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Isaimozhi
Navarasa album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Alai Alaiyaaga

From Navarasa · 2021

Lyricist
Madhan Karky
Singer
Karthik
Music director
Karthik
Movie name
Navarasa
Movie release year
2021
Lyrics added on
11 Jun 2021

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Alai alaiyaaga alai alaiyaaga
Enakkullae paaigiraai
Ovvoru modhalum ovvoru kaadhalaai
Thuli thuliyaaga thuli thuliyaaga
Idhayathil veezhgiraai
Ovvuru thooralum ovvuru kaadhalaai
Paarkadalum panithuliyil
Adangidum engiraai
Aruvigalai iru vizhiyil
Adakkida solgiraai
Kangal moodinen kanneer agiraai
Ovvoru thooralum ovvoru kaadhalaai…
Wave upon wave, wave upon wave,
You surge inside me,
Every crash turning into love.
Drop by drop, drop by drop,
You fall into my heart,
Every drizzle turning into love.
Even the ocean of milk in a dewdrop,
Can be contained, you say.
Waterfalls within my two eyes,
You ask me to hold inside.
I closed my eyes, and you become tears,
Every drizzle turning into love.
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This song captures the overwhelming and immersive sensation of love and emotion, depicting how feelings surge like ocean waves and fall gently like raindrops into the heart. Through vivid poetic imagery, it describes the paradoxes of emotion—how an entire ocean of feelings can fit within a single dewdrop, and how holding back vast emotions is like trying to contain waterfalls within one's eyes.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Adukku Thodar (Repetition)

Alai alaiyaaga alai alaiyaaga

The word 'Alai' is repeated continuously as 'Alai alaiyaaga' to express rhythmic, relentless waves.

Hyperbole (Uvaimai / Exaggeration)

Paarkadalum panithuliyil Adangidum engiraai

Poetic exaggeration is used by claiming that the vast ocean of milk (Paarkadal) can fit into a microscopic drop of dew.

Metaphor

Aruvigalai iru vizhiyil Adakkida solgiraai

Comparing the tears or overwhelming emotions in one's eyes to cascading waterfalls.

Did you know?

Trivia

This track was composed and performed by Karthik for the 2021 Netflix Tamil anthology web series 'Navarasa', created by Mani Ratnam and Jayendra Panchapakesan. Lyricist Madhan Karky penned the lyrics, capturing one of the core human emotions (rasas) explored in the series.

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