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Sehnsucht

Will someone who knows German tell me how to pronounce this word I've been searching for all my life and didn't know it? Ali of Something This Foggy Day has brought die Sehnsucht to my attention, though I think it likely I've come across it in C.S. Lewis' writing before. It's a word that has no equivalent in English, but it describes the intense longing that each of us feels but thinks is unique to us. The longing ache for what is beyond and other than ourselves. With Ali, I want to become friends with the author of this wikipedia article. And you? Do you know Sehnsucht?
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Ali said…
Thanks for the link! Yes, I don't know if you got my follow-up comment, but I believe sane-zookt is how you say it, which has it's own curious German charm. It's a great word.
2:40 AM
Edmund de Trois said…
http://fr.forvo.com/word/sehnsucht/

I think C.S. Lewis defined the English word "Joy" similarly.
4:23 AM
Anonymous said…
Ah, I don't only know it, but I live on it. Truly. It goes so deep with me--it's what I hang on to--that I can't even discuss it. C.S. Lewis was the only one who could discuss such an elusive, private, sacred experience without desecrating it. When I read him, I feel like he's the only other person in the world who feels as I do...then I remember how popular his books are and why... So maybe there are more of us out there than we can see.
4:40 PM
Unknown said…
There's a really excellent article (somewhere) that discusses C.S. Lewis and his concept of joy that uses that word, Rebecca. I remember reading it a few (three or so) years ago. I thought it was a sneeze. . .
2:19 PM
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