Hiraeth - Iconic Welsh Word
The Meaning of Hiraeth
Hiraeth is a beautiful and complex Welsh word that doesn't have a direct English translation. While it's often described as a feeling of homesickness or nostalgia, its meaning is much deeper and more profound. It's a bittersweet sense of longing for a time, a place, or a person that you can't go back to. It’s a wistful yearning for something lost, a melancholy ache for the past.
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Examples of Hiraeth
Because it's a word with such subtle meanings, it can be helpful to see it in context. Here are some examples of what it feels like to experience hiraeth:
- The ache a person feels for their childhood home after moving away.
- The deep longing for a loved one who has passed away.
- The bittersweet nostalgia for your youth and the wish that you could return to that simpler time.
- The sense of loss a person feels when their culture or traditions are changing.
- The yearning for a simpler life, far from the busyness of modern times.
How to Say It
Since hiraeth is often used in English, you might be wondering how to pronounce it. The easiest way to say it is "here-ayeth." You may also hear similar words in other Celtic languages, like "hireth" in Cornish and "hiraezh" in Breton.
Hiraeth in a Sentence
Here are a few examples of how hiraeth is used:
- "The sight of old family photos brought on a wave of hiraeth, a powerful longing for the past."
- The handwritten letters from her grandparents brought a bittersweet wave of hiraeth, connecting her to the generations before and their stories of the past".
- "Although he had moved far away, the sound of traditional folk music filled his heart with hiraeth, making him yearn for the distant hills of his homeland."
Hiraeth in Welsh Songs and Poetry
One of the most famous uses of hiraeth is in the well-known Welsh song, "We'll Keep a Welcome." Composed in 1940 by Mai Jones, the lyrics capture the feeling of longing to be back in Wales. The song beautifully describes how the pain of hiraeth will be kissed away when you come home again.
- This land of song will keep a welcome
- And with a love that never fails
- We'll kiss away each hour of hiraeth
- When you come home again to Wales
