I spent last weekend the way I spend a lot of weekends: singing Protestant hymns at the top of my lungs with friends from around the country.
上個週末，我過了很多週末：和來自全國各地的朋友一起唱著新教的讚美詩。
Sacred Harp singing is an a cappella hymn tradition that has a long history in New England and the rural south and is now sung all over the US and in several other countries.
神聖的豎琴演唱是一種無伴奏讚美詩的傳統，在新英格蘭和南部農村有著悠久的歷史，現在美國各地和其他幾個國家都有唱。
The powerful harmonies gripped me the moment I walked into my first singing 16 years ago.
16年前，當我走進我的第一次唱歌的那一刻，強大的和聲抓住了我。
Sacred Harp is one of the great joys in my life.
神聖的豎琴是我生活中最大的樂趣之一。
I started singing simply because it made me happy, but as my relationship with this music and the community of people who make it deepens, I often find myself thinking about what people find in Sacred Harp and how it helps us grow as human beings.
我開始唱歌只是因為它讓我快樂，但隨著我與這種音樂的關係以及製作它的人社區的加深，我經常發現自己在思考人們在神聖的豎琴中找到了什麼，以及它如何幫助我們作為人類成長。
Most humans desire to know and be known by others.
大多數人都渴望知道並被他人所認識。
I believe Sacred Harp singing can help us fulfill those desires.
我相信神聖的豎琴演唱可以幫助我們滿足這些願望。
Singing together is an intimate act.
一起唱歌是一種親密的行為。
Many of us feel self-conscious about our voices and worry that we will be ridiculed if we sing in front of other people.
我們中的許多人對自己的聲音感到害羞，擔心當我們在別人面前唱歌時會被嘲笑。
Many of our musical experiences today are mediated by recordings, where every sour note and missed entrance has been corrected.
我們今天的許多音樂體驗都是通過錄音來調解的，其中每一個酸澀的音符和錯過的入口都被糾正了。
We are constantly listening to perfect performances, and it is no wonder we are afraid to open our mouths lest we make a mistake.
我們不斷地聆聽完美的表演，難怪我們害怕張開嘴巴以免犯錯誤。
In Sacred Harp singing, every voice is welcome, whether trained or untrained, raspy or mellifluous.
在神聖的豎琴演唱中，每一個聲音都是受歡迎的，無論是受過訓練的或未受過訓練的，沙啞的或甜美的。
We embrace the vulnerability of singing together, sharing our voices with each other, warts and all.
我們擁抱一起唱歌的脆弱，彼此分享我們的聲音，疣和所有。
Through this vulnerable act, we know each other and are known.
通過這種脆弱的行為，我們相互瞭解，相互瞭解。
We also honor each other’s vulnerability by being gentle with each other.
我們也通過溫柔的對待來尊重彼此的脆弱。
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