SO LONG LEONARD COHEN

Leonard  Cohen foi um cantor, compositor e poeta canadiano que morreu aos, 82 anos, no dia 7 de Novembro.

Embora seja mais conhecido pelas suas canções (como Hallelujah, entre outras) que alcançaram notoriedade tanto na sua voz quanto na de outros intérpretes, Cohen dedicou-se à música apenas depois dos 30 anos, já consagrado como autor de romances e livros de poesia.

Em 1956, lançou seu primeiro livro de poesia, Let Us Compare Mythologies, seguido, em 1961 por The Spice Box of Earth, que lhe conferiria fama internacional.

Viveu na Grécia, onde continuou a escrever poesia e romance. Quando decidiu enveredar pela composição de canções, instalou-se nos Estados Unidos. Em 1967 lança o seu primeiro disco Songs of Leonard Cohen,  bem recebido pelo público e crítica. (Wikipédia, adaptado)

É este disco que eu guardo em casa e ao qual regresso sempre que a nostalgia me invade. Dele constam as canções mais icónicas deste poeta, que muitos afirmam merecer, como Dylan, o Prémio Nobel. Aqui fica um dos seus poemas-canção (acabei de inventar o termo, acho…) 

 Suzanne

Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river

You can hear the boats go by

You can spend the night beside her

And you know that she's half crazy

But that's why you want to be there

And she feeds you tea and oranges

That come all the way from China

And just when you mean to tell her

That you have no love to give her

Then she gets you on her wavelength

And she lets the river answer

That you've always been her lover

And you want to travel with her

And you want to travel blind

And you know that she will trust you

For you've touched her perfect body

With your mind

And Jesus was a sailor

When he walked upon the water

And he spent a long time watching

From his lonely wooden tower

And when he knew for certain

Only drowning men could see him

He said "All men will be sailors then

Until the sea shall free them"

But he himself was broken

Long before the sky would open

Forsaken, almost human

He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone

And you want to travel with him

And you want to travel blind

And you think maybe you'll trust him

For he's touched your perfect body

With his mind

Now Suzanne takes your hand

And she leads you to the river

She is wearing rags and feathers

From Salvation Army counters

And the sun pours down like honey

On our lady of the harbour

And she shows you where to look

Among the garbage and the flowers

There are heroes in the seaweed

There are children in the morning

They are leaning out for love

And they will lean that way forever

While Suzanne holds the mirror

And you want to travel with her

And you want to travel blind

And you know that you can trust her

For she's touched your perfect body

With her mind