Monday
Nov192007
Pensieve's Poetic License
Monday, November 19, 2007 at 06:56AM 
The first Pensieve's Poetic License assignment from Robin is to write a limerick. Have you written yours yet? You can find debut post with all the details and a Mr. Linky full of limericks at Pensieve.
There once was a girl from Hiraeth
Who thought she had something to sayeth.
So from time to time
She gave thought to rhyme,
But mostly she just shared her faith.
As you can see, I since I wrote my limerick before I knew there was to be a theme, I followed the "No Rules, Just Write" on the button.
Reader Comments (17)
fai-eth! Cool...I LIKE this one!!!!
Hey Kim,
Yep, you have "permission" to break the rules (people are gonna do it anyway, might as well tell 'em that's just fine with me :) ).
Again, how can I adequately thank you for your words of encouragement? And for your participation? And for your suggestions about PPL and a few other things? I guess a small start is by telling you now :).
Love your poem even if it does break with convention. BUT, you've given me a thought for December's theme :)...THANKS AGAIN!
I've been told that Hiraeth is pronounced
Hee-raith as in faith, with a gutteral sound on the first syllable and the accent on the second.
I've got a reader who speaks Welsh and I've asked him to drop by and give us the "real" pronunciation, if what I have been told is wrong.
Actually, the "ae" is pronounced about like the "i" in "right," and the stress is on the first syllable (although stress is kind of flexible in limericks anyway). I'm trying to think of an English word that would rhyme with hiraeth, and I'm drawing a blank. "Heighth" is the closest I can get offhand.
I hate to throw water on a perfectly good limerick like this, though. :)
Thanks, Joel! So, it is a one syllable word, then?
For the purposes of the limerick we'll just leave it pronounced in an entirely "non-Welsh-ish" fashion.
Okay, I've been mispronouncing Hiraeth ALL THIS TIME!
Apparently, so have I! : P
I first pronounced it the way I thought it should be pronounced: Hi RAY eth, until I was told it was HEE raith. It'll take some time to get used the the new, correct version!
Maybe it's just one of those words whose pronunciation simply will not translate into English. I'm still glad I named my blog after that word, because of it's meaning (which has never been disputed). I remain, after all, "a Christian, yearning for Heaven. . ."
faaaay ith!!!
very good.
I love it!! :)
This was great.
Great Job!
SO cute!
I've been pronouncing Hiraeth wrong, too!
XO
You sure got the "no rules" part down pat, and a good limerick too.
Great limerick! I love it!!! Thanks for stopping by my blog -- I'll be going back and reading some more in your past.
:0) Maria (www.jubileeonearth.com)
Thanks, Joel! So, it is a one syllable word, then?
No, no, it's two syllables. I just couldn't think of an English word that had that final diphthong followed by a "th."
And the meaning is perfect for a blog about Christianity. I usually have heard the word associated with immigrants who are homesick for Wales, but it's a much stronger word than just homesickness, so it's perfect for a stranger in a strange land, as a Christian ought to be.
Thanks, again, Joel! We need to get you to videotape yourself pronouncing it on YouTube! I wish I could take your Welsh language lessons!
Great job! no matter what the pronunciation is!
I just found this, I agree with Joel about the pronounciation, I always think of the meaning of "hiraeth" as longing.
Ann
Hi, just found this blog when looking for a hymn through google - how funny is that? Anyhoo, I found an audio clip containing the word Hiraeth:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/audiovideo/sites/yourvideo/pages/val_bethell_01.shtml
When I saw the definition of Hiraeth, I just loved it. Perhaps we'll get to name one of our children that, should the Lord give us more. Blessings to you,
Meagan
oops, Meagan again. Didn't get all the web address in. Here it is in full:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/audiovideo/sites/yourvideo/pages/val
_bethell_01.shtml