leonardcohenforum.com

Legion Magazine has released a new video commemorating the 100th anniversary of the poem “In Flanders Fields” by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. In a poignant tribute to McCrae, Canadian songwriter, painter and poet Leonard Cohen has recited that stirring poem for this exclusive video. His voice is accompanied by stirring imagery from the First World War.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKoJvHcMLfc

https://legionmagazine.com/en/2015/10/l ... rs-fields/

Thank you for posting. Very moving and well done.

Mark

That's beautiful Mary, thanks for posting it.
I hope you have a good Remembrance Day tomorrow.

Thanks for posting that link, Mollydog. Hauntingly beautiful!!

Here's a link to a video which shows Leonard personally reciting this poem.
It appears to be recorded not so long ago and in his back garden. Great to see!

https://www.facebook.com/leonardcohen/v ... 474774644/

EDIT: Just realised Allan S has posted it on YouTube as well and here's that link too -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smhMrIVJ8Lo

This topic draws my mind back to our dear departed friend, Arlene Dick (Bridger 15) and one of her (chance ?) encounters with Leonard, posted in her blog.
http://onboogiestreet.blogspot.com.au/2 ... ember.html

So what happened after I recited only the first two lines of the poem?

Leonard Cohen recited the entire poem back to me.

That was thrilling to say the least.

The posting is headed by a photo of Arlene beside Leonard who wearing his poppy.

Alan

ah Alan, I remembered that as well and knew you would too. I looked at it and felt too sad to post it but I'm glad you did!

why does he write with a big 'R' all the time? what is the meaning of it?

... because LeonaRd is just that Rare.

His recitation of this memorable poem is peRfect.

Well we have a few autographs over the years and none have a large R, in fact it is more a squiggle.


Examples:(not ours personally)
http://www.thesignaturelibrary.com/prod ... cat_id=340

The font used there is Phont Phreak's Handwriting, which is based on Show Me the Place lyrics video.

Geoffrey wrote:why does he write with a big 'R' all the time? what is the meaning of it?

Upon closer inspection of this supposed example of Leonard's handwriting, I conclude that it is not his handwriting at all! We have been deceived! Look at the letters and numbers -- each instance is identical, there is absolutely no variation at all from one instance to the next. (Incidentally, all of the "t"s are mini capital "T"s, too). I would say that this is most certainly printed from a type-set font designed to mimic actual handwriting, because nobody's handwriting is that uniform, not even someone as meticulous as Leonard Cohen.

Roman beat me to it! (He posted as I was writing!)

p.s. The recitation of the poem in the video is really lovely! When I was a kid, we used to recite that at school on Remembrance day, in memory and honour of the fallen brave.

thank you to roman and lisa for straightening me out on this. so it was just a con, a big lie? well i am so naive i believed it. i think we were meant to believe it, but why would anybody do that, what would be the purpose? nothing wrong with trickery if there is a good reason, but i can't for the life of me see the necessity of forging leonard's handwriting and signature on this occasion. maybe it will come to me in a while. when breavman (leonard) in the autobiographical 'favourite game' committed the unpardonable sin (according to mark 3:28) of blasphemy by yelling "F**K GOD!" i often wondered how he managed to continue to have an ever successful career. it didn't seem logical to me after all i had been taught in sunday school. a priest told me later that the reason leonard wasn't struck down there and then when he shouted that abomination was because he wasn't holding a holy book at the time. he informed me that it is possible to do or say bad things and get no apparent punishment, but added that a person's soul will later be sent to purgatory for cleansing. that answer seemed to pacify me, made everything more credible, if you like. as long as i can find an explanation for something then it doesn't bug me any more, so what i am after now is an answer to why leonard's handwriting was faked, and until i know what's behind it my enjoyment of his recitation has acquired a little stain, and that's a pity.

thank you also to lizzie and vicomte

Geoffrey wrote:...so it was just a con, a big lie? well i am so naive i believed it. i think we were meant to believe it, but why would anybody do that, what would be the purpose? ...what i am after now is an answer to why leonard's handwriting was faked, and until i know what's behind it my enjoyment of his recitation has acquired a little stain, and that's a pity...

I believed it too, when I first saw it, and I even thought about your question regarding the "R"s, wondering what the significance could be. It was only after I looked at it more closely, to see if there were any other interesting idiosyncracies in his writing, that I realized it could not have been his (or anybody's) handwriting, after all. I have no idea why they would do that, give us a pretence of personalisation where none exists. It makes people feel special, until they realize that they've been duped. That's just cruel.