I Heard of a Man
I heard of a man who says words so beautifully that if he only speaks their name women give themselves to him. If I am dumb beside your body while silence blossoms like tumors on our lips it is because I hear a man climb stairs and clear his throat outside the door.
I Heard of a Man - context Summary
Published in 1961 Collection
The poem appears in Cohen's collection The Spice-Box of Earth (published 1961) and reflects his early preoccupation with desire, insecurity and the power of words. It stages a compact, intimate scene in which the speaker’s silence beside a lover is contrasted with an imagined rival whose speech seems to win women. The mood is private frustration and wounded masculinity; the closing image of a man clearing his throat outside the door makes jealousy the poem's hinge. Contextually, it anticipates themes Cohen returned to throughout his career.
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