中国观众或许还记得，《名侦探柯南》剧场版《战栗的乐谱》中反复出现的一段悠扬的歌声，日剧《Legal High》2014特别篇片尾的古典旋律，《蝙蝠侠大战超人:正义黎明》中超人下葬时响起的哀伤挽歌……这些令人印象深刻的片段，都来源于同一首歌——1779年英国牧师John Newton创作的《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.

如果你想召唤非裔美国人的灵魂，就邀请Aretha Franklin（美国流行音乐歌手）到一个郑重的场合演唱“Amazing Grace”。2005年，她在灵歌歌手Luther Vandross的葬礼上演唱了这首歌；2014年又在白宫为奥巴马献唱。一年之后，为教堂枪击惨案中身亡的南卡罗来纳州参议员Clementa Pinckney致悼词时，奥巴马亲自演唱了这首歌。

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，这首歌的发布标志着Franklin回归福音音乐（美国黑人的一种宗教音乐），“Amazing Grace”也成为她一张演唱会专辑名，这张专辑录制于洛杉矶中南部新圣殿浸信会教堂。滚石乐队Mick Jagger和Charlie Watts，以及福音音乐的传奇Clara Ward得以见证。七个月后，Aretha Franklin在Ward的纪念仪式上再次唱响这首歌。去年，她甚至为教皇方济各演唱了这首歌。

“Amazing Grace”旋律优美而感人至深。它很显然是一首歌颂解放的赞美诗，与非裔美国人的生活紧密地交织在一起。但它却根植于史上最反人道的罪行之一：奴役。这并不是获得解放的奴隶抒写的自由之歌，而是一位奴隶贩子创作的救赎圣歌。

“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“以一首诗的形式开始了它的传奇。这首歌的作词人John Newton 1725年生于东伦敦的沃平，11岁出海。1744年他被皇家海军征召，后来因试图逃跑而被处以笞刑。他又换到一艘奴隶贩运船Pegasus上，但船员们并不喜欢他并将他丢给一个西非的奴隶贩子。奴隶贩子又把他交给妻子，歇尔布罗公主Peye。Peye像对待奴隶一样对待他。

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，坐上了回英国的船。但在爱尔兰多尼戈尔附近，一场风暴导致船只破损。面临死亡的威胁，Newton祈祷能够脱身。后来他果真活了下来，并皈依福音教派，弃绝了渎神的行为。但他并没有因此停止驾驶奴隶贩运船，直到1754年恶化的健康状况让他不得不回到陆地上。但他仍继续投资奴隶贸易。10年后他成为白金汉郡（英国英格兰郡名）的一名牧师。1788年，他出版了一本小册子谴责他曾经的职业，并支持William Wilberforce的废奴运动。

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有太多东西需要忏悔。他作于1779年的诗歌“信仰的回顾与期待”中就写了“奇异恩典，如此甘甜。我等罪人，竟蒙赦免。”这首诗被谱曲多达20余次，直到1835年民歌“New Britain”的曲调被固定作它的旋律，此时Newton已去世十年了。他的歌词在英国并不流行，但在19世纪的美国受到青睐，人们又在歌词中加上了一些非裔美国人社区中传唱的诗句。

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”有数千个版本，它包含着普世的精神。当Joan Baez（美国乡村歌手）第一次演唱这首歌时，她甚至不知道这是一首赞美诗，听众们也没有几个人察觉到歌词试图弥补的可怕罪行。

词汇总结

solemn[?s?l?m]

adj.庄重的;庄严的，严肃的;隆重的，神圣的;犹豫的，阴沉的

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.

如果你想召唤非裔美国人的灵魂，就邀请Aretha Franklin（美国流行音乐歌手）到一个郑重的场合演唱“Amazing Grace”。

memorial service追悼会

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

七个月后，Aretha Franklin在Ward的纪念仪式上再次唱响这首歌。

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年他被皇家海军征召，后来因试图逃跑而被处以笞刑。

pamphlet[?p?mfl?t]n.小册子;活页文选

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

1788年，他出版了一本小册子谴责他曾经的职业，并支持William Wilberforce的废奴运动。

hymn[h?m]

n.圣歌;赞美诗

vt.赞美;唱赞歌

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”有数千个版本，它包含着普世的精神。当Joan Baez（美国乡村歌手）第一次演唱这首歌时，她甚至不知道这是一首赞美诗，听众们也没有几个人察觉到歌词试图弥补的可怕罪行。