- Lyricist
- Gangai Amaran
- Singers
- P. Susheela, Mano
- Music director
- Ilayaraja
- Movie name
- Enga Ooru Kavalkaran
- Movie release year
- 1998
- Lyrics added on
- 23 Oct 2018
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
Aasaiyilae Paaththi Katti is a rustic, emotionally tender Tamil folk-style duet from the film Enga Ooru Kavalkaran (1988), composed by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja and written by Gangai Amaran. The song uses vivid agricultural metaphors—such as preparing a mud bed in a field and nurturing a sapling—to illustrate how love has taken root in the hearts of the lovers. The male lead calls out to his beloved Poovaayi, expressing how her presence inspires his music and his longing to marry her with traditional silk and garlands. In response, Poovaayi shares her deep pain, loneliness, and emotional burden, comparing herself to a mute parrot and a solitary tree. The song beautifully captures rural romance, devotion, and the comforting promise of lifelong companionship amidst life's struggles.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Uvamei / Metaphor (Agricultural Imagery)
“Aasaiyilae paaththi katti / Naaththu onnu nattu vaikka”
The preparation of a soil bed ('paaththi katti') and planting of a sapling ('naaththu') serves as an extended metaphor for sowing the seeds of love in the human heart.
Etukai (Second-letter Rhyme)
“Kannu thaan thoongavilla / Kaaranam thona villa”
The second consonant 'n' ('nn') harmonizes across adjacent lines, creating a rhythmic melodic cadence characteristic of Tamil folk poetry.
Personification / Simile (Uvamana)
“Sonthama paadum kili / Sogamaa ponathaiyaa”
The heroine's grieving inner self is personified as a free-singing parrot ('kili') that has lost its voice to sorrow.
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