Mario Benedetti RIP

18 May 2009 | ,

Today, I woke up with the news of the death of Mario Benedetti, a Uruguayan poet that accompanied me during and since the tedium of my teenage years, a constant in my life, a voice of dissent, a compromise to politics and literature. He showed me that poetry can make you laugh, really laugh. He was even there on one of my favourite movies, reciting in German, of all languages. He featured on my wedding day, my masters dissertation, my love letters and will come alive again during my goodbyes.Today is a very sad day.

No te salves | Don’t Save Yourself | by Mario Benedetti

Don’t remain immobile
At the edge of the road
Don’t freeze the joy
Don’t love with reluctance
Don’t save yourself now
or ever
Don’t save yourself
Don’t fill with calm
Don’t reserve in the world
Only a secure place
Don’t let your eyelids fall
Heavily as judgments
Don’t speak without lips
Don’t sleep without sleepiness
Don’t imagine yourself without blood
Don’t judge yourself without time.
But if
in spite of everything
You can’t help it,
And you freeze the joy,
And you love with reluctance,
And you save yourself now,
And you fill with calm
And you reserve in the world
Only a calm place,
And you let fall your eyelids
Heavily as judgments,
And you speak without lips,
And you sleep without sleepiness,
And you imagine yourself without blood,
And you judge yourself without time,
And you remain immobile
At the edge of the road,
And you save yourself,
Then…
Don’t stay with me.

No te quedes inmóvil al borde del camino
no congeles el júbilo
no quieras con desgana
no te salves ahora
ni nunca.

No te salves
no te llenes de calma
no reserves del mundo
sólo un rincón tranquilo
no dejes caer lo párpados
pesados como juicios
no te quedes sin labios
no te duermas sin sueño
no te pienses sin sangre
no te juzgues sin tiempo.

Pero si
pese a todo
no puedes evitarlo
y congelas el jubilo
y quieres con desgana
y te salvas ahora
y te llenas de calma
y reservas del mundo
sólo un rincón tranquilo
y dejas caer los párpados
pesados como juicios
y te secas sin labios
y te duermes sin sueño
y te piensas sin sangre
y te juzgas sin tiempo
y te quedas inmóvil
al borde del camino
y te salvas
entonces
no te quedes conmigo


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