JACQUES REBOTIER

Le Charnier


Le   charnier   enterre   volontiers  ses  surplus,
américains ou non. Il convient de les recouvrir
d'une  fine  couche  de  détritus,  de préférence
ménagers,  qui  pourrissent  mieux.  Les corps
alors   voyagent   en   toute  sécurité. On  peut
même parler d'harmonie.


The Mass Grave
    
            
The  mass  grave  buries  all  its bodies gladly,
American or not.   It should be covered with a
thin layer of garbage, preferably domestic, for
better  rotting.   The  bodies   can  then  travel
safely. You could even say harmoniously.


                            
                            Translated by Zachary Schomburg


 
71   The Paris-American

Jacques Rebotier is a poet, actor, director and composer. He has written over a dozen books of poems. These translations are from his  book of poems, Quelques Animaux de
Transport et de Compagnie (Harpo &, 2004). He was born in 1950 and is French. More information can be found here: www.rebotier.net/

Zachary Schomburg is the author of The Man Suit (2007), Scary, No Scary (2009), Fjords vol. 1 (2012), and a forthcoming book called The Book of Joshua. He co-edits Octopus Books and co-curates the Bad Blood Reading Series in Portland, OR.

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   Next week's poet:

 Christopher Kondrich
 Winner of the 2013 The Paris-American Reading Series Contest