我妈妈生我在南方荒凉的地方，

My mother bore me in the southern wild,

我黑，可是啊！我的灵魂洁白；

    And I am black, but O my soul is white!

白得像天使的是英国人的孩子，

White as an angel is the English child,

可我黑，黑得好像失去了光彩。

    But I am black, as if bereaved of light.

在白昼的暑热中，妈妈坐着，

My mother taught me underneath a tree,

在一棵树下面她谆谆教导我；

    And, sitting down before the heat of day,

她将我抱在膝上，把我亲吻，

She took me on her lap and kissèd me,

她指着东方，开始对我诉说。

    And, pointing to the East, began to say:

“看升起的太阳！那儿住着上帝，

‘Look on the rising sun: there God does live,

他放射出光明，放射出热；

    And gives His light, and gives His heat away,

花草树木、飞禽走兽和人们

And flowers and trees and beasts and men receive

清晨得安慰，正午时分得欢乐。

    Comfort in morning, joy in the noonday.

“我们被安置在一块小小的天地，

‘And we are put on earth a little space,

我们可学着感受爱的光辉；

    That we may learn to bear the beams of love;

而这黑黑的肢体，晒黑的面容，

And these black bodies and this sunburnt face

只是一片云，也像是多荫的树丛。

    Are but a cloud, and like a shady grove.

“当我们的灵魂学会忍受暑热，

‘For, when our souls have learned the heat to bear,

那云会消散，他将召唤我们：

    The cloud will vanish, we shall hear His voice,

‘走出树林来吧，我的爱和担忧，

Saying, “Come out from the grove, my love and care,

羔羊般快乐地围着我金色的帐篷。’”

    And round my golden tent like lambs rejoice.”’

妈妈亲着我，对我说了这些话。

Thus did my mother say, and kissed me,

我便这样对英国人的孩子谈讲：

    And thus I say to little English boy.

当我从黑云、他从白云 [2] 得到解放，

When I from black, and he from white cloud free,

羔羊般快乐地围着上帝的篷帐，

    And round the tent of God like lambs we joy,

我会为他遮阴，到他能忍受热，

I’ll shade him from the heat till he can bear

能够快乐地倚着父亲 [3] 的膝盖；

    To lean in joy upon our Father’s knee;

我将站着，抚摸着他的银发，

And then I’ll stand and stroke his silver hair,

变得像他一样，得到他的爱。

    And be like him, and he will then love me.