在7月7日的迈克尔-杰克逊告别仪式上，奎恩-拉蒂法（Queen Latifah）朗诵了玛雅·安吉罗（Maya Angelou）写的诗《We Had Him》。奎恩曾经也是流行歌曲歌手，上世纪90年代开始转入银幕表演生涯，成为著名影星。

玛雅·安吉罗，生于1928年，是美国黑人著名的作家、诗人、剧作家、编辑、演员、导演和教师。1993年，她曾在克林顿的第一次就职典礼上朗诵自己所写的诗。

我试将《We Had Him》翻译附后。诗歌翻译很难保持原汁原味。仅供网友参考。下面是朗诵视频、诗歌原作和翻译。--姚鸿恩 

 

 

We Had Him

Beloveds, now we know that we know nothing, now that our bright and shining star can slip away from our fingertips like a puff of summer wind.

Without notice, our dear love can escape our doting embrace. Sing our songs among the stars and walk our dances across the face of the moon.

In the instant that Michael is gone, we know nothing. No clocks can tell time. No oceans can rush our tides with the abrupt absence of our treasure.

Though we are many, each of us is achingly alone, piercingly alone.

Only when we confess our confusion can we remember that he was a gift to us and we did have him.

He came to us from the creator, trailing creativity in abundance.

Despite the anguish, his life was sheathed in mother love, family love, and survived and did more than that.

He thrived with passion and compassion, humor and style. We had him whether we know who he was or did not know, he was ours and we were his.

We had him, beautiful, delighting our eyes.

His hat, aslant over his brow, and took a pose on his toes for all of us.

And we laughed and stomped our feet for him.

We were enchanted with his passion because he held nothing. He gave us all he had been given.

Today in Tokyo, beneath the Eiffel Tower, in Ghana's Black Star Square.

In Johannesburg and Pittsburgh, in Birmingham, Alabama, and Birmingham, England

We are missing Michael.

But we do know we had him, and we are the world.

 

我们曾经拥有他

 Maya Angelou 原作     姚鸿恩 译

 

我的所爱，今天我们才知道

我们一无所知

闪亮的星，会如同一缕夏风

从我们的指尖流逝

没有谁告诉我们

挚爱的人会飞离我们爱的怀抱

到星际间歌唱
    在月球上舞蹈

 

惊悉噩耗的那一刻

我们一无所知

没有时钟能显示时间

没有海洋能推动潮汐

宝贵的财富突然消逝

我们纵然置身亿万民众

可还是感到那么孤单

带着刻骨的心痛

 

当我们坦陈自己的迷惑

这才想起他

----上帝赐给的礼物

我们确实曾经拥有他

 

他从造物主那儿降临

来到我们面前

带来了他的创造

带来了他的财富

尽管，他的生活伴有痛苦

他得到了呵护

---来自母亲的爱

家庭的爱

 

他的激情，他的善良

他的幽默，他的风格

犹如繁花不败

带来不尽春色

不管我们认识不认识他

我们真的曾经拥有他

他，属于我们

我们，也属于他

 

我们曾经拥有他

赏心悦目的美

---他整整斜在眉上的帽子

举手投足，都是美

我们欢笑，我们跺脚

如痴如醉，为他的激情左右

激情，他只有激情

他献出了一切，倾其所有

 

今天，在东京，在埃菲尔塔下

在加纳黑星广场

在约翰内斯堡，在匹兹堡

在阿拉巴马和英格兰的伯明翰

我们思念迈克尔-杰克逊

我们知道，非常地真切

我们曾经拥有他

我们，就是这个世界