taru-adjective, adverb taking the 'to' particle
alone and helpless
Archaic literary word describing a solitary, forlorn state. Used in classical Chinese-influenced Japanese prose.
彼は異郷の地で煢然として暮らしていた。
He lived alone and helpless in a foreign land.
孤独 is the modern common word for 'loneliness' or 'solitude', while 煢然 is an archaic literary term emphasizing helpless isolation.
The exact derivation is uncertain; the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning 'alone and helpless' in classical Chinese-influenced Japanese.