Decreto
Yo no seré festín de gusanos,
a mí me han de quemar.
Me perturba imaginarme expuesto,
granjeando miradas lastimeras.
Frente a mis frustrados verdugos,
me exaspera la conmiseración.
Antes que contritos fisgones
se inclinen para mirar
los despojos de mi cuerpo;
hediondo e inflamado,
apenas un doctor experto
tenga la certeza de que me he ido
en el viaje sin retorno;
que en la tierra no se alegren
esos bichos rastreros;
a mí no me harán polvo,
a mí me han de quemar
Decree
I shall not be a feast for worms—
they must burn me.
It disturbs me to imagine myself exposed,
earning pitiful stares.
Before my thwarted executioners,
pity infuriates me.
Rather than have contrite snoops
lean in to inspect
the remains of my body—
putrid and bloated—
let only a skilled doctor
be sure I’ve embarked
on that one-way journey.
Let the earth not rejoice
for those crawling vermin;
I will not become dust—
they must burn me.
(Translated from the Spanish by Jorge R. G. Sagastume)
