She could, but can we?
黄燕 | 2008年04月09日,02:07
60多年前，她能做到的，今天，我们还能做到吗？
这些天，又有些感触，刚跟国内的一个朋友聊了好久。巴黎抑或伦敦，均已成为往事，但若有人可以冷静地看看过去和过去完成时态的一些事情，或许对将来成就更多的好事情有所帮助。
又想起了宋美龄。她，幼年便漂洋过海去美国留学，所受的教育及影响不可谓不大，以至于刚回国的时候，不得不重修母语。
她，颇为擅长用西方人听得懂的语言，为自己的国家争取理解与支持。不过，这语言，不单单是英语。
1943年2月18日，宋美龄成为第一个在美国议会和国会的联席会议上发表演说的外国人。她令一众政要折服，但不是因为她的美貌，而是她的智慧。
我第一次看到她当年的演讲稿已经是2007年了，甚为感触，转贴于此，跟朋友分享吧：
与罗斯福夫人的合影，AP Photo
战争与和平
1943年，在中国抗日战争最艰难的时期，为了争取美国对中国抗日战争的支持与援助，宋美龄在美国国会参众两院发表即席演讲。仪态从容、雍容华贵的宋美龄，以一口流利英语的激情演说征服了国会议员。本文即是这篇精彩演说词——
议长先生、美国参议院各位议员，女士们、先生们：
受到诸位所代表的美国人民热情与真诚的欢迎，令我感动莫名。我事先不知今天要在参议院发表演说，只以为要到此说声"大家好，很高兴见到各位"，并向贵国人民转达敝国百姓的问候之意。不过，在来到此地之前，贵国副总统告诉我，他希望我和各位说几句话。
我并不擅长即席演说，事实上也根本称不上是演说家，但我不会因此怯场。因为前几天我在海德公园参观过总统图书馆，在那里看见的一些东西鼓励了我，让我感觉各位或许不会对我的即席演说要求太多。各位知道我在那里见到什么了吗？我看到了许多，但让我最感兴趣的，莫过于一个放着总统先生（即罗斯福总统）演说草稿的玻璃箱，里头放着从第一份草稿到第二份草稿，一直到第六份草稿。昨天，我碰巧向总统先生提及此事，我说我很高兴知道，以他如此知名又公认为一流的演说家，还必须写这么多份草稿。他回答说，有时他一次演说得写十二份草稿。因此，今天本人在此发表的即席演说，我确信各位一定会包容。
贵国和敝国之间有着一百六十年悠久历史的情谊，我觉得贵国人民和敝国百姓有许许多多的相似点，而这些相似点正是两国情谊的基础，我也相信不是只有我才有这样的感觉。
在此，我想说个小故事，来说明此一信念。杜立德将军和部下一起去轰炸东京，回程时有些美国子弟兵不得不在中国大陆跳伞。其中一人后来告诉我，他被迫从飞机上跳伞，当他踏上中国的土地时，看到当地居民跑向他，他就挥着手，喊出他会说的惟一一句中国话"美国，美国"，也就是"美利坚"的意思，美国在中国话里的意思是"美丽的国家"。（掌声）这个大男孩说，敝国人民听了都笑开来，拥抱他，像欢迎失散多年的兄弟一般。他还告诉我说，当他看到我们的人民，感觉到他已经回到家了，而那是他第一次来到中国。（掌声）
我来到贵国时是个小女孩，我熟悉贵国人民，和他们一起生活过。我生命中成长的岁月是和贵国人民一起度过的。我说你们的话，我想的和你们一样，说的也和你们一样。所以今天来到这里，我也感觉到我好像回到家了。（掌声）
不过，我相信不只是我回到了家，我觉得，如果中国人民会用你们的语言与你们说话，或是你们能了解我们的语言，他们会告诉你们，根本而言，我们都在为相同的理念奋战。（如雷掌声）我们有一致的理想，亦即贵国总统向全世界揭示的"四个自由"，自由的钟声、联合国自由的钟声和侵略者的丧钟响彻我国辽阔的土地。（掌声）
谨向各位保证，敝国人民深愿亦渴望为实现这些理想和贵国合作，因为我们希望这些理想不会流于空言，而是成为我们、我们的子子孙孙、全人类的真况实境。（掌声）
我们要如何实现这些理想？我想，我可以告诉各位一个我刚想到的小故事。各位知道，中国是一个非常古老的国家，我们有五千年的历史。我们被迫从汉口撤退，转入大后方继续抵抗侵略的时候，蒋委员长和我经过一处前线，就在长沙。有一天，我们上衡山，山上有一处有名的遗迹，叫"磨镜台"，是两千多年前的古迹。诸位或许有兴趣听听这古迹的故事。 "
两千多年前，台址近旁有一座古老的佛寺。一名年轻的和尚来此修行，他整天盘腿坐禅，双手合十，口中喃喃念着"阿弥陀佛！阿弥陀佛！"他唱念佛号，日复一日，因为他希望成佛。
寺里的住持见状，便跟着拿一块砖去磨一块石头，时时刻刻地磨，一天又一天地磨，一周又一周地磨。小和尚有时抬眼瞧瞧老和尚在做什么。住持只是一个劲儿拿砖磨石。终于有一天，小和尚对住持说："大师，您每天拿这块砖磨石头，到底为什么呢？"住持答道："我要用这块砖做镜子。"小和尚说："可砖块是做不成镜子的呀，大师。""没错。"住持说，"就像你成天光念阿弥陀佛，是成不了佛的。"（掌声）
因此，朋友们，我觉得，我们不但必须有理想，不但要昭告天下我们有理想，我们还必须以行动来落实理想。（掌声）所以，我要对诸位参议员先生，以及旁听席上的女士、先生们说，没有我们大家的积极协助，我们的领袖无法实现这些理想。诸位和我都必须谨记"磨镜台"的教训。
谢谢大家。
（本文摘自《读者》2007第13期p.44）
1943年3月1日的《时代》周刊即以她为封面。下面小字大意：她和中国知道忍耐意味着什么。字面上的味道比较悲观。因为当时美英在太平洋战场上并没有占到便宜，欧洲战场也呈胶着状态，在这种情况下，中国的命运确实不乐观，而且日军有可能打通印缅，进攻云南，这对国民政府的最后大本营是严重的威胁。宋美龄在美国游说，争取美国更大的支持和对中国战场的了解。所以说，气氛十分紧张，中国只有忍耐。 （出处：book.sina.com.cn/.../2007-11-29/1651225011.shtml）
ADDRESS BY MME. CHIANG KAI-SHEK
Mr. President, Members of the Senate of the United States, ladies and gentlemen, I am overwhelmed by the warmth and spontaneity of the welcome of the American people, of whom you are the representatives. I did not know that I was to speak to you today at the Senate except to say, “How do you do? I am so very glad to see you,” and to bring the greetings to my people
to the people of America. However, just before coming here, the Vice President told me that he would like to have me say a few words to you.
I am not a very good extemporaneous speaker; in fact, I am no speaker at all; but I am not so very much discouraged, because a few days ago I was at Hyde Park, and went to the President’s library. Something I saw there encouraged me, and made me feel that perhaps you will not expect overmuch of me in speaking to you extemporaneously. What do you think I saw there? I saw many things. But the one thing which interested me most of all was that in a glass case there was the first draft of tone of the President’s speeches, a second draft, and on and on up to the sixth draft. Yesterday I happened to mention this fact to the President, and told him that I was extremely glad that he had to write so many drafts when he is such a well-known and
acknowledgedly fine speaker. His reply to me was that sometimes he writes 12 drafts of a speech. So, my remarks here today, being extemporaneous, I am sure you will make allowances for me.
The traditional friendship between your country and mine has a history of 160 years. I feel, and I believe that I am now the only one who feels this way, that there are a great many similarities between your people and mine, and that these similarities are the basis of our friendship.
I should like to tell you a little story which will illustrate this belief. When General Doolittle and his men went to bomb Tokyo, on their return some of your boys had to bail out in the interior of China. One of them later told me that he had to mail out of his ship. And that when he landed on Chinese soil and saw the populace running toward him, he just waved his arm and shouted the only Chinese word he knew, “Mei-kuo, Mei-kuo,” which means “America,” [Applause.] Literally translated from the Chinese it means “Beautiful country.” This boy said that our people laughed and almost hugged him, and greeted him like a long lost brother. He further told me that the thought that he had come home when he saw our people; and that was the first time he had ever been to China. [Applause.]
I came to your country as a little girl. I know your people. I have lived with them. I spent the formative years of my life amongst your people. I speak your language, not only the language of your hearts, but also your tongue. So coming here today I feel that I am also coming home. [Applause.]
I believe, however, that it is not only I who am coming home; I feel that if the Chinese people could speak to you in your own tongue, or if you could understand our tongue, they would tell you that basically and fundamentally we are fighting for the same cause [great applause]; that we have identity of ideals’ that the “four freedoms,” which your President proclaimed to
the world, resound throughout our vast land as the gong of freedom, the gong of freedom of the United Nations, and the death knell of the aggressors. [Applause.]
I assure you that our people are willing and eager to cooperate with you in the realization of these ideals, because we want to see to it that they do not echo as empty phrases, but become realities for ourselves, for your children, for our children’s children, and for all mankind. [Applause.]
How are we going to realize these ideals? I think I shall tell you a little story which just came to my mind. As you know, China is a very old nation. We have a history of 5,000 years. When we were obliged to evacuate Hankow and go into the hinterland to carry on and continue our resistance against
aggression, the Generalissimo and I passed one of our fronts, the Changsha front. One day we went in to the Heng-yang Mountains, where there are traces of a famous pavilion called “Rub-the-mirror” pavilion, which perhaps interest you to hear the story of that pavilion.
Two thousand years ago near that spot was an old Buddhist temple. One of the young monks went there , and all day long he sat cross-legged, with his hands clasped before him in and attitude of prayer, and murmured “Amita-Buddha! Amita-Buddha! Amita-Buddha!” He murmured and chanted day after day, because he hoped that he would acquire grace.
The Father Prior of that temple took a piece of brick and rubbed it against a stone hour after hour, day after day, and week after week. The little acolyte, being very young, sometimes cast his eyes around to see what the old Father Prior was doing. The old Father Prior just kept on this work of rubbing the brick against the stone. So one day the young acolyte said to him, “Father Prior, what are you doing day after day rubbing this brick of stone?” The Father Prior replied, “I am trying to make a mirror out of this brick.” The young acolyte said, “But it is impossible to make a mirror out of a brick, Father Prior.” “Yes,” said the Father Prior, “and it is just as impossible for you to acquire grace by doing nothing except murmur ‘Amita-Buddha’ all day long, day in and day out.” [Applause.]
So my friends, I feel that it is necessary for us not only to have ideals and to proclaim that we have them, it is necessary that we act to implement them. [Applause.] And so to you, gentlemen of the Senate, and to you ladies and gentleman in the galleries, I say that without the active help of all of us, our leaders cannot implement these ideals. It’s up to you and to me to take to heart the lesson of “Rub-the-Mirror” pavilion.
I thank you. [Great applause, Senators and their guests rising.]
(from：http://www.way2english.com/main/ArticleContent.asp?ID=2017)
注：压题照片为抗战时期，宋美龄为前方将士缝制军装。
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早就知道有这篇著名的演讲，今天才认真拜读了原文，其实也没有什么必须抗战的大道理，她是用质朴的友谊和真情打动了美国人。那个磨镜台我去过，何键把它做了自己的别墅，是当年的蒋委员长指挥湖南抗战的地方，现在还有蒋、宋的卧室，地道和开军事会议的陈设。