35 Pain

Боль

Irkoutsk |

Russia

Russian

Behind the scenes

As I wrote this text, I wanted to reflect on pain – how it emerges and what it transforms within us. Pain, whether physical or emotional, can appear at any moment. We may also live under its shadow, as if its presence continues to follow us. Yet while pain can isolate us and shake our certainties, it can also reveal strengths we did not know we possessed.

I imagined this text in Irkutsk, in Siberia. This vast and wild region evokes both the forced exiles of Russian history and the constant ordeal of a harsh and untamable nature.

Echoes of the world

The Russian word боль (bol’) means “pain.” It is strikingly short: a single syllable, almost like a sudden impact. Yet its sound carries a subtle nuance. At the end of the word is the Russian soft sign (ь), which is not a vowel but softens the consonant before it. The final l becomes gentler, as if the language were trying to soften a word that is otherwise so intense – like a balm placed on a wound.

The structure of the text also reflects a rhythm typical of Russian expression: the repetition of the word Боль (bol’) at the beginning of sentences creates an almost incantatory, dramatic effect. In Russian literary tradition, this kind of repetition heightens emotion and gives the word an almost hypnotic power.