US President Bush's address
11/9/2001, Tuesday night
After terrorist attacks on New York and Washington
Good evening.
Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a
series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts.
The victims were in airplanes or in their offices -- secretaries, businessmen and women,
military and federal workers. Moms and dads. Friends and neighbors.
Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror.
The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing,
have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness and a quiet, unyielding anger.
These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat.
But they have failed. Our country is strong. A great people has been moved to defend a
great nation.
Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot
touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel
of American resolve.
America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and
opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining.
Today, our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature, and we responded with the
best of America, with the daring of our rescue workers, with the caring for strangers and
neighbors who came to give blood and help in any way they could.
Immediately following the first attack, I implemented our government's emergency
response plans. Our military is powerful, and it's prepared. Our emergency teams are
working in New York City and Washington, D.C., to help with local rescue efforts.
Our first priority is to get help to those who have been injured and to take every
precaution to protect our citizens at home and around the world from further attacks.
The functions of our government continue without interruption. Federal agencies in
Washington which had to be evacuated today are reopening for essential personnel
tonight and will be open for business tomorrow.
Our financial institutions remain strong, and the American economy will be open for
business as well.
The search is underway for those who are behind these evil acts. I've directed the full
resources for our intelligence and law enforcement communities to find those responsible
and bring them to justice. We will make no distinction between the terrorists who
committed these acts and those who harbor them.
I appreciate so very much the members of Congress who have joined me in strongly
condemning these attacks. And on behalf of the American people, I thank the many world
leaders who have called to offer their condolences and assistance.
America and our friends and allies join with all those who want peace and security in the
world and we stand together to win the war against terrorism.
Tonight I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds
have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I
pray they will be comforted by a power greater than any of us spoken through the ages in
Psalm 23: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil,
for You are with me."
This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice
and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time.
None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is
good and just in our world.
Thank you. Good night and God bless America.
''US President Bush's address'' -- 布殊 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbqCquDl4k4
2001年9月11日是人類文明世界的一個恥辱日，這一日，據說是伊斯蘭的極端恐怖分子，騎劫了四架美國民航客機，用自殺方式，攻擊紐約世貿中心的一對摩天大廈，以及華盛頓國防部的五角大樓。
美國蒙受奇恥大辱，舉國上下久未經歷如此大的災難，人民可能會陷於崩潰，這時若沒有一個強而有力的政府和領袖，很容易會釀成更大的災難。美國總統布殊上任短短七個月，其路線、形像和政策，均備受批評，但在如此重大時刻，布殊則顯示出非凡的領導能力，事發當晚，他正式向全國國民發表了一篇演說。
布殊這次演說，未必可和我們介紹過的林肯和馬丁路德金相比，但就文采和語調而言，無疑亦是一篇有份量之作，演詞有幾點值得討論。
例如︰The victims were in airplanes or in their offices --secretaries, businessmen and women, military and federal workers. Moms and dads. Friends and neighbours.
布殊在這篇演說中用了宏觀的手法，描述在災難中死亡的美國人，句中採用的名詞，所代表的階級非常廣泛，是經過深思熟慮挑選出來的。
Secretaries秘書、businessmen 商人，接著提婦女women，大家也許知道，女權運動在美國非常興盛，這一句women婦女，是直接向美國的婦女動之以情。最後一定要講Moms and dads，不用fathers and mothers， Moms and dads原本是一些不登大雅之堂的俗語，但演講要視對象而定，布殊是向全國人民以至全世界人民演講，一定要用盡量淺白的言語。Moms and dads，每個字只有一個音節，比fathers andmothers更加簡潔。
細心想想這些詞彙，可說將所有人一網打盡，而且布殊用了一連串這樣的字眼︰爹地、媽咪、鄰居和朋友……即使你不認識災場中的死傷者，感覺上也會跟他們非常親切。這就是一個演說家所表現出來的非凡的智慧。
另外一句也很重要︰Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror. 這裏可顯示出英語被動語式的靈活，布殊將數千條無辜的生命放在前面，而evil則是邪惡。英語中evil這個字不能隨便用，他當然可說bad、wicked或criminal，但這些只是級數比較低的字眼，指稱這樣嚴重的罪行，一定要將文字兵器庫內那口核彈抬出來，這個核彈級的形容詞就是evil。
歷史上只有希特拉配得上用evil這形容詞，所以當我們在香港聽到有些人說法輪功是邪教，譯成英文變成It is an evil cult時，肯定令英語世界的人聞之失笑，用evil來形容一個信仰，絕對言過其實、非常誇張。字典可告訴你evil是甚麼意思，但放在文本中，其上下文所傳達出來的意思，就一定要在英語世界生活過，才能準確使用。
前港督彭定康離任前在立法局發表最後一份施政報告時，也曾引用美國詩人傑克˙倫敦（Jack London）的詩句，一篇有力的演詞，有時必須引用古今名人的例句和經典，加強自己的說法的感染力。布殊總統引用了聖經詩篇中的句子︰Tonight I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray they will be comforted by a power greater than any of us spoken through the ages in Psalm 23: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me."
這裏用了一個委婉詞Euphemism︰a power greater than any of us，指的是舉頭三尺的神明，其實用一個God字已可代替，但這裏不用God字，因為要留待最後一句才用。在英語演講中，有些字眼要不斷重覆，有些字則要靈活變化。
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me." You當然是用大楷，因為指上帝，the valley of the shadow of death是死亡陰影的幽谷。在小說天路歷程The Pilgrim's Progress中，描述了一個基督徒，在尋找永生的旅途上，也路經了the valley of the shadow of death。
布殊所用的結句是︰None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world. Thank you. Good night and God bless America.
來到這裏，結論應有千鈞之重，但用一句最簡單的日常生活的問候語、道別語︰Thank you. Good night and God bless America作結，如此俗套的用語，在這裏卻有畫龍點睛的效果。
布殊的演講最後有個關於文法的地方，值得拿出來討論︰We go forward to defend freedom.我們會挺身而出捍衛自由。go forward to後面得配一個簡單的動詞，很多香港人不知道forward to充滿機關，如︰We look forward to seeing you soon! look forward to後面一定要seeing you soon，因為前面一句forward是go的副詞，後一句look forward to三個字代表一個動詞hope。但用hope時，緊記要用We hope to see you soon!
很多人將今次大襲擊案，比作60年前的珍珠港事件，1941年日本偷襲珍珠港，當時的美國總統羅斯福向國會發表演說，60年前的演詞，與布殊的演詞有何相似之處？下周跟你介紹。
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