Anne Portugal’s domestic robots (mistranslations)
A version of this text was published in French, thirty years ago: Anne Portugal, Fichier (Paris: Chandeigne, 1992). The author of this old book has given her approval on the mistranslations you are about to read. In this piece, I translate these short poems and "update" their odd, kinky mechanics to our generation of constant @ing and chatting.
@model1 I loosen the strap
of her swimsuit
our hasty breaths combine
in her hand I put
the list of operations & her medical records
her waist so thin
wooden leg
@model2
I curl her hair real tight
with wood pencils
it gives me enough time to say
you might as well
be another
@model3 I cry
faking an old man’s hypochondria
mess her up with my rugged feet
& suddenly
stop
@model4 her stare
reminds me of gun ports
battle of Pharsalus
her eyes capsize me
& fifty terrorized crewmen
@model5 I tell her
my mom is at the hospital
& I can’t stand her
before bedtime I run
the vacuum cleaner
deep inside her armpits
@model6
I peel her skin
like an orange
and I tie her around my wrists
& I dance without looking back
where’s my beauty prize?
@model7 I spare her
from undressing
I light her up with a match
judging by the smoke
how disastrously
she’s lit
@model8
with the help of a reed
I breathe
she touches my parts
cuts them in half
with a pie server
@model9 I’m inflating her ears
with a new world symphony
I play dead
train stop
@model10 luminescent
bedside tables
I keep telling her crap
I want her to keep her eyes open
with baler twine
@model11 the water still runs
derails the first porter
her right ankle
is the 1st stone I spot
I tie a dinghy to it
Leon Pradeau is a poet, translator, and PhD candidate at the University of Chicago. He writes in French and English; his current book project, titled "Body Work. Introductions", explores curiosities and adaptations to American culture, especially around machines and commodities that shape the life of this country. A few of his poems have been published in French journals; with his colleague Clara Nizard, he has translated a volume by Cécile Mainardi, 'Rose Mortal Activity'. Parts of it are forthcoming in FENCE this Summer.