Lucky Night / Drank A Lot / The Great Divide

Debate on Leonard Cohen's poetry (and novels), both published and unpublished. Song lyrics may also be discussed here.
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Magy
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Joined: Sun Aug 29, 2021 12:51 pm

Lucky Night / Drank A Lot / The Great Divide

Post by Magy »

In the three poems "Lucky Night" and "Drank A Lot" in "The Flame" and in "The Great Divide" from "The Book of Longing", Leonard Cohen describes the meeting, separation and merging with his twin flame, the person incarnated on earth who has the same spiritual soul as him. These poems trace the different stages of the journey of the flames who recognize each other when they meet and feel an infinite, non-human love for each other, and who merge energetically when they are in each other's presence. As the two flames represent the two polarities of nature, Yin and Yang, their meeting is often accompanied by misunderstandings and frequent break-ups. In spite of these discords, the infinite love they feel for each other does not weaken or disappear, even if they are separated for years. This love is the manifestation of the common soul and divine love in their human person and in their life and initiates for each of them the reconnection to the divine and to the common soul.

To illustrate my point I will take examples from all three poems, as I believe they all tell the same story. The poem "Lucky Night" tells the story of reconnection to the divine and merging while the other two tell the whole story.

The encounter with the twin flame, which introduces them to the spiritual dimension of love, shatters the previous lives of both people. This is what Cohen describes in the following verses:

I drunk a lot. I lost my job.
I lived like nothing mattered.
then you stopped , and came accross
my little bridge of fallen answers.
(Drank A Lot)

In The Great Divide he blames his flame (or his soul) for not coming and never answering.

i drank a lot i lost my job
I lived like nothing mattered
And you, you never came accross
You never even answered
(The Great Divide)

The author keeps his flame and his soul at a distance and tries to live his life, independently of his love for his flame.

I don't recall what appened next
I keep you at a distance
(Drank A Lot)

Is was a blind and broken time
And kindness was forbidden
I guess I tried to hitch a ride
From acid to religion

I dont recall what happened next
I kept you at a distance
but tangled in the know of sex
my punishment was lifted.
(The Great Divide)

The despair of not being able to be with her flame and the dismay at the manifestation of absolute love are expressed in the following verses:

And Evelyn Guiding Light Was Gone
And Every Theacher Lying--
There Was No Truth In Moving On--
There Was No Truth In Dying.
(Drank A Lot)

But every guiding light was gone
And every good direction
(The Great Divide)

Leonard Cohen finds God and finds comfort in dialogue with God.

And lifted on a single breath--
No comming and no going--
Oh G-d, you are the only friend
I never thought of knowing.
(Drank A Lot)

I don't now how it's going to end
You always left that open
But oh, you are the only friend
I never thought of knowing
(The Great Divide)

This return to God allows Leonard Cohen to reconnect with his soul and follow his heart.

and not because of what i'd lost
and not for what i'd mastered
you stopped for me, and came across
the bridge of fallen answers.
(Drank A Lot)

But when the system had been shocked
beyond all recognition
the simple things that I'd forgotten
resumed their sweet position.
(The Great Divide)

But luck or not, I do it right
and no one sees me leaving
hidden, blind and secret night-
my heart the only beacon

But O that beacon lights my way
more surely than the sun,
and She is waiting for me there-
of all and all, the only One
(Lucky Night)

This reconnection is done in the calm and the secret.

Escaping through a secret gate
I made it to the border
And call it luck-or call it fate-
I left my house in order.

Disguised as one who lived in peace
I made it to the border
Though every atom of my heart
Was burning with desire.
(Drank A Lot)

And when I gathered up to leave
(The Great Divide)

Let's say that on that lucky night
I found my house in order
and I could slip away unseen
tho' burning with desire

Escaping down a secret stair
I cross into the forest
the night is dark but I am safe-
my house at last in order
(Lucky Night)

The common soul allows neither accusations nor judgment between the flames.

and now our sins are all confessed
our strategies forgiven
it's written that the law must rest
before the law is written.
(Drank A Lot)

And here no sin can be confessed
no sinner be forgiven
it' written that the law must rest
before the law is written.
 
And here the silence is erased
the background all dismantled
your beauty cannot be compared
no mirror here, no shadow.
(The Great Divide)

After the reconnection to the soul the flames know the celestial embraces that allow them to know and recognize the sacred and divine dimension of love.

And Then The Night Commanded Me
To Enter In Her Side-
And Be As Adam Was To Eve
Before The Great Divide.

her remedies beneath my hand
her fingers in my hair-
and every mouth of hunger glad-
and deeply unaware.

and here I cannot lift a hand
to trace the lines of beauty,
but lines are traced, and beauty's glad
to come and go so freely.
(Drank A Lot)

Your remedies beneath my hand
your fingers in my hair
the kisses on our lips began
that ended everywhere.
 
And when I gathered up to leave
you drew me to your side
to be like Adam was to Eve
before the great Divide.
 ........
And here I cannot lift a hand
to trace the lines of beauty
but lines are traced and love is is glad
to come and go so freely.
(The Great Divide)

And then the night commands me
to enter in Her side
and be as Adam is to Eve
before they need divide
(Lucky Night)

The reconnection to the soul, the celestial embraces and the love of the flame allow the author to understand the primordial unity of the world and the divine.

You are my tongue, you are my eye,
My coming and my going.
O G-d, you let your sailor die
So he could be the ocean.

And when I'm at my hungriest
She takes away my tongue
And holds me here where hungers rest
Before the world is born.
(Drank A Lot)


And here the silence is erased
the background all dismantled
your beauty cannot be compared
no mirror here, no shadow.
(The Great Divide)

So I can show Her what's been kept
for Her and Her alone-
a secret place that Love had left
before the world was born

Her nipples underneath My hand
Her fingers in My hair-
a forest crying from the dead
and fragrance everywhere
(Lucky Night)
)

But one or more separations take place that leave the lovers wounded and in pain.

tho' mercy has no point of view
and no one's here to suffer
we cry aloud, as humans do:
we cry to one another.
And now it's one, and now it's two,
And now the whole disaster.
We cry for help, as humans do-
Before the truth, and after.
.......
and from the wall a grazing wind,
weightless and routine-
it wounds us as i part your lips
it wounds us in between.
(Drank A Lot)

But now it comes, a grazing wind
aimless and serene
it wounds me as I part your lips
it wounds us in between.
 
And now the wars can start anew
the torture and the laughter
we cry aloud, as humans do
before the truth, and after.
(The Great Divide)

And from the wall a grazing wind
weightless and serene
wounds Me as I part Her lips
and wounds Us in between
(Lucky Night)

Separation and suffering are only temporary as the lovers meet again and again for eternity.

And Now There Is No Point Of View-
And Now There Is No Other-
We Spread And Drown As Lilies Do-
We Spread And Drown Forever.
.......
And fastened here we cannot move
We cannot move forever
We spread and drown as lilies do-
From nowhere to the center.
......
And now there is no point of view-
And now there is no other-
We spread and drown as lilies do-
We spread and drown forever.
(Drank A Lot)


And fastened here we cannot move
except to one another
we spread and drown as lillies do
from nowhere to the center.
(The Great Divide)

And fastened here, surrendered to
My Lover and My Lover,
We spread and drown as lilies do-
forever and forever
(Lucky Night)
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