Saudade: Elegiac Canto

Coutinho, Henrique Ernesto de Almeida, 1788-1868Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.9

Word count: 6.4K words
Chapters: 1

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.A Saudade: Canto elegiaco by Henrique Ernesto de Almeida CoutinhoAuthor: Coutinho, Henrique Ernesto de Almeida, 1788-1868,Language: Portuguese, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Mar 16, 2008

Editor's review

This is a long Portuguese elegiac poem by Henrique Ernesto de Almeida Coutinho, who lived from the late eighteenth to the mid-nineteenth century, presented as a free ebook by Project Gutenberg. "Saudade" is a core emotional word in Portuguese that is extremely difficult to translate, combining longing, melancholy, and the pain of loss; the title sets the tone of the whole poem. As an elegy (canto elegiaco), it continues the classical lyric tradition, unfolding emotion in verse rather than narrative, and is suitable for readers interested in Portuguese poetry and the literature of the eve of Romanticism. The main threshold for reading this book lies in the language: the original is in Portuguese, requiring some foundation in the language or a willingness to use a translation for comparison. It is not long, suitable as a sample for understanding the Portuguese lyric tradition, and also suitable for language learners to experience the literary expression of the cultural keyword "saudade." Due to limited materials, one should not expect modern annotations or introductions, and readers need to supplement the background themselves.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Poetry readers with some foundation in Portuguese
Learners interested in the Portuguese cultural keyword saudade
Literature students studying the nineteenth-century Portuguese elegiac tradition
Readers who want to encounter Portuguese poetry through a short public-domain work

Not a good fit for

Readers with no Portuguese foundation and no parallel translation
Readers who prefer plot-driven narrative or modern free verse
Classical literature researchers who need detailed scholarly annotations and introductions

Reading tips

First clarify the multiple meanings of the word saudade, then enter the lines to experience the layers of emotion.
You can read the original aloud to feel the rhythm and cadence of the elegy; word-for-word translation is not necessary.
It is advisable to read slowly with a Portuguese dictionary and, after each stanza, summarize the emotion in your own words.
If the language is difficult, you can find a reliable translation for comparison and then return to the original.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What exactly does saudade mean?

It is a Portuguese word denoting deep longing, melancholy, and a sense of loss, often directed at someone absent, time gone by, or something irretrievable. Chinese has no exact equivalent, and it must be understood in context; this poem is built around this emotion.

Can I read this book without knowing Portuguese?

Reading the original directly would be very difficult. It is advisable to first find a parallel translation to understand the content, then return to the original to feel the rhythm; if you only seek to understand the poetry, reading a translation is enough, but you will lose the sound effect of the elegy.

Does this long poem have a complete plot?

The elegy is mainly lyrical and mournful, not noted for narrative. The poem consists more of emotional unfolding and lament than of continuous event progression; readers should adjust their expectations and read it as a lyric work.

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About the author

Coutinho, Henrique Ernesto de Almeida, 1788-1868 Author · Portuguese · 1788–1868

Henrique Ernesto de Almeida Coutinho (1788–1868) was a Portuguese poet and writer active in the first half of the nineteenth century. Public information about his life is limited; what can be confirmed is chiefly his identity as a poet and his two surviving works. Both A Saudade: Canto elegiaco and As Saudades do Bardo Orthodoxo take "saudade" as their central theme—a word denoting deep longing, wistfulness, and nostalgia, and one of the most distinctively national emotional motifs in the Portuguese lyrical tradition. Coutinho's writing follows the elegiac mode, treating separation, remembrance, and spiritual wandering in a sentimental, introspective tone that carries the melancholy temper of early Romanticism. The two works belong to the same emotional lineage, indicating a sustained concern with inner experience and feeling rather than narrative or social satire. Though less renowned than the leading poets of his day, his work remains a useful example of the sentimentalist poetic taste in early nineteenth-century Portugal.