Speaking sweetly from “The Window : reading Leonard Cohen\u27s Song

ArticleLeonard Cohen is famous worldwide as a singer-songwriter, but he started his career as a poet and novelist, whose main themes were love and spirituality. His songs are far above the average popular products, and “The Window is a good example of his sophisticated writing. Cohen, who was brought up in a Jewish family in Montreal, was influenced by the surrounding Catholic society, and later immersed himself in many other religious traditions, in particular Sufism and Zen Buddhism. These and other traditions, as well as various literary, mystical and psychological trends, can be detected in this song. While the imagery owes much to Sufi poetry, a close analysis reveals that Jesus Christ is a major figure in the song. The song is interpreted as both a mystical journey and a prayer for peace of mind, directed at a messianic figure which Cohen has woven together from the various religious and literary traditions that have been the key to his work