Monday, June 01, 2015

The language of grief

Saudade' (Portuguese) - the love that remains after after someone is gone. It can describe an emptiness, like feeling the absence of someone who should be there at a particular moment. It brings sad and happy feelings all together, sadness for missing and happiness for having experienced the feeling.

'Han' (Korean) - It's been described as "a state of mind. Of soul, really. A sadness. A sadness so deep no tears will come. And yet still there's hope." Its a feeling of unresolved resentment against injustices suffered, a sense of helplessness because of the overwhelming odds against one, a feeling of acute pain, and an obstinate urge to take revenge and to right the wrong—all those combined.

'Weltschmerz' (German) - the depression you feel when the world doesn't reflect what you think it should. It encapsulates a sense of grief at how the world keeps falling short of expectations. The pain caused by the inappropriateness and cruelty of the world and circumstances.

1 comment:

SallyP said...

I will say this for the Germans...they have a word for practically anything. It may not be pronouncable, but it's a word!