The Idea of Love Illustrated in Leonard Cohen's, Suzanne

Leonard Cohen’s life has been a bohemian enigma of a ravenous lover, the “poet laureate of pessimism” who is not afraid to color the world with reality and present his painting as it is: naked and true (Nadel 1). The depth of his voice accompanying his “music to slit your wrists by” makes his unbearable charm of a Byronic hero all the more appealing (Nadel 1). And what is it that heroes always lament about? A fair lady.

Cohen’s Suzanne, a muse for dozens of Beat poets, but for none more special than for him, has been immortalized in his poem which bears her name. While Cohen was in Montreal, he came in contact with Suzanne Verdal, a beautiful, young bohemian spirited dancer and wife of a sculptor, Armand Vaillancourt. In an interview with Kate Saunders for the BBC, Suzanne Verdal speaks about the Beat scene:

The Beat scene was beautiful. It was live jazz and we were just dancing our hearts out for hours on end, happy on very little. I mean we were living, most of us, on a shoestring. Yet, there was always so much to go around, if you know what I mean. You know, there was so much energy and sharing and inspiration and pure moments and quality times together on very little or no money. (Verdal)

As the time passed, it was clear to both of them that their relationship will not turn into a sexual one, but into something much more profound. He did not want it to be compromised by carnality. The urgent appetite they felt for each other could not be satisfied by mere adhesion to lust. They had to deal with their souls, hearts and minds, as well as their bodies.

In the poem, Cohen speaks of her house on St. Lawrence River and the house with wooden floors that squeaked, whose windows overlooked the poetic beauty of the waterf...

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...ne perfect other half for everywhere, but that each of us will find numerous loves throughout our lives which will suit us throughout different phases and different events (Nadel 29). It is exactly this resistance to love and the need to become immune to its unyielding power makes him such a melancholically charismatic figure. His women were all loved, all worshipped, but in the end, this Byronic hero remains with a forever broken heart, to speak the words of his heart through the lyre of his music.

References:

Cohen, Leonard. Stranger music: selected poems and songs, New York: Random House Inc., 1994. Print.

Nadel, Ira Bruce. Various Positions: A Life of Leonard Cohen, New York: Random House Inc., 2007. Print.

Verdal, Suzanne. “You Probably Think This Song Is About You.” Interview by Kate Saunders. Leonard Cohen Files. BBC Radio 4 FM, 1998. Web. 2010.