Translation of the song Allende artist Mario Benedetti

Para matar al hombre de la paz

ALLENDE 1

para golpear su frente limpia de pesadillas

To kill the man of peace,

tuvieron que convertirse en pesadilla

to hit his forehead clean from nightmares,

para vencer al hombre de la paz

they had to become a nightmare.

tuvieron que congregar todos los odios

To defeat the man of peace,

y ademas los aviones y los tanques

they had to gather all the hatreds

para batir al hombre de la paz

and also the airplanes and the tanks.

tuvieron que bombardearlo hacerlo llama

To beat the man of peace,

porque el hombre de la paz era una fortaleza

they had to bomb him, set him in flames,

Para matar al hombre de la paz

To kill the man of peace,

tuvieron que desatar la guerra turbia

they had to unleash the turbulent war.

para vencer al hombre de la paz

To defeat the man of peace

y acallar su voz modesta y taladrante

and silence his modest and drilling voice,

tuvieron que empujar el terror hasta el abismo

they had to push terror to the abyss

y matar más para seguir matando

and kill more to keep killing.

para batir al hombre de la paz

To beat the man of peace,

tuvieron que asesinarlo muchas veces

they had to kill him many times,

porque el hombre de la paz era una fortaleza

because the man of peace was a fortress.

Para matar al hombre de la paz

To kill the man of peace,

tuvieron que imaginar que era una tropa

they had to imagine that it was a troop,

una armada una hueste una brigada

a navy, a mob, a brigade.

tuvieron que creer que era otro ejército

They had to believe that it was another army,

pero el hombre de la paz era tan sólo un pueblo

but the man of peace was only a people 2

y tenía en sus manos un fusil y un mandato

and he had in his hands a rifle and a mandate

y eran necesarios más tanques más rencores

and more tanks were needed, more grudges,

más bombas más aviones más oprobios

more bombs, more planes, more ignominies,

porque el hombre del paz era una fortaleza

because the man of peace was a fortress.

Para matar al hombre de la paz

To kill the man of peace,

para golpear su frente limpia de pesadillas

to hit his forehead clean from nightmares,

tuvieron que convertirse en pesadilla

they had to become a nightmare.

para vencer al hombre de la paz

To defeat the man of peace,

tuvieron que afiliarse para siempre a la muerte

they had to forever affiliate themselves with death,

matar y matar más para seguir matando

kill and kill more to continue killing

y condenarse a la blindada soledad

and condemn themselves to armored loneliness.

para matar al hombre que era un pueblo

To kill the man who was a people,2

tuvieron que quedarse sin el pueblo

they had to end up without the people.