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The Little Black Boy
小黑孩
My mother bore me in the southern wild,
在南方的荒野我媽把我生養，
And I am black, but O my soul is white!
我是黑的，但是啊！我的靈魂卻潔白，
White as an angel is the English child,
英國的孩子潔白得像天使一樣，
But I am black, as if bereaved of light.
可我是黑的，像是被掠奪去光彩。
My mother taught me underneath a tree,
在一棵樹下我媽教導著我，
And, sitting down before the heat of day,
坐下來，白晝尚未炎熱，
She took me on her lap and kissed me,
她把我抱上膝頭親吻著我，
And, pointing to the East, began to say:
用手指著東方，開始對我說。
'Look on the rising sun: there God does live,
看那升起的太陽：上帝就在那里居住，
And gives His light, and gives His heat away,
放射著他的光，散發著他的熱。
And flowers and trees and beasts and men receive
人和獸，花朵和樹木
Comfort in morning, joy in the noonday.
接受著黎明的舒暢，中午的歡悅。
'And we are put on earth a little space,
把我們安置在地上一點點空間，
That we may learn to bear the beams of love;
讓我們學著承受一點愛的光線。
And these black bodies and this sunburnt face
這黑黑的軀體和這被太陽曬焦的臉，
Is but a cloud, and like a shady grove.
不過是一朵烏云，像蔭蔽的叢林一片。
'For, when our souls have learned the heat to bear,
因為等到我們的靈魂學會忍受酷熱，
The cloud will vanish, we shall hear His voice,
烏云便將消逝，我們將聽見他的聲音，
Saying, "Come out from the grove, my love and care,
說：走出叢林，我的愛，我的寶貝，
And round my golden tent like lambs rejoice."
像歡騰的羔羊般地圍著我金色的帳篷。
Thus did my mother say, and kissed me,
我母親就這樣講了，還親吻了我。
And thus I say to little English boy.
我就對小英國孩子也這樣講。
When I from black, and he from white cloud free,
當我脫離了烏云，他離了白云，
And round the tent of God like lambs we joy,
我們就圍著上帝的帳篷歡騰如羔羊。
I'll shade him from the heat till he can bear
我將給他遮陽直到他能忍受酷熱，
To lean in joy upon our Father's knee;
高興地倚靠在我們天父的膝前，
And then I'll stand and stroke his silver hair,
那時我將站起來將他的銀發撫摸，
And be like him, and he will then love me.
我將像他一樣，他也將對我眷戀。
