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"Here it is"/"Song of welcome" - Cohen/Brodsky

Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2010 3:23 am
by TheBelatedOne
I stumbled upon a resemblance which I found interesting.

There is a poem by Joseph Brodsky* ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Brodsky )

One can find it in either " So Forth: Poems" (1996) or "Collected Poems in English"

Song of
Welcome

Here's your Mom, here's your Dad.
Welcome to being their flesh and blood.
Why do you look so sad?

Here's your food, here's your drink.
Also some thoughts, if you care to think.
Welcome to everything.

Here's your practically clean slate.
Welcome to it, though it's kind of late.
Welcome at any rate.

§ § §

Here's your paycheck, here's your rent.
Money is nature's fifth element.
Welcome to every cent.

Here's your swarm and your huge beehive.
Welcome to that there's roughly five
billion like you alive.

Welcome to the phone book that stars your name
Digits are democracy's secret aim.
Welcome to your claim to fame.

Here's your marriage, and here's divorce.
Now that's the order you can't reverse.
Welcome to it; up yours.

Here's your blade, here's your wrist.
Welcome to playing your own terrorist;
call this your Middle East.

Here's your mirror, your dental gleam.
Here's an octopus in your dream.
Why do you try to scream?

§ § §

Here's your corn-cob, your TV set.
Your candidate suffering an upset.
Welcome to what he said.

Here's your porch, see the cars pass by.
Here's your shitting dog's guilty eye.
Welcome to its alibi.

Here are your cicadas, then a chickadee,
the bulb's dry tear in your lemon tea.
Welcome to infinity.

Here are your pills on the plastic tray,
Your disappointing, crisp X-ray.
You are welcome to pray.

Here's your cemetery, a well kept glen.
Welcome to a voice that says, "Amen."
The end of the rope, old man.

Here's your will, and here's a few
takers. Here's an empty pew.
Here's life after you.

§ § §

And here are your stars which appear still keen
on shining as though you had never been.
They might have a point, old bean.

Here's your afterlife, with no trace
of you, especially of your face.
Welcome, and call it space.

Welcome to where one cannot breathe.
This way, space resembles what's underneath
and Saturn holds the wreath.

1992
----------
Doesn't it remind you of Cohen's "Here it is"?
I wonder if there was an influence, or a common source.
One possible answer would be "There was a common source. Themselves." :-)

* Brodsky's poetry in English, either original or translated, does not give one a chance to appreciate his true value .

Re: "Here it is"/"Song of welcome" - Cohen/Brodsky

Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2010 12:13 pm
by TineDoes
TheBelatedOne wrote:One possible answer would be "There was a common source. Themselves."
Good suggestion. :) My guess is that 'here it is' was written in the latter stages of Mr. Cohen 's stay on Mt. Baldy. That was between 1994 and 1999. But I really do not know.

http://www.leonardcohen.com/video.html This does not answer your question either.', it is Leonard Cohen talking about Ten New Songs.

Re: "Here it is"/"Song of welcome" - Cohen/Brodsky

Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2010 4:44 pm
by TheBelatedOne
Thank you. I saw the video, but, as you mentioned, it does not help in this case.

Do you know a way to communicate with Mr.Cohen?