Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Nazih Abou Afach

BURIAL ADDRESS

The dead multiplied and the soil was fed.
While we said to them: “You righteous servants, don’t die all on one side!”
While we said to them: “Think of the soil’s power!”
No earth, not any earth can take in this amount of stale bones and flesh.
The dead must discover the necessary good manners and patience.
The righteous dead must stand in peaceable and organised ranks.
The dead must cooperate. They must trust the efficiency of their gods. They must listen to the mob, the unbelievers and the poets of lost time.
The dead must be content. They must trust to the shepherds of their ghosts, for a long while or short, so as to be led  to the grave together, each according to their ability, each according to the weight of their corpse, each according to their blood group, their baptism date and the sequence of their national identity number.
The dead must believe that the gods will not put them to death to be buried in living nakedness.
And, pending the acquisition of new land, new cemeteries and the darknesses of new eternities,
the dead must wait their turn for burial.
The dead must be well behaved.


GRAFREDE

Er zijn veel doden en er is weinig grond
Hoe vaak hebben we hun gezegd: Beste gelovigen, ga niet allemaal tegelijk dood!
Hoe vaak hebben we hun gezegd: Denk aan wat de grond aankan!
De aarde kan net zo min als enige andere aarde deze massa’s botten en stinkend vlees aan
De doden moeten zo vriendelijk zijn het nodige fatsoen en geduld te hebben
De gelukzalige doden moeten in vreedzame, gedisciplineerde rijen staan
De doden moeten meewerken. Ze moeten vertrouwen op bekwaamheid van hun goden en niet luisteren naar het gepeupel of naar ketters en dichters van vervlogen tijden
De doden moeten rustig zijn. Ze moeten erop vertrouwen dat de bewakers van hun duisternis of het lang of kort duurt, in staat zijn iedereen te begraven – elk naar geschiktheid, lichaamsmaten, bloedgroep, doopdatum en burgerservicenummer
Ze moeten geloven dat de goden hen niet laten sterven om in de open lucht te worden begraven
Totdat nieuwe gronden, nieuwe begraafplaatsen en nieuwe eeuwige duisternissen zijn ingericht:
Moeten ze gewoon op hun beurt wachten
Moeten ze beleefd zijn

Close

BURIAL ADDRESS

The dead multiplied and the soil was fed.
While we said to them: “You righteous servants, don’t die all on one side!”
While we said to them: “Think of the soil’s power!”
No earth, not any earth can take in this amount of stale bones and flesh.
The dead must discover the necessary good manners and patience.
The righteous dead must stand in peaceable and organised ranks.
The dead must cooperate. They must trust the efficiency of their gods. They must listen to the mob, the unbelievers and the poets of lost time.
The dead must be content. They must trust to the shepherds of their ghosts, for a long while or short, so as to be led  to the grave together, each according to their ability, each according to the weight of their corpse, each according to their blood group, their baptism date and the sequence of their national identity number.
The dead must believe that the gods will not put them to death to be buried in living nakedness.
And, pending the acquisition of new land, new cemeteries and the darknesses of new eternities,
the dead must wait their turn for burial.
The dead must be well behaved.


BURIAL ADDRESS

The dead multiplied and the soil was fed.
While we said to them: “You righteous servants, don’t die all on one side!”
While we said to them: “Think of the soil’s power!”
No earth, not any earth can take in this amount of stale bones and flesh.
The dead must discover the necessary good manners and patience.
The righteous dead must stand in peaceable and organised ranks.
The dead must cooperate. They must trust the efficiency of their gods. They must listen to the mob, the unbelievers and the poets of lost time.
The dead must be content. They must trust to the shepherds of their ghosts, for a long while or short, so as to be led  to the grave together, each according to their ability, each according to the weight of their corpse, each according to their blood group, their baptism date and the sequence of their national identity number.
The dead must believe that the gods will not put them to death to be buried in living nakedness.
And, pending the acquisition of new land, new cemeteries and the darknesses of new eternities,
the dead must wait their turn for burial.
The dead must be well behaved.


Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
Lira fonds
Versopolis
J.E. Jurriaanse
Gefinancierd door de Europese Unie
Elise Mathilde Fonds
Stichting Verzameling van Wijngaarden-Boot
Veerhuis
VDM
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère