Love and lust: words that tell the difference
In these enlightened times few would knowingly blur the distinction between love and desire without awareness of the consequences. I think it was Lord Chesterfield who described the high cost of purely erotic endeavours as follows:
1 The pleasure is momentary.
2. The position ridiculous.
3. The expense appalling.
Whatever about the big picture of love, the fact is love and desire are intimately and linguistically linked since man first used language.
For instance the Sanskrit word 'lubyati' means 'he desires.' From Latin we have several words that link love and desire: 'libido' meaning lust, 'desiderare' meaning 'longing for' and 'lubere' meaning 'to please.'
The old Saxon word for love is 'luva' and the proto-Germanic is 'lubo.'
Interestingly, the Lithuanian word for love is 'liaupse' meaning 'song of praise.' Less direct is the old Slavic word 'prijati' meaning 'I care for.' It comes from the word 'prijateli' which means 'friend' or the Greek 'prays' meaning 'gentle'.
As Joyce's young hero Stephen Dedalus ponders his way along the strands and streets of Dublin he wonders: 'What is the word known to all men?' After much contemplation he decides the word is love.
Michael Hegarty
Lyre
Carrignavar
Co Cork
