第二冊第2篇：致比克斯比夫人的信

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Executive Mansion(2),

Washington,

Nov. 21, 1864

Mrs. Bixby,

Boston, Massachusetts,

Dear Madam,

I have been shown in the files of the War Department(3) a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost(4), and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

Yours very sincerely and respectfully,

Abraham Lincoln

中文譯文：

華盛頓

總統(tǒng)府

一八六四年十一月二十一日

馬薩諸塞州，波士頓

比克斯比夫人

親愛的夫人：

在送我披閱的陸軍部檔案中，我看到一份馬薩諸塞州陸軍副官長寫的報告，說您便是有五個兒子光榮犧牲在戰(zhàn)場上的那位母親。我深深感到，無論我用什么言詞，企圖來排遣如此巨大的損失給您帶來的悲痛，都一定是無力和徒勞的。但我還是抑制不住要向您表示慰問，這種慰問體現(xiàn)在您的兒子們獻(xiàn)身拯救的共和國對您的感謝之中。我祈求我們的天父減輕您的喪子之痛，使您只懷有對于已故親人的美好回憶和莊嚴(yán)的自豪感，您有這種自豪感是理所當(dāng)然的，因為您在自由的祭壇上獻(xiàn)出了代價如此昂貴的犧牲。

您的最誠摯的亞伯拉罕·林肯

英文注釋：

(1)Mrs. Bixby: 一位美國婦女。她的五個兒子都在南北戰(zhàn)爭中光榮犧牲，林肯總統(tǒng)知道這事后，就寫了這封信去慰問她

(2)Executive Mansion：美國總統(tǒng)府，現(xiàn)在叫白宮(White House )。

(3)War Department：陸軍部。也可以說Department of War;相當(dāng)于英國的War Office。

(4)the loved and lost:失去了的親人。