美国国家公共电台 NPR Terrance Hayes Speaks To American Racism In Latest Collection Of Poetry

 

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

The poet Terrance Hayes first arrived on the scene in 1999 with a book called "Muscular Music." Since then, he's won a huge number of literary prizes, including a MacArthur Foundation fellowship. He now has a new book out called "American Sonnets² For My Past And Future Assassin," and here to talk with us about it is our reviewer Tess Taylor. Hi, Tess.

TESS TAYLOR, BYLINE³: Hi, Ari.

SHAPIRO: The most striking thing about this book when you open it up is that each poem has the same title. Each one is called "American Sonnet¹ For My Past And Future Assassin" - almost identical as the title of the collection. What's going on here?

TAYLOR: Yeah. It's really inventive, right? I mean, I can't actually remember another book that does this, where every single poem has the same title for an entire collection. And then, yes, as the title suggests, every single poem is a sonnet. There are definitely 14 lines per poem, so that's that sonnet form that you may or may not remember from your 10th grade English class.

SHAPIRO: (Laughter) Right. You say it's really inventive. Is it also a little gimmicky⁴ (ph)? I mean, he could've just given the book that title and called each sonnet one, two, three, four, five or the first line of the poem. I mean, what does he accomplish by doing this?

TAYLOR: The sonnets themselves have all of these different contents within them, but he's basically pointing to the force of American racial violence and sort of how repetitive it is. And there's a way that it changes slightly, and then there's a way that it's kind of relentless⁵. And I think that that - this relentless title comes back to the relentlessness⁶ of, you know, the American racism⁷ that we live with. And...

SHAPIRO: We should tell people that Terrance Hayes is a black poet, and blackness - and maleness comes up a lot in these poems.

TAYLOR: Yeah, absolutely.

SHAPIRO: It seems like some of these poems are really grounded in American life today. Like, one of these sonnets begins, (reading) a remix of "Pony⁸" by Ginuwine plays while half a dozen beautiful black men strut⁹ on stage wearing translucent¹⁰ black housecoats, then pause with their backs to us before a slow twerking as half a dozen beautiful black women walk on stage in sharp alabaster¹¹ tuxedos¹² and surgical¹³ masks. It goes on - really specific, really concrete. You've got the music. You've got the soundtrack. And then there are poems that are really - what's the word I want? - abstract.

TAYLOR: Yeah, that raise questions. I was just at one on page 37, and it ends in the middle of an interstate rest stop parking lot. (Reading) A barn shootout endangering the farm life - I live a life that burns a hole through life that leaves a scar for life that makes me weep for another life. Define life. And the poem opens out into this big question - define life.

SHAPIRO: Define life. Yeah.

TAYLOR: And then there's these other moments where it's really unclear who he's talking to. Like, sometimes he says something as mysterious as, (reading) assassin, you are a mystery to me, I say to my reflection sometimes. You are beautiful because of your sadness, but you would be more beautiful without your fear.

SHAPIRO: Why do you think it's important that he calls these all-American sonnets?

TAYLOR: Well, again, it's interesting in that poem that I just read where he says, assassin, you are a mystery to me, I say to my reflection sometimes. So suddenly, it's as if he himself is the assassin. That figure is just moving around. This figure of something violent keeps moving around this collection, and it doesn't stick to any one thing. And somehow, I think it's a form that is able to capture and refract, like, the mysterious forcefulness of American violence right now.

SHAPIRO: And the fact that he refers to my past and future assassin suggests that this is something perpetual in America that won't go away.

TAYLOR: Perpetual - yes. It's like he's made these sonnets to try to contain something uncontainable.

SHAPIRO: Tess Taylor sharing Terrance Hayes's new collection called "American Sonnets From My Past And Future Assassin." Tess's most recent book of poetry is called "Work And Days." Tess, thanks so much.

TAYLOR: Ari, always a pleasure.

(SOUNDBITE OF GROUNDISLAVA'S "THE DIG")

1 sonnet   

n.十四行诗

参考例句：

• The composer set a sonnet to music.作曲家为一首十四行诗谱了曲。
• He wrote a sonnet to his beloved.他写了一首十四行诗，献给他心爱的人。

2 sonnets   

n.十四行诗( sonnet的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Keats' reputation as a great poet rests largely upon the odes and the later sonnets. 作为一个伟大的诗人，济慈的声誉大部分建立在他写的长诗和后期的十四行诗上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He referred to the manuscript circulation of the sonnets. 他谈到了十四行诗手稿的流行情况。 来自辞典例句

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 gimmicky   

adj.诡计的，骗人的

参考例句：

• A gimmicky or imbalanced team relies on one powerful tactic to win. 投机取巧的团队依靠单一的强力战术制胜。 来自互联网

5 relentless   

adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的

参考例句：

• The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
• Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。

6 relentlessness   

参考例句：

• Scully: are in the basement because they are afraid of you of your relentlessness. 史考莉：你在地下室是因为他们怕你，怕你的义无反顾。
• Although the rain pours the utmost relentlessness, ceasing all outdoor activities, the manthethe heavens and smiles. 尽管无休止的倾盆大雨迫使所有户外劳作停止，但农民会为此兴奋不已。

7 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

8 pony   

adj.小型的；n.小马

参考例句：

• His father gave him a pony as a Christmas present.他父亲给了他一匹小马驹作为圣诞礼物。
• They made him pony up the money he owed.他们逼他还债。

9 strut   

v.肿胀，鼓起；大摇大摆地走；炫耀；支撑；撑开；n.高视阔步；支柱，撑杆

参考例句：

• The circulation economy development needs the green science and technology innovation as the strut.循环经济的发展需要绿色科技创新生态化作为支撑。
• Now we'll strut arm and arm.这会儿咱们可以手挽着手儿，高视阔步地走了。

10 translucent   

adj.半透明的；透明的

参考例句：

• The building is roofed entirely with translucent corrugated plastic.这座建筑完全用半透明瓦楞塑料封顶。
• A small difference between them will render the composite translucent.微小的差别,也会使复合材料变成半透明。

11 alabaster   

adj.雪白的；n.雪花石膏；条纹大理石

参考例句：

• The floor was marble tile,and the columns alabaster.地板是由大理石铺成的，柱子则是雪花石膏打造而成。
• Her skin was like alabaster.她的皮肤光洁雪白。

12 tuxedos   

n.餐服，无尾晚礼服( tuxedo的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our services include design and tailoring for wedding gowns, tuxedos and party dressesfrom and American brands. 们的服务范围包括高级婚纱设计定制，高级礼服、派对装设计定制，及欧美一线品牌成衣的驳样定制。 来自互联网
• Most tuxedos are black, but some people like to wear white ones called 'morning suits'. 大多数男士无尾晚礼服是黑色的，不过有些人喜欢穿那种被称为“晨服”的白色装。 来自互联网

13 surgical   

adj.外科的，外科医生的，手术上的

参考例句：

• He performs the surgical operations at the Red Cross Hospital.他在红十字会医院做外科手术。
• All surgical instruments must be sterilised before use.所有的外科手术器械在使用之前，必须消毒。