文/文謙
直至1864年夏末，林肯還沒想到他會在總統選舉中獲勝。1864年秋，聯邦軍的節節勝利，尤其是攻陷了亞特蘭大，不但使戰局扭轉，而且也改變了總統選舉的投票結果。
1865年3月4日，林肯在華盛頓發表連任總統就職演說。林肯總統在這次演說中明確流露出，他明了神的意志。此時他知道戰爭即將結束，他也知道該是反省這個國家和人民經歷的痛苦並展望未來的時候了。
On the occasion corresponding to this four years ago all thoughts were anxiously directed to an impending civil war. All dreaded it， all sought to avert it. While the inaugural address was being delivered from this place， devoted altogether to saving the Union without war， insurgent agents were in the city seeking to destroy it without war—seeking to dissolve the Union and divide effects by negotiation. Both parties deprecated war， but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive， and the other would accept war rather than let it perish， and the war came.
四年前，在與此相同的時刻，所有人的思想都焦慮地集中在一場即將來臨的內戰上。誰都害怕內戰，都想盡辦法去避免它。當我在這個地方作就職演說時，我曾想儘量不訴諸戰爭而保存聯邦，然而反叛者的代理人卻設法在這個城市裡不經過戰爭來破壞聯邦── 他們力圖以談判的方式來瓦解聯邦，分享財物。雙方都聲稱反對戰爭，可是有一方寧願打仗而不願讓國家生存，另一方則寧可接受戰爭而不願讓國家滅亡，於是戰爭就來臨了。
Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God， and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God’s assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men’s faces， but let us judge not， that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes. “Woe unto the world because of offenses； for it must needs be that offenses come， but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh.”
雙方都誦讀同樣的聖經，向同一位上帝祈禱，甚至每一方都祈求同一個上帝的幫助以反對另一方。人們竟敢要求公正的上帝來幫助他們奪取他人以血汗換來的麵包，這看來似乎很奇怪。可是，我們還是別評判人家，以免別人來評判我們。雙方的祈禱都無法如願，而且從沒全部如願以償。萬能的上帝自有他自己的意旨：「世界由於罪惡而受苦難，因為世界總是有罪惡的，然而那個作惡的 人，要受苦難。」
If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which， in the providence of God， must needs come， but which， having continued through His appointed time， He now wills to remove， and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came， shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him？ Fondly do we hope， fervently do we pray， that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet， if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman’s two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk， and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword， as was said three thousand years ago， so still it must be said “the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.”
假如我們認為美國的奴隸制是這種罪惡之一，而這些罪惡按上帝的意志又在所難免，但既經持續了他所指定的一段時間，他現在便要消除這些罪惡。假如我們認為上帝把這場慘烈的戰爭加在南北雙方的頭上，作為對那些作惡的人的責罰，難道我們可以由此認為這有悖於虔奉上帝的信徒們所歸諸上帝的那些聖德嗎？我們殷切地希塑，熱忱地祈禱，但願這戰爭的重罰會很快過去。可是，假使上帝要讓戰爭再繼續下去，直到二百五十年來奴隸無償勞動所積聚的財富化為烏有，並像三千年前人們所說的那樣，直至被鞭苔所流的每一滴血為刀劍下流的每一滴血所償付為止，那麼，我也只好說：「主的裁判是完全正確而公道的。」
With malice toward none， with charity for all， with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right， let us strive on to finish the work we are in， to bind up the nation’s wounds， to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan， to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.
我們對任何人都不懷惡意，我們對任何人都抱好感。神讓我們看到哪一邊是正確的，我們就堅信那是正確的一邊。讓我們繼續奮鬥，以完成我們正在進行的工作， 去治療國家的創傷，去照顧艱苦作戰的戰士和他們的遺孀遺孤，盡一切努力實現並維護我們自己之間以及我國與他國之間的公正和持久的和平。◇
責任編輯：章勤
