一篇流芳千古的演说的讲解

李维鹏

林肯的全篇演说，仅268个字。他以中等的速度，不到三分钟就讲完了.林肯由于当时国家处于非常时期，事务极为繁忙，所以对这次发言，他未多做准备。为此，他也感到懊恼。他曾对一位朋友说过：“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

美国第16任总统林肯，在南北战争（1861—1865）的相持阶段，为了悼念为国捐躯的烈士，将这次战争其中一个战场的一部分作为烈士们的安息之地，于1863年11月19日发表了这次演说。当时大约一万五千人撑着雨伞聆听了这次著名的演说。

二、写作方法

作者采用启（第一段）、承（第二段）、转合（第三段）的手法，使文章的结构非常严谨。尤其是第一句，“启”得非常合适、得体。当然，也只有他才有资格说这句话。

三、写作特点

如Fourscore and seven 代替了eighty-seven，前者中的二个长元音，很容易读得更加宏亮、清楚，从而取得演讲的最佳效果。fathers表明了对先辈的尊敬和爱戴，final resting place代表cemetery公墓，多么委婉！以及far so nobly advanced“如此高尚地推进了的”表达了对烈士的尊敬等等。

四、多年以来的名句

The government of the people， by the people， for the people， shall not perish from the earth.连用三个介词将许多概念表达得淋漓尽致。本文在美国家喻户晓、妇孺皆知，很大程度上由于该句的缘故。

五、名句趣闻

The world will little note nor long remember what we say here， but it will never forget what they did here. 不少美国人说：“现在反过来了，烈士门具体做了什么我们不是很了解，但林肯的这句话我们不会忘记。”