"Wild Women" | Sunni Patterson

Translator: Adela Yolanda Reviewer: Ade Indarta

They wanted her piecemealed, papier-mâchéd,

Mereka ingin dia remuk, terkeping-keping

practically broken, limp-like and loveless,

hancur, tak berdaya, dan tak bercinta

a litany of exaggeration.

litani yang bertumpahan.

They wanted her low.

Mereka ingin dia rendah.

And high.

dan tinggi.

Flat and wide.

Sempit dan luas.

Filled with all of their empty.

Terisi oleh kekosongan mereka.

They wanted her to be more like them.

Mereka ingin dia lebih menyerupai mereka.

Not knowing her conception was immaculate.

Tanpa sadar hadirnya adalah tiada cela.

That she was birthed in sandalwood-scented river water,

Bahwa ia lahir di sungai beraroma cendana,

sweet sapphire honey-touched tongue,

lidah semanis sentuhan madu safir,

she was too much of a mouthful for the greedy.

Dia terlalu sempurna untuk para serakah.

Just a small amount of her was more than they could stand.

Hanya setetesnya lebih dari yang mereka bayangkan.

Oh, they wanted her bland.

Oh, mereka ingin dia cemplang

And barren.

dan mandul.

Unspirited, un-African, uncultured,

Tak bernyawa, non-Afrika, tak berbudaya,

under siege in the streets.

terkepung di jalan.

They wanted her face down, ass up, hands cuffed and ankles strapped.

Ia harus tunduk, tangan, dan kaki terikat.

They wanted her knowing she could never want them back.

Mereka ingin dia tahu, takkan ia bisa menginginkan mereka lagi

Oh, they wanted her holy,

Oh, mereka ingin kesuciannya,

baptized in her divine,

dibabtis dalam imannya,

they wanted her secrets,

Mereka ingin rahasianya,

pearls to swine.

menjadi hina.

They wanted to unravel the mystery of her design.

Mereka ingin mengoyak misteri indahnya.

Fascinated by glory, hypnotized by her kind.

Terperangah keagungan, tersihir mulianya.

Oh, they wanted her complete.

Oh, mereka ingin keseluruhan dirinya.

They wanted her whole,

Mereka ingin keutuhannya,

though they came fractioned, half-hearted, half-soul,

meski mereka datang terkoyak, setengah hati, setengah jiwa,

with no regards and no knowledge as to who she really was.

tanpa hormat dan kesadaran akan siapa dia

Oh, but if they knew.

Oh, jikalau mereka tahu.

If they knew her,

Jika mereka tahu dirinya,

praise songs would rain from the clouds of their eyes,

hujan lagu pujian dari mata mendung mereka

clearing the vision, bathing the heart.

menyapu penglihatan, menyegarkan hati.

They would bow every time they saw her.

Mereka akan menunduk tiap kali melihatnya.

Be their best selves when she was around.

Menjadi diri mereka yang terbaik ketika di dekatnya.

If they knew her,

Jika mereka tahu dirinya,

knew she was the glue to their revolution,

sadar bahwa dialah perekat revolusi mereka

the life flow of blood through their veins.

aliran darah melalui nadi mereka.

If they knew her,

Jika mereka tahu dia,

she would know,

Dia akan tahu

she would feel

Dia akan merasa

that her body is more than battlefield.

tubuhnya lebih dari sekadar medan perang

More than bone break and bleeding bigotry.

Lebih dari fanatik berdarah perusak tulang

More than bridge over your troubled conscience.

melampaui jembatan kerusakan hati nuranimu

More than used up, walked on, driven through, shot up.

melampaui sosok terbuang, tersetir, tertembak

More than your "Selma, Lord, Selma" Edmund Pettus.

melampaui Edmund Pettus "Selma, Lord, Selma"-mu

More than your killer Katrina Danziger.

Lebih dari pembunuh Katrina Danzigermu.

More than your bust them out of Baltimore "Highway to Nowhere."

melampaui usiranmu pada mereka dari Baltimore "Highway to Nowhere"

If they knew her,

Jika mereka tahu dia,

she would know.

dia akan tahu.

(Singing)

(Menyanyi)

Wild women,

Wanita buas,

wild women, they walk with buffalo.

wanita buas, berjalan diiringi banteng

Have lightning on their tongues,

Dengan petir di lidah mereka,

fly whisks as weapons.

terbang secepat kilat senjata mereka

Wild women, they walk with machetes.

Wanita buas, berjalan dengan parang.

With wisdom, with grace, with ease.

Dengan kearifan, keanggunan, ketentraman.

Wild women have hurricanes in their bellies,

Wanita buas dengan badai dalam perut

releasing a flood of a lesson.

melepaskan luapan pelajaran.

Oh, wild women, they fly free.

Oh, wanita buas, mereka terbang bebas.

Just watch their ways, how they rip and shred.

Terpaku pada jalan mereka, mengoyak, mencabik

Oh, who can understand her,

Oh, siapa kan mengerti dia,

this winding Niger river of a woman

sungai Nigeria berangin seorang wanita

one who is unafraid to tear away

Seorang yang tegar tuk terkoyak

only to roam and then become the wind.

hanya untuk berkelana lalu menjadi angin.

She who speaks in gusts and cyclones

Dia yang berkata dalam tiupan dan topan

blasting us back to high ground, high consciousness,

hempaskan kembali ke dataran tinggi, kesadaran tinggi

she turns and so does the world.

dia berbalik dan begitu pula dunia.

Feel her spinning,

Merasakan putarannya,

spanning several lifetimes.

berlanjut hingga beberapa waktu.

Hear her speaking, sparking alarm.

Dengar dia berbicara, menyalakan pengingat

See her dancing, summoning the dead,

Lihat tariannya, memanggil yang tiada,

resurrecting new life.

memberi kehidupan baru.

Heaven hears her knocking on the door,

Surga mendengar dia mengetuk pintu,

safely transporting the ones who call for her assistance.

dengan selamat menyertai mereka yang butuh

Wild women, they open portals to new worlds,

Wanita buas, mereka buka pintu dunia baru

new speech, new dreams.

ucapan baru, mimpi-mimpi baru.

Oh, dearly beloveds,

Oh, saudara sekalian yang terkasih,

so dearly departed from the ways of the guardian,

yang pergi dari jalan sang penjaga,

beware.

waspadalah.

For wild women are not to be tamed.

Akan wanita buas yang tiada jinak.

Only admired.

Hanya untuk dikagumi.

Just let her in and witness her set your days ablaze.

Biarkan dia datang dan lihat dia bakar harimu

(Cheers) (Applause)

(Sorakan) (Tepuk tangan)

Thank you.

Terima kasih.

(Applause)

(Tepuk tangan)