英文诗歌 | The Little Black Boy 黑小孩

The Little Black Boy
黑小孩

My mother bore me in the southern wild,
在荒凉的南方妈妈生下我来,

And I am black, but oh, my soul is white;
我黑,可是啊,我却有洁白的心灵;

White as an angel is the English child,
白得像天使是英国的小孩,

But I am black as if bereaved of light.
我却黑黑的,仿佛失去了光明。

My mother taught me underneath a tree,
在炎热白昼的面前坐定,

And sitting down before the heat of day
树底下妈妈把我开导;

She took me on her lap and kissed me,
她把我抱上膝头吻吻,

And pointing to the east began to say:
然后指着东方说道:

'Look on the rising sun: there God does live
“看那上升的太阳,那儿上帝居住,

And gives his light, and gives his heat away;
散着他的热,发着他的光,

And flowers and trees and beasts and men receive
是他使人和畜,花和树,

Comfort in morning joy in the noon day.
中午得欢乐,早晨得安康。

'And we are put on earth a little space,
“他把我们往小小的地面上一放,

That we may learn to bear the beams of love,
叫我们学会承受爱的光芒;

And these black bodies and this sun-burnt face
这黑黑的身子,太阳烧焦的脸庞,

Is but a cloud, and like a shady grove.
不过像云彩和阴暗的草莽。

'For when our souls have learned the heat to bear
“有一天我们学会了承受那热,

The cloud will vanish, we shall hear his voice,
那云彩就消散,我们就会听他说道:

Saying: "Come out from the grove, my love and care,
‘走出林子来,我的亲亲,我的爱,

And round my golden tent like lambs rejoice."
围着我金色的帐幕羔羊般欢跳。'"

Thus did my mother say, and kissed me;
妈妈这么说着,把我吻吻,

And thus I say to little English boy:
我对英国小孩也这么讲:

When I from black and he from white cloud free
等我离了黑云,他离了白云,

And round the tent of God like lambs we joy,
我们围着上帝的帐幕欢乐如羔羊;

I'll shade him from the heat till he can bear
我给他遮热,等到他能够

To lean in joy upon our Father's knee;
快活地倚着天父的膝盖;

And then I'll stand and stroke his silver hair,
那时我站着,抚摸他银色的头,

And be like him and he will then love me.
我像他,他就会和我相爱。

作者简介

威廉·布莱克(William Blake,1757年11月28日—1827年8月12日),英国第一位重要的浪漫主义诗人、版画家,英国文学史上最重要的伟大诗人之一,虔诚的基督教徒。