Robin Munby

Robin Munby is a literary translator from Liverpool, UK, based in Madrid. His translations from Spanish, Russian and Asturian have appeared in The Glasgow Review of Books, Wasafiri Magazine, Subtropics, World Literature Today, Poetry Ireland Review and World Poetry Review. His short story 'A New Vocabulary of Translation' appeared in the April 2023 issue of Asymptote.

---

Machado Version 2 [A orillas del Duero]

Unfested as of yet intact. Thoughtso till yesterday’s ingest.

I, intra, I gulf substrate to selfabsorb itsmatter,

selfdissect by precision of handtool, exhumanate.

To research that organdeep lying subjugate and abject

look to thisnow placidso this calmto innerchamber;

so still, lightpulsating not noiseful, it tending towards divinity

it towards a higher planar levelstate air notundulate

so be silent, be atleast be silentsound’s goodservant,

aspireye to this silence by incision by metalspike

burrow and probecreate, liferate in reduct indeepestdelve

the darkest places —carapace, interstice, ribcage, vesicle—.

Upon these bitter substrates multiplies the germ of heaven.

A vulture of widest wingspan up abovebody circles

itcruisng Idownbelow prone needing gutrest and stupor.

It sowatchfully, distant, like passing cloudmist like morningsky,

its birdseye watchingme repose then onwardflying outbeyond,

a passingby pilgrimwing over the asyet undead

—instruments deepinserted but a lifeforce therein still lingers—,

this bellyaching vulture will oneday return to Fleshpeck

digest thatloose raw supple meatmatter of my delicates

to denude my Goodsoul. —Goodsoul have Istill onewouldhopeso,

notso Befouledno, yet waiting my intest venomtotake—.

Watchingme still abovebody stillcircling you goodvulture

waitforme, toreachforthee and gripping you to heredescend;

comedownfor featherclawfeast, someone lovingly waiting

until your downfalling flightpath leaves you grounded, clawfootbesideme

resting your wingspan, vulture; our friendshipyet not shackled

only to feasting tofleshing to meatof mine but fraternal,

yes, circleyedowntome, ohpleasedo falltomyside,

oh dofriendlybe! —vulture, fondlythought while undersleep,

meanwhile the handtoool dissects, and under its subtlecuts

a onceso quietpopulace in stasis unhibernates

its Infest.

            Now Awake flecting on yesterday post factum

with Circumsect yes with Circumsect.

                                                Now awake awake now awake,

but what is awake conscious by virtue of selfalone,

or selfwith its innerguest, somecritter does intrahabit;

asacomrade liveswithin, symbiote with symbiote,

or corpsecorrupting seducing by virtue of sicknesssong

and for what, theseinsidesofmine so emptiedoflife lacking,

whythen now consume mehere, Awakened, consumed I live!

Cometosome understanding, usboth inunisonwhole,

youinside of this bodymine notvulture nornot parasite.

Consciously, sleeping or dreaming? The earthly corporeal

container, whenso teeming like hivestate can it happybe?

Usboth yes usboth, living, inthriving, calmso and placid;

swellsnot my eye but so lovely it is blinking in comes daylight.

Alone? Never now blinking I do senseyouthere within

sense your blueish bile water of God lapping my goodsoul.

Still intact but infest feeling mygoodsoul its venomwilltake,

whocansay now now tellmenow if venomfouled goodsoulcanbe.

Befriendme did not organdeep germ lightpulsating eye itsoothes,

itsmeat I Will Selfabsorb the eye Blinking backatme,

external now and intra unified, they meld unrepentant,

my meatitmelts to Goodmatter and yesnow pure Substrateflesh;

eat me, germ is mymorningsky moon mymetalspike sweet ingress,

usmelding us envenom too us placidso tender

friendlybe oh yes friendsbe, one substrate we uncorpsing,

releaseme I unvesicled flood out and rejoice, unburdened

of ribcage of sensor, made Populous, in total cohabitance,

infest me invest ingest, clutter my old soulbefouled.

Philosophers lapatmy sweet liquid my covenant

liferesins proliferate me study thisgermofmine;

beat your drums upon my dreamstate, behold this blinking eyeofmine,

higher than inhumanform now mouldy I Propagate,

my levelstatenow is undulate: in silence?

Drip drip drip trickles my soulsgoodflesh we surpass its warm limits.

Dearvulture featherclawbeast, donot circledowntome,

heredescend no more myformless myfeastless body wavesyouon.

The light goes outdeclining. And some farflung livingthings

slink beneath to safesanctuary saintliness they stillintact

—they asof yet to selfdissect yet toselfabsorb ungermed—.

And herenow this notnow abject once intact newfriendofmine;

it dripsdown to an afterlife, sweetescape, its ownvenomlake

to infest, to allbrefriend!... To attend its divinity.

Intra in inity intra intra in ity inity

in intra itsintrinity in in intropy infinite.

---