TEDWomen 2017
Sunni Patterson: "Wild Women"
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371,890 views
Con lampi sulla lingua, Sunni Patterson recita la sua potente poesia, "Wild Women", accompagnata dalle incantevoli movenze della ballerina Chanice Holmes.
Sunni Patterson - Poet
Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, Sunni Patterson combines the heritage, culture, and traditions of her native town with a spiritual worldview to create powerful music and poetry. Full bio
Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, Sunni Patterson combines the heritage, culture, and traditions of her native town with a spiritual worldview to create powerful music and poetry. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
They wanted her piecemealed,
papier-mâchéd,
papier-mâchéd,
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La volevano a pezzi, di cartapesta,
00:16
practically broken,
limp-like and loveless,
limp-like and loveless,
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insomma spezzata,
zoppicante e senza amore,
zoppicante e senza amore,
00:20
a litany of exaggeration.
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una litania di esagerazione.
00:22
They wanted her low.
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La volevano inferiore.
00:24
And high.
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E superiore.
00:25
Flat and wide.
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Piatta e ampia.
00:28
Filled with all of their empty.
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Piena di tutto il loro vuoto.
00:31
They wanted her to be more like them.
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La volevano più simile a loro.
00:34
Not knowing her conception was immaculate.
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Senza sapere che la sua concezione
era immacolata.
era immacolata.
00:37
That she was birthed
in sandalwood-scented river water,
in sandalwood-scented river water,
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Che era nata in acque di fiume
profumate di sandalo,
profumate di sandalo,
00:40
sweet sapphire honey-touched tongue,
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un delizioso sapore mieloso di zaffiro,
00:42
she was too much
of a mouthful for the greedy.
of a mouthful for the greedy.
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era un bel boccone per gli ingordi.
00:45
Just a small amount of her
was more than they could stand.
was more than they could stand.
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Solo una piccola dose di lei
era più di quanto potessero sopportare.
era più di quanto potessero sopportare.
00:48
Oh, they wanted her bland.
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Oh, la volevano scialba.
00:49
And barren.
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E sterile.
00:51
Unspirited, un-African, uncultured,
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Senza spirito, non africana,
senza cultura,
senza cultura,
00:54
under siege in the streets.
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sotto assedio per strada.
00:56
They wanted her face down, ass up,
hands cuffed and ankles strapped.
hands cuffed and ankles strapped.
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La volevano faccia a terra, culo in alto,
ammanettata e con le caviglie legate.
ammanettata e con le caviglie legate.
01:00
They wanted her knowing
she could never want them back.
she could never want them back.
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Volevano che sapesse
che non avrebbe potuto averli indietro.
che non avrebbe potuto averli indietro.
01:03
Oh, they wanted her holy,
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Oh, la volevano santa,
01:05
baptized in her divine,
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battezzata nella sua divinità,
01:07
they wanted her secrets,
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volevano i suoi segreti,
01:08
pearls to swine.
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perle ai porci.
01:10
They wanted to unravel
the mystery of her design.
the mystery of her design.
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Volevano svelare
i segreti del suo disegno.
i segreti del suo disegno.
01:14
Fascinated by glory,
hypnotized by her kind.
hypnotized by her kind.
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Affascinati dalla gloria,
ipnotizzati da quelle come lei.
ipnotizzati da quelle come lei.
01:17
Oh, they wanted her complete.
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Oh, la volevano completa.
01:19
They wanted her whole,
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La volevano tutta,
01:20
though they came fractioned,
half-hearted, half-soul,
half-hearted, half-soul,
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mentre loro erano frazionati,
incerti, poco entusiasti,
incerti, poco entusiasti,
01:24
with no regards and no knowledge
as to who she really was.
as to who she really was.
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senza considerare né sapere
chi era lei davvero.
chi era lei davvero.
01:27
Oh, but if they knew.
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Oh, ma se sapessero.
01:29
If they knew her,
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Se la conoscessero,
01:31
praise songs would rain
from the clouds of their eyes,
from the clouds of their eyes,
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canzoni di lode pioverebbero
dalle nuvole dei loro occhi,
dalle nuvole dei loro occhi,
01:35
clearing the vision, bathing the heart.
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schiarendo la vista, bagnando il cuore.
01:37
They would bow every time they saw her.
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Si inchinerebbero
a ogni sua apparizione.
a ogni sua apparizione.
01:40
Be their best selves when she was around.
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Darebbero il meglio in sua presenza.
01:43
If they knew her,
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Se la conoscessero,
01:45
knew she was the glue to their revolution,
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se sapessero che era la colla
della loro rivoluzione,
della loro rivoluzione,
01:47
the life flow of blood
through their veins.
through their veins.
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il flusso di vita
del sangue nelle loro vene.
del sangue nelle loro vene.
01:50
If they knew her,
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Se la conoscessero,
01:52
she would know,
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saprebbe,
01:54
she would feel
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sentirebbe
01:56
that her body is more than battlefield.
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che il suo corpo è più
di un campo di battaglia.
di un campo di battaglia.
01:59
More than bone break and bleeding bigotry.
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Più di ossa rotte
e bigotteria sanguinante.
e bigotteria sanguinante.
02:03
More than bridge
over your troubled conscience.
over your troubled conscience.
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Più di un ponte
sulla vostra coscienza turbata.
sulla vostra coscienza turbata.
02:06
More than used up, walked on,
driven through, shot up.
driven through, shot up.
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Più di consumata, calpestata,
trapassata, ferita.
trapassata, ferita.
02:09
More than your "Selma, Lord, Selma"
Edmund Pettus.
Edmund Pettus.
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Più dell'Edmund Pettus
di "Selma, Lord, Selma".
di "Selma, Lord, Selma".
02:13
More than your killer Katrina Danziger.
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Più dell'assassinio
di Danziger post-Katrina.
di Danziger post-Katrina.
02:16
More than your bust them out of Baltimore
"Highway to Nowhere."
"Highway to Nowhere."
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Più del vostro buttarle fuori
dalla "Highway to Nowhere" di Baltimora.
dalla "Highway to Nowhere" di Baltimora.
02:19
If they knew her,
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Se la conoscessero,
02:21
she would know.
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lei saprebbe.
02:23
(Singing)
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(Canto)
02:51
Wild women,
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Le donne selvagge,
02:53
wild women, they walk with buffalo.
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le donne selvagge camminano coi bufali.
02:55
Have lightning on their tongues,
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Con lampi sulla lingua,
02:57
fly whisks as weapons.
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fanno volare fruste come armi.
02:59
Wild women, they walk with machetes.
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Le donne selvagge camminano con machete.
03:01
With wisdom, with grace, with ease.
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Con saggezza, grazia, facilità.
03:05
Wild women have hurricanes
in their bellies,
in their bellies,
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Le donne selvagge hanno uragani
nel loro ventre,
nel loro ventre,
03:07
releasing a flood of a lesson.
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donano una marea di lezioni.
03:09
Oh, wild women, they fly free.
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Oh, le donne selvagge volano libere.
03:12
Just watch their ways,
how they rip and shred.
how they rip and shred.
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Guardate i loro modi,
come prendono e stracciano.
come prendono e stracciano.
03:15
Oh, who can understand her,
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Oh, chi può capirla,
03:17
this winding Niger river of a woman
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questa donna sinuosa come il fiume Niger,
03:20
one who is unafraid to tear away
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che non ha paura di staccarsi
03:23
only to roam and then become the wind.
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solo per vagare e diventare il vento.
03:26
She who speaks in gusts and cyclones
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Lei che parla a raffiche e cicloni
03:30
blasting us back to high ground,
high consciousness,
high consciousness,
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proiettandoci verso punto più alto,
una coscienza più elevata,
una coscienza più elevata,
03:34
she turns and so does the world.
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lei gira e così fa il mondo.
03:37
Feel her spinning,
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Sentite la sua rotazione,
03:38
spanning several lifetimes.
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che abbraccia tante vite.
03:40
Hear her speaking, sparking alarm.
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Ascoltatela parlare,
un allarme innescato.
un allarme innescato.
03:43
See her dancing, summoning the dead,
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Guardatela danzare, evocare i morti,
03:46
resurrecting new life.
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risuscitare nuova vita.
03:48
Heaven hears her knocking on the door,
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I cieli la sentono bussare alla porta,
03:51
safely transporting the ones
who call for her assistance.
who call for her assistance.
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portando al sicuro coloro
che chiedono il suo aiuto.
che chiedono il suo aiuto.
03:55
Wild women, they open
portals to new worlds,
portals to new worlds,
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Le donne selvagge aprono
porte verso nuovi mondi,
porte verso nuovi mondi,
03:59
new speech, new dreams.
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nuovi discorsi, nuovi sogni.
04:02
Oh, dearly beloveds,
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Oh, miei cari,
04:05
so dearly departed
from the ways of the guardian,
from the ways of the guardian,
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allontanati dal cammino di chi vi guarda.
04:08
beware.
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attenti.
04:10
For wild women are not to be tamed.
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Perché le donne selvagge
non devono essere domate.
non devono essere domate.
04:15
Only admired.
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Solo ammirate.
04:17
Just let her in and witness her
set your days ablaze.
set your days ablaze.
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Fatela entrare e guardatela
illuminare le vostre giornate.
illuminare le vostre giornate.
04:25
(Cheers) (Applause)
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(Acclamazioni) (Applausi)
04:27
Thank you.
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Grazie.
04:28
(Applause)
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(Applausi)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sunni Patterson - PoetOriginally from New Orleans, Louisiana, Sunni Patterson combines the heritage, culture, and traditions of her native town with a spiritual worldview to create powerful music and poetry.
Why you should listen
Emerging from the musical womb that is New Orleans, Sunni Patterson combines the heritage of her native town with an enlightened modern style to create music and poetry that is timeless in its groove. She began her career as a full-time high school teacher, and much of her life since has been devoted to serving as a cultural worker and grassroots activist, using art and poetry to encourage dialogue and healing.
She has been a featured performer at many of the nation's premier spoken-word venues, including HBO's Def Poetry and BET’s Lyric Cafe. She also had the privilege of speaking at the Panafest in Ghana, West Africa and has collaborated with artists and performers, including Hannibal Lokumbe (singing lead vocals for his score, ”King and the Crescent City Moon"), Kalamu Ya Salaam, Sonia Sanchez, Wanda Coleman, Amiri Baraka, Mos Def, Eve Ensler, The Last Poets and many more.
Sunni Patterson | Speaker | TED.com