Why did Phillis Wheatley disappear? - Charita Gainey

Translator: Syahidah Abd. Rashid Reviewer: Aznah Binti Arshad

In late 1775, the newly appointed General George Washington

Pada lewat tahun 1775, Jeneral George Washington yang baru dilantik

received a poem from one of colonial America’s most famous writers.

menerima sebuah puisi daripada salah seorang penulis terkenal jajahan Amerika.

Its verses praised the burgeoning revolution,

Rangkap-rangkapnya memuji bibit-bibit revolusi,

invoking the goddess of their new nation to aid the general’s righteous cause.

berdoa kepada Tuhan negara baru mereka untuk membantu perjuangan suci jeneral.

But this ode to liberty wasn’t written by some aloof, aristocratic admirer.

Syair kebebasan ini bukanlah ditulis oleh seorang pemuja bangsawan yang dingin.

Its author was a young Black woman who’d been enslaved for over a decade.

Penulisnya adalah wanita kulit hitam yang telah menjadi hamba lebih kurang sedekad.

The young girl, who’d been renamed Phillis Wheatley,

Remaja perempuan yang telah diberi nama Phillis Wheatley,

had arrived in the colonies on a slave ship in 1761.

telah tiba di tanah jajahan itu dengan kapal pengangkut hamba pada 1761.

The ship landed in Boston,

Kapal itu berlabuh di Boston,

where Susanna and John Wheatley purchased Phillis to work in their house.

tempat Susanna dan John Wheatley membeli Phillis untuk bekerja di rumah mereka.

However, for reasons that remain unclear, they also taught her to read and write.

Bagaimanapun, tanpa sebab jelas, mereka juga mengajarnya membaca dan menulis.

Over the following decade,

Setelah lebih kurang sedekad,

Wheatley became well versed in poetry and religious texts,

Phillis mempunyai pengetahuan yang luas dalam puisi dan teks agama

eventually beginning to produce her own poems.

seterusnya mula untuk menghasilkan puisinya sendiri.

The family published her work in a local newspaper,

Keluarga itu menerbitkan karya Phillis dalam akhbar tempatan

and in 1771, her elegy for renowned reverend George Whitefield

dan pada tahun 1771, puisi duka untuk Reverend George Whitefield yang masyhur

captured the public’s imagination.

telah menambat imaginasi orang ramai.

The poem’s repetitive rhythms, dramatic religious references,

Puisi yang mempunyai ritma berulang-ulang, rujukan agama yang dramatik,

and soaring spiritual language

dan bahasa kerohanian yang bersemangat

depicted how Whitefield’s sermons “inflame the soul and captivate the mind.”

menggambarkan khutbah Whitefield yang “membakar jiwa dan menawan fikiran.”

Wheatley ends with an arresting image of life after death,

Phillis menutup dengan gambaran menarik kehidupan selepas mati,

trusting that divine forces “will re-animate his dust.”

meletak kepercayaan bahawa Tuhan “akan menghidupkannya kembali.”

This moving tribute found an audience in both the US and England.

Penghargaan ini menyentuh perasaan orang ramai di Amerika dan England.

And since the piece was published with a note identifying the author

Disebabkan karya ini telah diterbitkan dengan nota bahawa penulisnya

as an enslaved woman,

ialah seorang hamba wanita,

many readers were as fascinated with the poet as they were with the poem.

ramai pembaca yang teruja dengan penyair sebagaimana mereka teruja dengan syairnya.

In 1773, Phillis traveled to London,

Pada tahun 1773, Phillis telah berangkat ke London,

where her collection of “Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral”

tempat koleksinya “Puisi mengenai Pelbagai Subjek, Agama dan Moral”

became the first book of poetry published by an African-American woman.

telah menjadi buku puisi pertama diterbitkan oleh wanita Amerika-Afrika.

It was filled with profound meditations on life, death, and religion,

Buku itu dipenuhi dengan meditasi mendalam tentang kehidupan, kematian, dan agama,

as well as Biblical and classical references.

juga rujukan daripada kitab Bible dan klasik.

In “A Hymn to Humanity,” Wheatley linked these themes to her own creative growth,

Dalam “A Hymn to Humanity,” dia mengaitkan tema ini kepada pertumbuhan kreatifnya,

portraying herself as a muse smiled upon by heavenly bodies.

menggambarkan dirinya sebagai dewi yang tersenyum di angkasa raya.

Unsurprisingly, Wheatley had her critics.

Tidak mengejutkan, dia ada pengkritik tersendiri.

Many white Americans believed Black people were incapable

Ramai orang kulit putih Amerika percaya orang kulit hitam

tak mampu menghasilkan karya yang intelektual dan kreatif.

of producing intellectual and creative work.

Thomas Jefferson wrote that her writing didn't even deserve to be called poetry,

Thomas Jefferson menulis bahawa karya Phillis tidak layak dipanggil puisi,

and others dismissed her as a poor imitation of another well-known poet.

dan ramai meremehkan dengan menganggapnya imitasi lemah kepada penyair terkenal.

But many readers of the time were enamored with Wheatley's work,

Namun ramai pembaca pada masa itu terpikat dengan karya Phillis,

including prominent European writers and politicians.

termasuklah para penulis dan ahli politik Eropah yang terkemuka.

Many modern readers, however,

Namun, ramai pembaca moden,

might expect her work to cover a different topic: slavery.

mengharapkan karyanya berkaitan topik lain: perhambaan.

Wheatley rarely wrote directly about her experiences as an enslaved person.

Phillis jarang menulis secara langsung pengalamannya sebagai seorang hamba.

And her poem addressing the topic has been criticized

Dan puisinya yang menujukan kepada topik itu telah dikritik

for suggesting she was grateful that enslavement led her to Christianity.

kerana mengatakan dia bersyukur perhambaan telah membawanya menganut agama Kristian.

But it’s incredibly unlikely Wheatley would have been able to publicly condemn

Tidak mungkin Phillis mampu untuk mengkritik secara terbuka tentang

slavery without serious consequences.

perhambaan tanpa ada kesan buruk.

And many readers have found a more nuanced critique hidden within her work.

Ramai pembaca menemui lebih nuansa kritikan tersembunyi dalam puisinya.

For example, Wheatley was a vocal supporter of American independence,

Contohnya, Phillis merupakan penyokong tegar kepada kemerdekaan orang Amerika,

writing that her “love of freedom” came from early experiences

menulis tentang “cintanya kepada kebebasan” adalah hasil pengalaman lalu

of being kidnapped into slavery and separated from her parents.

diculik untuk dijadikan hamba dan dipisahkan daripada ibu bapa.

When disparaging England’s imperial control,

Apabila mencemuh pemerintahan Maharaja England

she evokes imagery of an “iron chain.”

Phillis membangkitkan imej “rantai besi.”

And by comparing her lack of freedom to America’s lack of independence,

Juga membandingkan dirinya yang tidak bebas kepada Amerika yang belum merdeka.

Wheatley subtly laments her own circumstances.

Phillis secara halus mengesali keadaan dirinya.

Thankfully, Wheatley secured her freedom after returning from London.

Nasibnya baik kerana sekembali dari London, Phillis telah diberi kebebasan.

The reasons for her emancipation aren't entirely clear,

Sebab Phillis dimerdekakan tidak jelas,

as there’s no evidence of the Wheatleys freeing other enslaved people.

kerana tiada bukti keluarga Wheatley membebaskan hamba-hamba lain.

However, since Phillis could have remained free in London,

Tetapi disebabkan Phillis boleh kekal bebas di London,

some believe she bargained to make emancipation a condition of her return.

sesetengah orang percaya dia mohon dibebaskan sebagai syarat untuk pulang.

It’s difficult to know exactly what happened,

Sukar untuk tahu dengan jelas apa yang berlaku,

both here and throughout the rest of Wheatley’s life.

tentang perkara ini dan tentang keseluruhan hidup Phillis.

Her proposal for a second book was never published.

Penyerahan untuk karya keduanya tidak pernah diterbitkan.

In 1778, she married a free Black man named John Peters.

Pada tahun 1778, Phillis mengahwini lelaki kulit hitam bebas bernama John Peters.

The two are believed to have had three children,

Mereka dikurniakan tiga cahaya mata,

all of whom died in infancy.

kesemuanya meninggal semasa bayi.

Their last child is thought to have died around the same time as Wheatley,

Anak ketiga mereka dan Phillis dipercayai mati pada masa yang lebih kurang sama,

and the two were buried together in an unmarked grave.

dan dikebumikan bersama dalam kubur yang tidak bertanda.

While some of Wheatley’s letters survived, she never released an account of her life.

Walaupun sebahagian karyanya wujud, dia tidak pernah menulis tentang kehidupannya.

So despite her tenure as perhaps the most famous African on the planet,

Jadi, meskipun dia mungkin ialah orang Afrika paling terkenal di planet ini,

Wheatley’s story has been lost to the ravages of history,

kisah Phillis telah hilang dalam sejarah,

like those of countless other enslaved peoples.

seperti hamba-hamba lain yang tidak terkira banyaknya.

But her poetry lives on today—

Puisinya hidup hingga ke hari ini—

celebrating creative growth and offering spiritual sustenance.

meraikan pertumbuhan kreatif dan memberikan santapan rohani.