Farewell Don Mario

Farewell Don Mario

I enjoy reading a lot, especially fiction; I have never been into poetry, though, until I came across Mario Benedetti’s poems.

Benedetti, one of Uruguay’s best-known writers, was born in 1920 into an Italian immigrant family and unfortunately passed away on May 17, 2009 in Montevideo, Uruguay. He was considered one of Latin America’s most important 20th century writers.

In his first popular book of poetry, Poemas de la oficina (Poems from the Office, 1956), Benedetti shows his sympathetic understanding of the slow, unspectacular life of the Montevideo middle classes, caught up in their small world of everyday struggles and tensions. In 1960, he published La Tregua (The Truce), by far his most successful novel, which was made into a film that was nominated for an Oscar in 1974.

Although Benedetti was not well known in the English-speaking world, he was extremely popular in Latin America and Spain. Adolescents still share his love poems, and read his work in home videos posted on YouTube—especially "Don't Save Yourself" (my favorite), which urges people to take risks, and "Let's Make a Deal," about unconditional friendship.

Here is my favorite poem by Benedetti in English and Spanish.

Don’t Save Yourself / No te salves 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 los 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