Languages

In finding a love of words, I found a love of books. In loving books, I found a desire to write poetry. In writing poetry, I found my voice through rhyme and metaphor. And finally, having explored all of the abilities within myself, I turned outward and found languages other than my own.

I took a deep dive into languages and phrases in other languages that made my heart skip a beat. I found love for French, Latin, Hebrew, and Greek. I took small words and phrases, and I ingrained them into my life to make them a part of my being. I looked not just at the phrase and its translation, but at what it meant, what it could mean. I looked at the connotation and the beauty, and I fell in love. I never let many of these phrases go, and in fact, have made many of them a permanent fixture on my body via tattoos.

One such tattoo resides on my ribs and says, “Folie A Deux.” I had always wanted a tattoo to symbolize love but wanted something far beyond the concept of a Chinese symbol or some random word or heart. I wanted it to mean something, and then I learned what “Folie A Deux” meant. It is a psychological condition in which two people share the same delusion. That is so beautiful; two people, otherwise engaged, who share this one delusion. It becomes part of them. They see and hear the same things, and yet, no one else does. What more can be said of love than that it is a delusion of the mind, shared by two. I positioned two hearts, one right side up, one upside down, entangled in an infinity sign, with the words “Folie A Deux” above them on my ribs. This was my love tattoo, found in the beauty of the French language. 

I also fell in love with the French saying, “Tu me manques,” which is used to say, “I miss you,” but translates to, “You are lacking to me." It is as if you have been made essential to one’s life, and their life is less without you in it. When I miss someone I care for, I do not say, “I miss you” I say, “Tu me manques.” I want the important people in my life to know that they are a part of me and that in their absence, that part of me is missing.

I learned Spanish, and my favorite word was “pertenece,” or “belong.” “Me perteneces” “You belong to me.” The word is a cognate for pertain. To pertain to something is to be a part of as if an appendage. It does not illustrate ownership, but shows that you are a part, you have a place. Many other words carried such beauty and depth into my life. I have become somewhat fluent in the Spanish language and consider it a proper love language. I hope to continue my exploration into a language the majority of my city speaks.

כדי לעלות, לילית הלכה משם

Is Hebrew for, “To Ascend (to rise), Lilith walked away.” When I first heard this, I fell in love. While I do not speak loud with my own voice, I have always stood for others. The idea of feminism, women’s power, strength, and beauty from the female form; they have all been a massive part of my life. When thinking of Lilith, Adam’s first wife, who refused to be subservient to him, I see strength. I see power. I knew this had to be embedded in my skin. A reminder that sometimes for a woman to reach her full potential, she must put herself first. A partner or their ambitions cannot drag her down; she must rise and realize her own. I needed to stop being more of an advocate for others than myself. I would ascend, and if it meant walking away from those who hurt me, I would be better for finding my higher reason and realizing my higher being.

Through different languages, I have found love, life, peace, and understanding. My newest favorite, and latest tattoo, is ευδαιμονία in Greek, or Eudaimonia in English. This word means “flourishing,” but it has a more critical concept behind it. It is the idea by Aristotle that we must reach balance within ourselves. A person should neither be too good nor too evil and yet they are capable of both. The trick to life is to find balance. I found that balance through words. I have learned that there is a time to be silent and a time to speak. There is a time to be direct and a time to speak through poetry and metaphors. There is a time for English, and a time for Greek, and Hebrew, and Spanish, and French. I have found my balance through language, and it is this balance that I have truly been able to flourish as a human being.