英國前首相“鐵娘子”撒切爾夫人在美國白宮晚宴上的演講

Mr. President, Mrs. Carter, ladies and gentlemen, it has been my first visit to Washington as head of the British government, and I should like, at the end of a memorable day, to say thank you. Thank you, to you, Mr. President, to you, Mrs. Carter, and through you to the American people for the wonderfully warm welcome I have been given everywhere. 

總統(tǒng)先生，卡特夫人，女士們，先生們，這是我以英國政府首腦的身份首次訪問華盛頓，在這令人難忘的一天結(jié)束時(shí)，我想說聲謝謝。謝謝您，總統(tǒng)先生，謝謝您，卡特夫人，并通過你們向美國人民表示感謝，感謝他們在我所到之處給予熱烈的歡迎。 

I know, Mr. President, that as you pointed out at the beginning of your speech, the relationship between America and Britain started off with one or two errors of judgment on our side. Looking around me at the beauty here and at the wonderful nation you have created I am really rather glad that my predecessors weren't successful in all things they tried to carry out. 

總統(tǒng)先生，我知道，正如您在發(fā)言開始時(shí)所指出的那樣，美英之間關(guān)系出現(xiàn)始于我們這一方的一兩個(gè)錯(cuò)誤的判斷。 環(huán)顧四周，欣賞這里的美景和你們創(chuàng)造的美麗的國家，我甚至很高興我的前任在他們試圖執(zhí)行的一切事情上都沒有取得成功。

Now, I know that official visits to Washington recur almost with the regularity of the passing seasons, but as far as I am concerned, this really has been an exceptional event in the year for me. Alas, I will not be staying long, but it makes a great difference to me to have this chance of direct discussion and to sense at first hand what it is that quickens the pulse of the American people, their yearnings and preoccupations. 

現(xiàn)在，我知道對華盛頓的正式訪問，幾乎隨著季節(jié)的更替而不斷進(jìn)行，但就我個(gè)人而言，這真的是一年中的一個(gè)特殊事件。 遺憾的是我不會(huì)停留很長時(shí)間，但是讓我有機(jī)會(huì)直接參與討論，并且親身感受到是什么加速了美國人民的脈搏，他們的渴望和關(guān)注，這對我來說很重要。

I am very much aware, Mr. President, of the ordeal that the United States is going through at the moment. It is a double ordeal, for the fate of the 50 hostages in Tehran, from whom our thoughts are never far, and for the temper of the United States as a whole. You will not want me to speak at length about this now, but I would be giving you a false impression if I allowed the evening to proceed any further without letting you know how much we in Britain, support you in your ordeal at this time. 

總統(tǒng)先生，我非常清楚美國此時(shí)此刻正在經(jīng)歷的磨難。對于德黑蘭的50名人質(zhì)來說，這是一個(gè)雙重考驗(yàn)，我們的思緒從未遠(yuǎn)離，對于整個(gè)美國的情緒，也是一種考驗(yàn)。 您可能不想讓我現(xiàn)在這就此發(fā)表冗長的講話，但如果這樣的話，我會(huì)給您一個(gè)錯(cuò)誤的印象，如果我讓今晚平靜地度過，而不讓您知道此時(shí)在英國的我們在這場考驗(yàn)中如此支持你們。 

The United States is our friend, our ally, and our time-honored partner in peace and war. The history and the destiny of our countries have been and always will be inextricably intertwined. Our friendship goes back a very long way. We are, after all, among the very few countries in the world whose constitutions and national identities have remained intact over two centuries. I hope you won't mind, Mr. President, my recalling that George Washington was a British subject until well after his 40th birthday. I have been told, to my surprise, that he does not have a place in the British Dictionary of National Biography. I suppose the editors must have regarded him as a late developer.

美國是我們的朋友，我們的盟友，也是我們在和平與戰(zhàn)爭中歷史悠久的伙伴。 我們國家的歷史和命運(yùn)已經(jīng)并將永遠(yuǎn)密不可分。 我們的友誼源遠(yuǎn)流長。 畢竟我們是世界上極少數(shù)幾個(gè)憲法和民族身份保持兩個(gè)多世紀(jì)不變的國家之一。 總統(tǒng)先生，我希望您不會(huì)介意，我回想起喬治華盛頓在他40歲生日之前一直是英國國民。令我感到驚訝的是，我曾被告知他在《英國國家傳記》詞典里沒有位置。 我想編輯們一定把他視為已故的開發(fā)者。

I confess to you that in some ways my visit got off to a rather shaky start, because I was told on arrival at Andrews Field that I had interrupted your Secretary of State, Mr. Vance, in one of his few moments of relaxation. He was watching the Redskins playing the Cowboys. He had to take his eye off the game to greet me. I am very grateful but I don't think the Redskins can have been very grateful to me because it was no doubt as a result of this diversion of Mr. Vance's attention that the Redskins lost the game. I do apologize for having intervened in your internal affairs.

我向您承認(rèn)，從某種程度上說，我的訪問一開始就有些不順，因?yàn)樵诘诌_(dá)安德魯斯菲爾德時(shí)，有人告訴我，已經(jīng)打斷了您的國務(wù)卿萬斯先生短暫的休息時(shí)刻。 他當(dāng)時(shí)正在看紅人隊(duì)和牛仔隊(duì)的比賽（橄欖球比賽）。 他不得不把視線從比賽上移開來招呼我。我很感激，但是我不認(rèn)為紅人隊(duì)會(huì)感謝我，因?yàn)楹翢o疑問，萬斯先生注意力的轉(zhuǎn)移，導(dǎo)致紅人隊(duì)輸了這場比賽。我很抱歉干涉了您的內(nèi)政。 

Mr. Vance's opposite number, Lord Carrington, who is with us this evening, has as you know, and as you have very kindly said, Mr. President, had something of a triumph in the Rhodesia negotiations at Lancaster House in London. If you think he looks a little pale, it is because he has been shut up in Lancaster House for many months, indeed has become known as the prisoner of Lancaster House and he is so pleased to be free at last. Lord Carrington would, I know, want me to repeat this evening how grateful the British government are to the United States authorities for the stalwart support they have given us unfailingly over Rhodesia, and you, Mr. President, and you, Mr. Vance, we would like to give our warmest and most heartfelt thanks, because without your support the whole process would have been incomparably more difficult and we may never have reached success. 

今天晚上與我們在一起的，萬斯先生對面的嘉賓卡靈頓勛爵，正如您所知，并與您曾經(jīng)詢問過一樣，總統(tǒng)先生，在倫敦蘭開斯特宮舉行的羅德西亞談判中取得了有一些勝利。 如果你認(rèn)為他的臉色看上去有些蒼白，那是因?yàn)樗呀?jīng)在蘭開斯特宮關(guān)了好幾個(gè)月了，確實(shí)曾被稱為蘭卡斯特宮的囚犯了，他很高興終于可以自由了。 我知道，卡靈頓勛爵希望我今天晚上再說一遍，英國政府對美國當(dāng)局表示衷心的支持，感謝他們對羅德西亞的堅(jiān)定支持。而您，總統(tǒng)先生，還有您，萬斯先生，我們要表示最熱烈和最衷心的感謝，因?yàn)槿绻麤]有你們的支持，整個(gè)過程將會(huì)變得無比困難，而且我們可能永遠(yuǎn)無法取得成功。

May I say one more thing, Mr. President. The government which I lead has been in power now for just over half a year. We face great difficulties, some of them deep seated and longstanding and some stemming from beyond our shores, and I don't pretend that anything is going to be remedied immediately, but we are determined upon a change. We are determined to return to the first principles which have traditionally governed our political and economic life, namely, the overall responsibility of the individual rather than the state for his own welfare, and the paramountcy of Parliament for the protection of fundamental rights. 

總統(tǒng)先生，我希望我可以再多說一件事。 我領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的政府已經(jīng)掌權(quán)半年多了。 我們面臨著巨大的困難，有些困難根深蒂固，由來已久，有些困難源于我們的境外，我也不假裝要立即采取任何補(bǔ)救措施，但我們決心要做出改變。 我們決心回歸傳統(tǒng)上支配著我們的政治和經(jīng)濟(jì)生活的第一項(xiàng)原則，即個(gè)人的整體責(zé)任，而不是國家對其自身的福利負(fù)有的總體責(zé)任，以及議會(huì)對保護(hù)基本權(quán)利的至上主義。  

The government I lead has a resounding mandate to restore the face and the fortunes of the nation. We shall stick at the task whatever the difficulties and however great the endurance required, and we shall do so. Mr. President, in the conviction that our allies across the Atlantic have confidence in us, just as we have confidence in the strength and ingenuity of the United States to meet any challenge and triumph over any adversity that confronts them. And it is in that spirit that I would like to ask all your other guests this evening to drink a toast to you, the President of the United States of America. To the President.

我領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的政府肩負(fù)著令人振奮的使命，就是要恢復(fù)國家的面貌和財(cái)富。不管有多大的困難，不管需要多大的耐力，我們都要堅(jiān)持完成任務(wù)，并且我們將這樣做?？偨y(tǒng)先生，我們堅(jiān)信大西洋彼岸的盟友對我們有信心，正如我們對美國的力量和獨(dú)創(chuàng)性有信心，我們相信美國能夠迎接任何挑戰(zhàn)，戰(zhàn)勝他們面臨的任何逆境。 正是以這種精神，我想請今天晚上所有賓客為您敬酒，為美利堅(jiān)合眾國總統(tǒng)干杯。敬總統(tǒng)。