The little black boy

威廉·布莱克（1757-1827）在小的时候却没有同我们一样接受正规的学校教育。或许是贫困、阶级和战争等的磨难，这位诗人成为了英国文学史上最复杂、最具个性的诗人之一。今天，和大家分享一下他的一首诗歌《黑皮肤的小男孩》，《The Little Black Boy》。

(资料图)

布莱克以小黑孩的口吻，探索黑色肌肤的意义。通过小黑孩妈妈的口吻，我们可以感受到全文的基调比较平和，令人愉悦身心。这也反映出了布莱克，虽身处充满种族歧视的时代，却能坚持平等和宽以待人，闪烁着人性的光辉。

My mother bore me in the southern wild,

我妈妈在南方的荒原把我生下，

And I am black, but O! my soul is white;

我是黑人，但是啊，我灵魂洁白无瑕；

White as an angel is the English child:

白得像天使的是英国娃娃，

But I am black as if bereaved of light.

但是我是黑人，仿佛被剥夺了光华。

My mother taught me underneath a tree,

我妈妈教育我，在一棵树下，

And sitting down before the heat of day,

在白天炽热包围中坐下，

She took me on her lap and kissed me,

她把我抱在腿上亲吻着，

And pointing to the east began to say:

手指着东方开始说话：

Look on the rising sun : there God does live And gives his light, and gives his heat away.

瞧那初升的太阳，上帝就住在那，他赐给人阳光，他把热量分发。

And flowers and trees and beasts and men receive Comfort in morning, joy in the noon day.

这些花草树木还有人兽，统统收下，清晨好舒适呀，正午快乐有加。

And we are put on earth a little space,

我们安置在地球上一小块地方，

That we may learn to bear the beams of love, And these black bodies and this sun-burnt face Is but a cloud, and like a shady grove.

我们能领受那爱的光芒，咱们这些黑的身体，日晒的脸庞，只是一片乌云，像一片林荫那样。

For when our souls have learned the heat to bear, The cloud will vanish, we shall hear his voice, Saying: come out from the grove, my love and care, And round my golden tent like lambs rejoice.

因为当我们的灵魂学会忍受热浪，乌云就会消失，我们就听到他把话讲，从树林中出来吧，我关心爱护的对象，围绕我金色营帐，像羔羊一样欢畅。

Thus did my mother say and kissed me,

妈妈这样讲，吻着我脸庞

And thus I say to little English boy:

于是我对英国娃娃讲：

When I from black and he from white cloud free, And round the tent of God like lambs we joy；

我从乌云他从白云中出来的时光，都围绕着上帝的营帐，像羔羊那么欢畅；

I"ll shade him from the heat till he can bear,

我要为他遮挡炽热，直到他能忍受抵挡，

To lean in joy upon our father"s knee.

快乐地倚靠在我们父亲的膝上。

And then I"ll stand and stroke his silver hair,

然后我将站起，把他银丝头发爱抚端详，

And be like him and he will then love me.

我会跟他一样，而他也会把我爱上。

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