How would you say 悲凉 in English?
悲 means sad and 凉 means cold. So you feel both sad and cold. You can translate it as desolate or dismal.

Some definitions from different dictionaries:


According to 《现代汉语规范词典》 悲凄  is 悲伤+凄凉 and 悲伤 means sad, sorrowful and 凄凉 means desolate, cold and lonely.
According to 《现代汉语词典》 悲凄 is 悲哀+凄凉 and 悲哀 means grieved, sorrowful, sad and 凄凉 means desolate, cold and lonely.
Comprehensive Chinese-English Dictionary has sad and cold
MDBG has sorrowful, dismal


I would translate your sentence as Every time he recalled his own experiences, he felt sad and cold in his heart for a while.