Sarah Kay: How many lives can you live?
A performing poet since she was 14 years old, Sarah Kay is the founder of Project VOICE, an organization that uses spoken word poetry as a literacy and empowerment tool. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
The moon sees me.
Луна смотрит на меня.
и благослови Бог меня.
that I don't see.
his laptop, his pager, his alarm clock.
пейджер, будильник.
asleep on his couch,
of coffee in the kitchen air.
плывущего из кухни.
stopped working on their particle machine.
остановила работы на ускорителе.
out the trash, is nervous,
и тот нервничает,
a banana peel and a paper cup.
банановая кожура и стаканчик.
what this all mean for lost time.
последствий от упущенного времени.
are we losing per second?
каждую секунду?
can be launched?
выйдет на орбиту?
flies off its energy cloud.
свою энергетическую оболочку.
the table for dinner.
pulse against his wrist.
the pillowcase's sailing masts.
opens his eyes at once.
и неожиданно открыл глаза.
the most wonderful job in the world.
это настоящая профессия.
not understand the concept
я не понимала, что значит
that I was going to get to do
что собираюсь достичь
based on age or gender
по возрасту, полу,
to actually experience
of the civil rights movement
on a farm during the dust bowl
на ферме во время пыльной бури
dynasty in China.
my typical response was:
я всегда отвечала:
is that I wasn't trying to invent
я не собираюсь изобретать
I was gonna get to be:
кем бы я хотела стать:
and an astronaut.
и астронавтом.
probably went on from there.
так и продолжается с тех пор.
of if I was gonna get to do something
собираюсь ли я что-либо сделать,
to do everything,
достичь всего,
to move pretty quickly,
of stuff I needed to do.
in a state of rushing.
that I was falling behind.
in New York City, as far as I could tell,
this sinking realization,
any more than one life.
больше одной жизни.
to be a teenage girl
быть девочкой-подростком
в Канзас сити.
that I became obsessed with stories,
когда я стала одержима рассказами.
that I was able to see
however briefly or imperfectly.
пусть даже отрывочно и несовершенно.
other people's experiences
выслушивать переживания других.
that there were entire lives
about everything that I was missing.
обо всём, что я упускала.
were never gonna get to experience
in New York city.
after your first kiss feels like,
после твоего первого поцелуя
когда выпал первый снег.
I wanted to tell them.
поделиться, рассказать.
and sharing stories and collecting them.
собирая истории и делясь ими с другими.
I can't always rush poetry.
всё время погонять поэзию.
there's this challenge
празднике поэзии,
community participate in,
многие известные поэты,
for the entire month of April.
for the first time
at which I was able to produce poetry.
как быстро я крапала эти стихи.
back at these 30 poems I had written
я оглянулась на написанное
all trying to tell the same story,
одна единственная история,
out the way that it wanted to be told.
определить то, как я хочу её рассказать.
of other stories on an even larger scale.
для множества других историй.
tried to tell for years,
излить многие годы —
searching for the right words.
и пытаясь найти нужные слова.
by the name of Paul Valéry
finished, it is only abandoned.
re-editing and rewriting forever
и переписывать до бесконечности,
when a poem is finished
что надо остановиться
my very obsessive nature
and the perfect words and the right form.
на любой вопрос в идеальной форме.
and work through things.
doesn't mean that I've solved
не означает разрешить то,
свои старые стихи
where I was at that moment
о том, кем я была именно в то время,
over for years and years
преткновением многие годы,
the prefect form,
что нашла совершенную форму,
in search of a better way to tell it.
в поисках совершенства.
оглянувшись в прошлое,
this is where I was at this moment
то мгновение, где я была тогда,
in this room, with you.
вместе с вами в этом зале.
to get your hands dirty.
когда надо засучить рукава.
for most of it, fumbling was a given.
сомнения и неуверенность очевидны.
contrast, more saturation,
более насыщенно, более контрастно,
прогрессивное мышление.
chemicals, longer up to your wrist.
химию на белой дорожке.
военно-морским фотографом.
with his sleeves rolled up,
с засученными рукавами
the sailor man come to life.
из Голливудских мультфильмов
и волосатой грудью,
with a smirk and a hobby.
с той же улыбкой и хобби.
much about photography,
разбирается ли он в фотографии,
Europe like a map,
словно по карте —
of a fighter plane,
read his way home.
что бы узнать, как добраться домой.
they would put their weapons out to rest,
они забывали свое оружие.
and the cameras home with him.
и фотокамеры.
into a family affair.
в семейный бизнес.
world of black and white.
белого и чёрного.
the tiny clicks and slides
познали тончайшие движения
плёнки, заправляемой в камеру,
but not the art.
но не искусство, стоящее за ним.
spent his time following light.
всю жизнь следовал за светом.
to follow a forest fire,
преследуя лесные пожары,
в руках неделями.
I only recognize from photographs.
только частями.
with the creaky hallways,
со скрипящими лестницами,
white walls and cold floors.
белыми стенами и холодными полами.
before she was mother.
до того, как она стала матерью.
она была актрисой.
all the way up to the ceiling,
an 8x10 bed enlarger
и 8х10 фотоувеличитель,
by a giant hand crank,
при помощи солидного рычага.
in and out from the wall.
with basketball hands,
с руками баскетболиста,
от чердака на Вустер
with red balloons and yellow icing.
красными шарами и жёлтым мороженым.
without freckles,
в девочку без веснушек,
did not have darkrooms in their houses,
нет тёмной проявочной комнаты,
hair and bubble gum cheeks.
и розовыми щёчками.
in that house near the park.
the sweet potato boy,
and said their prayers,
became a house under ash, so they escaped
покрылся пеплом, и надо было его покинуть.
в фотолабораторию.
was built for an artist,
построен для творчества,
do not hold in the yelling
и эхо, исчезающее где-то там,
put his weapons out to rest.
отложил свой инструмент отдохнуть.
and no maps pointed home.
и карты не указали ему дорогу домой.
his fists into his mouth
went treasure hunting on her own.
пошла искать своё сокровище сама.
with the creaky hallways
со скрипящими лестницами
she found a note,
она нашла записку,
left over from a time before towers,
оставленную с прошлых времён,
the girl who works in the darkroom."
кто там в темноте с негативами».
picked up a camera again.
как мой отец снова взял камеру в руки.
the Christmas lights,
улиц в Рождественских огнях
New York City's trees,
from out of the darkest darks.
смотрящие на него из темноты.
across the country to follow a forest fire
следуя стихийным пожарам,
it with his camera,
in the margins of my notebook.
на краях моей школьной тетрадки.
the art of embracing.
поглощать всё окружающее нас.
the art of letting go.
наблюдать, как всё идёт своим чередом.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sarah Kay - PoetA performing poet since she was 14 years old, Sarah Kay is the founder of Project VOICE, an organization that uses spoken word poetry as a literacy and empowerment tool.
Why you should listen
Plenty of 14-year-old girls write poetry. But few hide under the bar of the famous Bowery Poetry Club in Manhattan’s East Village absorbing the talents of New York’s most exciting poets. Not only did Sarah Kay do that -- she also had the guts to take its stage and hold her own against performers at least a decade her senior. Her talent for weaving words into poignant, funny, and powerful performances paid off.
Sarah holds a Masters degree in the art of teaching from Brown University and an honorary doctorate in humane letters from Grinnell College. Her first book, B, was ranked the number one poetry book on Amazon.com. Her second book, No Matter the Wreckage, is available from Write Bloody Publishing.
Sarah also founded Project VOICE, an organization that uses spoken word poetry as a literacy and empowerment tool. Project VOICE runs performances and workshops to encourage people to engage in creative self-expression in schools and communities around the world.
Sarah Kay | Speaker | TED.com