Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Mario Benedetti: "Don't Give Up"



















Don't give up, you still have time
to reach up and start anew,
Accept your shadows,
Bury your fears,
Free your burdens,
Fly again.

Don't give up, that's what life is
Continue the journey,
Follow your dreams,
Unstuck time,
Move the rubble,
And uncover the sky.

Don't give up, please don't give way,
Even if the cold burns,
Even if fear bites,
Even if the sun sets,
And the wind goes silent,
There is still fire in your soul
There is still life in your dreams.

Because life is yours and yours is the desire
Because you have loved it and because I love you
Because wine exists and love is true.
Because there are no wounds that time doesn't cure.

To open the doors,
Take away the locks,
Abandon the walls that have protected you,
To live life and accept the challenge
Get back laughter,
Practice a song,
Lower the guard and extend the hands
Open the wings
And try again,
Celebrate life and take back the skies.

Don't give up, please don't give way,
Even if the cold burns,
Even if fear bites,
Even if the sun sets,
And the wind goes silent,
There is still fire in your soul
There is still life in your dreams.

Because every day is a new beginning,
Because this is the hour and the best moment.
Because you are not alone, because I love you.


"Don't Give Up" by Mario Benedetti, from unknown source. Text as posted on Peripateia (07/06/12), translated by John Hemingway. English and original Spanish are found at this link. If anyone has further source information, please share.

Art credit: "There Is Always Hope," wallpaper (also by various other names) by unknown photographer.


7 comments :

  1. How on earth do you write like that? Thank you for lifting my day.

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    Replies
    1. I wish Mario were here to answer your question!

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    2. Yes sadly, I should have put how did he write like that? It has set me on the path of reading his other work. Thank you.

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    3. Okay to talk to him. He's still there in his poem, somewhere. :)

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  2. This is a gorgeous poem. However, I'm bothered by the line "unstuck time" because it feels like a translation error given the tense of the other verbs. I looked at the source and the Spanish version has "destrabar el tiempo". Looking that up on Google Translate, which is not necessarily an awesome source, I got "unlock" as the translation of "destrabar", which feels like a better fit. I hope someone who's fluent in both languages happens by and might respond someday.

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    Replies
    1. I see what you mean and I will read it like that in future

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