"Wild Women" | Sunni Patterson

譯者: Helen Chang 審譯者: SF Huang

They wanted her piecemealed, papier-mâchéd,

他們要她一步步地、 如混凝紙漿般地支離破碎，

practically broken, limp-like and loveless,

軟弱無力、心中無愛，

a litany of exaggeration.

一連串的誇張。

They wanted her low.

他們想要她既低又高，

And high.

Flat and wide.

平坦而寬闊。

Filled with all of their empty.

被他們的空虛所挹注。

They wanted her to be more like them.

他們希望她變得更像他們，

Not knowing her conception was immaculate.

殊不知她生而完美無暇。

That she was birthed in sandalwood-scented river water,

她誕生於檀香四溢的河水中，

sweet sapphire honey-touched tongue,

有著藍寶石甜蜜般的舌頭，

she was too much of a mouthful for the greedy.

貪得無厭的人無福消受她的美好。

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

僅是些許她的吉光片羽， 也讓他們招架不住。

Oh, they wanted her bland.

哦，他們想讓她平淡無奇、

And barren.

貧瘠匱乏。

Unspirited, un-African, uncultured,

沒熱情、不像非洲人、沒文化，

under siege in the streets.

受困街頭。

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

他們想讓她面朝下、臀朝上， 雙手被銬、腳踝被綁。

They wanted her knowing she could never want them back.

他們想要讓她知道 她失去的永不復返。

Oh, they wanted her holy,

哦，他們妄想她的聖潔，

baptized in her divine,

想在她的神聖中受洗。

they wanted her secrets,

他們想得到她的秘訣，

pearls to swine.

這無異是暴殄天物。

They wanted to unravel the mystery of her design.

他們想揭開她設計的神秘面紗。

Fascinated by glory, hypnotized by her kind.

卻被她的璀璨所吸引， 著迷於她的天賦本質。

Oh, they wanted her complete.

哦，他們希望她完整。

They wanted her whole,

他們想要全部的她，

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

雖然他們自己分崩離析， 半心半意，只有半個靈魂，

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

不了解她到底是誰。

Oh, but if they knew.

哦，如果他們了解的話，

If they knew her,

如果他們認識她，

praise songs would rain from the clouds of their eyes,

讚美之歌會從他們的眼裡傾流而下，

clearing the vision, bathing the heart.

澄淨視野，滌淨心靈。

They would bow every time they saw her.

每見她都會鞠躬致敬。

Be their best selves when she was around.

在她身邊呈現出最好的自己。

If they knew her,

如果他們認識她，

knew she was the glue to their revolution,

就會知道她是他們革命的膠水，

the life flow of blood through their veins.

是他們血脈中流動的生命之血。

If they knew her,

如果他們認識她，

she would know,

她會知道，

she would feel

她會感受到

that her body is more than battlefield.

自己的身體不僅僅是戰場，

More than bone break and bleeding bigotry.

不僅僅只是斷骨殘肢 和血淋淋的偏執歧見，

More than bridge over your troubled conscience.

不僅僅是彌補你良心的橋樑，

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

不止是被耗盡、踐踏、輾過、射殺。

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

不止是影片《人權小鬥士》的民權運動 和埃德蒙 · 佩特斯橋，

More than your killer Katrina Danziger.

不止是卡崔娜風災後 丹濟格橋的警察濫殺災民事件，

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

不止是打掉巴爾的摩那段 分割社區「通往無處的公路」。

If they knew her,

如果他們認識她，

she would know.

她會知道的。

(Singing)

（唱歌）

Wild women,

未馴化之女，

wild women, they walk with buffalo.

未馴化之女，與野牛同行。

Have lightning on their tongues,

舌上有閃電，

fly whisks as weapons.

撢子當武器。

Wild women, they walk with machetes.

未馴化之女，攜砍刀而行。

With wisdom, with grace, with ease.

憑藉智慧、優雅、從容不迫。

Wild women have hurricanes in their bellies,

未馴化之女的肚裡有颶風，

releasing a flood of a lesson.

釋放出大量的教訓。

Oh, wild women, they fly free.

哦，未馴化之女，她們自由飛翔。

Just watch their ways, how they rip and shred.

只看她們如何撕裂和撕碎的方式。

Oh, who can understand her,

哦，誰能理解她，

this winding Niger river of a woman

這條蜿蜒尼日爾河的女人，

one who is unafraid to tear away

不怕撕裂，

only to roam and then become the wind.

只是為了漫遊而成為風。

She who speaks in gusts and cyclones

她在狂風和颶風中說話，

blasting us back to high ground, high consciousness,

她們將我們帶回高地，高度意識，

she turns and so does the world.

她轉身，世界也隨之翻轉。

Feel her spinning,

感覺她旋轉，

spanning several lifetimes.

跨越幾個生命週期。

Hear her speaking, sparking alarm.

聽她說話，聽她示警。

See her dancing, summoning the dead,

看她跳舞，召喚死者，

resurrecting new life.

復活新生命。

Heaven hears her knocking on the door,

天堂聽見她的敲門聲，

safely transporting the ones who call for her assistance.

安全地移送那些籲求她幫助的人們。

Wild women, they open portals to new worlds,

未馴化之女開啟迎向新世界、

new speech, new dreams.

新的演講、新的夢想的大門。

Oh, dearly beloveds,

哦，親愛的，

so dearly departed from the ways of the guardian,

那些遠離守護者的人們啊，

beware.

謹防。

For wild women are not to be tamed.

未馴化之女並非你能馴服，

Only admired.

只能讓人佩服。

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

讓她進來，見證她， 讓你的日子熠熠生輝。

(Cheers) (Applause)

（歡呼）（掌聲）

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）