Beth yw Hiraeth? - What is Hiraeth?

Beth yw Hiraeth? - What is Hiraeth?

Hiraeth is made up of hir - long and aeth - went

It includes a sense of ‘homesickness’ for the homeland but certainly doesn’t limit itself to this. There is seemingly something in there about loss, and longing, and having a some cherished memory of a time and a place that you know it is not possible to go back to. I am not out to comprehensively define this word myself but I will instead give some usable Welsh around hiraeth and I am of course open and interested to what you might make of it!

Mae’r elfen o ddymuniad neu ddyhead dwys:

There is the element of intense desire or longing.

Elfen: element

Dwys: intense/dense

Dyhead: aspiration/longing

Dymuniad: desire/wish

Dw i’n cyfri’r dyddiau nes dychwelyd i Gymru: I am counting the days until returning to Wales.

Dw i’n: I am

Cyfri/cyfrif: counting

Dyddiau:days

Nes: until (you can use ‘tan’ to the same effect)

Dychwelyd: returning

Chwêl/chwŷl: old word for a turn

Chwyldro: revolution (tro/dro:turn, so ‘turning turn?’)

Cymru: Wales

Bydda i’n dy weld di cyn bo hir:

I will see you before long ( I will be your seeing before long)

Bod: to be

bydd: will be

bydda i: I will be

Dy ____ di : your ____

Gweld: seeing

Cyn: before

Bo: be (like bod)

Hir: long

Wela’i di yn fuan: see you soon

Here’s an old short poem about Hiraeth -

Hiraeth mawr a hiraeth creulon,

Hiraeth sydd yn torri 'nghalon,

Pan fwy' dryma'r nos yn cysgu

Fe ddaw hiraeth ac a'm deffry

Mawr: big

Creulon: cruel

Torri: to break or tear

Calon: heart

Pan: when

Mwy: more

Trwm: heavy

Nos: night

Cysgu: sleep

Ddaw: will come

Deffro: wake