The day seemed like most others on McIntyre’s Winsome, Georgia, plantation, but it wasn’t. Though, like always, I woke before dawn at the call of the bell, pulled a thin shift over my body, and dragged my hand across my face to push away sleep, a quakiness moved about my insides. The night before, Uncle Morris, the person I loved and trusted most in the world, had sent me creeping through the quarters to carry a message to a chosen few. Uncle Morris, the one who calmed me after overseer Saunders cut down my mam. The one who helped me plant my feet into the ground again, so that here I was, seen only fifteen harvests, yet was strong like a man. The one who’d been so long on McIntyre’s that I figured he’d live out the rest of his years there. “The time is nigh, Calli-girl,” he’d said. The ground shifted under my feet. Why did I think we risked both our hides when he taught me to spell? What did I figure when he made me watch the whitefolks close, reading faces? The only slave on McIntyre’s who got leave to work off the plantation, who saw the world beyond, Uncle Morris was much more than an elder. I knew that now. I hadn’t known that I was so settled with things on McIntyre’s till Uncle Morris said, “The war was in the distance, but it won’t stay that way long.” I hadn’t known that I’d found some way to live with the devil that I knew till he told me we-all had to be ready to move. And I didn’t know how scared I was till he warned me, “Calli-girl, you may be young yet, but you likely gon’ be called for more than you know.” For the first time since Mam died seven harvests before, I felt a shakiness inside me that threatened to shatter me into pieces. Even now, as I gulped down food and hurried to take my place out in the fields, fear churned my stomach. I’d carried his message to a handful of the others, and went to sleep with a burden, for he brooked no questions. Now I found the light of day gave me no more of an escape. I turned to my row, and struggled to push all else to the corners of my mind.

中文翻译：

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在麦金太尔的土地上

这一天看起来和麦金太尔位于佐治亚州温瑟姆种植园的大多数人一样，但事实并非如此。虽然，像往常一样，我在黎明前在铃声响起时醒来，在我的身体上拉了一个薄薄的班次，并用手拖过我的脸以驱散睡眠，但我的内心却在颤抖。前一天晚上，我在世界上最爱和最信任的人莫里斯叔叔派我悄悄穿过宿舍，向选定的少数人传达信息。莫里斯叔叔，在监督桑德斯砍死我妈妈之后让我平静下来的那个。那个帮我把脚重新踏进地里的人，让我在这里，只看到了十五个收获，却像个男人一样强壮。那个在麦金太尔待了这么久的人，我想他会在那里度过余生。“时间快到了，Calli-girl，”他说。地面在我脚下移动。当他教我拼写时，为什么我认为我们要冒着风险？当他让我看着白人靠近并阅读面孔时，我在想什么？麦金太尔的唯一一个可以离开种植园工作的奴隶，他看到了外面的世界，莫里斯叔叔不仅仅是一个长辈。我现在知道了。我不知道我对麦金太尔的事情如此满意，直到莫里斯叔叔说：“战争就在远处，但不会持续那么久。” 我不知道我找到了某种方式与魔鬼共处，直到他告诉我，我们都必须准备好搬家。我不知道我有多害怕，直到他警告我，“Calli-girl，你可能还年轻，但你可能会被要求比你知道的更多。” 自从妈妈死了七个庄稼以来，我第一次感觉到我内心的颤抖，几乎要把我撕成碎片。即使是现在，当我大口大口地吞下食物并急忙在田野中占据一席之地时，恐惧搅动了我的胃。我把他的信息传达给了其他几个人，然后带着负担睡觉，因为他没有任何问题。现在我发现天亮了，我再也无法逃脱了。我转向我的那一排，努力把所有其他的东西都推到我的脑海里。