Does anybody know if there are analyses of this poem available somewhere?
Cheers // Wolf
The Energy of Slaves, No 55
Re: The Energy of Slaves, No 55
Do you mean - Crying, Come back Hero?
If not could you give a first line - so much easier.
If you do - not that I know of, but you could always post it here. There are some very clever people around who might be able to give you some insight.
Cate
If not could you give a first line - so much easier.
If you do - not that I know of, but you could always post it here. There are some very clever people around who might be able to give you some insight.
Cate
Re: The Energy of Slaves, No 55
Thank you for replying! I see, "Crying, Come back, hero" is on page 55 in the 1972 edition I have. This edition has a number for each poem and on page 64 there is No. 55 beginning with the line "You need her"
Cheers // Wolf
Cheers // Wolf
Re: The Energy of Slaves, No 55
This is driving me nuts - that nobody's responded to this.
But the poem below, which occurs about 3 down from it,
seems to me to explain it pretty good.
and Hydra.
Or better - just enjoy the poems!
I don't know what it means.You need her
so you can get
your boots off the bedspread
We who have always ruled the world
don't like the way you dance
And she said, I for one
am happy with the world
She seized the lapel of a cut-throat
and said it again
with all her small voice trembling,
I for one am happy with the world
I don't know if I want to kill her or not
But the poem below, which occurs about 3 down from it,
seems to me to explain it pretty good.
Read up on Leonard Cohen, Axel Jensen, Marianne,I sit with the old men
watching you dance
We never found a way
to outwit your husband
I suggested a simple lie
You held out for murder
I buy a yellow pencil
for the sake of innocence
I leave you to your husband
and a Greek marine on leave
who is touching you too much
touching you too much
In my small courtyard
the trees whisper to my soul
I have been in love with them
all my life
their company is sweet
they no longer rule the world
and Hydra.
Or better - just enjoy the poems!
Re: The Energy of Slaves, No 55
Greg,
Thank you for your reply! I think it is fair to say that Leonard has written quite a lot staying in Hydra -- more than most people would guess and also in recent years. And you are definitely right that there is a continuity between poems in The Energy of Slaves. I am working on an analysis of the poem and I basically exclude all references to Leonard's biography, I also want to see how the poem can be understand as a unit in itself. I am brooding over some 'arythmical' aspects of the poem, in the first line e.g. there are several ways of emphasizing the three words. To me this mirrors some kind of frustration inherent in the poem. Also, the first "You" is enigmatic, is it you (one), we,I? Further, in the poem itself, there is no evidence that it is a man speaking, although one would assume that -- "We who have always ruled the world"...
And why do you need her in the first stanza -- association: to die with your boots on.
I think it is a fascinating poem, I get all sorts of images from it in itself. But maybe I should also analyze it in the continuity of the book some day.
Cheers // Wolf
Thank you for your reply! I think it is fair to say that Leonard has written quite a lot staying in Hydra -- more than most people would guess and also in recent years. And you are definitely right that there is a continuity between poems in The Energy of Slaves. I am working on an analysis of the poem and I basically exclude all references to Leonard's biography, I also want to see how the poem can be understand as a unit in itself. I am brooding over some 'arythmical' aspects of the poem, in the first line e.g. there are several ways of emphasizing the three words. To me this mirrors some kind of frustration inherent in the poem. Also, the first "You" is enigmatic, is it you (one), we,I? Further, in the poem itself, there is no evidence that it is a man speaking, although one would assume that -- "We who have always ruled the world"...
And why do you need her in the first stanza -- association: to die with your boots on.
I think it is a fascinating poem, I get all sorts of images from it in itself. But maybe I should also analyze it in the continuity of the book some day.
Cheers // Wolf