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Description
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Saudade is a Portuguese word generally considered one of the hardest words to translate. It originated from the Latin word solitate (loneliness), but with a different meaning. Loneliness in Portuguese is solidão, also with the same word origin. Few other languages in the world have a word with such meaning, making Saudade a distinct mark of Portuguese culture.

In Portuguese, this word serves to describe the feeling of missing someone (or something) you're fond of. For instance, the sentence "Eu sinto muitas saudades tuas" (I feel too much "saudade" of you) directly translates into "I miss you too much". "Eu sinto muito a tua falta" also has the same meaning in English ("falta" and "saudades" both are translated for missing), but it is different in Portuguese. It also relates to feelings of melancholy and fond memories of gone-by days, lost love and a general feeling of unhappiness.

In his book In Portugal of 1912, A.F.G Bell writes: "The famous saudade of the Portuguese is a vague and constant desire for something that does not and probably cannot exist, for something other than the present, a turning towards the past or towards the future; not an active discontent or poignant sadness but an indolent dreaming wistfulness."

Saudade is also the title of the Cape Verde Fado singer Cesária Évora's most famous song; French singer Etienne Daho also produced a song by the same name. Fado, and Saudade are two key and intertwined ideas in Portuguese culture, "Fado" meaning "Fate" or "Destiny". It is, in part, the recognition of this unassailable determinism which compels the resigned yearning of Saudade, a bittersweet, existential yearning and hopefulness towards something over which one has no control.

Contents [hide]
1 Saudade as a state of being
2 Fado
3 Saudade and love
4 Morriña
5 External Links

[edit]
Saudade as a state of being
Some specialists say that this word has come to life during the Great Portuguese Discoveries, giving meaning to the sadness felt by those who departed in journeys to the unknown seas. Those who stayed behind—mostly women and children—deeply suffered with their absence, and such state has almost become a "portuguese way of life": the constant feeling of absence, the sadness of something that's missing, the wistful longing for completeness or wholeness and the yearning for presence (as opposed to absence), that is to say, a strong desire to matar saudades (literally, to kill the saudade).

In the latter half of the 20th century Saudade has become associated with the feeling of longing for one's homeland, as hundreds of thousands of Portuguese left in search of better futures in North America and Northern Europe.

[edit]
Fado
Fado is a Portuguese music style. Generally sung by a single person (the fadista) along with a Portuguese guitar. The most popular themes of fado are saudade, nostalgia, jealousy, and short stories of the typical city quarters. The word fado comes from latin fatum (destiny).

[edit]
Saudade and love

Saudade emoticon.Although named by the Portuguese, saudade is a universal feeling related to love. It occurs when two people are in love, but apart from each other. Saudade occurs when we are thinking of a person whom we love and we are happy about having that feeling while we are thinking of that person, but he/she is out of reach, making us sad and we start to feel our heart crushing. The pain and these mixed feelings are named Saudade. It is also used to refer to the feeling of being far from people you do love, e.g., your sister, your father, your grandparents, your friends; it can be applied to places you miss, pets you miss, things you used to do in your childhood, in the past...

[edit]
Morriña
Saudade is also associated with Galicia (morriña), an autonomous province in northern Spain whose language (Galician, or Galego) is related to Portuguese and whose culture is influenced by Spain, Portugal and also the Celtic countries. In northern Portugal, morrinha (written differently, but pronunced alike) is a regional word to describe sprinkles - morrinhar (to sprinkle), most common Portuguese word elsewhere is chuvisco and chuviscar. Morrinha is also used in this region for refeering sick animals, and occasionally to sick or sad people, often along with irony.

Description
[link]

Saudade is a Portuguese word generally considered one of the hardest words to translate. It originated from the Latin word solitate (loneliness), but with a different meaning. Loneliness in Portuguese is solidão, also with the same word origin. Few other languages in the world have a word with such meaning, making Saudade a distinct mark of Portuguese culture.

In Portuguese, this word serves to describe the feeling of missing someone (or something) you're fond of. For instance, the sentence "Eu sinto muitas saudades tuas" (I feel too much "saudade" of you) directly translates into "I miss you too much". "Eu sinto muito a tua falta" also has the same meaning in English ("falta" and "saudades" both are translated for missing), but it is different in Portuguese. It also relates to feelings of melancholy and fond memories of gone-by days, lost love and a general feeling of unhappiness.

In his book In Portugal of 1912, A.F.G Bell writes: "The famous saudade of the Portuguese is a vague and constant desire for something that does not and probably cannot exist, for something other than the present, a turning towards the past or towards the future; not an active discontent or poignant sadness but an indolent dreaming wistfulness."

Saudade is also the title of the Cape Verde Fado singer Cesária Évora's most famous song; French singer Etienne Daho also produced a song by the same name. Fado, and Saudade are two key and intertwined ideas in Portuguese culture, "Fado" meaning "Fate" or "Destiny". It is, in part, the recognition of this unassailable determinism which compels the resigned yearning of Saudade, a bittersweet, existential yearning and hopefulness towards something over which one has no control.

Contents [hide]
1 Saudade as a state of being
2 Fado
3 Saudade and love
4 Morriña
5 External Links

[edit]
Saudade as a state of being
Some specialists say that this word has come to life during the Great Portuguese Discoveries, giving meaning to the sadness felt by those who departed in journeys to the unknown seas. Those who stayed behind—mostly women and children—deeply suffered with their absence, and such state has almost become a "portuguese way of life": the constant feeling of absence, the sadness of something that's missing, the wistful longing for completeness or wholeness and the yearning for presence (as opposed to absence), that is to say, a strong desire to matar saudades (literally, to kill the saudade).

In the latter half of the 20th century Saudade has become associated with the feeling of longing for one's homeland, as hundreds of thousands of Portuguese left in search of better futures in North America and Northern Europe.

[edit]
Fado
Fado is a Portuguese music style. Generally sung by a single person (the fadista) along with a Portuguese guitar. The most popular themes of fado are saudade, nostalgia, jealousy, and short stories of the typical city quarters. The word fado comes from latin fatum (destiny).

[edit]
Saudade and love

Saudade emoticon.Although named by the Portuguese, saudade is a universal feeling related to love. It occurs when two people are in love, but apart from each other. Saudade occurs when we are thinking of a person whom we love and we are happy about having that feeling while we are thinking of that person, but he/she is out of reach, making us sad and we start to feel our heart crushing. The pain and these mixed feelings are named Saudade. It is also used to refer to the feeling of being far from people you do love, e.g., your sister, your father, your grandparents, your friends; it can be applied to places you miss, pets you miss, things you used to do in your childhood, in the past...

[edit]
Morriña
Saudade is also associated with Galicia (morriña), an autonomous province in northern Spain whose language (Galician, or Galego) is related to Portuguese and whose culture is influenced by Spain, Portugal and also the Celtic countries. In northern Portugal, morrinha (written differently, but pronunced alike) is a regional word to describe sprinkles - morrinhar (to sprinkle), most common Portuguese word elsewhere is chuvisco and chuviscar. Morrinha is also used in this region for refeering sick animals, and occasionally to sick or sad people, often along with irony.