Statement by the President on the Death of Nelson Mandela

美国总统奥巴马就曼德拉逝世发表声明

THE PRESIDENT: At his trial in 1964, Nelson Mandela closed his statement from the dock saying, “I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

奥巴马总统：1964年，曼德拉在被告席上做最后陈述，他说，“我曾反抗白人统治，也曾反抗黑人统治。我有这样一个理想，大家能在一个机会均等的民主自由社会里和睦相处。我愿为它而活并使其达成。如有需要，我愿为它而亡。”

And Nelson Mandela lived for that ideal, and he made it real. He achieved more than could be expected of any man. Today, he has gone home. And we have lost one of the most influential, courageous, and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this Earth. He no longer belongs to us -- he belongs to the ages.

曼德拉不仅为这个理想活着，还把它变成了现实。他做到了常人做不到的事。今天，他走了，世界失去了一位极具影响力的，勇敢、善良可亲的人。他不再属于我们，而是属于一个时代。

Through his fierce dignity and unbending will to sacrifice his own freedom for the freedom of others, Madiba transformed South Africa -- and moved all of us. His journey from a prisoner to a President embodied the promise that human beings -- and countries -- can change for the better. His commitment to transfer power and reconcile with those who jailed him set an example that all humanity should aspire to, whether in the lives of nations or our own personal lives. And the fact that he did it all with grace and good humor, and an ability to acknowledge his own imperfections, only makes the man that much more remarkable. As he once said, “I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.”

通过不屈不挠、舍己为人的精神，曼德拉改变了南非，也感动了我们。他从囚犯到总统的历程证实国家和个人都可以变得更好。他承诺移交权力，并与关押他的人和解。无论是对国家命运还是个人生活而言，都树立了人人可以效仿的典范。曼德拉用一种优雅而幽默的方式做到这些，并敢于承认自己的不足，这令他更加不同凡响。他曾说，“我不是圣人，除非你认为圣人是不断改过自新的罪人。”

I am one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from Nelson Mandela's life. My very first political action, the first thing I ever did that involved an issue or a policy or politics, was a protest against apartheid. I studied his words and his writings. The day that he was released from prison gave me a sense of what human beings can do when they’re guided by their hopes and not by their fears. And like so many around the globe, I cannot fully imagine my own life without the example that Nelson Mandela set, and so long as I live I will do what I can to learn from him.

曼德拉的一生曾启发过世界上许多人，我就是其中之一。我的第一个政治举动，我所做的第一件涉及议题、政策或政治的事，就是抗议种族隔离制度。我学习过他的语录和著作。他获释出狱的那天，我明白了人在希望而不是恐惧的指引下能做到什么。和全世界许多人一样，我无法想象，没有曼德拉作为榜样，我的生活会怎样。因此，只要我活着，我会尽我所能学习他。

To Gra?a Machel and his family, Michelle and I extend our deepest sympathy and gratitude for sharing this extraordinary man with us. His life’s work meant long days away from those who loved him the most. And I only hope that the time spent with him these last few weeks brought peace and comfort to his family.

在此，我和米歇尔（奥巴马的夫人）向格萨拉.马歇尔（曼德拉的夫人）和他的家人致以最深切的慰问，并感谢他们与我们分享这样一位非凡的人。曼德拉一生的事业使他经常要远离自己的家人，我只希望他们在一起度过的最后几周是安宁祥和的。

To the people of South Africa, we draw strength from the example of renewal, and reconciliation, and resilience that you made real. A free South Africa at peace with itself -- that’s an example to the world, and that’s Madiba’s legacy to the nation he loved.

南非人民，你们的国家经历了重建、和解和恢复，这给予了我们力量。一个自由安定的南非是曼德拉留下的遗产，这为世界树立了榜样。

We will not likely see the likes of Nelson Mandela again. So it falls to us as best we can to forward the example that he set: to make decisions guided not by hate, but by love; to never discount the difference that one person can make; to strive for a future that is worthy of his sacrifice.

我们不大可能再见到像曼德拉这样的人了。所以我们要继续传承他所树立的榜样， 要用爱而不是恨来指引我们的决定，永远不要忽略个人的改变力，为他所说的那个理想而奋斗。

For now, let us pause and give thanks for the fact that Nelson Mandela lived -- a man who took history in his hands, and bent the arc of the moral universe toward justice. May God Bless his memory and keep him in peace.

现在，让我们停下来，感谢曼德拉这个人曾活在我们当中。他把历史握在手中，并让道德世界的弧线向正义倾斜。愿上帝保佑他的记忆，让他安息。

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