i am prepared to die for an ideal
為理想我願獻出生命
february 11,1990
1990年2月11日
i have fought against white domination, and i have fought against black domination. i have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony with equal opportunities. it is an ideal which i hope to live for and to see realized. but if needs be, it is an ideal for which i am prepared to die.
我反對白人統治，也反對黑人統治。我珍視民主和自由社會的理想，在這個社會中，人人和睦相處，機會均等。我希望為這個理想而生，並希望能實現這個理想。但是如果需要，為理想我願獻出生命。
my friends, comrades, and fellow south africans: i greet you all in the name of peace, democracy, and freedom for all. i stand here before you not as a prophet but as a humble servant of you, the people. your tireless and heroic sacrifices have made it possible for me to be here today. i therefore have placed the remaining years of my life in your , i extend my sincere and warmest gratitude to the millions of my compatriots and those in every corner of the globe who have campaigned tirelessly for my release. i extend special greetings to the people of cape town, the city through which — which has been my home for three decades. your mass marches and other forms of struggle have served as a constant source of strength to all political . it has fulfilled our every expectation in its role as leader of the great march to , comrade oliver tambo, for leading the anc even under the most difficult circumstances.
我的朋友們、同志們和南非同胞們： 我以和平、民主和全人類自由的名義，向你們大家致意。今天我站在你們面前，不是作為一名預言家，而是作為人民的謙卑公僕。你們不懈的奮鬥和英勇的犧牲才使我今天有可能站在這裡，因此，我要把餘生獻給你們。在我獲釋的今天，我要向千百萬同胞，向世界各地為我的獲釋作出過不懈努力的人們，致以真誠的、最熱烈的感謝。 我要特別感謝開普敦的人民，我以開普敦為家住了30年。你們大規模的遊行示威和其他形式的鬥爭一直是所有政治犯們的力量源泉。我向非國大會議致敬。作為一個領導我們奔向自由的政黨，它實現了我們對它的所有期望。我向我們的主席——奧利弗·坦博同志致敬，他在最艱難的環境下領導著非國大。
i salute the rank瞐nd瞗ile members of the anc: you have sacrificed life and limb in the pursuit of the noble cause of our , like solomon mahlangu and ashley kriel, who have paid the ultimate price for the freedom of all south africans. i salute the south african communist party for its sterling contribution to the struggle for democracy. you have survived 40 years of unrelenting persecution. the memory of great communists like moses kotane, yusuf dadoo, bram fischer, and moses mabhida will be cherished for generations to come. i salute general secretary joe slovo, one of our finest patriots. we are heartened by the fact that the alliance between ourselves and the party remains as strong as it — it always , the national education crisis committee, the south african youth congress, the transvaal and natal indian congresses, and cosatu, and the many other formations of the mass democratic movement. i also salute the black sash and the national union of south african students. we note with pride that you have looked — that you have acted as the conscience of white south africa. even during the darkest days in the history of our struggle you held the flag of liberty high. the large瞫cale mass mobilization of the past few years is one of the key factors which led to the opening of the final chapter of our — your organized strength is the pride of our movement. you remain the most dependable force in the struggle to end exploitation and oppression.
我向非國大的普通黨員們致敬：你們在爭取自由的偉大事業中赴湯蹈火英勇獻身。我向“民族之矛”的戰士們——如所羅門·馬赫蘭古和艾希莉·柯瑞爾——致敬，他們為了全體南非人的自由而流盡了最後一滴血。我向南非共產黨致敬，它為南非的民主鬥爭作出了非凡的貢獻。你們經受了40年的無情迫害而堅持了下來。南非世世代代的人民都將懷念摩西·科達恩、余素夫·達都、布萊姆·費舍爾以及摩西·馬西達等偉大的共產主義者。我向秘書長喬·斯洛沃致敬，他是我們最傑出的愛國者之一。一個鼓舞人心的事實是，我們和共產黨的聯盟依然一如既往地堅不可摧。我向統一民主陣線、國民教育危機處理委員會、南非青年會、德蘭士瓦省及納塔爾印度人大會、南非貿易聯合會以及其他各種形式的民眾民主運動組織致敬。我還要向“黑肩帶”婦女協會以及南非學生國民聯合會致敬。我們驕傲地看到你們的言行代表了南非白人的良知。即便在我們鬥爭史上最黑暗的歲月里，你們也高舉著民主自由的大旗。過去幾年裡，大規模的民眾動員是揭開我們鬥爭最後篇章的主要因素之一。我要向我們國家的勞動階級致敬。你們團結起來的力量是我們爭取自由運動的驕傲。你們依然是我們反剝削反壓迫鬥爭中最可依賴的力量。
i pay tribute — i pay tribute to the many religious communities who carried the campaign for justice forward when the organizations of our people were silenced. i greet the traditional leaders of our country — many among you continue to walk in the footsteps of great heroes like hintsa and , you, the young lions. you, the young lions, have energized our entire struggle. i pay tribute to the mothers and wives and sisters of our nation. you are the rock瞙ard foundation of our struggle. apartheid has inflicted more pain on you than on anyone , we thank the world — we thank the world community for their great contribution to the anti瞐partheid struggle. without your support our struggle would not have reached this advanced stage. the sacrifice of the frontline states will be remembered by south africans , black and white, recognize that apartheid has no future. it has to be ended by our own decisive mass action in order to build peace and security.