永不疲惫,永不气馁,永不完竭
President Clinton, distinguished guests, and my fellow citizens, the peaceful transfer of authority is rare in history, yet common in our country. With a simple oath, we affirm old traditions and make new beginnings.
尊敬的克林顿总统、各位嘉宾、我的同胞们：这次权利的和平交接在历史上是罕见的，但在美国却很平常。我们以朴素的宣誓庄严地维护了古老的传统，同时开始了新的历程。
As I begin, I thank President Clinton for his service to our nation. And I thank Vice President Gore for a contest conducted with spirit and ended with grace.
首先，我要感谢克林顿总统为这个国家作出的贡献，也感谢副总统戈尔在竞选过程中的热情与结束竞选时的风度。
I am honored and humbled to stand here, where so many of America's leaders have come before me, and so many will follow.
站在这里，我倍感荣幸，也有点受宠若惊。在我之前，许多美国领导人从这里起步；在我之后，也会有许多领导人从这里继续前进。
We have a place, all of us, in a long story—a story we continue, but whose end we will not see. It is the story of a new world that became a friend and liberator of the old, a story of a slave-holding society that became a servant of freedom, the story of a power that went into the world to protect but not possess, to defend but not to conquer. It is the American story—a story of flawed and fallible people, united across the generations by grand and enduring ideals.
