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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.