Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Aadum Mayil Venuma

From Harichandra – 1968 Film · 1968

Lyricist
Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass
Singers
T. Sarojini, K. Rani
Music director
K. V. Mahadevan
Details
Harichandra – 1968 Film1968

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Aadum mayil venuma aa aa aaDo you want a dancing peacock? Ah ah ah...
Female
Paadum kuyil venuma aaa aa oo ooDo you want a singing cuckoo? Ah ah oh oh...
Female
Amuthaana nilai kaanaTo experience a sweet, ambrosia-like state,
Vaaraaiyoo raajaWon't you come, my king?
Female
Anbae engal inbam endrumMy love, our joy is forever
Vaadatha rojaaA never-fading rose.
Female
Kannum kannum pesudhuEyes are speaking to eyes,
Kaadhal valai veesudhuCasting a net of love.
Female
Kannum kannum pesudhuEyes are speaking to eyes,
Kaadhal valai veesudhuCasting a net of love.
Female
Kaaranam ennavendru solludhuRevealing what the reason is.
Female
Kannum kannum pesudhuEyes are speaking to eyes,
Kaadhal valai veesudhuCasting a net of love.
Kaaranam ennavendru solludhuRevealing what the reason is.
Female
Indha vanna malar kanduBeholding this colorful flower,
Ingae vattam podum vanduThe beetle circles around here.
Female
Vanna malar kanduBeholding the colorful flower,
Ingae vattam podum vanduThe beetle circles around here.
Adhu enni thannaalae yenguthuThinking of it, it yearns on its own.
Female
Indha malaraaga vandai thaedi pogumooWill this flower go searching for the beetle?
Female
Thaen madhu maari ponaal inbam kaanumoIf the sweet honey changes, can joy still be found?
Female
Aaa aa aa aa aaAaa aa aa aa aa
Female :Ooo oo oo ooFemale :Ooo oo oo oo

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This song is an enchanting romantic melody framed as a playful entice to a beloved king. The singer uses nature imagery—a dancing peacock, a singing cuckoo, nectar, and a never-fading rose—to convey the everlasting sweet bliss of love and invite her lover into her world. The second half explores silent communication through glances, describing love as a net woven through eye contact. Using the classical metaphor of a beetle circling a blooming flower, the lyrics ponder the courtly dynamics of longing and pursuit in romantic love.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Edhukai (Second Letter Rhyme)

Aadum mayil venuma / Paadum kuyil venuma

Matching second consonants in 'Aadum' and 'Paadum' creates rhythmic harmony across lines 1 and 2.

Metaphor

Kaadhal valai veesudhu

'Kaadhal valai' (net of love) metaphorically compares romance to a web or net that gently captures lovers.

Iyaibu (End Rhyme)

Kannum kannum pesudhu / Kaadhal valai veesudhu

Rhyming endings in 'pesudhu' and 'veesudhu' provide melodic continuity.

Allegory / Symbolism

Indha malaraaga vandai thaedi pogumoo

The flower (malar) and beetle (vandu) are classic Tamil literary symbols representing the beloved and the suitor respectively.

Did you know?

Trivia

Harichandra (1968) featured Sivaji Ganesan in the titular role of King Harishchandra. Lyricist Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass was renowned for incorporating classical folk tropes and vivid nature imagery into dance and court-sequence songs in Golden Era Tamil cinema.

Keep listening

More from Harichandra – 1968 Film