The term ‘Saudade’ in Brazilian Portuguese describes an emotional state of melancholic or profoundly nostalgic longing for a beloved. A yearning or a happiness that has passed or perhaps never even existed. It is often associated with a repressed understanding that one might never encounter the object of longing again.
It is a recollection of feelings, experiences, places or events, often elusive, that give rise to a sense of separation from the exciting, pleasant or joyous sensations they once caused. Saudade could also be described as ‘the love that remains’ after someone is gone.