Boulders At Rest, A Daily Dose of Peace in Germanic Languages

A Daily Dose of Peace. Each week, I focus on Love, Joy, and Peace in the world languages. January’s third week focuses on Germany and Germanic Languages in Europe.

Boulders in a Field left behind poetry with Kimberly Burnham. Photo by Andre Bernhardt on Unsplash

A Germanic Boulder At Rest

In Old Norse “ró” means rest, calm, and quietness
a similar word in Old English “rów” means quiet and rest
as does Middle Lower German “ròwe”
Old High German “ruowa”
and Lithuanian “rovà”

Dutch “rust” conjures an image of rest
a boulder left resting
in a meadow after the flood
“een rotsblok dat na de overstroming
in een weiland rustte”

West Frisian “rêst” as in
we took a rest at the top of the hill
to get our breath back
“wy rêste op ‘e top fan’ e heuvel
om ús azem werom te krijen”

German “ruhe” as in
rest awhile by the fire
“ruhe dich eine weile am feuer aus”

Just a few of the ways
the world find rest
these days

Resting by the fire in Germanic languages and poetry with Kimberly Burnham. Photo by Sanjeev Grover on Unsplash

Originally Published in Peace Poetry Dictionary, The Meaning of Peace and Calm in 5000 Languages on January 15, 2021.