從罪行與懺悔中升起的大美之聲：Amazing Grace

中國觀眾或許還記得，《名偵探柯南》劇場版《戰(zhàn)栗的樂譜》中反復出現(xiàn)的一段悠揚的歌聲，日劇《Legal High》2014特別篇片尾的古典旋律，《蝙蝠俠大戰(zhàn)超人:正義黎明》中超人下葬時響起的哀傷挽歌……這些令人印象深刻的片段，都來源于同一首歌——1779年英國牧師John Newton創(chuàng)作的《Amazing Grace》。

If you want to summon the soul of black America, invite Aretha Franklin to a solemn occasion and ask her to bring “Amazing Grace” with her.She performed it at the funeral of the soul singer Luther Vandross in 2005, and at the White House in 2014 for President Obama, who sang it himself a year later at the eulogy for Senator Clementa Pinckney, a member of the South Carolina Senate who was killed in a mass shooting at his church.

如果你想召喚非裔美國人的靈魂，就邀請Aretha Franklin（美國流行音樂歌手）到一個鄭重的場合演唱“Amazing Grace”。2005年，她在靈歌歌手Luther Vandross的葬禮上演唱了這首歌；2014年又在白宮為奧巴馬獻唱。一年之后，為教堂槍擊慘案中身亡的南卡羅來納州參議員Clementa Pinckney致悼詞時，奧巴馬親自演唱了這首歌。

In 1972, the song marked Franklin's return to gospel music when it gave a title to her live album recorded at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in South Central Los Angeles.Bearing witness that day were Rolling Stones Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts, and gospel legend Clara Ward.Franklin would deliver the song again in seven months, at Ward's memorial service.She even sang it for Pope Francis last year.

1972年，這首歌的發(fā)布標志著Franklin回歸福音音樂（美國黑人的一種宗教音樂），“Amazing Grace”也成為她一張演唱會專輯名，這張專輯錄制于洛杉磯中南部新圣殿浸信會教堂。滾石樂隊Mick Jagger和Charlie Watts，以及福音音樂的傳奇Clara Ward得以見證。七個月后，Aretha Franklin在Ward的紀念儀式上再次唱響這首歌。去年，她甚至為教皇方濟各演唱了這首歌。

“Amazing Grace”旋律優(yōu)美而感人至深。它很顯然是一首歌頌解放的贊美詩，與非裔美國人的生活緊密地交織在一起。但它卻根植于史上最反人道的罪行之一：奴役。這并不是獲得解放的奴隸抒寫的自由之歌，而是一位奴隸販子創(chuàng)作的救贖圣歌。

“Amazing Grace” began life as a poem.John Newton was born in 1725 in Wapping, east London, going to sea aged 11.In 1744 he was pressed into joining the Royal Navy, and was flogged after trying to desert.He transferred to a slave ship, Pegasus, but the crew disliked him and Newton was abandoned with a slave trader in West Africa, who handed him to his wife, Princess Peye of the Sherbro people.Peye treated Newton like a slave.

“Amazing Grace“以一首詩的形式開始了它的傳奇。這首歌的作詞人John Newton 1725年生于東倫敦的沃平，11歲出海。1744年他被皇家海軍征召，后來因試圖逃跑而被處以笞刑。他又換到一艘奴隸販運船Pegasus上，但船員們并不喜歡他并將他丟給一個西非的奴隸販子。奴隸販子又把他交給妻子，歇爾布羅公主Peye。Peye像對待奴隸一樣對待他。

In 1747 he was rescued and sailed to Britain.But the ship was holed in a storm off Donegal, and, facing death, Newton prayed to be spared.When he was, he adopted evangelical Christianity, renouncing his profane ways.However, this did not stop him captaining several slave ships until ill health forced him on to dry land in 1754; he continued to invest in the trade.A decade later he was ordained as a priest in Buckinghamshire.In 1788 he published a pamphlet condemning his former occupation, supporting William Wilberforce's campaign to abolish slavery.

1747年，他被解救，坐上了回英國的船。但在愛爾蘭多尼戈爾附近，一場風暴導致船只破損。面臨死亡的威脅，Newton祈禱能夠脫身。后來他果真活了下來，并皈依福音教派，棄絕了瀆神的行為。但他并沒有因此停止駕駛奴隸販運船，直到1754年惡化的健康狀況讓他不得不回到陸地上。但他仍繼續(xù)投資奴隸貿(mào)易。10年后他成為白金漢郡（英國英格蘭郡名）的一名牧師。1788年，他出版了一本小冊子譴責他曾經(jīng)的職業(yè)，并支持William Wilberforce的廢奴運動。

Newton had plenty to repent.His 1779 poem “Faith's Review and Expectation” was an attempt to do exactly that：“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.” The poem was set to music more than 20 times before it settled on the melody of the folk song “New Britain” in 1835, 10 years after Newton's death.His lyric was not popular in England, but in 19th-century America it gained traction, with added verses that were popular in African-American communities.

Newton有太多東西需要懺悔。他作于1779年的詩歌“信仰的回顧與期待”中就寫了“奇異恩典，如此甘甜。我等罪人，竟蒙赦免?！边@首詩被譜曲多達20余次，直到1835年民歌“New Britain”的曲調(diào)被固定作它的旋律，此時Newton已去世十年了。他的歌詞在英國并不流行，但在19世紀的美國受到青睞，人們又在歌詞中加上了一些非裔美國人社區(qū)中傳唱的詩句。

There are thousands of versions of “Amazing Grace”; it is a one-size-fits-all spiritual.When she first performed it, Joan Baez did not know it was a hymn, and surely few of those who enjoy it are aware of the appalling sins its lyric was intended to atone for.

“Amazing Grace”有數(shù)千個版本，它包含著普世的精神。當Joan Baez（美國鄉(xiāng)村歌手）第一次演唱這首歌時，她甚至不知道這是一首贊美詩，聽眾們也沒有幾個人察覺到歌詞試圖彌補的可怕罪行。

詞匯總結(jié)

solemn[?s?l?m]

adj.莊重的;莊嚴的，嚴肅的;隆重的，神圣的;猶豫的，陰沉的

If you want to summon the soul of black America, invite Aretha Franklin to a solemn occasion and ask her to bring “Amazing Grace” with her.

如果你想召喚非裔美國人的靈魂，就邀請Aretha Franklin（美國流行音樂歌手）到一個鄭重的場合演唱“Amazing Grace”。

memorial service追悼會

Franklin would deliver the song again in seven months, at Ward's memorial service.

七個月后，Aretha Franklin在Ward的紀念儀式上再次唱響這首歌。

flog[fl?g]vt.鞭打，鞭策;迫使

In 1744 he was pressed into joining the Royal Navy, and was flogged after trying to desert.

1744年他被皇家海軍征召，后來因試圖逃跑而被處以笞刑。

pamphlet[?p?mfl?t]n.小冊子;活頁文選

In 1788 he published a pamphlet condemning his former occupation, supporting William Wilberforce's campaign to abolish slavery.

1788年，他出版了一本小冊子譴責他曾經(jīng)的職業(yè)，并支持William Wilberforce的廢奴運動。

hymn[h?m]

n.圣歌;贊美詩

vt.贊美;唱贊歌

When she first performed it, Joan Baez did not know it was a hymn, and surely few of those who enjoy it are aware of the appalling sins its lyric was intended to atone for.

“Amazing Grace”有數(shù)千個版本，它包含著普世的精神。當Joan Baez（美國鄉(xiāng)村歌手）第一次演唱這首歌時，她甚至不知道這是一首贊美詩，聽眾們也沒有幾個人察覺到歌詞試圖彌補的可怕罪行。