繼續貼詩

這次是英文。Leonard Cohen。其實我不知道他是誰。神奇的是，連Google過後也毫無頭緒。我當然知道了他是加拿大人，是詩人、唱作人、小說家，最後還遁入空門做和尚。 但是一個人怎麼能乘載這麼多身分？還要是最內斂自閉的文字工與最浮誇外露的表演者。然後和尚下山又出幾張唱片，死未。奇人都總是周身刀，凡人要認識他卻找不到鮮明的印像，他的奇特反而模糊起來。不，還是可以找到焦點的。那就是他是一個極為 沉鬱的人。 怪不得在書店隨手掀起詩集讀他的第一頁來讀便覺得很對頭。當然，以上這些對他的既定形象都是從網上的介紹和短評讀來的。有空的時候，我還是會找他那本《美麗的失敗者》讀一讀。光聽書名便相信我們是合得來的。好一對不可救藥的讀者，和他想像中的作者。

Book of Longing - Leonard Cohen

I can’t make the hills
The system is shot
I’m living on pills
For which I thank G-d

I followed the course
From chaos to art
Desire the horse
Depression the cart

I sailed like a swan
I sank like a rock
But time is long gone
Past my laughing stock

My page was too white
My ink was too thin
The day wouldn’t write
What the night pencilled in

My animal howls
My angel’s upset
But I’m not allowed
A trace of regret

For someone will use
What I couldn’t be
My heart will be hers
Impersonally

She’ll step on the path
She’ll see what I mean
My will cut in half
And freedom between

For less than a second
Our lives will collide
The endless suspended
The door open wide

Then she will be born
To someone like you
What no one has done
She’ll continue to do

I know she is coming
I know she will look
And that is the longing
And this is the book