'Take This Waltz' by Leonard Cohen
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Stranger Music1988(After Lorca)Now in Vienna there are ten pretty women.
There's a shoulder where death comes to cry.
There's a lobby with nine hundred windows.
There's a tree where the doves go to die.
There's a piece that was torn from the morning,
and it hangs in the Gallery of Frost-
Editor 1 Interpretation
"Take This Waltz" by Leonard Cohen: A Timeless Ode to Love and Desire
Oh, how wonderful it is to surrender to love and desire! And who better to capture the beauty and agony of such surrender than the one and only Leonard Cohen, the legendary poet and songwriter who gifted us with "Take This Waltz," a masterpiece of passion and longing.
Let's dive deep into the heart of this poem and explore its many layers of meaning, its rich imagery and metaphor, and its timeless relevance to the human experience of love and loss.
The Dance of Eros and Thanatos
"Take This Waltz" begins with a seductive invitation, a call to the beloved to join the speaker in a dance of love and death:
Now in Vienna there's ten pretty women
There's a shoulder where Death comes to cry
There's a lobby with nine hundred windows
There's a tree where the doves go to die
There's a piece that was torn from the morning
And it hangs in the Gallery of Frost
The imagery here is powerful and evocative, painting a picture of a city that is both beautiful and haunted by mortality. The reference to Death crying on a woman's shoulder is particularly striking, as it suggests a kind of intimacy and empathy between the two seemingly opposite forces of life and death.
The poem then moves to a description of the dance itself, which is both sensual and ominous:
Take this waltz, take this waltz
Take this waltz with the clamp on its jaws
The "clamp on its jaws" suggests a sense of danger or violence lurking beneath the surface of the dance, a reminder that all love and desire contain an element of risk and potential harm.
Yet the speaker is undeterred, even ecstatic, in their invitation:
I want you, I want you, I want you
On a chair with a dead magazine
In the cave at the tip of the lily
In some hallway where love's never been
On a bed where the moon has been sweating
In a cry filled with footsteps and sand
The specificity of these images is both sensual and surreal, drawing us into a dreamlike world where desire and death are intertwined.
The Allure of the Forbidden Fruit
One of the most compelling elements of "Take This Waltz" is the way it portrays desire as both irresistible and dangerous, a force that can lead us to transcendence or destruction.
The speaker acknowledges this dichotomy in the following lines:
There were chains so I hastened to breathe
There were candles all along the day
But I heard they were dying away
I've been told that I'm reckless, I've been told that I'm careless
But I don't need that medicine
Here, the chains and candles suggest a kind of ritual or bondage associated with desire, but also a fragility and impermanence. The speaker's rejection of "that medicine" suggests a desire to embrace the risks of love and desire, to experience the fullness of life even if it means facing death.
This theme is echoed in the final lines of the poem, which are both haunting and beautiful:
And I'll dance with you in Vienna
I'll be wearing a river's disguise
The hyacinth wild on my shoulder
My mouth on the dew of your thighs
And I'll bury my soul in a scrapbook
With the photographs there and the moss
And I'll yield to the flood of your beauty
My cheap violin and my cross
The image of the river's disguise suggests a desire for transformation, a willingness to let go of one's identity and merge with the beloved. The hyacinth and moss suggest both fragility and resilience, a reminder of the cycles of life and death.
The final lines are particularly striking, as they suggest a kind of surrender to the beloved's beauty and power, even if it means sacrificing one's own sense of self. The cheap violin and cross suggest a humility and vulnerability, a willingness to embrace the paradox of love and desire as both sacred and profane.
Conclusion
In conclusion, "Take This Waltz" is a timeless ode to love and desire, a tribute to the power and peril of surrendering to the beloved. Leonard Cohen's masterful use of imagery and metaphor creates a dreamlike world where death and desire dance together, reminding us of the fragility and beauty of life. Whether we view the poem as a celebration of erotic love or a meditation on the human condition, it remains a powerful and moving work of art, a testament to the enduring power of poetry to capture the depths of our hearts and souls.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Poetry Take This Waltz: A Masterpiece of Love and Loss
Leonard Cohen's "Take This Waltz" is a masterpiece of poetry that captures the essence of love and loss. The poem is a beautiful and haunting tribute to the power of love and the pain of separation. It is a work of art that speaks to the heart and soul of every reader, evoking emotions that are both powerful and profound.
The poem is a tribute to the waltz, a dance that is both beautiful and melancholic. The waltz is a dance of love, a dance that brings two people together in a moment of intimacy and connection. It is a dance that is both joyful and sad, a dance that captures the essence of life itself.
The poem begins with the lines "Now in Vienna there are ten pretty women / There's a shoulder where Death comes to cry / There's a lobby with nine hundred windows / There's a tree where the doves go to die." These lines set the tone for the poem, creating a sense of melancholy and sadness. The reference to Death is particularly poignant, as it suggests that even in the midst of life, there is always the specter of death lurking in the shadows.
The poem then moves on to describe the waltz itself, with its "one two three" rhythm that captures the essence of life. The waltz is a dance that is both simple and complex, a dance that requires both skill and emotion. It is a dance that is both beautiful and tragic, a dance that captures the essence of love and loss.
The poem then moves on to describe the beauty of the waltz, with its "silver horses" and "golden light." The waltz is a dance that is both magical and mystical, a dance that captures the essence of the human spirit. It is a dance that is both joyful and sad, a dance that captures the essence of life itself.
The poem then moves on to describe the pain of separation, with its "broken thumbs" and "empty shoes." The pain of separation is a universal experience, one that is felt by every human being at some point in their lives. It is a pain that is both physical and emotional, a pain that is both real and imagined.
The poem then moves on to describe the power of memory, with its "ghosts" and "shadows." Memory is a powerful force, one that can both comfort and haunt us. It is a force that is both beautiful and tragic, a force that captures the essence of the human experience.
The poem then moves on to describe the beauty of love, with its "satin pillows" and "perfumed sheets." Love is a beautiful and powerful force, one that can both uplift and destroy us. It is a force that is both joyful and sad, a force that captures the essence of the human heart.
The poem then moves on to describe the pain of loss, with its "empty bed" and "broken heart." Loss is a universal experience, one that is felt by every human being at some point in their lives. It is a pain that is both physical and emotional, a pain that is both real and imagined.
The poem then moves on to describe the power of hope, with its "newborn child" and "open door." Hope is a powerful force, one that can both inspire and sustain us. It is a force that is both beautiful and tragic, a force that captures the essence of the human spirit.
The poem then ends with the lines "Take this waltz, take this waltz / It's yours now. It's all that there is." These lines are both beautiful and haunting, capturing the essence of the human experience. The waltz is a dance that is both beautiful and tragic, a dance that captures the essence of love and loss. It is a dance that is both joyful and sad, a dance that captures the essence of life itself.
In conclusion, Leonard Cohen's "Take This Waltz" is a masterpiece of poetry that captures the essence of love and loss. It is a work of art that speaks to the heart and soul of every reader, evoking emotions that are both powerful and profound. The poem is a tribute to the waltz, a dance that is both beautiful and melancholic. It is a dance that captures the essence of life itself, with all its joys and sorrows, its beauty and its pain. Take this waltz, take this waltz, it's yours now. It's all that there is.
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