"Ode to the Only Black Kid in the Class" poem by Clint Smith

譯者: Clement Fu 審譯者: Bruce Sung

I'm Clint Smith and this is "Ode to the Only Black Kid in the Class."

我是 Clint Smith，帶來拙作 〈給班上唯一黑膚小子的你〉

You, it seems, are the manifestation

諒你，是其來有自的化身

of several lifetimes of toil.

是勞苦數輩子的輪迴轉世

Brown v. Board in flesh.

是 布朗 訴 教育局 的血肉身軀 （註：種族隔離被判違憲的案例）

Most days the classroom feels

教室的大部份日子

like an antechamber.

如坐大堂前的你

You are deemed expert

是公認的專家

on all things Morrison, King, Malcolm, Rosa.

諳知莫里森、金、麥爾坎、羅莎 （註：都是民權運動知名人士）

Hell, weren’t you sitting on that bus, too?

那巴士不是你當時坐著的嗎？

You are every- body’s best friend

諒你，是人人的絕世好友

until you are not.

應該是，除非不是

Hip-hop lyricologist.

脫口而出的饒舌高手

Presumed athlete.

毋庸置疑的運動健將

Free & Reduced sideshow.

茶餘飯後的娛人餘興

Exception and caricature.

一張無與倫比的似顏繪

Too black and too white all at once.

黑白分外雜會的怪咖

If you are successful

成功的你

it is because of affirmative action.

是平權勝利

If you fail it is because

失敗的你

you were destined to.

是宿命難敵

You are invisible until they turn on the Friday night lights.

融入背景的你，直待週五夜 足球賽場的大燈亮起

Here you are star before they render you asteroid.

把你蛻變成明星，扶搖成耀目行星

Before they watch you turn to dust.

然後在眾目之下，化成塵埃