4/8/2023 0 Comments Hummingbird symbolismThe stem leads to the lotus blossom, which supports the book of Prajñāpāramitā: The Perfection of Insight. His left hand holds the stem of a lotus flower. The bodhisattva’s eyes are lowered in meditation. This more detailed image of Manjushri clearly shows the same identifying flaming sword. The seal may seem simply decorative or arbitrary, but Cohen has carefully chosen the presence of Manjushri for this poem. Manjushri is a familiar figure in the symbolic imagery of Zen, and images of him are often found in the meditation halls of Zen monasteries. This bodhisattva is most often depicted sitting on a lotus with the flaming sword of meditative, discerning wisdom (prajna) above his head. This image, though somewhat crudely wrought, can be identified as Manjushri, the Buddhist Bodhisattva of Liberating Insight. Seals are made of wood, ivory, or metal blocks. The image is likely from one of Cohen’s personal collection of seals, or printing stamps (“chops” as he called them). Note the image of the seated figure that appears on the right hand side above the poem, this book will begin to speak. With your blurred needle Manjushri: Bodhisattva of Liberating Wisdom Here is the poem with Cohen’s own correction: We note that Cohen crossed out the word “pages” and wrote “agent” as a correction above it. The hummingbird reference that has most keenly engaged my attention is contained within this poem. The poet-artist offers here an image from what appears to be a page from his working notebooks. For our discussion, I will use this first line as the title of the poem. The poem/artwork below appears on page 119 of Book of Longing, and is listed in the index as: this book will begin to speak. The art works in Book of Longing that includes poems or script are listed in the index in italics. More to the point, it offers one of the deepest meditations on Cohen’s use of the symbolic hummingbird that I have found. I chose a poem from the book that, to my knowledge, has not received any serious attention. The next consideration is such an example. Many poems and images in Book of Longing, published in 2006, are drenched in Buddhist sensibilities and reflect on Cohen’s long involvement with Zen. As Cohen has said, “These things cannot be explained they have to be embraced.” Cohen’s work as a poet centered on creating art that could open directly to inner landscapes of the spirit, although he often followed unusually dark, twisted, and painful pathways to get there. Yet, throughout all its many incarnations, one central theme has been consistent from the beginning: the presence of the hummingbird is always accompanied by intimations of compassion, wisdom, and liberation.Ī true symbol points to what is beyond thinking, beyond words. 1 The hummingbird has made many appearances in Leonard’s poems, album covers, and even his merchandise since its introduction on Recent Songs. The Presence of the HummingbirdĪllan Showalter’s investigation has shown that Cohen’s icons were often repurposed for various settings. Rather, as is always the case with Leonard Cohen’s work, we are invited to personally experience the numinous hummingbird for ourselves. We will never learn its secrets through forensic analysis. As in all true art, Leonard’s elusive hummingbird will survive any attempt to capture or cage it. It has no pretense of conferring any one specific meaning, and is certainly not meant to imply that it is an exhaustive treatment. This discussion offers a perspective on Leonard Cohen’s hummingbird symbol. The inner cover of his last album, You Want it Darker (Design by Sammy Slabbinck), is graced with a hummingbird in flight, indicating that his iconic spirit bird was still close to his heart as he neared the end of his life. This icon became one of the most familiar in Leonard Cohen’s language of symbolism. Lawrence’s original hummingbird, was conceived by Leonard Cohen and realized by artist and designer Michael Petit. The hummingbird symbolism evolved and the new design for The Future, which included Dianne V. Lawrence originally designed the avian component for the 1979 album Recent Songs (see Leonard Cohen’s Hummingbird: A Guest Post By Dianne V. The album cover for Leonard Cohen’s 1992 album, The Future, introduced the iconic imagery of the heart, the open handcuffs, and the hummingbird. Most importantly, he sought out and correlated many direct quotes of Leonard Cohen musing about the images and their inspiration. Thoughtful interpretations on these designs were scarce until DrHGuy began to gatherer the icons together for closer investigation. We all live somewhere between the two.”Īs readers of Cohencentric know, Allan Showalter has offered a number of posts that follow the evolution and use of Leonard Cohen’s icons through the years. “There’s a tension between the hummingbird and the handcuffs.
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