聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥淭he day of his death was a dark cold day鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淭he death of the poet is kept from his poems鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 (From 鈥淚n Memory of W.B. Yeats鈥� by W.H. Auden, lines 6, 11)
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Leonard Cohen was a rare poet, and we are left to ponder the impact of his gifts.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Infrequently do we find someone who so successfully makes a living as a poet. And that may be a reflection of how little we value art in our lives.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Leonard Cohen touched our lives. As an English teacher I was privileged to share his poetry with students from the 1960s to the 1990s. He was popular with students and their parents. How did this happen?
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The role of the poet is to entertain the people, to drive away their cares and to put them in touch with God. I borrow here from Shevchenko鈥檚 鈥淧erebendia.鈥� The poet tricks the people with his 鈥榢obza,鈥� or his music. But at night Perebendia sits on the grave mounds and communes with his God.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The grandson of a rabbi, Cohen grew up immersed in Jewish culture. 鈥淏asically he was born to be a rabbi,鈥� said biographer Sylvie Simmons. Cohen was deeply spiritual. In his last album You Want It Darker he says, 鈥淗ineni, hineni鈥� or 鈥渉ere I am,鈥� I鈥檓 ready to act in service.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In his letter to a dying Marianne he says, 鈥渨e are really so old and our bodies are falling apart and I think I will follow you very soon鈥� if you stretch out your hand, I think you can reach mine."
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Of Jesus Cohen says, 鈥淎ny guy who says 'Blessed are the poor. Blessed are the meek' has got to be a figure of unparalleled generosity鈥� A generosity that would overthrow the world if it was embraced because nothing would weather that compassion.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Spiritual all his life, Cohen was ordained a Buddhist monk in 1996 and spent some time in a monastery. The depth of his daily walk with God impacts us as well. He took his religion very seriously. As a result his readers are more in touch with the Bible:
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚s there no Joab for tomorrow night
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥渨ith his three darts
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥渁nd a great heap of stone?鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 (Prayer for Sunset, Leonard Cohen)
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The sun has set for Cohen, but the power of his poetry lives on. The raw sensuality of his lyrics appeals to us:
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淢y mouth on the dew of your thighs.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淎nd I'll bury my soul in a scrapbook,
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲ith the photographs there, and the moss.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淎nd I'll yield to the flood of your beauty鈥� (Take this Waltz)
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淪ilence
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥渁nd a deeper silence
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥渨hen the crickets
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淗esitate.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淟ike a bird on a wire
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淟ike a drunk in a midnight choir,
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 have tried in my life to be free.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e not feeling holy, your loneliness
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥渟ays that you鈥檝e sinned.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淭here is a crack in everything,
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淭hat鈥檚 how the light gets in.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 have tried in my way to be free.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 did my best, it wasn鈥檛 much鈥� I鈥檝e told the truth, I didn鈥檛 come all this way to fool you.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Cohen described writing poetry as 鈥渟acred mechanics.鈥� As a wordsmith he gave proof to Coleridge's dictum that poetry is the best words in the best order.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Cohen used his gift to praise God, even though his attempts sometimes seemed to him like 鈥渁 cold and very lonely hallelujah.鈥� Saint and sinner, in the end Cohen stood before his God 鈥渨ith nothing on [his] tongue but hallelujah.鈥�
