Hiraeth

by greycoopers

Non-native English speakers will know words in their mother tongue which defy translation. Occasionally one trips over a word which escapes definition in any language. The Welsh have one such – Hiraeth (/hir ITH/). Any mention of this word will inevitably result in much disagreement as to it’s true meaning, with the discussion eventually ending in sighs of defeat. And that, ironically, is probably the word’s best definition – the evocation of a longing, wistfulness, nostalgia, desire for something undefinable in the past. For Wales and Welsh-ness itself. This writer suspects that the feeling of loss which the passing of a year evokes comes close to the true meaning of Hiraeth. Should auld acquaintance be forgot…