not all the legends of paquetá are so joyous. saudade is an infamously untranslatable portuguese word, whose approximate meaning is that of a longing and sadness felt so deeply as to be physical.  

the tale of the bridge of longing - the ponte de saudade - is that of joão da nação benguella, or joão saudade, as he was known to his fellow slaves. ripped from mother africa by the slave traffickers of francisco gonçalves da fonseca, he was sold for $400 and quarantined on the pier at quarry beach.

as he was paraded through the streets in chains and sold into bondage, there was no room in his heart for hatred or revolt - all the room was taken by his longing, his deep and suffering love for his wife januária and his son loreano.