Google Generative AI says that “‘Saudade’ is a Portuguese word that can be translated to English as longing, melancholy, or nostalgia. It can also be described as a bittersweet feeling of longing for a loved one or a place that is gone.
In Portuguese folk culture, “saudade” is a deep emotional state of melancholic longing for a person or thing that is absent.
Some synonyms of “saudade” include: Sadness, Melancholy, Wistfulness, Nostalgia.”
As a native Portuguese speaker, I can say that the meaning of Saudade is much greater than just longing for a person or thing. We can also long for who we were, a place, a time, a feeling. And, even though Saudade can have a hint of melancholy, sometimes is often a warm fuzzy feeling permeated with love.
Having Saudade of the past and of my dead son, is a given but now I’m experiencing Saudade of a future that promised but won’t happen.
‘Tis a Fearful Thing ‘
Tis a fearful thing to love what death can touch. A fearful thing to love, to hope, to dream, to be – to be, And oh, to lose. A thing for fools, this, And a holy thing, a holy thing to love. For your life has lived in me, your laugh once lifted me, your word was gift to me. To remember this brings painful joy. ‘Tis a human thing, love, a holy thing, to love what death has touched.” ―
Yehuda HaLevi
Como sinto saudade do meu rebento! <3