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Language is such a fascinating tool.

I love how some words have no translation in other languages.

Take “saudade”, for example. One of my favorite words in the Portuguese language, that epitomizes so much of what the Portuguese culture and spirit is all about.

Saudades. A longing for something that is just out of reach. The gorgeous local music of Fado is often a reflection of this phenomenon, with their soulful outpouring of raw emotion. Whether it be the mourning of wives waiting for their husbands to come back from long trips at sea during the maritime greatness of the country. Or being away from Portugal and yearning for an unlikely return.

Here’s a song celebrating “O Mar “Saudade” from one of my favorite contemporary Portuguese artists, Madredeus:

Here’s another, with the more traditional fado sounds of Mariza Cruz, born in Mozambique but raised in Portugal. I adore that distinctive plucking, on the lovely guitarra portuguesa

The smell of grilled sardinhas still gives me that feeling of saudades for this magnificent country, where I lived for five heart-ful years.

Reminds me of meandering through the winding cobblestone streets of Barrio Alto in lovely Lisboa, invariably running into friends along the way, sharing a glass of something with the bar owners who all became our friends, connecting with the spectacular music, and enjoying the vibrant nightlife that is so uniquely Lisboa.

Portugal tenho saudade!

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