the president spoke about the need for the North and South to come together again peacefully.
在宣誓就职典礼上，林肯总统呼吁南北双方要重新和平共处。
In that speech, his famous Second Inaugural, Lincoln called on all Americans to finish the war. He urged them to care for the wounded, the wives and children of soldiers killed in battle, and to seek a “just and lasting peace.”
在那次著名的第二次就职演讲中，林肯号召所有美国民众结束战争。他敦促他们去照顾受伤人员，在战争中失去丈夫和父亲的妇女及儿童，去寻求一个“公正和持久的和平”。
Most importantly, Lincoln asked Americans to reunite “with malice[8] toward none, with charity[9] for all.” In other words, with respect and kindness.
最重要的是，林肯请求美国民众能够“不带恶意，心怀善意”的团结起来。换句话说就是心怀尊重和仁慈。
A few weeks later, the war effectively ended.
几周之后，内战实际上已经结束。
Lincoln’s military plan had worked. He had finally found two generals whom he trusted: Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman.
林肯的军事计划成功了。最终，他找到了两位他所能信任的将军：尤利西斯·辛普森·格兰特和威廉姆斯·特库赛·谢尔曼。
Sherman led a campaign across the southern states. His path through Georgia, from the city of Atlanta to the city of Savannah, was known as Sherman’s March to the Sea. The march destroyed farms and houses along the way. The destruction was terrible. It was also effective. The Confederate Army was left with little food or communication.
谢尔曼领导的军事活动贯穿南部诸州，从佐治亚州的亚特兰大到萨凡纳，即人们所知的谢尔曼“向海洋进军”的作战方案。此方案摧毁了沿途的农场和房屋，这场灾难是毁灭性的，但也有效打击了联盟，切断了联盟的供给和通讯。
At the same time, Grant surrounded Lee’s army in Virginia. Grant cut these Southern troops off from supplies, too.
同时，格兰特在弗吉尼亚州包围了李的军队，也切断了南方军队的供给线。
Lee realized he must surrender to Grant – although, he said, he “would rather die a thousand deaths.”
李意识到他必须向格兰特投降了 —— 尽管，他说他“宁愿死一千次”。
The two men met on April 9, 1865 at a farmhouse in the town of Appomattox Court House, Virginia. Lee famously wore his finest military uniform and sword. Grant famously wore his fighting clothes, still marked with mud.
1865年4月9日，格兰特和李在弗吉尼亚州的阿波马托克斯县府的一处农舍相遇。当时比较著名的事是，李将军穿着最好的军装和佩剑，格兰特将军穿着战斗服，上面还沾着泥巴。
Lee and Grant spoke briefly, then Grant wrote the terms of surrender. As Lincoln had asked, the terms were respectful and generous. Lee’s officers were free to keep their horses and their weapons, and the Union army would give the Confederate soldiers food.
李和格兰特进行了简短的交流，然后，格兰特撰写了投降条款。条款依据林肯的要求要尊重和慷慨。李的军官可以自由保留马匹及武器，联邦给与联盟军食物。
When some Union troops began to play a victory song, Grant told them to stop. “The war is over,” he said. “The rebels are our countrymen again.”
一些联邦军队开始奏响胜利之歌时，格兰特要求他们停止。他说，“战争停止了，叛乱者再次成为我们的同胞。”
Ford’s Theater 福特剧院
Five days after Lee surrendered, Lincoln and his wife Mary went to a theater in Washington, DC.
李投降的五天后，林肯和他的妻子玛丽一同去了华盛顿的一家剧院。
To put it mildly, the last years had been very difficult for them. While Lincoln was supervising the war effort, both his third and fourth son became sick with typhoid. The younger boy recovered. The older did not. Willie Lincoln died in the White House at age 11.
委婉地说，过去几年对他们来说非常艰难。林肯督战时期，他的三子和幼子都得了伤寒。幼子后来恢复了，三子却没有。威廉·林肯11岁时在白宫早夭。
Mary and Abraham Lincoln were crushed. Mary Lincoln blamed herself; she believed God was punishing her. In their own ways, the Lincolns continued to mourn in the years after Willie's death.
玛丽和亚伯拉罕·林肯悲恸欲绝，玛丽·林肯将此事归咎于自己，她相信上帝是来惩罚她的。林肯夫妇在威利死后的数年里一直以他们自己的方式为其幼子哀悼。
At one point, Lincoln said he hoped he and Mary could feel happier. He urged them to have some pleasant times together.
林肯一度说他希望和玛丽能够感到更幸福一点。他迫切希望他们能够在一起度过一些快乐时光。
So, with the war coming to an end, they went to a light-hearted play at Ford’s Theater. It was the night of Friday, April 14, 1865 – a day that Christians were marking that year as Good Friday[10], the anniversary of Jesus’ death.
所以，随着战争临近结束，他们去福特剧院观看了一场轻松的戏剧。那天是1865年4月14日星期五的晚上——这一天也是基督徒们纪念耶稣受难日的节日。
The theater was not far from the White House. The Lincolns had seats in a box high above the stage[11].
剧院离白宫不远，林肯夫妇当时坐在舞台高处的包厢里。
Toward the end of the performance, a man entered their box and shot Abraham Lincoln in the back of the head.
临近戏剧结束的时候，一个男人进入包厢，用枪瞄准了亚伯拉罕·林肯的后脑勺开枪。
Then the gunman jumped to the stage, breaking his leg as he landed. He called out a Latin expression, “Sic semper Tyrranis!” It means “Thus always to tyrants.”
然后，持枪歹徒跳到舞台上，摔断了腿。他向观众喊了一句拉丁文，“Sic semper Tyrranis!”， 意思是“一切暴君都是这个下场。”
Some observers say the man added, “The South is avenged[12].”
一些目击者称歹徒还加了一句，“南方的大仇已报。”
The gunman was a southerner named John Wilkes Booth. He had plotted to kill the president after hearing Lincoln support voting rights for African-Americans.
持枪歹徒是一位名叫约翰·威尔克斯·布斯的南方人士。布斯在听说林肯支持非洲裔美国人的投票权后就一直密谋刺杀总统。
Booth briefly escaped, but was later captured and hanged.
布斯短暂逃脱之后，不久就被逮捕并绞死。
Lincoln was taken to a nearby boardinghouse. He seemed lifeless and could hardly breathe. Doctors examined him but found they could not save him.
林肯被送往附近的一家公寓里（彼得森住所），似乎已经没有了生命迹象，几乎无法呼吸。军医实施了急救，但发现已经无法挽救他的生命。
Lincoln died the following morning. He was 56 years old.
第二天早晨，林肯与世长辞，享年56岁。
The emotions of many Americans changed from joy at the coming end of the Civil War to shock and mourning. Thousands lined up along railroad tracks as Lincoln’s body made its way from Washington, DC to his home in Illinois.
许多美国民众还沉浸在内战即将结束的欣喜当中，便转变为震惊和哀痛。林肯的遗体从华盛顿被送往他的家乡伊利诺伊州，成千上万人聚集在铁路旁为他哀悼。
Even many Southerners mourned Lincoln’s death. They understood that he would treat them kindly when the country was reunited.
甚至许多南方人也追悼了林肯的逝世。他们知道当国家重新统一后，林肯一定会善待他们。
A little more than six weeks after Lincoln's assassination, the last Confederate army surrendered, and the war was considered officially over.
林肯遇刺六周多后，最后一支联盟军投降，内战官方上正式结束。
The country was reunited and the process of legally freeing enslaved people had begun.
国家重新统一，法律上解放奴隶的进程正式开始。
Although these acts are tremendous parts of Lincoln’s legacy, in time his public image would grow only larger and more celebrated. As one witness to Lincoln’s death reportedly said, “Now he belongs to the ages.”
尽管这些举措是林肯遗产中的重要组成部分，但随着时间的推移，他的公众形象只会越来越伟大，越来越受人敬仰。正如一位林肯逝世的目击者所说，“现在，他属于千秋万世。”
原文链接
https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/americas-presidents-abraham-lincoln-part-3/3898728.html
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on the offensive - 处在攻势；on the defensive - 处在守势 ↩
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casualty - n. a person who is hurt or killed during an accident or war - 伤亡 ↩
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three-quarters - n. seventy-five percent - 四分之三 ↩
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favor - n. regarded as most likely to succeed or win - 有利 ↩
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conceived - v. thought of or created in the mind - 怀孕；构思 ↩
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dedicated - v. used only for one particular purpose - 专注的；奉献的 ↩
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courthouse - n. 法院；（美）县政府所在地 ↩
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malice - n. desire to cause harm to another person - 恶意；怨恨；预谋 ↩
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charity - n. the act of giving money, food, or other kinds of help to people who need it - 慈善 ↩
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Good Friday - 耶稣受难日（复活节前的星期五） ↩
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stage - n. a raised platform in a theater where the performers stand - 舞台 ↩
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avenged - adj. having harmed or punished someone who has harmed you - vt. 替…报仇；vi. 报复，报仇 ↩
