Fifteen evocative words to inspire your creativity

#7: Muditā

Photograph by Julia Kicova

Dear hopeful reader,

This summer I wrote a poem about poetry.

It goes:

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poetry lore

an ocean floor / waved & waved / waves / curled  & carried / a seedling / to shore / can you believe it? / it flowered / from sand / seashells / & stones / the beach pea / towered / to heavens / dropping / silky petals / of words / so scenic / so unsung / like / wanderlust / toska / cosmogyral / mångata / komorebi / petrichor / muditā / querencia / saudade / ubuntu / gossamer / yötön yö / nunchi / goya / karlygash / words / that birthed / poetry / of landscapes / picturesque / of memories / imagined / & those / (un)forgotten  

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In my sun lore and other poems project, each poem is written as a myth of sorts, a fanciful retelling of an event or person, if you will. The poem “poetry lore” is a reimagining of how poetry emerged and became so entrenched in our humanity.

In the poem I also mention words so beautiful, vivid, and beguiling, some of which are untranslatable, some of which are so ingrained in a society and/or in one’s identity. They can inspire creativity, liveliness, and life itself.

Today I’m sharing their definitions to the best of my ability. May they awaken your imagination and propel your day positively.

#1: Wanderlust

Definitions:

1. Lust, longing, or urge for wandering

2. Desire to travel to faraway and various destinations

#2: Toska

Definitions:

1. Wide range of feelings including boredom, nostalgia, despair, and melancholy

2. Existential yearning or suffering without any particular cause

3. This article explains it best

“No single word in English renders all the shades of toska. At its deepest and most painful, it is a sensation of great spiritual anguish, often without any specific cause. At less morbid levels it is a dull ache of the soul, a longing with nothing to long for, a sick pining, a vague restlessness, mental throes, yearning. In particular cases it may be the desire for somebody of something specific, nostalgia, love-sickness. At the lowest level it grades into ennui, boredom.”

—Vladimir Nabokov

#3: Cosmogyral

Definitions:

1. Whirling around the universe

2. Something that swirls within the cosmos

#4: Mångata

Definition:

1. Road-like reflection of the moon on a body of water

#5: Komorebi

Definitions:

1. Sunlight shining or seeping through leaves of trees

2. Visible rays of light

3. Effect of and interplay between the shadows and leaves

#6: Petrichor

Definition:

1. Earthy and pleasant smell due to rainfall on dry soil

#7: Muditā

Definitions:

1. Joy or pleasure derived from seeing others doing well

2. Pure happiness without self-interest

3. This article explains how to practice muditā

Also read: Seventeen untranslatable words to inspire your writing

#8: Querencia

Definitions:

1. Place one feels the most safe, strong, authentic, and at home

2. Favorite spot

#9: Saudade

Definitions:

1. Melancholic or nostalgic yearning for someone or something loved but absent

2. Desire to be near someone or someone distant or loved but lost

3. Love that remains after someone or something is gone

4. This article explains it well

“A pleasure you suffer, an ailment you enjoy.”

—Manuel de Melo

#10: Ubuntu

Definitions:

1. Humanity and compassion towards others

2. Concept of “I am because we are” or “I am because you are”

3. Belief that one’s humanity is connected with another’s

#11: Gossamer

Definitions:

1. Filmy, fine cobweb floating in calm air or spread on bushes or grass

2. Strand of filmy cobweb seen outside

3. Something light, delicate, or thin like a cloth or veil

#12: Yötön yö

Definitions:

1. Nightless night

2. Midnight sun

#13: Nunchi

Definitions:

1. Eye-measure

2. Acuteness of what others are thinking and feeling

3. Ability to read the room and take a hint

4. Knowing how to behave in a specific social situation

5. Sensitivity towards others

6. This article explains the rules of nunchi

#14: Goya

Definitions:

1. As if, as though, as it were, or and so

2. Suspension of disbelief that happens with good storytelling

3. Moment when fantasy is so realistic it becomes temporary reality

#15: Karlygash

Definitions:

1. Swallow or martlet

2. Also a Kazakh female name

Toska is a feeling I have experienced many times throughout my life, and I know others who have too. The word karlygash reminds me of my belated grandfather who often called me that as a pet name.

I imagine there’s a word here that evokes a special emotion or memory in you too. Maybe it will even push your creativity to new heights or motivate your day if you’re feeling a little stuck.

Yours hopefully,

Nadia

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