Exquisite music. Whose code was broken, crucifix uncrossed – That Leonard Cohen and Sharon Robinson used Constantine Cavafy's poem "The God forsakes Antony" written in 1911, as inspiration for their song/poem "Alexandra Leaving" is not news.The first surprise is how the songwriters have taken Cavafy's historically based poem and transformed it into a love poem. Alexandra Leaving Lyrics: Suddenly the night has grown colder / The god of love preparing to depart / Alexandra hoisted on his shoulder / They slip between the sentries of the heart / Upheld by the Alexandra hoisted on his shoulder, they slip between the sentries of your heart. Say goodbye to Alexandra leaving. Cohen, instead of following suit, chooses to complicate the process. Alexandra hoisted on his shoulder, they slip between the sentries of your heart. Then say goodbye to Alexandra lost. that hides behind the cause and the effect, And you who were bewildered by a meaning With this essay, you have deepened my appreciation of Cavafy and his poem, and of Cohen’s variation upon it. Beaucoup des chansons de Leonard Cohen gardent, au fil du temps, un pouvoir de hantise qui me poursuit. In Cohen’s version, however, there is absolutely no mention of the procession—the initial sensory experience that happens “suddenly” is instead that “the night has grown colder.” The movement, furthermore, is modified to come not from outside the window but from inside a dwelling and the individual himself when Cohen says: “the god of love preparing to depart./ Alexandra hoisted on his shoulder, they slip between the sentries of the heart.” Hearing –and taste, an addition Cohen makes- is introduced with the line “They fall amongst the voices and the wine.” and referred back to with “Go firmly to the window. Alexandra Leaving is song, which Cohen composed with Sharon Robinson. Building upon this notion, Cohen once again goes on to parallel Cavafy: He says clearly that “departure,” even though it may be happening despite apparent proof to the contrary and although Cohen stresses that its exact “moment” and nature are unclear, is still “not imagined.” Once this reality is established, Cohen’s prescription for dealing with such loss echoes Cavafy: with dignity and solemnity, as seen in a number of lines that are very similar to those of “The God Abandons Antony” such as “Do not choose a coward’s explanation,” “As someone long prepared for this to happen/ go firmly to the window. Alexandra Leaving - EVONY featuring Mourillio (Leonard Cohen cover) by mourillio published on 2013-10-08T18:33:38Z Words & Music by Leonard Cohen & Sharon Robinson Based on Constantine Cavafy's Greek poem, 'The God Abandons Antony'. Do not say the moment was imagined; “Alexandra Leaving” came to me, or rather I was led to her, one late night as I was working on line feeling very intensely the truths of being a woman and of just having gone through my Rights of Passage to join the mighty Grandmothers and the Crones. Do not stoop to strategies like this, As someone long prepared for this to happen Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. Alexandra leaving è ispirata alla poesia Απολείπειν ο θεός Αντώνιον ("La Divinità Abbandona Antonio") del poeta greco Constantine P. Cavafy (1863-1933), pubblicata nel 1911. Cavafy’s poem is based on Plutarch’s story about Antony being besieged by Octavian in Alexandria. to the exquisite music of that strange procession. The Saddest Songs in History: Leonard Cohen and Sharon Robinson Alexandra Leaving. W. H. Auden, also a fan, helped to spread Cavafy’s reputation in the West by introducing one of the first English editons of his Complete Poems. This song is based on a poem by Constantine Cavafy titled “The God Abandons Anthony”. The night before Octavian took the city, Marc Anthony heard a silent troup leaving the city - then he passed out (it is the god Bacchus that deserts Anthony). But Leonard didn't feel that it fit the record. The poem refers to Plutarch's story that, when Anthony was besieged in Alexandria by Octavian, the night before the city fell into enemy hands, he heard an invisible troupe leaving the city. Do not stoop to strategies like this. Even though she wakes you with a kiss. His source material was a story from Plutarch about Mark Anthony, as he watched his allies and supporters leave Alexandra before his enemy Octavian attacked the city. After his father died in 1870, Cavafy and his family settled for a while in Liverpool in England.In 1876, his family faced financial problems due to the Long Depression of 1873, so, by 1877, they had to move back to Alexandria.. Alexandra leaving with her lord. Although this is a move away from the more stoic and clear-cut approach Cavafy takes, it serves to enhance the message of finality Cohen shares with Cavafy: Loss and “departure” must be accepted when their time comes according to Cohen too— despite the fact that one’s tooth-and-nail battle against these makes the acceptance a harder pill to swallow. As Cohen’s narrative in “Alexandra Leaving” unfolds, issues of agency and ownership also come to the forefront, deepening the songwriter’s call for dignity with various modifications to Cavafy’s narrative. “Right here, in the bookshop?” Yes.” Above all, don’t fool yourself, don’t say. Almost a century later, the next reincarnation of Antony’s loss was brought to life by another poetic genius in the form of Leonard Cohen’s song Alexandra Leaving. And you who were bewildered by a meaning; Whose code was broken, crucifix uncrossed –. Watch the video for Alexandra Leaving from Leonard Cohen's Ten New Songs for free, and see the artwork, lyrics and similar artists. Alexandra leaving with her lord. Your firm commitments tangible again. Then say goodbye to Alexandra lost. Linguistic resonances to Cavafy abound: phrases such as ‘exquisite music’, ‘one long prepared’, ‘go firmly to the window’, and, critically, ‘say goodbye to her, the Alexandria that is leaving’ are all re-worked into Leonard’s musical response, weaving their way through the fabric of the work to ground it unmistakeably in its origins. Cavafy says, in speaking of the city’s departure, that the person spoken to must be “as one long prepared,” and the rest of the poem presents a linear structure of time: The lines “…your luck failing now, / work gone wrong, your plans/ all Kutay Onayli proving deceptive.” draw a clear line between a possibly more fruitful, victorious past and the failure of the present moment. Cohen's "Alexandra Leaving" is based on a poem written by Constantine P. Cavafy, called "The God Abandons Antony" (also known as "God Forsakes Antony") in 1911. Cavafy’s poem is a two-fer, because Leonard Cohen adapted it in his song “Alexandra Leaving,” which is indeed how I discovered the original poem. A fitful dream, the morning will exhaust – that hides behind the cause and the effect. They fall among the voices and the wine, It’s not a trick, your senses all deceiving I’ve chosen a lament of lost love, actually it’s about lost love twice(!). This deliberate unclarity, in combination to the references to wine (and the connection formed between the voices and the wine, evoking a tavern-like setting) and the audibility of Alexandra’s laughter from afar indicate that the thing that is being lost is moving across space and time—essentially echoing Cavafy’s representation of Alexandria as a space and time that is transforming into something different than Anthony’s Alexandria. Whereas Cavafy's theme was based around the city of Alexandria , Cohen's version builds around a woman named Alexandra. Cohen kicks it up a notch, of course, and retools this legend for the 21st century. don’t mourn your luck that’s failing now. In Cavafy’s depiction Anthony heard music and accepted his defeat “as if long prepared, as if courageous” when abandoned by his protector Dionysus. Mark A. Rayner © 2005-2021 | The God Abandons Antony Lyrics. He makes this about personal relationships, and how we should face their endings. This song is based on a poem by the Greek poet, Constantine P. Cavafy. (based on The God Abandons Antony, a poem by Constantine P. Cavafy) Suddenly the night has grown colder. Alexandra Leaving. Upheld by the simplicities of pleasure, They gain the light, they formlessly entwine; And radiant beyond your widest measure They fall among the voices and the wine. Leonard Cohen’s song-poem “Alexandra Leaving,” at first glance, is a rather simple refashioning of Constantine Cavafy’s “The God Abandons Antony”: a similarly-named woman replaces the city as an object of loss, resulting in the creation of a tale of failed romantic love that is commonplace in Cohen’s repertoire. And there’s no doubt: he’s losing Alexandra, but he’s losing his life too. as is right for you who proved worthy of this kind of city, Say goodbye to Alexandra leaving. say goodbye to her, the Alexandria that is leaving. [Poem here.] As someone long prepared for this to happen, Go firmly to the window. say goodbye to her, the Alexandria that is leaving. As someone long prepared for the occasion; Alexandra laughing. While his launch begins in total secrecy, within hours of his landing he has become a world celebrity- the first human to leave the planet. don’t degrade yourself with empty hopes like these. Alexandra Leaving is the third song from Leonard Cohen in the music library project and is the seventh song on his 2001 record Ten New Songs.. Alexandra Leaving is based on “The God Abandons Antony“, a poem by Constantine P. Cavafy.This is another one of his songs which just gets better the more you listen to it. Alexandra laughing.” In both lines, the source of the sensory experience remains unclear. Antony, of course, is Marcus Antonius, Cleopatra's husband. Some excerpts: “As we explore the lyrics of “Alexandra Leaving”, I ask whether she might sing the song. My very good friend and Author, Seth Mullins taught me how to be painfully honest with myself. A more careful reading of Cohen’s work, however, would reveal that there is more to the adaptation than a dropping of the letter i: Cohen does not only restate the story Cavafy tells in “Antony” in a different framework but also expands and modifies it. listen—your final delectation—to the voices. This song is based on a poem by the Greek poet, Constantine P. Cavafy. Whereas Cavafy's work is based around the Roman general Antony being besieged in the city of Alexandria by Octavian, Cohen's version is centered on a woman named Alexandra. Even though she sleeps upon your satin; I think, that AL is about feeling, that you get when you have to leave some beloved person. Alexandra hoisted on his shoulder, They slip between the sentries of the heart. Say goodbye to Alexandra leaving, Then say goodbye to Alexandra lost. I wanted to dig a little deeper into the origins and interpretations of the song and the Cavafy poem. Cavafy found new readers recently when Leonard Cohen turned his poem “The God Abandons Anthony” into “Alexandra’s Leaving” (Ten New Songs, 2001); below, excerpts from both, Cavafy first: They gain the light, they formlessly entwine; Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Say goodbye to Alexandra leaving. His source material was a story from Plutarch about Mark Anthony, as he watched his allies and supporters leave Alexandra before his enemy Octavian attacked the city.The original poem is called “The god forsakes Antony,” and is a meditation on the vagaries of fate. The departures he makes with his additions and reductions allow him to, while using Cavafy’s work as a foundation and a source of agreement, lay out a less linear, more internal vision of loss and dignity of his own. ... the Alexandria that is leaving. About Cavafy and his poem, Leonard wrote to Patrice Clos of the French Leonard Cohen site: "The work of Cavafy has touched and influenced me for many years. Suddenly the night has grown colder. Even though she sleeps upon your satin. it was a dream, your ears deceived you: Co-written by Sharon Robinson, who sings it beautifully here: Suddenly the night has grown colder Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Your first commitments tangible again, And you who had the honor of her evening, by Constantine P. Cavafy (1863-1933) The god forsakes Antony When suddenly, at midnight, you hear an invisible procession going by with exquisite music, voices, don’t mourn your luck that’s failing now, work gone wrong, your plans all proving deceptive—don’t mourn them uselessly. Then say goodbye to Alexandra lost. That Leonard Cohen and Sharon Robinson used Constantine Cavafy's poem "The God forsakes Antony" written in 1911, as inspiration for their song/poem "Alexandra Leaving" is not news.The first surprise is how the songwriters have taken Cavafy's historically based poem and transformed it into a love poem. Leonard Cohen’s song-poem “Alexandra Leaving,” at first glance, is a rather simple refashioning of Constantine Cavafy’s “The God Abandons Antony”: a similarly-named woman replaces the city as an object of loss, resulting in the creation of a tale of failed romantic love that is commonplace in Cohen’s repertoire. And radiant beyond your widest measure Drink it in. In full command of every plan you wrecked – ALthough I had always heard it as the end of some sort of love affair, I started to think of the god of love as an agent of death (or maybe vice versa). “Alexandra Leaving” came to me, or rather I was led to her, one late night as I was working on line feeling very intensely the truths of being a woman and of just having gone through my Rights of Passage to join the mighty Grandmothers and the Crones. Lyrics here. Cavafy’s poem is about Markus Antonius’s last night in Alexandria, Egypt, knowing that the city would be taken by his enemy. Then say goodbye to Alexandra lost, Songwriters: Leonard Cohen / Sharon Robinson Philosophically he accepts that he has experienced joy but now it must end and he must go his way she hers. As someone long prepared for this to happen. Note that in the original Cavafy poem it is about a city lost - Alexandria; in the Cohen song it is a woman - Alexandra. Cavafy found new readers recently when Leonard Cohen turned his poem “The God Abandons Anthony” into “Alexandra’s Leaving” (Ten New Songs, 2001); below, excerpts from both, Cavafy first: When suddenly, at midnight, you hear The song Alexandra Leaving on Ten New Songs is based on this poem. Above all, don’t fool yourself, don’t say Mirroring Cavafy’s simultaneously faithful and creative relationship with his ancient model, Leonard’s lyrics are at once recognisable to those familiar with his poetic source, and yet strikingly innovative in their new shape. and listen with deep emotion, but not References Even though she wakes you with a kiss. Drink it in. Some deity preparing to depart. As one long prepared, and graced with courage, say goodbye to her, the Alexandria that is leaving. Alexandra laughing. Then say goodbye to Alexandra lost. As someone long prepared for the occasion; In full command of every plan you wrecked –. Alexandra leaving for me signifies loss. “Right here, in the bookshop?” Yes.” Mark Anthony was a larger-than-life guy, and he came to a larger-than-life end. It is even harder the second time, because he had given up on that whole “love stuff”. 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Alexandra laughing. He referred to it many times over the years. "For Alexandra Leaving, Leonard had reinterpreted a CP Cavafy poem. Alexandra Leaving - EVONY featuring Mourillio (Leonard Cohen cover) by mourillio published on 2013-10-08T18:33:38Z Words & Music by Leonard Cohen & Sharon Robinson Based on Constantine Cavafy's Greek poem, 'The God Abandons Antony'. They are based on Constantine Cavafy's poem "The God Abandons Antony" (1911). A fitful dream, the morning will exhaust Lyrics here. This song is based on a poem by Constantine Cavafy titled “The God Abandons Anthony”. The Saddest Songs in History: Leonard Cohen and Sharon Robinson Alexandra Leaving. (basata sulla poesia di Constantine P. Cavafy intitolata The God Abandons Antony) Do not choose a coward’s explanation It’s not a trick, your senses all deceiving, Leonard has indicated that the song "Alexandra Leaving" was inspired by Constantine P. Cavafy's poem "The God Abandons Antony." 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