Millennium - Leonard Cohen

[TimH1]

Hi, im doing a poetry analysis for school, and i am having trouble with this poem. My project is not necessarily a hard one, but unfortunatley i chose a poem that i do not really understand. I need to analyze this poem, formalisticly, metaphors, personification, imagery, etc, as well as give a meaning for the poem. If any one could help it would be greatly appreciated

Millennium from Flowers for Hitler

This could be my little
book about love
if I wrote it--
but my good demon said:
'Lay off documents!'
Everybody was watching me
burn my books--
I swung my liberty torch
happy as a gestapo brute;
the only thing I wanted to save
was a scar
a burn or two--
but my good demon said:
'Lay off documents!
The fire's not important!'
The pile was safely blazing.
I went home to take a bath.
I phoned my grandmother.
She is suffering from arthritis.
'Keep well,' I said, 'don't mind the pain.'
'You neither,' she said.
Hours later I wondered
did she mean
don't mind my pain
or don't mind her pain?
Whereupon my good demon said:
'Is that all you can do?'
Well was it?
Was it all I could do?
There was the old lady
eating alone, thinking about
Prince Albert, Flanders Field,
Kishenev, her fingers too sore
for TV knobs;
but how could I get there ?
The books were gone
my address lists--
My good demon said again:
'Lay off documents!
You know how to get there!'
And suddenly I did!
I remembered it from memory!
I found her
pouring over the royal family tree,
'Grandma,'
I almost said,
'you've got it upside down--'
'Take a look,' she said,
'it only goes to George V.'
'That's far enough
you sweet old blood!'
'You're right!' she sang
and burned the
London Illustrated Souvenir
I did not understand
the day it was
till I looked outside
and saw a fire in every
window on the street
and crowds of humans
crazy to talk
and cats and dogs and birds
smiling at each other!


there are some images that clearly stand out, the formalistic stuff isnt really what im worried about, its more the meaning behind the poem, my thoughts were maybe are dependence on technology, "laying of the documents" referring to laying off technology and using our brains. Any incite would be greatly appreciated thx.

[annaedith]

i'd also say it's about getting out of dependence. it is a bit of end-of-the-world-imaginery there, with everybody being relieved from his burden. maybe there's also some idea that the documents keep the people from really communicating with each other. he only phones his garndmother after having burnt the documents, and he only understands her when he really meets her. the phone is too distant for communication. and when everybody seems to be relieved, even the animals (and consequnetly also the people) start communicating and understanding.
much success!
anna

[Paula]

It could be relating to the end of World War I with the mention of Prince Albert and Flanders and the burning of the London Illustrated Souvenir. The London Illustrated sometimes issued souvenir papers for important events.

The fire in every window on the street could be candles celebrating the end of the war.

And crowds of humans crazy to talk and cats and dogs and birds smiling at each other. Could be the natural high of war coming to an end and people overflowing with goodwill and optimism.

Or

The man could be psycotic hearing voices in his head and the woman could have dementia hold the paper upside down and pretending to read.