- Lyricist
- Agathiyan
- Singer
- Bhavatharani
- Music director
- Ilayaraja
- Movie name
- Kadhal Kavithai
- Movie release year
- 1998
- Lyrics added on
- 30 Mar 2020
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This soulful song from 'Kadhal Kavithai' captures a woman's intense yearning for her distant lover, whom she poetically elevates to a great king ruling her world. She addresses the gentle sea breeze as her messenger (a classic Tamil Sangam literary trope known as 'Thoodhu'), pleading with it to guide her turbulent, wave-like heart back to the safety of the shore. She describes how evening twilight, spring air, and solitary nights intensify her pain of separation. Desperately longing for a single comforting word or message from him to sustain her life, she wonders if he realizes her suffering and whether he will ever return to reunite with her.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Personification (Thendral Thoodhu)
“Alai meedhu vilaiyaadum Ilam thendralae... Nee kaettu vaa”
Addressing the breeze as a conscious entity capable of traveling to her lover and returning with a message, drawing directly from traditional Tamil poetic conventions.
Metaphor (Urvagam)
“Alai paayum ila nenjai Karai saerthu vaa”
Comparing her anxious, restless young heart to turbulent ocean waves ('Alai paayum ila nenjai').
Monai (Initial Rhyme / Alliteration)
“Ulagaalum maamannan ... Uyir vaazha oru vaarthai”
Repetition of the initial vowel/consonant sound across adjacent lines ('Alai' / 'Alai', 'Ulagaalum' / 'Uyir').
Edhukai (Second Letter Assonance)
“Olai avan olai pera / Ullam thudikkum”
Rhyming of the second letter in consecutive lines ('Olai' and 'Ullam' featuring the 'la' sound).
Did you know?
Trivia
Composed by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja for director Agathiyan's 1998 romantic drama 'Kadhal Kavithai' (starring Prashanth and Isha Koppikar), this song features lyrics written by Agathiyan himself. Agathiyan is known for weaving classical Tamil literary themes into modern film song situations.
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