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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Aasaigal Theinthathe

From Jaathi Pookkal · 1987

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
Music director
Shyam
Details
Jaathi Pookkal1987

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Ooo….ooho ho ooo…Ooo... ooho ho ooo...
Ooo….ooho ho ooo…ooo….ho….Ooo... ooho ho ooo... ooo... ho...
Male
Aasaigal thaeinthathaeMy desires have eroded away,
Poonj cholaiyum mullaanathaeEven the flower garden has turned into thorns.
Nadhiyil oodamum saainthathaeThe boat in the river has capsized,
Nanainthathae kangalae…My eyes have become soaked with tears.
Male
Aasaigal thaeinthathaeMy desires have eroded away,
Poonj cholaiyum mullaanathaeEven the flower garden has turned into thorns.
Nadhiyil oodamum saainthathaeThe boat in the river has capsized,
Nanainthathae kangalae…My eyes have become soaked with tears.
Male
Kaalam ennum vana vedanTime is a hunter of the forest,
Veesum ambai yaar thaanguvarWho can withstand the arrow he shoots?
Kaalam ennum vana vedanTime is a hunter of the forest,
Veesum ambai yaar thaanguvarWho can withstand the arrow he shoots?
Pazhai yaavumae en meedhilaeAll the blame now falls upon me,
Vazhi illaiyae idhai maattaravaeThere is no way left to alter this fate.
Yaengum nenjai yaar thaettruvaarWho will comfort this yearning heart?
Male
Aasaigal thaeinthathaeMy desires have eroded away,
Poonj cholaiyum mullaanathaeEven the flower garden has turned into thorns.
Nadhiyil oodamum saainthathaeThe boat in the river has capsized,
Nanainthathae kangalae…My eyes have become soaked with tears.
Male
Veenai ondru mann melaeLike a veena lying fallen on the ground,
Veezhnthae soga pann paadutheIt lies fallen and plays a tune of sorrow.
En paathaiyo…oo….veguthoorameMy path ahead is so very distant,
En vaazhkkaiyo…oo…sila kaalmaeWhile my life's duration is so brief.
Kaanal neeraai kadhaiyanatheMy life story has turned into a mirage.
Male
Aasaigal thaeinthathaeMy desires have eroded away,
Poonj cholaiyum mullaanathaeEven the flower garden has turned into thorns.
Nadhiyil oodamum saainthathaeThe boat in the river has capsized,
Nanainthathae kangalae…My eyes have become soaked with tears.
Male
Aasaigal thaeinthathae….My desires have eroded away...
Aasaigal thaeinthathae….My desires have eroded away...

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Aasaigal Thaeinthathae from Jaathi Pookkal (1987) is a deeply melancholic song about heartbreak, misfortune, and helplessness in the face of fate. The speaker laments how all their cherished dreams and desires have slowly worn away, metaphorically describing how life's beautiful flower garden has transformed into sharp thorns and how their life's vessel has capsized mid-stream. The lyricist Vairamuthu personifies Time as a relentless hunter firing inescapable arrows of adversity. Burdened by unmerited blame and realizing that life is fleeting and mirage-like, the speaker feels like a fallen instrument playing a song of grief, yearning in vain for solace.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagaim)

Kaalam ennum vana vedan

Time is directly conceptualized as a forest hunter shooting fatal arrows ('Kaalam ennum vana vedan').

Simile (Uvamai)

Kaanal neeraai kadhaiyanathe

Life's tragedy is explicitly compared to a mirage using the suffix '-aai' ('Kaanal neeraai').

Personification & Metaphor

Veenai ondru mann melae / Veezhnthae soga pann paaduthe

A fallen musical instrument (Veena) is personified as singing a song of grief upon the earth.

End Rhyme (Iyaibu)

Aasaigal thaeinthathae / Poonj cholaiyum mullaanathae

Matching tail endings with '-athae' across consecutive lines (thaeinthathae, mullaanathae, saainthathae, kangalae).

Did you know?

Trivia

Written by lyricist Vairamuthu, the song employs classic Tamil literary imagery such as 'Kaanal neer' (mirage) and 'Vana vedan' (forest hunter) to express existential sorrow. 'Jaathi Pookkal' is a lesser-known 1980s Tamil drama film featuring emotionally charged compositions.

Keep listening

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