an analysis of "The Book of Longing - Leonard Cohen" (poetry and music as a journey?)

Considering my continued interest in music as a form of external influence on mark making, the use of poetic language in titling works of art, and that nagging question of why do I choose too make art, I find this poem by Leonard Cohen from his book of poetry 'The Book of Longing.' (2006) and the Philip Glass's "Book of Longing. Song Cycle Based on the Poetry and Artwork of Leonard Cohen." 2007.

I find the poem and the music to be reminiscent of a value I hold as being important in my own art work, this being the minimal element,

the poem is split into 10 Cantos with the finally canto repeated twice. The use of the Canto immediately makes me think of Dante Alighieri's "The Divine Comedy." (1308-1321) and the Journey Dante and Virgil take through the inferno, Purgatory, and finally to paradise. As soon as the link to the 'Divine Comedy' (1308-1321) is mentioned Gustav Dore's 1861 - 1868 engravings explode into my mind! I better keep on track though! (I find running away with these tangential thoughts so incredibly tempting but I have too make sure I write the things I have set out to write about first!)

 The music is in Philip glasses tradition of minimalism, I think there is a cello playing a two note central rhythm and possibly a deeper bass note maybe on another cello or double bass that supports the spoken Cantos, during the breaks in the spoken word there is what sounds like two violins and some sort of percussion, that reflect the spoken word with a slowly shifting melody, overall I think there is more shifting in the notes but in all honesty I don't really know much about composition so I cant really analyse it further than saying there is a slow shifting wave like progression that is beautiful simple and highly effective.

 

The book of longing

I can't make the hills
The system is shot
I'm living on pills
For which I thank G-d

I followed the course
From chaos to art
Desire the horse
Depression the cart

I sailed like a swan
I sank like a rock
But time is long gone
Past my laughing stock

My page was too white
My ink was too thin
The day wouldn't write
What the night pencilled in
 
My animal howls
My angel's upset
But I'm not allowed
A trace of regret 

I find this first section really powerful in that, too me, it speaks about the experience of life, the things we dedicate ourselves, the ambition of achievements and the realization of the unachievable. The struggle of continuing on our paths towards knowledge, the hope for peace in the face of suffering, the realities of actual experience and the hope of something beyond the actual, or at least a short lived equilibrium of desire and depression, sailing of the swan and sinking of the rock. 

The reliance of escapism in the numbing effects of "pills", or as I see it, the distractions from our ambitions, this could be something as simple as sleep, or just something that draws us away from the constant balancing of "chaos" and order ("Art"), and the inability to describe what is intangible within ourselves that is our utmost desire to express.

For someone will use
What I couldn't be
My heart will be hers
Impersonally

She'll step on the path
She'll see what I mean
My will cut in half
And freedom between

For less than a second
Our lives will collide
The endless suspended
The door open wide

In this second section I find there to be much more hope, the sense that all is not hopeless, the journey we undertake is not entirely absurd, our suffering was not for nothing. We can see that our lives are not meaningless as what we have experienced can be, for however briefly understood by another, our experience, our being, our suffering may serve a purpose for another. They will truly understand what we were about, "She" and "Me" will be linked, connected in a way that is indescribable, impossible to create synthetically and from what we can show them, they will not have to experience the suffering themselves, they can progress without being alone.

Then she will be born
To someone like you
What no one has done
She'll continue to do

I know she is coming
I know she will look
And that is the longing
And this is the book

In this final section, my reading of the text falls down slightly, the line "Then she will be born" is problematic in the analysis in that the "Then." (which in the spoken word sounds like "and") throws me off course. is the "She" spiritual or unborn?  I suppose I am reading the "Then" in a literal sense, as born doesn't necessarily mean physically born, it could be born into the mind frame that allows her to reach the understanding that is spoken about in the earlier section. 

This thought raises nice questions of our involvement in the poem, in that is Cohen speaking to us directly, knowing that we/I am making this analysis and through my analysis and identification with the poem we/I are also in some sense the writer of the poem? And when we relay our analysis (or in my case publish this analysis on to this blog) whoever listens to the music, reads the poem and reads the analysis is the "She"? and in becoming the "She" they become the "You" and the "Me"? 

That's pretty confusing! but really nice in itself. Are you the "She" reading this right now?

Whilst the second half of the poem is being read there is a lot more action within the music that is being played, the cello rhythm that was two notes at the beginning is taking on more notes and the violins seem to be becoming more varied at the introduction of the "She" in the poem. 

from the personal description in the first half of the poem where violins and voice are separate they begin to merge in the second half and the bass rhythm noticeably takes on more notes at the line "She'll continue to do".

I am not entirely sure why but I find spoken word  accompanied with a string melody so incredibly effective, it has an immediacy of emotion that I find very difficult not not to respond too. Right away I am reminded of the introductory song 'Dead Flag Blues' (1997) from Godspeed You! Black Emperor's Debut Album 'F♯ A♯ ∞' (1997) 

How does this relate to my work? why am I interested in this particular poem and music?

 What is becoming clear to me is that art, music, dance, poetry and so many other actions are in a very basic sense representation of  a journey, whether an emotional or physical experience, they hold a momentary description of  time. time being the great unending journey in which we all play out our own short narratives. 

I need to think a bit more about this before I start pulling apart what I mean. I think maybe the concept is a bit too big for me to jump into right now. 


 Bibliography

Alighieri D. 1308 -1321. The Divine Comedy 2008 New York; Barnes and Noble, Inc

Cohen, L,. 2006. The book of Longing. Canada; McClelland & Stewart Limited

Glass, P,. 2007, Book of Longing. Song Cycle Based on the Poetry and Artwork of Leonard Cohen. USA; Orange Mountain Music OMM0043

Godspeed You! Black Emperor,. 1997. F♯ A♯ ∞. Canada; Constellation Records. 
Þór, V,. 2011. Leonard Cohen - The Book of Longing. You tube. Available at; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hupyopGPpqw [Accessed 06 March 2015]