kyra1

I fought in the old revolution
on the side of the ghost and the king.
Of course, I was very young
and I thought we were winning;
I can't pretend to still have much desire to sing
while they carry away the bodies.

In this furnace, I ask you now to venture...

Lately, you've started to stutter
as if you had nothing to say.
For all my architects, let me be a traitor.
Now let me say that I myself gave the order
to sleep and seek and destroy.

In this furnace, I ask you now to venture...

Yes, you who are crushed by power,
you who are absent all day,
you who are kings for the history of your children,
the hand of your beggar is laden with money,
the hand of your lover is clay.

In this furnace, I ask you now to venture...

I turn into a bag.
An old rag
takes me out at dawn.
We drag ourselves, hunched over.

Here it is, it says, the blue tie,
a man climbed it while it was around his neck.
Now up there it sobs
because it doesn't know how to come down.

But I say nothing, what can a bag say?

Here it is, it says, the coat.
Its name is Ahab, its rags are our rags.
It’s looking for the tailor who made it.
It wants to tear away all its black threads.

But I say nothing, what can a bag say?

Here it is, it says, a pair of boots,
while they were sinking, while they were going under
they saw their life in a flash,
wherever we go, they will cling to us.

But I say nothing, what can a
bag stuffed with tow up to its neck say?

from Hotel insonnia (Adelphi, 2002)

Black rider, black rider, you're living too hard
Standing all night, you’ve got to stay on guard
The path you walk is too narrow to tread
With every step there’s an obstacle ahead
The road you’re on, the same old road you know
Already isn’t the same as it was a minute ago

[Verse 2]
Black rider, black rider, you've seen it all
You've seen the great world and you've seen the small
You fell into the fire and you're eating the flame
Better seal up your lips if you wanna stay in the game
Be reasonable, mister, be honest, be fair
Let all of your earthly thoughts be a prayer
Cavaliere nero, cavaliere nero, hai visto di tutto
Hai visto il gran mondo, e pure quello piccolo
Sei caduto nel fuoco e ti sei mangiato la fiamma
Sarà meglio che tu tenga le labbra sigillate se vuoi restare in gioco
Sii ragionevole, mister, sii onesto e leale
Lascia che tutti i tuoi pensieri mondani diventino di preghiera

[Verse 3]
Black rider, black rider, all dressed in black
I'm walking away, you try to make me look back
My heart is at rest, I'd like to keep it that way
I don't wanna fight, at least not today
Go home to your wife, stop visiting mine
One of these days I'll forget to be kind
Cavaliere nero, cavaliere nero, tutto vestito di nero
Io me ne vado via e tu provi a farmi voltare
Il mio cuore è a riposo e mi piacerebbe che lo rimanesse
Non voglio combattere, almeno non oggi
Torna a casa da tua moglie e smetti di far visita alla mia
Uno di questi giorni potrei dimenticare di essere gentile

[Verse 4]
Black rider, black rider, tell me when, tell me how
If there ever was a time, then let it be now
Let me go through, open the door
My soul is distressed, my mind is at war
Don't hug me, don't flatter me, don't turn on the charm
I'll take a sword and hack off your arm
Cavaliere nero, cavaliere nero, dimmi quando, dimmi come
Se mai c'è stato un tempo, allora che sia ora
Lasciami passare, apri la porta
Il mio animo è turbato, la mia mente in guerra
Non abbracciarmi, non lusingarmi, non ricorrere al tuo fascino
O prendo una spada e ti taglio il braccio

[Verse 5]
Black rider, black rider, hold it right there
The size of your cock will get you nowhere
I'll suffer in silence, I'll not make a sound
Maybe I'll take the high moral ground
Some enchanted evening I'll sing you a song
Black rider, black rider, you've been on the job too long
Cavaliere nero, cavaliere nero, fermo dove sei
Le dimensioni del tuo uccello non ti porteranno da nessuna parte
Soffrirò in silenzio, non farò alcun rumore
Forse terrò il morale alto
In una notte d'incanto ti canterò una canzone

I feel very Cohen-esque tonight. Sundays depress me. This poem even more so. But it’s so beautiful.
I caught the outline of your breasts
from beneath your Halloween costume
I knew you were falling in love with me
for no man could have
noticed
the movement of your chest in his
imagination
It was a breaking away from your unusual
modesty
for me and me alone
through which you stamped on my
formless
desire
the incomparable and decisive outline
of your breasts
like two deep fossil shells
that stayed all night and
probably forever

Leonard Cohen