Saudade: The Passionate and Powerful Galician-Portuguese Term that Has No Direct English Equivalent [VIDEO]
"Yearning..." "Love that remains," "Pining for love lost," "A complex feeling that involves romantic values... or a distinct feeling of longing." These are responses when asked to convert the rich, untranslatable word Saudade from its native Galician-Portuguese to English.
There are numerous distinct words that have no equivalents in other languages, such as Zhaghzhagh (Persian): the chattering of teeth from the cold or anger; Iktsuarpok (Inuit): the feeling of anticipation that leads you to keep looking outside to see if anyone is coming; Dépaysement (French): the feeling that comes from not being in one's home country; Goya (Urdu): the transporting suspension of disbelief that can occur during good storytelling; and Sobremesa (Spanish): the time spent after lunch or dinner, talking to people you shared a meal with, though there are plenty words of similar likeness... there even being a sub-Reddit to house the un-alterable words, in a section called Does Not Translate.
The nostalgia-like expression that exudes deep melancholy and remembrance, even for things that have yet to be experienced, is commonplace in literature and music in Cape Verde, Brazil, Portugal and other nations. Portuguese writer Manuel de Melo defined the word to mean: "a pleasure you suffer, an ailment you enjoy."
The soulfulness that music offers makes it the most fitting platforms for saudade to be felt. The rhythm and the words are coordinated; in sync with that longing… the words soar, mirroring the spirit-stirring gist of the word.
Suadade-like feelings have been captured in the lyrics of certain songs; artists such as Gilberto Gil, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto, Amalia Rodrigues, and Luciana Souza were able to capture nuances and involvedness of the term, which dates back to the 13th century. Poets during the time of King Denis of Portugal wrote couplets that included the word, and the term was effectively felt during the term's inception, created to describe the sadness felt about those who disappeared in shipwrecks, died in battle, were disappeared, or simply those who never returned.
Similar words in other languages exist, but they are not exact: the Albanian word is mall; German word is Wehmut; Romanian word is dor; the Mongolian word is betgerekh (бÑÑгÑÑÑÑ ); and the Finnish word is Kaiho. Each word comparable to the fatalistic tones of saudade, and connotes deep impressions on the heart, overall sadness, emotional sickness, deep and bittersweet remorse, penetrating yearning, or a craving to reclaim memory, passion, fervor, love and closeness.