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Saudade
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Saudade (European Portuguese: [swdad], Brazilian

Portuguese: [sawdadi] or [sawdadi], Galician: [sawae]; plural
saudades)[1] is a deep emotional state of nostalgic or profound
melancholic longing for an absent something or someone that
one loves. It means missingness. Moreover, it often carries a
repressed knowledge that the object of longing might never
return.[2] A stronger form of saudade might be felt towards
people and things whose whereabouts are unknown, such as a
lost lover, or a family member who has gone missing, moved
away, separated, or died.

Saudade was once described as "the love that remains" after

someone is gone. Saudade is the recollection of feelings,
experiences, places, or events that once brought excitement,
pleasure, well-being, which now triggers the senses and makes
one live again. It can be described as an emptiness, like
someone (e.g., one's children, parents, sibling, grandparents,
friends, pets) or something (e.g., places, things one used to do in
childhood, or other activities performed in the past) that should
be there in a particular moment is missing, and the individual
feels this absence. It brings sad and happy feelings altogether,
sadness for missing and happiness for having experienced the Saudade (1899), by Almeida
feeling. Jnior

Saudade is a word in Portuguese and Galician (from which it

entered Spanish) that claims no direct translation in English. In Portuguese, "Tenho saudades tuas"
(European Portuguese) or "Tenho saudades de voc" (Brazilian Portuguese), translates as "I have
(feel) saudade of you" meaning "I miss you", but carries a much stronger tone. In fact, one can
have saudade of someone whom one is with, but have some feeling of loss towards the past or the
future. For example, one can have "saudade" towards part of the relationship or emotions once
experienced for/with someone, though the person in question still is part of one's life, as in "Tenho
saudade do que fomos" (I feel "saudade" of the way we were). Another example can illustrate this
use of the word saudade: "Que saudade!" indicating a general feeling of longing, whereby the
object of longing can be a general and undefined entity/occasion/person/group/period etc. This
feeling of longing can be accompanied or better described by an abstract will to be where the object
of longing is.

Despite being hard to translate, saudade has equivalent words in other cultures, and is often related
to music styles expressing this feeling such as the blues for African-Americans, dor in Romania,
Tizita in Ethiopia, or Assouf for the Tuareg people. In Slovak, the word is clivota or cnenie, in

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Czech, the word is stesk and Sehnsucht in German.

The similar melancholic music style is known in Bosnia-Herzegovina as sevdah (ultimately from
Arabic sawd' : 'black [bile]', translation of the Greek , mlaina chol from
which the term melancholy is derived).

Nascimento and Meandro (2005)[3] cite Duarte Nunes Leo's definition of saudade: "Memory of
something with a desire for it."

In Brazil, the day of Saudade is officially celebrated on 30 January.[4][5]

Contents
1 History
2 Definition
3 Elements
3.1 Music
4 Literature
5 Variations
6 See also
7 References
8 Further reading
9 External links

History
The distant lands of the
Portuguese Empire made a
special longing for the loved ones
of explorers and sailors
explanation.
The word saudade was used in the Cancioneiro da Ajuda (13th
century), in the Cancioneiro da Vaticana and by poets of the
time of King Denis of Portugal[6] (reigned 12791325). Some
specialists say the word may have originated during the Great
Portuguese Discoveries, giving meaning to the sadness felt
about those who departed on journeys to unknown seas and
disappeared in shipwrecks, died in battle, or simply never
returned. Those who stayed behindmostly women and
childrensuffered deeply in their absence. However, the
Portuguese discoveries only started in 1415 and since the word
has been found in earlier texts, this does not constitute a very
good explanation. The Reconquista also offers a plausible

The state of mind has subsequently become a "Portuguese way of life": a constant feeling of

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absence, the sadness of something that's missing, wishful longing for completeness or wholeness
and the yearning for the return of that now gone, a desire for presence as opposed to absenceas it
is said in Portuguese, a strong desire to matar as saudades (lit. to kill the saudades).

In the latter half of the 20th century, saudade became associated with the feeling of longing for
one's homeland, as hundreds of thousands of Portuguese-speaking people left in search of better
futures in South America, North America and Western Europe. Besides the implications derived
from a wave of emigration trend from the motherland, historically speaking saudade is the term
associated with the decline of Portugal's role in world politics and trade. During the so-called
"Golden Age", synonymous with the era of discoveries, Portugal undeniably rose to the status of a
world power, and its monarchy became one of the richest in Europe. But with the rise of
competition from other European nations, the country went both colonially and economically into a
prolonged period of decay. This period of decline and resignation from the world's cultural stage
marked the rise of saudade, aptly described by a sentence in Portugal's national anthem: Levantai
hoje de novo o esplendor de Portugal (Let us once again lift up the splendour of Portugal).

Definition
The Dicionrio Houaiss da Lngua Portuguesa defines saudade (or saudades) as "A somewhat
melancholic feeling of incompleteness. It is related to thinking back on situations of privation due
to the absence of someone or something, to move away from a place or thing, or to the absence of a
set of particular and desirable experiences and pleasures once lived."[7]

The Dictionary from the Royal Galician Academy, on the other hand, defines saudade as an
"intimate feeling and mood caused by the longing for something absent that is being missed. This
can take different aspects, from concrete realities (a loved one, a friend, the motherland, the
homeland...) to the mysterious and transcendent. It is quite prevalent and characteristic of the
galician-portuguese world, but it can also be found in other cultures."

Elements
Saudade is similar but not equal to nostalgia, a word that also exists in Portuguese.

In the 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.[2]

A stronger form of saudade may be felt towards people and things whose whereabouts are
unknown, such as old ways and sayings; a lost lover who is sadly missed; a faraway place where

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one was raised; loved ones who have died; feelings and stimuli
one used to have; and the faded, yet golden memories of youth.
Although it relates to feelings of melancholy and fond
memories of things/people/days gone by, it can be a rush of
sadness coupled with a paradoxical joy derived from acceptance
of fate and the hope of recovering or substituting what is lost by
something that will either fill in the void or provide consolation.

Music

As with all emotions, saudade has been an inspiration for many

songs and compositions. "Sodade" (saudade in Cape Verdean
Creole) is the title of the Cape Verde singer Cesria vora's
most famous song. tienne Daho, a French singer, also
Saudades de Npoles (Missing
produced a song of the same name. The Good Son, a 1990
Naples), 1895 by Bertha Worms.
album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, was heavily informed
by Cave's mental state at the time, which he has described as
saudade. He told journalist Chris Bohn: "When I explained to someone that what I wanted to write
about was the memory of things that I thought were lost for me, I was told that the Portuguese word
for this feeling was saudade. It's not nostalgia but something sadder."

The usage of saudade as a theme in Portuguese music goes back to the

16th century, the golden age of Portugal. Saudade, as well as love
suffering, is a common theme in many villancicos and cantigas
composed by Portuguese authors; for example: "Lgrimas de Saudade"
(tears of saudade), which is an anonymous work from the Cancioneiro
de Paris. 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. Fado and saudade are intertwined key ideas in
Portuguese culture. The word fado comes from Latin fatum meaning
"fate" or "destiny". Fado is a musical cultural expression and
recognition of this unassailable determinism which compels the
resigned yearning of saudade, a bitter-sweet, existential yearning and
Cape Verdean pop singer
hopefulness towards something over which one has no control.
Cesria vora had her
biggest hit singing about Spanish singer Julio Iglesias, whose father is a Galician, speaks of
saudade saudade in his song "Un Canto a Galicia" (which roughly translates as
"a song/chant for Galicia"). In the song, he passionately uses the
phrase to describe a deep and sad longing for his motherland, Galicia. He also performs a song
called "Morrias", which describes the Galicians as having a deeply strong saudade.

The Paraguayan guitarist Agustin Barrios wrote several pieces invoking the feeling of saudade,
including Choro de Saudade and Preludio Saudade. The term is prominent in Brazilian popular

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music, including the first bossa nova song, "Chega de Saudade" ("No more saudade", usually
translated as "No More Blues"), written by Tom Jobim. Jazz pianist Bill Evans recorded the tune
"Saudade de Brasil" numerous times. In 1919, on returning from two years in Brazil, the French
composer Darius Milhaud composed a suite, Saudades do Brasil, which exemplified the concept of
saudade. "Saudade (Part II)" is also the title of a flute solo by the band Shpongle. The singer
Amlia Rodrigues typified themes of saudade in some of her songs. J-Rock band Porno Graffitti
has a song entitled "", "Saudaaji" transliterated ("Saudade"). The alternative rock band
Love And Rockets has a song named "Saudade" on their album Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven.
June 2012 brought Bearcat's release of their self-titled indie album that included a song called
"Saudade".

The Dutch jazz/Rock guitarist Jan Akkerman recorded a composition called "Saudade", the
centerpiece of his 1996 album Focus in Time. The Belgian electronic music band Arsenal recorded
a song called "Saudade" on their album Outsides (2005). The jazz fusion group Trio Beyond,
consisting of John Scofield, Jack DeJohnette, and Larry Goldings released in 2006 an album
dedicated to drummer Tony Williams (19451997), called Saudades. Dance music artist Peter
Corvaia released a progressive house track entitled "Saudade" on HeadRush Music, a sub-label of
Toes in the Sand Recordings. New York City post-rock band Mice Parade released an album
entitled Obrigado Saudade in 2004. Chris Rea also recorded a song entitled "Saudade Part 1 & 2
(Tribute To Ayrton Senna)" as a tribute to Ayrton Senna, the Brazilian three-times Formula One
world champion killed on the track in May 1994. There is an ambient/noise/shoegazing band from
Portland, Oregon, named Saudade. The rock band Extreme has a Portuguese guitarist Nuno
Bettencourt; the influence of his heritage can be seen in the band's album Saudades de Rock.
During recording, the mission statement was to bring back musicality to the medium. "Nancy
Spain", a song by Barney Rush, made famous by an adaptation by Christy Moore, is another
example of the use of saudade in contemporary Irish music, the chorus of which is:

"No matter where I wander I'm still haunted by your name

The portrait of your beauty stays the same
Standing by the ocean wondering where you've gone
If you'll return again
Where is the ring I gave to Nancy Spain?"

American singer/songwriter Grayson Hugh wrote a song called "Saudade" that he performed with
jazz guitarist Norman Johnson on Johnson's 2013 album "Get It While You Can".

Kingston-Upon-Hull IDM Electronica, Downtempo and Deep Groove legend, Steve Cobby, of Fila
Brazillia, Solid Doctor, Heights of Abraham, the Twilight Singers debut notoriety and other musical
incarnations and collaborations, released a 12 track album "Saudade (http://stevecobby.co.uk/album
/saudade)" in March of 2014 on DCLASS Recordings.

Literature

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The Portuguese author Fernando Pessoa's posthumous collection of writings The Book of Disquiet
is written almost entirely in a tone of saudade, and deals with themes of nostalgia and alienation.

Variations
Saudade is also associated with Galicia, where it is used
similarly to the word morria (longingness). Yet, morria often
implies a deeper stage of saudade, a "saudade so strong it can
even kill," as the Galician saying goes. Morria was a term
often used by emigrant Galicians when talking about the
Galician motherland they left behind. Although saudade is also
a Galician word, the meaning of longing for something that
might return is generally associated with morria. A literary
example showing the understanding of the difference and the
The Spanish region of Galicia
use of both words is the song Un canto a Galicia by Julio
(red) lies north of Portugal and
Iglesias. The word used by Galicians speaking Spanish has
shares a cultural history of
spread and become common in all Spain and even accepted by
saudade
the Academia.[8]

In Portugal, morrinha is a word to describe sprinkles, while morrinhar means "to sprinkle." (The
most common Portuguese equivalents are chuvisco and chuviscar, respectively.) Morrinha is also
used in northern Portugal for referring to sick animals, for example of sheep dropsy,[8] and
occasionally to sick or sad people, often with irony. It is also used in some Brazilian regional
dialects for the smell of wet or sick animals.

In Goa, India, which was a Portuguese colony until 1961, some Portuguese influences are still
retained. A suburb of Margo, Goa's largest city, has a street named Rua de Saudades. It was aptly
named because that very street has the Christian cemetery, the Hindu shmashana (cremation
ground) and the Muslim qabrastan (cemetery). Most people living in the city of Margo who pass
by this street would agree that the name of the street could not be any other, as they often think
fond memories of a friend, loved one, or relative whose remains went past that road. The word
saudade takes on a slightly different form in Portuguese-speaking Goan families for whom it
implies the once-cherished but never-to-return days of glory of Goa as a prized possession of
Portugal, a notion since then made redundant by the irrevocable cultural changes that occurred with
the end of the Portuguese regime in these parts.

In Cape Verdean Creole there is the word sodadi (also spelled sodade), originated in the Portuguese
saudade and exactly with the same meaning.

See also
Grief
Mono no aware

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Nostalgia
Sehnsucht
Hiraeth
Member Berries

References
1. Priberam Informtica, S.A. "Significado /
definio de saudade no Dicionrio Priberam
da Lngua Portuguesa".
2. Bell, A. F. (1912) In Portugal. London and
New York: The Bodley Head. Quoted in
Emmons, Shirlee and Wilbur Watkins Lewis
(2006) Researching the Song: A Lexicon.
Oxford and New York: Oxford University
Press, p. 402.
3. Nascimento, A.R.A. e Menandro, P.R.M.
(2005). Memria social e saudade:
especificidades e possibilidades de articulao
na anlise psicossocial de recordaes.
Memorandum, 8, 5-19 . Retirado em / / , do
World Wide Web: http://www.fafich.ufmg.br
/~memorandum/artigos08/nascimenan01.htm
4. "Portoweb - Datas Comemorativas".
5. "Dia da Saudade. Origem e curiosidades sobre
o Dia da Saudade - Brasil Escola". Brasil
Escola.
6. Basto, Cludio. "Saudade em portugus e
galego". Revista Lusitana, Vol XVII, Livraria
Clssica Editora, Lisboa 1914.
7. Dicionrio Houaiss da lngua portuguese
(Brazilian Portuguese Dictionary).
8. morria (http://buscon.rae.es/draeI
/SrvltGUIBusUsual?TIPO_HTML=2&
TIPO_BUS=3&LEMA=morri%C3%B1a) in
the Spanish-language Diccionario de la Real
Academia.

Further reading
Saudade: The Culture and Security of Eurasians in Southeast Asia by Antonio L Rappa Ethos
Books and Singapore Management University's Wee Kim Wee Centre, 2013.
(Portuguese) Lourceno, Eduardo. (1999) Mitologia da saudade (Seguido de Portugal como
destino). So Paulo: Companhia das Letras (http://www.companhiadasletras.com.br/) . ISBN
85-7164-922-7
(Portuguese) Ribeiro, Bernardim (Torrao, ~1482 Lisboa, ~1552). Livro das Saudades.

External links
Aesthetics of Saudade Essay comprising the major theories and explaining the doubts
surrounding the translation of saudade (http://www.proz.com/translation-articles/articles
/1399/1/Aesthetics-of-Saudade)
"BBC Brasil": Saudade is the 7th most difficult word to translate
(http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/bbc/ult272u32676.shtml) (in Portuguese), London: BBC,
23 June 2004.

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