在柏林墙边的演说 Ich bin ein Berliner I am a 'Berliner‘

john f. kennedy 约翰.肯尼迪

ich bin ein berliner ("i am a 'berliner'")

delivered 26 june 1963, west berlin

演讲者简介：约翰·菲茨杰拉德·肯尼迪(john fitzgerald kennedy，1917年5月29日-1963年11月22日)，通常被称作约翰·f·肯尼迪(john f. kennedy)、jfk或杰克·肯尼迪(jack kennedy)，美国第35任总统，他的任期从1961年1月20日开始到1963年11月22日在得克萨斯州达拉斯市遇刺身亡为止。他是在美国颇具影响力的肯尼迪政治家族的一员，被视为美国自由主义的代表。在第二次世界大战期间，他曾在南太平洋英勇救助了落水海军船员，因而获颁紫心勋章。肯尼迪在 1946年-1960年期间曾先后任众议员和参议员，并于1960年当选为美国总统，成为美国历史上唯一信奉罗马天主教的总统。

在他总统任期内的主要事件包括：试图废除联邦储备委员会、猪湾入侵、古巴导弹危机、柏林墙的建立、太空竞赛、越南战争的早期活动以及美国民权运动。

在针对总统功绩的排名中，肯尼迪通常被历史学家列在排名中上的位置，但他却一直被大多数美国人视为历史上最伟大的总统之一。肯尼迪于1963年11 月22日在得克萨斯州达拉斯市遇刺身亡，官方在随后的调查报告中公布的结果表明，李·哈维·奥斯瓦尔德是刺杀总统的凶手。他的遇刺被视为对美国历史的发展产生重大决定性影响的事件之一，因为这一事件在其后数十年中一直影响了美国政治的发展方向。

演讲背景介绍：1961年8月12─l 3日夜间，东德政府筑起柏林墙把东西柏林分开。起初它只是一道铁丝网屏障，用来防止东德人逃往西德。但不久铁丝网便被厚厚的水泥墙所取代，由哨兵巡逻警戒。柏林墙的丑恶存在提醒人们记住战後东西欧的分割。许多意欲逃往西方的人在试图跨越这条边界时命归黄泉。1963年甘乃迪总统访问欧洲。6月26日成为他此行的高潮，那天他站在柏林墙前宣告：“ich bin ein berliner”──“我是一个柏林人。”

二十八年之後，1989年11月，东德政府打开柏林墙，却自相矛盾地阻止人们成群结队越过匈牙利边界从压抑他们的社会逃出。就在那不平常的一年，东欧国家政权崩溃了。在整个欧洲乃至世界，人们为柏林墙的开放欢呼，把它看作冷战结束的象徵。

i am proud to come to this city as the guest of your distinguished mayor, who has symbolized throughout the world the fighting spirit of west berlin. and i am proud -- and i am proud to visit the federal republic with your distinguished chancellor who for so many years has committed germany to democracy and freedom and progress, and to come here in the company of my fellow american, general clay, who --

-- who has been in this city during its great moments of crisis and will come again if ever needed.

two thousand years ago -- two thousand years ago, the proudest boast was "civis romanus sum."¹ today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is "ich bin ein berliner."

(i appreciate my interpreter translating my german.)

there are many people in the world who really don't understand, or say they don't, what is the great issue between the free world and the communist world.

let them come to berlin.

there are some who say -- there are some who say that communism is the wave of the future.

let them come to berlin.

and there are some who say, in europe and elsewhere, we can work with the communists.

let them come to berlin.

and there are even a few who say that it is true that communism is an evil system, but it permits us to make economic progress.

lass' sie nach berlin kommen.

let them come to berlin.

freedom has many difficulties and democracy is not perfect. but we have never had to put a wall up to keep our people in -- to prevent them from leaving us. i want to say on behalf of my countrymen who live many miles away on the other side of the atlantic, who are far distant from you, that they take the greatest pride, that they have been able to share with you, even from a distance, the story of the last 18 years. i know of no town, no city, that has been besieged for 18 years that still lives with the vitality and the force, and the hope, and the determination of the city of west berlin.

while the wall is the most obvious and vivid demonstration of the failures of the communist system -- for all the world to see -- we take no satisfaction in it; for it is, as your mayor has said, an offense not only against history but an offense against humanity, separating families, dividing husbands and wives and brothers and sisters, and dividing a people who wish to be joined together.

what is -- what is true of this city is true of germany: real, lasting peace in europe can never be assured as long as one german out of four is denied the elementary right of free men, and that is to make a free choice. in 18 years of peace and good faith, this generation of germans has earned the right to be free, including the right to unite their families and their nation in lasting peace, with good will to all people.

you live in a defended island of freedom, but your life is part of the main. so let me ask you, as i close, to lift your eyes beyond the dangers of today, to the hopes of tomorrow, beyond the freedom merely of this city of berlin, or your country of germany, to the advance of freedom everywhere, beyond the wall to the day of peace with justice, beyond yourselves and ourselves to all mankind.

freedom is indivisible, and when one man is enslaved, all are not free. when all are free, then we look -- can look forward to that day when this city will be joined as one and this country and this great continent of europe in a peaceful and hopeful globe. when that day finally comes, as it will, the people of west berlin can take sober satisfaction in the fact that they were in the front lines for almost two decades.

all -- all free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of berlin.

and, therefore, as a free man, i take pride in the words "ich bin ein berliner."