一篇流芳千古的演說的講解

李維鵬

林肯的全篇演說，僅268個字。他以中等的速度，不到三分鐘就講完了.林肯由于當時國家處于非常時期，事務極為繁忙，所以對這次發言，他未多做準備。為此，他也感到懊惱。他曾對一位朋友說過：“I tell you it wont score. It is a flat failure. The people are disappointed.”

Fourscore 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.

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 battlefield 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.

But， in a larger sense， we cannot dedicate------we cannot consecrate-----we cannot 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. 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 the government of the people， by the people， for the people， shall not perish from the earth.

一、背景

美國第16任總統林肯，在南北戰爭（1861—1865）的相持階段，為了悼念為國捐軀的烈士，將這次戰爭其中一個戰場的一部分作為烈士們的安息之地，于1863年11月19日發表了這次演說。當時大約一萬五千人撐著雨傘聆聽了這次著名的演說。

二、寫作方法

作者采用啟（第一段）、承（第二段）、轉合（第三段）的手法，使文章的結構非常嚴謹。尤其是第一句，“啟”得非常合適、得體。當然，也只有他才有資格說這句話。

三、寫作特點

如Fourscore and seven 代替了eighty-seven，前者中的二個長元音，很容易讀得更加宏亮、清楚，從而取得演講的最佳效果。fathers表明了對先輩的尊敬和愛戴，final resting place代表cemetery公墓，多么委婉！以及far so nobly advanced“如此高尚地推進了的”表達了對烈士的尊敬等等。

四、多年以來的名句

The government of the people， by the people， for the people， shall not perish from the earth.連用三個介詞將許多概念表達得淋漓盡致。本文在美國家喻戶曉、婦孺皆知，很大程度上由于該句的緣故。

五、名句趣聞

The world will little note nor long remember what we say here， but it will never forget what they did here. 不少美國人說：“現在反過來了，烈士門具體做了什么我們不是很了解，但林肯的這句話我們不會忘記。”