April 16, `65- I find in my notes of the time ,this passage on the death of Abraham Lincoln; he leaves for America’s history and biography ,so far, not only its most dramatic reminiscence--he leaves, in my opinion, the greatest, best, most characteristic, artistic, moral personality. Not but that he had faults ,and showed them in the presidency; but honesty, goodness ,shrewdness, conscience, and (a new virtue, unknown to other lands, and hardly yet really known here, but the foundation and tie of all ,as the future will grandly develop,)unionism, in its truest and amplest sense, formed the hare-pan of his character, These he sealed with his life. The tragic splendor of his death, purging, illuminating all ,throws round his form, his head ,an aureole that will remain and will grow brighter through time, while history lives ,and love of country lasts .By many has this Union been helped; but if one name, one man ,must be picked out ,he ,most of all ,is the conservator of it ,to the future. He was assassinated--but the Union is not assassinated --cairn! One falls, and another falls. The soldier drops, sinks like a wave--but the ranks of the ocean eternally press on .Death does its work, obliterates a hundred, a thousand--President, general, captain, private--but the Nation is immortal.
biography n. 传记
splendor n. 光彩，壮观，杰出
assassinate vt. 暗杀，行刺
译文
林肯总统之死
1865年4月16日---我找到我在某一时间记的笔记,是亚伯拉罕'林肯逝世的那一段时间:他为美国的历史和传记留下了遗产.至今为止,他留下的不仅仅是让人缅怀的、极富戏剧性的往事---依我看来，他留下的是最伟大、极富戏剧性的往事依我看来，他留下的是最伟大、最优秀、最具个性的艺术家的风格和最具道德的人品。我们并不是说他没有缺点，它在任总统期间已表现出了他的缺点；然而，从最真实、最全面的意义上来说，它的诚实、善良、敏锐、道德和联邦主义思想（这是一咱新的美德，对其他国家是陌生的，这里的人也很少有谁真正理解它，只知道它基本含义是联合所有的州，将来会大大发展）是形成他性格的坚固基础。他用自己的生命为他的诸多优点画了个句号。他那悲剧性的死闪耀着壮丽的光茫，这光芒既净化了人们的心灵，照亮了人们，也为他的思想和它自身的形象投下了光环。只要历史存在下去，只要人民对国家的爱延续下去，这一光环将随着时间的继续而变得越来越明亮。合众国得到许许多多人的相助，但是如果必须选出并且记住一个人，或一个名字的话，那么极有可能就是林肯。他被杀害了----但是合众国不会被杀害——她胜利了！一个又一个的人倒下去了。一个战士会像一朵浪花一样沉没——但是大海的波涛汹涌向前，永远向前。死神会带走一百，乃至一千个总统、将军、上尉、列兵，但是一个民族将永远不朽。
