Do Not Spare Yourself

Do Not Spare Yourself By Maria Popova The only thing more dangerous than wanting to save another person — a dangerous desire too often mistaken for love — is wanting to save yourself, to spare yourself the disappointment and heartbreak and loss inseparable from being a creature with hopes and longings constantly colliding with reality, with the indifference of time and chance, with the opposing hopes and longings of others. We have, of course, always invented institutions of salvation — religion to save us from our sins, therapy to save us from our traumas, marriage to save us from our loneliness — in order to salve our suffering, which is the price we pay for the fulness of living. And salve it we must, yet there is no damnation greater than spending our allotted days in the catatonia of comfort and certainty, our inner lives automated by habit and halogen lit by convenience. To try to save ourselves from the despair by which we contour hope, to spare ourselves the fertile doubt and the gasps of self-surprise by which we discover who we really are, is to live a safe distance from alive. That is what the Uruguayan novelist, journalist, and poet Mario Benedetti (September 14, 1920–May 17, 2009) explores in his astonishing poem “No Te Salves” — part indictment, part invitation, reminding us that we most often break our hearts on the hard edges of our own fear of living, on the parts of us so petrified that they have become brittle to the touch of life, the touch of love. Since I didn’t feel that the standard English translation quite captures the urgency and intimacy of the original language, I have translated it anew. It is read here in the original Spanish by my friend Karen Maldonado (who introduced me to the poem), in English and Bulgarian by me, and in Russian by my mother (who translated it into Russian and our native Bulgarian), to the sound of Bach’s Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major. NO TE SALVES por Mario BenedettiNo 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 tiempopero si pese a todo no puedes evitarlo y congelas el júbilo 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. DO NOT SPARE YOURSELF by Mario Benedetti translated by Maria PopovaDon’t stand motionless by the side of the road don’t petrify your joy don’t desire with reserve do not spare yourself now or ever do not spare yourself don’t fill up on tranquility don’t claim from the world only a quiet corner don’t let your eyelids fall heavy as judgments don’t remain lipless don’t fall asleep unready to dream don’t think yourself bloodless don’t deem yourself out of timebut if in spite of it all you can’t help it and petrify your joy and desire with reserve and spare yourself now and fill up on tranquility and claim from the world only a quiet corner and let your eyelids fall heavy as judgments and remain lipless and fall asleep unready to dream and think yourself bloodless and deem yourself out of time and stand motionless on the side of the road and you have been spared then do not stay with me. НЕ СЕ ЩАДИ Марио Бенедети превод от Лилия ПоповаНе стой неподвижно край пътя не вкаменявай радостта си не желай неохотно не се щади сега и никога не се щади не се изпълвай с покой не искай от света само едно тихо кътче не позволявай на клепачите ти да паднат, тежки като присъди не оставай беззвучен не заспивай без сънища не се мисли за безсилен не се съди без времено ако все пак не успееш и вкамениш радостта си и желаеш неохотно и се щадиш сега и си изпълнен с покой и искаш от света само едно тихо кътче и позволиш клепачите ти да паднат, тежки като присъди и останеш беззвучен и заспиваш без сънища, и се мислиш за безсилен, и се съдиш без време и стоиш неподвижно край пътя и си пощаден тогава не оставай с мен. НЕ ЩАДИ СЕБЯ Марио Бенедети перевод Лилии ПоповойНе стой тихо на краю дороги не загораживай свою радость не желай с неохотой не щади себя сейчас и никогда не щади себя не исполняйся покоем не проси у мира только тихий уголок не дай опускаться векам твоим, тяжелыми, как приговор не оставайся безмолвным не усыпай без снов не думай, что безсилен не суди себя без временино если однако не сможеш и загораживаешь свою радость и желаеш с неохотой и щадишь себя сейчас и навсегда и исполнен покоем и просишь у мира только тихий уголок и даеш опускаться векам своим, тяжелыми, как приговор и остаешься безмолвным и засыпаешь без снов и думаешь, что ты бессилен и судишь себя без времени и стоишь тихо на краю дороги и щадишь себя тогда не оставайся со мной. — Published July 12, 2026 — https://www.themarginalian.org/2026/07/12/no-te-salves/ — ABOUT CONTACT SUPPORT SUBSCRIBE Newsletter RSS CONNECT Facebook Twitter Instagram Tumblr