I love homemade bread, and I love red wines. I am partial to the cabernet sauvignon, merlot and pinot noir varieties. The first two are from the Bordeaux and the third from the Burgundy regions of France. They are also great places to visit, as I did many years ago.
My close friend and host — A in San Jose — occasionally bakes bread at home. A few days ago, we had some fresh out of the oven bread with Kerrygold Irish butter (from Costco, where else!) and paired it with some cabernet sauvignon (probably from Trader Joe’s.) The picture of the bread and wine appears at the top of this post. Click to embiggen.
Look at that top image again. The picture book in it is an old favorite — The Ultimate Alphabet Book by the artist Mike Wilks, first published on Jan 1st, 1986.
I bought that book from Costco (where else) nearly 40 years ago. I have spent hours having fun naming the thousands of animals and objects hand painted in the book. A’s daughter D enjoys the book.
That picture of wine and bread brings me to the song that I want you to listen to: Leonard Cohen’s “Master Song.”
Here’s the first verse (and also the last verse) of the song.
I believe that you heard your master sing
When I was sick in bed
I suppose that he told you everything
That I keep locked away in my head
Your master took you travelling
Well, at least that’s what you said
And now, do you come back to bring
Your prisoner wine and bread?
And later in the song he writes —
I loved your master perfectly
I taught him all that he knew
He was starving in some deep mystery
Like a man who is sure what is true
And I sent you to him with my guarantee
I could teach him something new
And I taught him how he would long for me
No matter what he said, no matter what you’d do
I hope you get yourself a glass of red, turn down the lights, put your phone on silent, and listen to the song a few times.
The entire song is open to the listener’s interpretation. That’s the magic of Cohen’s poetry. About him, grokipedia.com says —
Leonard Cohen (1934 – 2016) was a Canadian poet, singer-songwriter, and novelist whose work spanned themes of love, loss, spirituality, and human frailty. Born in Montreal to a Jewish family, Cohen initially established himself in literary circles before transitioning to music in the 1960s. His introspective lyrics and gravelly baritone voice influenced generations of artists across folk, rock, and pop genres.
Cohen was a complex person, as creative people often are. He was ordained as a Zen Buddhist monk for a while. Here’s a bit from a qz.com July 2022 article, Leonard Cohen’s tortured love affair with Zen Buddhism.
For three decades, the Jewish poet pop star studied Zen Buddhism. At 65, he finally saw small miracles.
“There was just a certain sweetness to daily life that began asserting itself,” Cohen told The Guardian in 2001. “I remember sitting in the corner of my kitchen, which has a window overlooking the street. I saw the sunlight that shines on the chrome fenders of the cars, and thought, ‘Gee, that’s pretty.’”
After a lifetime of sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll, the smoking poet leaned into this epiphany. In 1994, Cohen retired to the Mt. Baldy Zen Center in Los Angeles, California and was ordained as a monk in 1996.
I love Cohen’s songs. The first time I heard a song written by him was when I was in college. The song was Suzanne from his 1967 album “Songs of Leonard Cohen.” But the Suzanne I heard then was sung by Neil Diamond. At that time I did not even know who Cohen was. I assumed that ND had written that song. Later I got to know and love Cohen’s genius.
Let’s listen to Neil Diamond sing that song.
The word burgundy (the wine-growing region of France) reminds me of another song. For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her by the always delightful Simon & Garfunkel.
Pressed in organdy
Clothed in crinoline
Of smoky Burgundy
Past the shop displays
I heard cathedral bells
Tripping down the alley ways
As I walked on
To wrap up this set of songs, let’s listen to Cohen’s “Take This Waltz.”
The words, oh the words. They are exquisite. And so is the music arrangement. I particularly love the female voice ornamenting Cohen’s voice. A commenter @QualeQualeson on the YouTube video wrote, “Always loved this tune and these lyrics. But for all my adoration, I simply cannot WAIT until Jennifer Warnes comes in with that second harmony. Sweet Jesus . . . a voice to die for. Recommend listening to her lead in Hair in 69, she would be around 22 at the time. That’s one minute you won’t be sorry spending on listening to vocals. God given talent.”
Listen to that bit from the song at 4:02 time stamp:
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
And you’ll carry me down on your dancing
To the pools that you lift on your wrist
Oh my love, oh my love
Take this waltz, take this waltz
It’s yours now, it’s all that there is
Full lyrics are there in the description to the video.
That’s it for now. Leave a comment if you have anything to ask or share.
Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.
Atanu Dey : Life is a Random Draw 
In your ideal country, how shall money be printed? Or money supply be done?
You print too much money, there is inflation.
You do not print any new money at all (like bitcoin capped at 2.1crore, there will be deflation. (Is deflation really that bad)?
This and many more money questions at: https://oshantomon.blogspot.com/2024/12/understanding-money.html
Please feel free to pick and choose and answer any open question you like. Or correct if any of my conclusions are wrong or simplistic in the link above.
LikeLike
I quit all forms of alcohol on 30th November 2022.
But before that. I had started loving the red wines from Fratelli. I used to feel quite proud that we had such nice wines originating from India.
LikeLike