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The Talk 谈话
作者 |Louis Hoffman
翻译 | 卢伟凡
给我的儿子们
For my sons
我们得谈一谈，
我的孩子
We have to talk,
my son
不，不是关于性的话题
那个我们以后会谈
No, it’s not the sex talk,
that will come
也不要担心，
没有人去世
那和我们现在的谈话无关
and don’t worry
no one has died
Well, that’s not what this is about
但这一次谈话
我一直不知如何开口
But it’s a talk that I
don’t know how to have
它让我
不知道说些什么
and a talk where I
don’t know what to say
我们得谈一谈，我的孩子
关于你的肤色的事情
We have to talk, my son
about the color of your skin
你知道，我的孩子，在你一生的时间里
我们都在对你说
你的肤色很美
You see, my son, your whole life
we’ve told you that your skin
is beautiful
你可以对自己黑白混血的身份
感到骄傲
that you can be proud of who you are:
white and black
我们一直鼓励你
去珍视塑造了你的文化
We’ve encouraged you to treasure
the cultures that shaped you
并且你无须
感到惭愧
and that you
have nothing to be ashamed of
但是你知道吗，我的孩子，那只是
一部分真相
But you see, my son, that’s only
part of the story
现在你需要了解
剩余的部分
and now you need to know
the rest of the story
我的孩子，这个世界还没有被教会
你的妈妈和我试图让你懂得的
那些智慧
My son, the world has not been taught
the wisdom your mummy and I
tried to instill;
它还没有准备好
it is not yet ready to hear
因此这个世界……
And the world...
这个世界
将视你为异类
Well, the world
will treat you differently
他们会在商店里紧跟着你
他们会把你当做可疑的小偷；
they will follow you in stores
they will perceive you as suspicious;
你的愤怒，无论多么合理的愤怒，
都会被解读为威胁
any anger, no matter how just,
will be seen as threatening
有些人会不允许你和他们的女儿约会
不管你是多么地举止得体、
态度恭敬
Some will not want you to date their daughters
No matter how proper
and respectful you are
人们会说一些伤人的话语
但是他们不会道歉
and people will say things
and these things will hurt,
but they will not apologize
甚至他们有可能指责你
过于敏感
或者对你置之不理
and they may even accuse you
of being too sensitive
or dismiss you altogether
有时候，我的孩子，你也许会因这个不公正的世界
而对自己产生怀疑
At times, my son, you may question who you are
because of this unjust world around you
我也害怕，我的孩子
我没有为你做好榜样
I fear, too, my son
that I have not been a good role model
我的肤色与你不同
而我常常得利于此
My skin is not like yours
and I have often taken advantage
在我超速被叫停车时
我并没有把手放在方向盘上（以证明自己不是危险人物）
I have not kept my hands on the steering wheel
when pulled over for speeding
我从没有向你示范
当你在商店被店员紧跟时要怎么做——
这从未发生在我身上
I have not shown you what to do
when followed in a store -
it has not happened to me
我总是毫不犹豫
无畏地发泄自己的义愤
I have not hesitated to be bold in righteous anger
而我从未告诉过你
如果你也这样做
人们会用不同的眼光来看你
and I have not told you
that if you do the same,
it will be received differently
我的孩子，
你生活在一个
我从未了解的世界
My son,
you are living in a world
I do not know
我试着去学习
但是我得到的教训
远不如你将来要面对的那么深刻
I have tried to learn
but my lessons are not as deep
as the ones you will come to know
请你记住，我的孩子，我曾试过
我试图去改变这个世界
Please know, my son, that I have tried
I have tried to change the world
我试着改变它
这样我们就不用进行现在的谈话了
I have tried to make it
so that we would not have to have
this talk
我在怒火中尝试过
我在泪水中尝试过
I have tried in my anger
and I have tried in my tears
我的努力得到过一些成功
也付出过一些代价
I have tried with some success
and I have tried with some cost
我不断努力尝试
每当我想到你
都愈发努力去争取改变
I have fought and fought
and each time I think of you
I have fought more
但是我失败了
一次又一次
But I have failed,
and I failed again
我很抱歉
I am sorry
我的孩子，这是一个美丽的世界
而你，亦是这美的一部分
My son, this is a beautiful world
and you, too, are part of that beauty
可这却不是我想要给你的世界
but it is not the world that I want for you
我没有答案
但我会和你同行
I don’t have the answers
But I will walk with you
用上帝赐给我的全部光阴
陪伴你
for as long as God grants me the grace
to be with you.
我将在你的愤怒中怒吼
在你的泪水中哭泣
I will scream out with your anger
and I will cry with your tears
我的孩子，虽然我的爱
不够强大到足以为你改变世界
And though my love was not strong enough
to change the world for you, my son,
你要知道，当你走在这个令你哭泣的世界
我亦会伴随，毫不踌躇
know that I will never waver
as you walk this world of tears.
