Why did Phillis Wheatley disappear? - Charita Gainey

譯者: Gavin Thomas 審譯者: Helen Chang

In late 1775, the newly appointed General George Washington

1775 年末，新任命的喬治·華盛頓 （George Washington）將軍

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

收到了一首來自殖民時期， 美國最為著名的作家之一的詩。

Its verses praised the burgeoning revolution,

它字裏行間讚美了迅速發酵的革命，

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

並祈求新國家的女神 能夠眷顧華盛頓將軍。

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

但是這首自由的頌歌 不是甚麽冷漠的貴族崇拜者寫的。

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

它的作者是一位 曾經被奴役了十幾年的年輕黑人女性。

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

這位被改名為菲利斯·惠特莉 （Phillis Wheatley）的年輕女孩，

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

在 1761 年的一艘奴隸船上到達了殖民地。

The ship landed in Boston,

那艘船在波士頓登陸，

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

在那裏，蘇珊娜與約翰惠特莉 (Susanna and John Wheatley)

買下了菲利斯，並讓她來他們的房子工作。

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

但是，出於迄今都未知的原因， 他們也教會了她如何閱讀和書寫。

Over the following decade,

在接下來的十年後，

Wheatley became well versed in poetry and religious texts,

惠特莉變得精通詩詞和宗教文章，

eventually beginning to produce her own poems.

並且最後開始書寫她自己的詩。

The family published her work in a local newspaper,

這個家庭(惠特莉家庭)把她的作品 發佈在一個當地的報刊上，

and in 1771, her elegy for renowned reverend George Whitefield

然後在1771 年，

她給著名的牧師喬治·懷特菲爾 (George Whitefield) 的挽歌

captured the public’s imagination.

吸引了公眾對她的想象。

The poem’s repetitive rhythms, dramatic religious references,

這首詩中重覆的韻腳， 令人震撼的宗教典故引用，

and soaring spiritual language

與高昂的宗教用語

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

描述了菲爾德的佈道 如何「振聾發聵與醍醐灌頂」。

Wheatley ends with an arresting image of life after death,

惠特莉的詩以一個在死後 成為了惹人注目的象征的生命收尾，

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

(她)堅信著神的力量 會「復活他的骨灰」。

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

這首動人的悼詞在美國和英國 都引起了關注。

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

以及由於這首詩發布的時候 就注明了作者的身份——

as an enslaved woman,

一個被奴隸的女人，

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

許多讀者都被作者深深吸引， 就如同他們在詩中一般。

In 1773, Phillis traveled to London,

在 1773 年， 菲利斯到達了倫敦，

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

在那裏她的詩集： 《五花八門的詩，宗教與道德》

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

成為了第一本 由非裔美國女人發佈的詩集。

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

它包含了在生命，死亡， 與宗教上的含義深遠的冥想，

as well as Biblical and classical references.

以及從聖經與古典文學中引經據典。

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

在 《人性的讚美詩》中，

惠特利把這些主題 與她自己的創作聯繫了起來，

portraying herself as a muse smiled upon by heavenly bodies.

並把自己描繪成一個 被星球祝福的繆斯女神。

Unsurprisingly, Wheatley had her critics.

不出意外地，惠特利有批評者。

許多白種美國人認定

Many white Americans believed Black people were incapable

黑人無法創造出需要腦力勞動 與創造力的作品。

of producing intellectual and creative work.

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

托馬斯·傑弗遜（Thomas Jefferson）寫道 她的作品甚至不配被叫做詩，

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

還有人把她貶為一個可憐的 其他知名詩人的模仿者。

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

但是許多當時的讀者 傾心於惠特利的詩作，

including prominent European writers and politicians.

包括傑出的歐洲作家與政治家。

Many modern readers, however,

然而，許多現代讀者

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

可能會期望她的詩 包括一個不同的主題：奴隸制。

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

惠特利極少直接寫出 她作為一個被奴役過的人的經歷。

And her poem addressing the topic has been criticized

而她寫出的關於這個主題的詩，

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

因為表明她感謝奴役 使她信仰基督教而被批評。

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

但是讓惠特利公開地指責奴隸制

slavery without serious consequences.

而不受到嚴重後果的可能性微乎其微。

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

許多讀者還在她的作品裏 隱藏了一個更加細微的批評。

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

例如，惠特利是一名 為美國獨立發聲的支持者，

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

她寫道她「對自由的熱愛」 源於她小時候被綁架成了奴隸，

of being kidnapped into slavery and separated from her parents.

與父母骨肉分離的經歷。

When disparaging England’s imperial control,

當貶低英格蘭的帝國主義控制時，

she evokes imagery of an “iron chain.”

她把這(帝國主義的控制) 比喻為一串「鐵鏈」，

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

還把她匱乏的自由 與美國匱乏的獨立相比較，

Wheatley subtly laments her own circumstances.

惠特利巧妙地哀嘆了自己的處境。

Thankfully, Wheatley secured her freedom after returning from London.

好在惠特利從伦敦歸來後 確保了自己的自由。

The reasons for her emancipation aren't entirely clear,

她被解放的原因不怎麼明確，

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

因爲没有證據表明 惠特利家解放了其他奴隸。

However, since Phillis could have remained free in London,

但是因爲菲利斯在倫敦保持自由之身，

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

一些人認爲她以 被解放为前提换取了回歸。

It’s difficult to know exactly what happened,

我們很難確切地知道 當时發生了甚麽，

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

包括這一刻與惠特利 餘下生命中的其他時刻。

Her proposal for a second book was never published.

她發佈第二本書的建議從未公開。

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

在 1778 年，

她和一名叫約翰·彼得（John Peters）的 自由的黑人男性結婚了。

The two are believed to have had three children,

人們認爲他們有了三個孩子，

all of whom died in infancy.

但都在嬰兒期夭折了。

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

他們的最後一個孩子被認定 和惠特利死在了幾乎同一時期，

and the two were buried together in an unmarked grave.

然後兩個人在一個無名墳墓中長眠。

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

雖然惠特利的一些字句被保存下來了， 但她從未寫過一部自傳。

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

所以哪怕她是地球上 最有名的非洲人，

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

惠特利的故事也早已被歷史淹沒，

like those of countless other enslaved peoples.

就如同數不勝數的其他奴隸一樣。

But her poetry lives on today—

但是如今她存於世上的詩作

celebrating creative growth and offering spiritual sustenance.

讚美了創作的發展 並奉獻了精神食糧。