第二冊(cè)第2篇：致比克斯比夫人的信
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(zhǎng)寫的報(bào)告，說您便是有五個(gè)兒子光榮犧牲在戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)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(guó)對(duì)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(duì)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?yàn)槟谧杂傻募缐汐I(xiàn)出了代價(jià)如此昂貴的犧牲。
您的最誠(chéng)摯的亞伯拉罕·林肯
英文注釋：
(1)Mrs. Bixby: 一位美國(guó)婦女。她的五個(gè)兒子都在南北戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)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(guó)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(guó)的War Office。
(4)the loved and lost:失去了的親人。
