O Sayang!
Many languages have words that defy a simple definition. Sayang, from Malay, is one such term, and one of the most beautiful words in any langauge. Often translated simply as "love" or "affection," it really describes love tinged with the sadness of knowing that the beloved will suffer in this life and eventually die.
"O Sayang!" I thought to myself last night as I was putting my two-year-old daughter to sleep, marvelling at her grace, innocence, and purity and recalling the barbaric world outside that will spare no effort in robbing her of those virtues.
English has, to my knowledge, borrowed two words from Malay: orangutan and amok. English would be all the richer if sayang finds a place in the lexicon some day.
Many languages have words that defy a simple definition. Sayang, from Malay, is one such term, and one of the most beautiful words in any langauge. Often translated simply as "love" or "affection," it really describes love tinged with the sadness of knowing that the beloved will suffer in this life and eventually die.
"O Sayang!" I thought to myself last night as I was putting my two-year-old daughter to sleep, marvelling at her grace, innocence, and purity and recalling the barbaric world outside that will spare no effort in robbing her of those virtues.
English has, to my knowledge, borrowed two words from Malay: orangutan and amok. English would be all the richer if sayang finds a place in the lexicon some day.
Redeemed by Our Savior, I work out my salvation with fear and trembling in Pohang, South Korea, where I live with my wife, daughter, and son and teach English at a science and technology university. Baptized a Methodist and raised a Missouri Synod Lutheran in Buffalo, NY, I spent six years as a guest of the Anglican Communion before being received by the Grace of God into the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church on the Feast of Saint Andrew, my patron, anno domini 2002.
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