【独立宣言原文及译文】《独立宣言》是美国历史上具有里程碑意义的文件,于1776年7月4日由大陆会议通过,标志着北美13个殖民地正式脱离英国统治,宣布独立。该宣言不仅表达了对自由与平等的追求,也奠定了美国政治制度的基础。以下是对《独立宣言》原文及其中文译文的简要总结,并附有对比表格。
一、
《独立宣言》主要由托马斯·杰斐逊起草,其核心内容包括以下几个方面:
1. 自然权利理论:宣言开篇强调人人生而平等,拥有不可剥夺的权利,包括生命、自由和追求幸福的权利。
2. 政府的合法性来源:政府的权力来自被统治者的同意,如果政府侵犯了人民的权利,人民有权推翻它。
3. 对英国国王的控诉:列举了英国国王乔治三世对殖民地的种种暴政,如拒绝批准有益的法律、解散议会、征税不经过代表等。
4. 宣布独立:最终宣布13个殖民地脱离英国,成为自由独立的国家。
二、原文与译文对照表
原文(英文) | 中文译文 |
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. | 当人类在历史进程中,有必要解除与另一国之间的政治联系时,他们应享有与其他国家同等的地位,这是自然法则和造物主赋予他们的权利;为了尊重人类的意见,他们应当公开声明促使他们分离的原因。 |
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. | 我们认为这些真理是不言而喻的:人人生而平等,造物主赋予他们若干不可剥夺的权利,其中包括生命权、自由权和追求幸福的权利。 |
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. | 为了保障这些权利,政府才在人们之间建立起来,其正当权力来自被统治者的同意。 |
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. | 任何政府一旦损害这些目的,人民就有权改变或废除它,建立新的政府,以最能保障安全和幸福的方式组织其权力。 |
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. | 然而,审慎表明,长期存在的政府不应因轻微和短暂的原因而被改变;因此,经验表明,人们更倾向于忍受可以忍受的痛苦,而不是废除他们习惯的体制。 |
三、总结
《独立宣言》不仅是美国独立的象征,更是现代民主思想的重要基石。它强调了个人权利、政府合法性以及人民主权的概念,对后来的民主运动和人权宣言产生了深远影响。通过对原文与译文的对比分析,我们可以更深入地理解其思想内涵和语言表达方式,从而更好地把握这一历史文献的价值与意义。