TED英语演讲：如果我有一个女儿
“如果我有一个女儿...”这是口语诗人萨拉·凯的演讲开头，这演讲赢得了TED2011大会上两次起立喝彩。她讲述了她从一个沉浸在纽约鲍威利诗社里并有双大眼睛的少年转变为一个通过口语诗展示孩子们自我表达能力的V.O.I.C.E。下面是小编为大家收集关于TED英语演讲：如果我有一个女儿，欢迎借鉴参考。
演说题目：如果我有一个女儿
演说者：萨拉·凯
If I should have a daughter,instead of "Mom,"she’s going to call me "Point B,"because that way she knows that no matter what happens,at least she can always find her way to me.
如果我有个女儿而不是一位老母亲她会叫我B点(Point B)因为她知道不管发生什么她总会找到办法回到我身边
And I’m going to paint solar systems on the backs of her handsso she has to learn the entire universebefore she can say, "Oh, I know that like the back of my hand."
我会把太阳系画在她的手背上这样她就要先了解整个浩瀚宇宙而后再说：“哦我知道这个呀，就像我手背上的图画一样。”
And she’s going to learnthat this life will hit you hard in the face,wait for you to get back up just so it can kick you in the stomach.But getting the wind knocked out of youis the only way to remind your lungshow much they like the taste of air.There is hurt, here,that cannot be fixed by Band-Aids or poetry.
并且她会懂得生活将会向你迎面痛击等着你奋力反击时再给你的肚子一记重拳但是就让狂风将你袭倒吧这是唯一的方式去唤醒你的肺使它们记得空气的滋味有多么喜人的确，这伤痛依旧创可贴或诗歌也无济于事
So the first time she realizes that Wonder Woman isn’t coming,I’ll make sure she knowsshe doesn’t have to wear the cape all by herself,because no matter how wide you stretch your fingers,your hands will always be too smallto catch all the pain you want to heal.Believe me, I’ve tried.And, baby, I’ll tell her,don’t keep your nose up in the air like that.I know that trick; I’ve done it a million times.You’re just smelling for smokeso you can follow the trail back to a burning house,so you can find the boy who lost everything in the fireto see if you can save him.Or else find the boy who lit the fire in the first place,to see if you can change him.But I know she will anyway,so instead I’ll always keep an extra supplyof chocolate and rain boots nearby,because there is no heartbreak that chocolate can’t fix.Okay, there’s a few that chocolate can’t fix.
所以当她第一次意识到神奇女侠不会出现我要让她懂得她并不一定要为自己时刻披上战斗斗篷因为无论你的手指怎样伸展你的双手永远太小不足以治愈所有的伤痛相信我，我试过了“还有，宝贝”,我会告诉她不要再那样趾高气扬我很熟悉这种神态，我已经这样做过上万次要是你闻到一股烟味你就能循着它找到一处燃烧的房子你就会发现那个被大火夺去一切的男孩去看看你能否救他或者找到那个在事发前点火的男孩去看看你能否改变他我知道她反正会采取行动所以我会一直在旁边准备着补给备好巧克力和雨靴因为没有任何心碎是巧克力无法治愈的好吧，还是有那么一些
But that’s what the rain boots are for,because rain will wash away everything, if you let it.I want her to look at the worldthrough the underside of a glass-bottom boat,to look through a microscopeat the galaxies that existon the pinpoint of a human mind,because that’s the way my mom taught me.That there’ll be days like this.
但这时候雨靴就要派上用场了因为只要你愿意，雨水会把一切冲洗得一干二净我希望她去看这个世界透过一支有着玻璃底的小舟透过显微镜去察看现存于人类思维末梢的“星系”因为这是我妈妈曾经教我的“生活将会如此。”
(Singing) There’ll be days like this, my momma said.When you open your hands to catchand wind up with only blisters and bruises;when you step out of the phone booth and try to flyand the very people you want to saveare the ones standing on your cape;when your boots will fill with rain,and you’ll be up to your knees in disappointment.And those are the very days you have all the more reason to say thank you.
“生活将会如此。”我妈妈说当你展开怀抱得到的却是水泡和瘀伤当你走出电话亭尝试飞翔却发现那些你渴望救助的人们正是他们踩在你的披风上当你的雨靴盛满了雨水失望的情绪将从你的脚底没至膝盖正是在这些特别的日子里，你有更多的理由去说声谢谢
Because there’s nothing more beautifulthan the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline,no matter how many times it’s sent away.You will put the wind in win some, lose some.You will put the star in starting over, and over.And no matter how many land mines erupt in a minute,be sure your mind landson the beauty of this funny place called life.And yes, on a scale from one to over-trusting,I am pretty damn naive.But I want her to know that this world is made out of sugar.It can crumble so easily,but don’t be afraid to stick your tongue out and taste it.
因为无论大海多少次不得不奔腾而去它从未放弃亲吻海岸线再没有什么事比这更美好你将在风雨中赢得一些人心，也失去一些故友你将在星空下展开周而复始的循环，孜孜不倦不管有多少地雷在一分钟内炸成碎片要确信你的心灵将在这个叫做人生的趣处安置于美是的，如同一个过度盲信的人我的确太天真了但是我想让她懂得这个世界是由蜜糖构筑它会在弹指间崩塌但不要畏惧伸出你的舌头品尝它的香甜
Baby, I’ll tell her, "remember, your momma is a worrier,and your poppa is a warrior,and you are the girl with small hands and big eyeswho never stops asking for more."Remember that good things come in threesand so do bad things.Always apologize when you’ve done something wrong,but don’t you ever apologizefor the way your eyes refuse to stop shining.Your voice is small, but don’t ever stop singing.And when they finally hand you heartache,when they slip war and hatred under your doorand offer you handouts on street-cornersof cynicism and defeat,you tell them that they really ought to meet your mother.
“宝贝”，我会告诉她，“记住，你的妈妈是一个太过多虑的人而你的爸爸却是一名战士你的双手小巧可爱，眼睛明亮而闪烁你从未停止探知更多记住有个成语叫好事成双坏事亦然当你做错事时，常要道歉但对于你坚持的神采奕奕的双眸你永远不必抱歉你的声音微弱，但永远不要停止放声歌唱当他们最终只交给你心痛当他们把战争和仇恨丢在你门前并在街角向你兜售犬儒主义和自暴自弃你就告诉他们，你的母亲很想请他们喝茶
(Applause)
(掌声)
Thank you. Thank you.
谢谢，谢谢大家
(Applause)
(掌声)
Thank you.
谢谢
(Applause)
(掌声)
Thanks.
谢谢
(Applause)
(掌声)
Thank you.
谢谢
(Applause)
(掌声)
All right, so I want you to take a moment,and I want you to think of three things that you know to be true.They can be about whatever you want --technology, entertainment, design,your family, what you had for breakfast.The only rule is don’t think too hard.Okay, ready? Go.Okay.
好啦，我希望大家能花一些时间思考真实存在的3件事物它们可以是你想到的任何事----科技、娱乐、设计你的家庭、你的早餐等等仅有的规定是不要想得太复杂准备好了?开始好了
So here are three things I know to be true.I know that Jean-Luc Godard was right when he said that,A good story has a beginning, a middle and an end,although not necessarily in that order.I know that I’m incredibly nervous and excited to be up here,which is greatly inhibiting my ability to keep it cool.which is greatly inhibiting my ability to keep it cool.
现在我来分享一下我知道的3件真事我知道让·卢克·戈达尔是对的他说过“一个好故事有开头、发展和结尾，但不必依此顺序。”我知道我是异常紧张和兴奋地站在着儿我很难让自己高冷起来我很难让自己高冷起来
(Laughter)
(笑声)
And I knowthat I have been waiting all week to tell this joke.
我知道我已经等了整整一周才来给大家讲这个笑话
(Laughter)
(笑声)
Why was the scarecrow invited to TED?Because he was out standing in his field.
稻草人为什么会被邀请到TED大会呢?因为他在那片“田地”里特别显眼。
(Laughter)
(笑声)
I’m sorry.Okay, so these are three things I know to be true.But there are plenty of things I have trouble understanding.So I write poems to figure things out.Sometimes the only way I know how to work through somethingis by writing a poem.Sometimes I get to the end of the poem,look back and go, "Oh, that’s what this is all about,"and sometimes I get to the end of the poemand haven’t solved anything,but at least I have a new poem out of it.
开个玩笑好了，这3件事对我而说是真实的但有很多事让我一头雾水所以我写诗，希望可以找到答案有时唯一能让我搞明白某件事的方式就是写诗有时我写完诗再回过头读一读“哦，原来如此啊。”可有时我写完诗它却不会带给我任何解答但好在我有了一首新诗
Spoken-word poetry is the art of performance poetry.I tell people it involves creating poetrythat doesn’t just want to sit on paper,that something about it demands it be heard out loudor witnessed in person.
口语诗是诗歌的艺术表现我告诉人们口语诗是诗歌的一种创新使它不只安安稳稳地躺在书本上有时它需要营造出振聋发聩的效果或让人们眼见而真
When I was a freshman in high school,I was a live wire of nervous hormones.And I was underdeveloped and over-excitable.And despite my fearof ever being looked at for too long,I was fascinated by the idea of spoken-word poetry.I felt that my two secret loves, poetry and theater,had come together, had a baby,a baby I needed to get to know.So I decided to give it a try.My first spoken-word poem,packed with all the wisdom of a 14-year-old,was about the injusticeof being seen as unfeminine.The poem was very indignant,and mainly exaggerated,but the only spoken-word poetry that I had seen up until that pointwas mainly indignant,so I thought that’s what was expected of me.
当我是一名高一新生时我的神经激素异常活跃那时我发育尚未完全却兴奋异常尽管我向来害怕被人盯着看太久但口语诗歌这一想法却深深令我着迷我觉得我的两个心头所爱——诗歌和戏剧已经结为一体，并孕育出一个新生儿一种需要我去了解的新的艺术形式所以我决定试一试我的口语诗处女作集结了一个14岁时孩童的所有智慧诉说着我被冤枉成一个“女汉子”的苦这首诗字里行间流露着愤慨大部分描写有些夸张但那时我知道的唯一一首口语诗基本上就是义愤填膺的所以我想这就是我所期望的效果
The first time that I performed,the audience of teenagers hooted and hollered their sympathy,and when I came off the stage, I was shaking.I felt this tap on my shoulder,and I turned around to seethis giant girl in a hoodie sweatshirt emerge from the crowd.She was maybe eight feet talland looked like she could beat me up with one hand,but instead she just nodded at me and said,Hey, I really felt that. Thanks.And lightning struck.I was hooked.
我第一次表演它时青少年观众们哄笑一堂，大声叫喊以示同情于是我颤抖着走下舞台这时有人在我肩膀上轻拍了一下我转身看到一个穿着帽衫的身材高大的女孩，从观众群中脱身而出她或许有2米多高看起来好像一拳就可以把我击倒在地与此相反的是，她只是对我点点头说到“嘿，我的确和你有同感。谢了。”顿时像一道闪电划过夜空我确实被她的话语击中
I discovered this bar on Manhattan’s Lower East Sidethat hosted a weekly poetry open Mic,and my bewildered, but supportive, parents took meto soak in every ounce of spoken word that I could.I was the youngest by at least a decade,but somehow the poets at the Bowery Poetry Clubdidn’t seem bothered by the 14-year-old wandering about.In fact, they welcomed me.
我发现曼哈顿下东区的这个酒吧它每周主持一次公众诗歌朗读表演我那困惑却又无比支持我的父母带我完全沉浸在口语诗表演的每次发声中我是最年轻的诗人，比排名第二的那位年轻至少10岁不知怎的，鲍威利诗社的诗人并不介意14岁的我在此徘徊事实上，他们欢迎我的加入
And it was here, listening to these poets share their stories,that I learned that spoken-word poetry didn’t have to be indignant,it could be fun or painfulor serious or silly.The Bowery Poetry Club became my classroom and my home,and the poets who performedencouraged me to share my stories as well.Never mind the fact that I was 14.They told me, "Write about being 14."So I did and stood amazed every weekwhen these brilliant, grown-up poetslaughed with me and groaned their sympathyand clapped and told me, "Hey, I really felt that too."
就是在这里，听着这些诗歌，听着他们分享的故事我从中了解到口语诗并不一定要义愤填膺它可以妙趣横生或痛苦不堪可以严肃庄重或荒.唐至极鲍威利诗社变成了我的课堂和我的家那些表演的诗人也鼓励我去分享我的故事从不介意我只是个14岁的毛孩儿他们告诉我“要讲述14岁的故事。”所以我照做了，每周都充满惊奇地站在那里表演这些才华横溢的成年诗人和我一起笑，叹息着他们的同情同时也为我鼓掌并告诉我：“嘿，我和你感同身受。”
Now I can divide my spoken-word journeyinto three steps.Step one was the moment I said,I can. I can do this.And that was thanks to a girl in a hoodie.Step two was the moment I said,I will. I will continue.I love spoken word. I will keep coming back week after week."And step three beganwhen I realized I didn’t have to write indignant poems,if that’s not what I was.There were things that were specific to me,and the more that I focused on those things,the weirder my poetry got,but the more that it felt like mine.It’s not just the adage "Write what you know."It’s about gathering up all of the knowledge and experienceyou’ve collected up to nowto help you dive into the things you don’t know.I use poetry to help me work through what I don’t understand,but I show up to each new poemwith a backpack full of everywhere else that I’ve been.
现在我可以把我的口语诗之旅划分为三个阶段第一阶段时我会说“我能，我能做到这个。”这要感谢那个帽衫女孩第二阶段时我说“我会的，我会继续。我爱口语诗。我会每周回来表演。”第三阶段开始时我意识到我不必写些愤青的诗如果那表达的并非真的我有些事对我而言是独具一格的我越是关注这些事我的诗歌就越离奇怪诞但这也更像我自己这不只是格言“写你所知”的现实写照更是你迄今为止所有知识与经验的汇总帮助你深入了解于你而言的未知我用诗歌帮助我厘清我所不理解的事但我展示的每一首新诗它是我过去那一打故事的交汇
When I got to university, I met a fellow poetwho shared my belief in the magic of spoken-word poetry.And actually, Phil Kaye and Icoincidentally also share the same last name.When I was in high school I had created Project V.O.I.C.E.as a way to encourage my friends to do spoken word with me.But Phil and I decided to reinvent Project V.O.I.C.E.,this time changing the missionto using spoken-word poetry as a way to entertain,educate and inspire.We stayed full-time students, but in between we traveled,performing and teachingnine-year-olds to MFA candidates,from California to Indiana to Indiato a public high school just up the street from campus.
我在大学时，遇见一位同校诗人他和我一样，对口语诗的神奇深信不疑事实上，我和菲尔·凯也恰巧同姓在高中我已创建V.O.I.C.E.计划鼓励我的朋友和我一同创作口语诗但我和菲尔决定彻底改造V.O.I.C.E.计划这次将它的使命改为将口语诗用作一种娱乐、教育和激励的方式我们仍是全日制学生，但期间我们旅行、表演并传授表演知识从9岁小孩到艺术硕士学位考生从加州到印地安那州、到印度、到校区中的一所公立高中
And we saw over and overthe way that spoken-word poetrycracks open locks.But it turns out sometimes, poetry can be really scary.Turns out sometimes,you have to trick teenagers into writing poetry.So I came up with lists. Everyone can write lists.And the first list that I assignis "10 Things I Know to be True."And here’s what happens, you would discover it tooif we all started sharing our lists out loud.At a certain point, you would realize that someone has the exact same thing,or one thing very similar,to something on your list.And then someone elsehas something the complete opposite of yours.Third, someone has something you’ve never even heard of before.Fourth, someone has something you thought you knew everything about,but they’re introducing a new angle of looking at it.And I tell people that this is where great stories start from --these four intersectionsof what you’re passionate aboutand what others might be invested in.
我们看到口语诗好似雨后春笋一样遍地兴起但有时结局却是诗歌让人提心吊胆有时你要循循善诱地让青少年写诗所以我想出“做列表”这个主意，每个人都能写一份列表我要求的第一份列表是“我所确信的10件事”如果我们所有人都开始大声读出我们的列表你会和我有同样的发现首先在一定程度上，你会意识到某人和你分享了同样的事或是一件非常类似的事与你列表上的事雷同其次，有些人的列表则与你的截然不同第三，有人例举了你闻所未闻的事第四，有人例举的事，你认为自己再清楚不过但这些事却是以一种新视角展现我告诉大家这就是经典之作的伊始----这四个交集阐述着你的热爱和他人的心之向往。
And most people respond really well to this exercise.But one of my students, a freshman named Charlotte,was not convinced.Charlotte was very good at writing lists, but she refused to write any poems.Miss, she’d say, "I’m just not interesting.I don’t have anything interesting to say."So I assigned her list after list,and one day I assigned the list10 Things I Should Have Learned by Now.Number three on Charlotte’s list was,I should have learned not to crush on guysthree times my age."I asked her what that meant,and she said, "Miss, it’s kind of a long story."And I said, "Charlotte, it sounds pretty interesting to me."And so she wrote her first poem,a love poem unlike any I had ever heard before.And the poem began,Anderson Cooper is a gorgeous man.
多数人对这个练习反应良好但我其中的一个学生，新生夏洛特却没有表现出心悦诚服夏洛特非常善于写列表，但她决不写诗她说：“老师啊，我就是不感兴趣。我没什么好表达的。”于是我让她完成一个又一个列表有一天我的要求是列出 “到目前我应该学会的10件事”她在列表的第3条写到“我应该学会不要迷恋上大我3倍年龄的大叔。”我问她这是什么意思她说：“老师，这说来话长。”我又说：“夏洛特，我对你这个故事特别感兴趣。”于是，她也有了诗歌处女作一首我以前从没听过的爱情诗诗篇开头是“安德森·库珀是个风度翩翩的男人。”
(Laughter)
(笑声)
Did you see him on 60 Minutes,racing Michael Phelps in a pool --nothing but swim trunks on --diving in the water, determined to beat this swimming champion?After the race, he tossed his wet, cloud-white hairand said, ’You’re a god.’No, Anderson, you’re the god."
“你可曾看他的节目《60分钟》同泳池蛟龙迈克尔·菲尔普斯竞技--- 只穿一袭泳裤---潜水入池，决心挑战这位游泳王者?赛后，他甩动他那湿漉漉的银白头发说到：‘你是上帝。’不，安德森，你才是上帝。”
(Laughter)
(笑声)
(Applause)
(掌声)
Now, I know that the number one rule to being coolis to seem unfazed,to never admit that anything scares youor impresses you or excites you.Somebody once told meit’s like walking through life like this.You protect yourselffrom all the unexpected miseries or hurt that might show up.But I try to walk through life like this.And yes, that means catching all of those miseries and hurt,but it also means that when beautiful, amazing thingsjust fall out of the sky,I’m ready to catch them.I use spoken word to help my studentsrediscover wonder,to fight their instincts to be cool and unfazedand, instead, actively pursue being engaged with what goes on around them,so that they can reinterpret and create something from it.
现在我知道，扮酷第一法则是要显得不为所动从不承认会有能吓到你或令你惊讶或使你兴奋的事有人曾告诉我人生之旅就像这样护紧双臂你要保护你自己免受所有可能出现的出人意料的痛苦或伤害但我会像这样展开双臂，迎向生活是的，这意味着接受所有这些痛苦和伤害但同时也意味着当那些美好、惊喜的事情从天而降我准备好要接住它们我用口语诗帮助我的学生重新发现奇迹向他们自身本能的扮酷和无动于衷发起挑战取而代之的是积极追寻，与他们周围的环境打成一片这样他们能重新解读日常生活或是从中获取灵感
It’s not that I think that spoken-word poetryis the ideal art form.I’m always trying to find the best way to tell each story.I write musicals; I make short films alongside my poems.But I teach spoken-word poetrybecause it’s accessible.Not everyone can read music or owns a camera,but everyone can communicate in some way,and everyone has stories that the rest of us can learn from.Plus, spoken-word poetry allows for immediate connection.It’s not uncommon to feel like you’re aloneor that nobody understands you,but spoken word teachesthat if you have the ability to express yourselfand the courage to present those stories and opinions,you could be rewardedwith a room full of your peers,or your community, who will listen.And maybe even a giant girl in a hoodiewho will connect with what you’ve shared.And that is an amazing realization to have,especially when you’re 14.Plus, now with YouTube,that connection’s not even limited to the room we’re in.I’m so lucky that there’s this archive of performancesthat I can share with my students.It allows for even more opportunitiesfor them to find a poet or a poem that they connect to.
这并不是说我认为口语诗就是理想的艺术形式我常试着找寻更好方式来讲述每一个故事我创作音乐剧、伴随着诗歌制作短片但我只传授口语诗因为它是易懂的并不是每个人能读懂音乐或是拥有一台相机但每个人可以用某种方式来交流每个人都有故事，我们其他人都可以借鉴学习并且，口语诗为即时的互动联系提供了机会人们感到孤独，或是不被他人理解这司空见惯但口语诗会告诉你如果你有能力表达自己有勇气分享你的故事和观点你可以得到那些聆听你声音的满屋子同伴们或者诗社团的鼓励甚至会有一个穿着帽衫的高大女孩对你分享的经历感到熟悉这种感同身受是不可思议的特别当你还是个14岁的孩子另外，现在有了YouTube人们之间的联系不再受限于我们所处的空间我如此幸运能得到这次演讲的存档视频这样我能与我的学生分享了它为学生们提供了更多机会去找寻能使他们产生共鸣的诗人或诗歌
Once you’ve figured this out,it is tempting to keep writing the same poem,or keep telling the same story, over and over,once you’ve figured out that it will gain you applause.It’s not enough to just teach that you can express yourself.You have to grow and exploreand take risks and challenge yourself.And that is step three:infusing the work you’re doingwith the specific things that make you you,even while those things are always changing.Because step three never ends.But you don’t get to start on step three,until you take step one first:I can.
一旦你搞明白这一点它诱使人们不断创作同类型的诗歌或者不断诉说同样的故事，一遍又一遍一旦你搞明白这一点，它会为你赢得掌声仅仅告诉大家我们能够表达自己，这还不够你还要成长并探寻迎难而上，挑战自己这是第三阶段：全身心投入到你正在做的事中做些特别的事，使自己与众不同即使这些事情总是不停变化但第三阶段将无尽无休但你不会达到第三阶段，除非你按部就班地从第一阶段开始：我能
I travel a lot while I’m teaching,and I don’t always get to watch all of my students reach their step three,but I was very lucky with Charlotte,that I got to watch her journey unfold the way it did.I watched her realizethat, by putting the things that she knows to be true into the work she’s doing,she can create poems that only Charlotte can write,about eyeballs and elevators and Dora the Explorer.And I’m trying to tell stories only I can tell --like this story.I spent a lot of time thinking about the best way to tell this story,and I wondered if the best waywas going to be a PowerPoint, a short film --And where exactly was the beginning, the middle or the end?I wondered whether I’d get to the end of this talkand finally have figured it all out, or not.
我传授口语诗的同时也旅行去过很多地方 我并不总是期待看到所有的学生都达到第三阶段但我非常幸运有夏洛特我看到了她是如何展开自己的旅程我看到她意识到 通过把自己确信为真的事穿插到创作的作品中她能够写出不可复制的极富夏洛特个人特点的诗歌可以关于眼球、电梯和《爱探险的朵拉》我也在试着讲述只有我能讲述的故事——比如这个我花了很多时间思考讲述这个故事的最佳方式我心想如果最好方式是展示一个幻灯片或者一个短片——那么到底哪里是开头、发展或者结尾呢?我纳闷是否该在这讲话结尾把这一切都搞明白，或是置之不理
And I always thought that my beginning was at the Bowery Poetry Club,but it’s possible that it was much earlier.In preparing for TED,I discovered this diary page in an old journal.I think December 54th was probably supposed to be 24th.It’s clear that when I was a child,I definitely walked through life like this.I think that we all did.I would like to help others rediscover that wonder --to want to engage with it, to want to learn,to want to share what they’ve learned,what they’ve figured out to be trueand what they’re still figuring out.
我常想，我的开端是在鲍威利诗社但可能实际比这要早得多准备TED演讲时我在旧笔记本里发现了这篇日记我想12月54日可能应该是24日很明显，当我是个小孩时我就是过着这样的生活我觉得大家都是如此我愿意帮助别人重新发现这口语诗的奇妙之处——想要参与其中、想要深入了解想分享他们的所见所感分享他们已证实的事以及仍在探索的事
So I’d like to close with this poem.
所以我想以此诗结尾
When they bombed Hiroshima,the explosion formed a mini-supernova,so every living animal, human or plantthat received direct contact with the rays from that sunwas instantly turned to ash.And what was left of the city soon followedThe long-lasting damage of nuclear radiationcaused an entire city and its populationto turn into powder.When I was born, my mom says I looked around the whole hospital roomwith a stare that said, "This? I’ve done this before."She says I have old eyes.When my Grandpa Genji died, I was only five years old,but I took my mom by the hand and told her,Don’t worry, he’ll come back as a baby.And yet, for someone who’s apparently done this already,I still haven’t figured anything out yet.My knees still buckle every time I get on a stage.My self-confidence can be measured outin teaspoons mixed into my poetry,and it still always tastes funny in my mouth.But in Hiroshima, some people were wiped clean away,leaving only a wristwatch or a diary page.So no matter that I have inhibitions to fill all my pockets,I keep trying,hoping that one day I’ll write a poemI can be proud to let sit in a museum exhibitas the only proof I existed.My parents named me Sarah, which is a biblical name.In the original story, God told Sarah she could do something impossible, and --she laughed,because the first Sarah,she didn’t know what to do with impossible.And me?Well, neither do I,but I see the impossible every day.Impossible is trying to connect in this world,trying to hold onto others while things are blowing up around you,knowing that while you’re speaking,they aren’t just waiting for their turn to talk -- they hear you.They feel exactly what you feelat the same time that you feel it.It’s what I strive for every time I open my mouth --that impossible connection.There’s this piece of wall in Hiroshimathat was completely burnt black by the radiation.But on the front step, a person who was sitting thereblocked the rays from hitting the stone.The only thing left nowis a permanent shadow of positive light.After the A-bomb,specialists said it would take 75 yearsfor the radiation-damaged soil of Hiroshima Cityto ever grow anything again.But that spring, there were new buds popping up from the earth.When I meet you, in that moment,I’m no longer a part of your future.I start quickly becoming part of your past.But in that instant, I get to share your present.And you, you get to share mine.And that is the greatest present of all.So if you tell me I can do the impossible --I’ll probably laugh at you.I don’t know if I can change the world yet,because I don’t know that much about it --and I don’t know that much about reincarnation either,but if you make me laugh hard enough,sometimes I forget what century I’m in.This isn’t my first time here. This isn’t my last time here.These aren’t the last words I’ll share.But just in case, I’m trying my hardestto get it right this time around.
当他们轰炸了广岛爆炸形成了一颗微型的超新星所以每一个活生生的动物、人或植物直接暴露在如同太阳光芒一般的辐射中顷刻间化为灰烬紧接着，留在这座城市的是持续的核辐射污染整座城和她的人口统统化为粉末我呱呱坠地时，妈妈说我在病房里四处张望那种凝视好像想说：“这个?我从前就经历过。”她说我有双沧桑的眼睛姥爷Genji去世时，我只有5岁但我拉着妈妈的手，告诉她：“别伤心，他会像婴儿一样降生归来。”而且显然已经有人这样诞生了我还是没能弄明白这是怎么一回事每次我站在舞台上，我依然觉得双膝发软我的自信已经和诗歌交融在一起它可以用茶匙来衡量唇齿之间总是别有一番滋味但在广岛，一些人已灰飞烟灭只留下了一块腕表或者一页日记所以无论我如何压抑自己，不去填满自己的欲望我还是努力尝试着希望有一天我能写出一首诗骄傲地摆在博物馆展厅里作为我存在的唯一证据我父母给我取名Sarah，来源于圣经在圣经中，上帝告诉Sarah她可以做一些不可能的事，然后她笑了因为最初的萨拉她根本不知道哪些事是不可能那我呢?是啊，我也不知道但我每天都在见证不可能不可能就是尝试与世界连接当你周围的事情乱作一团时，尝试紧抓住其他人知道当你开口说话时他们不仅是在等待何时才能轮到他们发言——他们在倾听你他们在你有所感知的同时感知你这正是我每次讲话时所努力追寻的——不可能的连接在广岛有一面被辐射完全烧黑的墙但在前面的阶梯上，一个人坐在那里避免辐射线侵蚀墙壁而现在唯一剩下的就是迎面辐射光线下的永久光影在原子弹炸弹之后科学家们说要经过75个春夏被核辐射毁坏的广岛才能不再寸草不生但有一年春天，土壤中却冒出了新生的嫩芽当我遇见你的那一刻我不再属于你的未来我开始迅速地成为你过去的一部分在那须臾之间，我分享着你的此刻 而你，也分享着属于我的此刻的回忆这就是所有中最伟大的恩赐所以如果你告诉我，我可以做不可能的事我可能会嘲笑你我还不知道我能否改变这世界因为对于它，我了解甚少——同时我也不太了解重生但假若你使我开怀大笑有时我会忘记我活在哪一世纪这不是我第一次站在这里，亦不是最后一次这些也不会是我要分享的最后一段话但以防万一，此时此刻，我正竭尽所能在这一次展现口语诗的魅力
Thank you.
谢谢
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Thank you.
谢谢
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Thank you.
谢谢
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Thank you.
谢谢
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