黑人談河流

我熟悉河流：

我熟悉像世界一樣古老的河流。

比奔騰在人類血管裏的血液更古老的河流。

我的靈魂已變得似河流般深沈。

我沐浴在幼發拉底河中，在晨光微明的時分。

我把小屋蓋在剛果河畔，潺潺的水聲誘我進入夢鄉。

我觀賞尼羅河，在河邊建立金字塔。

我聽見密西西比河的歌唱，當亞伯‧林肯順流直下

  新奧爾良，我看見

它渾濁的胸膛在夕照中閃著金光。

我熟悉河流：

古老、蒼茫的河流。

我的靈魂已變得似河流般深沈。

    我也

我也歌唱美國。

我就是那膚色較黑的弟兄。

當客人來訪，

他們便讓我到廚房吃飯。

可是我笑了，

吃得很香，

長得很健壯。

明天，當客人來訪

我將坐在餐桌旁。

到那時，

沒人敢

對我講，

「去廚房吃飯。」

此外，

他們將看到我是多麼漂亮

從而感到羞慚──

我，也是美國。

I've known rivers:
I've known rivers ancient as the world and
            older than the
      flow of human blood in human veins.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were
            young.
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me
            to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids
            above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe
            Lincoln
     went down to New Orleans, and I've seen
            its muddy
     bosom turn all golden in the sunset.

I've known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

I, Too
I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.

Tomorrow,
I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
"Eat in the kitchen,"
Then.

Besides.
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed一
I, too, am America.