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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Ammammammaa Pon Maalai

From Thalattu Padava · 1990

Lyricist
Gangai Amaran
Singer
S. Janaki
Music director
Ilayaraja
Details
Thalattu Padava1990

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Ammammammaa pon maalai thendralOh, the golden evening breeze!
Aadaadho dhegam engum poo polaeWon't it sway across the body soft as a flower?
Ammammammaa pon maalai thendralOh, the golden evening breeze!
Aadaadho dhegam engum poo polaeWon't it sway across the body soft as a flower?
Female
Paadaadha raagamaeAn unsung melody,
Kaadhoram ketkumaeIs heard near the ears.
En ullam vaanam aanadhae yenoWhy has my heart become the boundless sky?
Female
Ammammammaa pon maalai thendralOh, the golden evening breeze!
Aadaadho dhegam engum poo polaeWon't it sway across the body soft as a flower?
Female
Engengum vannam kodiMillions of colors everywhere,
Endrendrum kaanum thaediForever searching to behold them,
Bhoologam melogam aanadhaeEarth has transformed into heaven.
Pon thogai kaattum mayilumThe peacock displaying its golden feathers,
Bhoopaalam paadum kuyilumAnd the cuckoo singing the dawn melody,
Sangeethathaal ondru serndhadhaeHave united through music.
Female
En ullam aadum…My heart dances...
Yedhedho paadum…It sings various tunes...
Kanni pen meniyilIn a young woman's body,
Inbangal koodidumJoy multiplies and overflows.
En ullam vaanam aanadhae yenoWhy has my heart become the boundless sky?
Female
Ammammammaa pon maalai thendralOh, the golden evening breeze!
Aadaadho dhegam engum poo polaeWon't it sway across the body soft as a flower?
Female
Neerodum odai kanduSeeing the flowing stream,
Neeraadum aasai konduFilled with the desire to bathe,
Megangal pen pola yengiyaeThe clouds yearn like a young maiden.
Poonthendral thaeril yeriRiding on the chariot of gentle breeze,
Pon maalai manjal poosiAdorned with the turmeric of golden evening,
Naaldhorum kai kondu thaangiyaeSupporting gently with hands every single day.
Female
Yedhedho aasai…So many unknown desires...
Pesaadho baashai…Is it an unspoken language?
Engengum oviyamEverywhere is a painting,
Kan kaanum kaaviyamAn epic poem that the eyes behold.
En ullam vaanam aanadhae yenoWhy has my heart become the boundless sky?
Female
Ammammammaa pon maalai thendralOh, the golden evening breeze!
Aadaadho dhegam engum poo polaeWon't it sway across the body soft as a flower?
En ullam vaanamaanadhae yenoWhy has my heart become the boundless sky?
Ammammammaa pon maalai thendralOh, the golden evening breeze!
Aadaadho dhegam engum poo polaeWon't it sway across the body soft as a flower?
Female
Paadaadha raagamaeAn unsung melody,
Kaadhoram ketkumaeIs heard near the ears.
En ullam vaanam aanadhae yenoWhy has my heart become the boundless sky?
Female
Ammammammaa pon maalai thendralOh, the golden evening breeze!
Aadaadho dhegam engum poo polaeWon't it sway across the body soft as a flower?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This song portrays the sheer exhilaration of love and nature's beauty. As the golden evening breeze gently caresses like a soft flower, the protagonist's heart feels as expansive and boundless as the open sky, listening to unspoken melodies whispering nearby. Earth transforms into a paradise filled with vibrant colors, dancing peacocks, and singing cuckoos. Nature acts as a mirror to internal bliss—flowing streams, yearning clouds, and twilight hues blend into an unspoken language of romance, turning the entire world into a living painting and poetic epic.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Upamai)

Aadaadho dhegam engum poo polae

Compares the gentle touch on the body to a soft flower using 'poo polae'.

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

En ullam vaanam aanadhae yeno

Directly equates the expanding joy in the speaker's heart to the vast sky ('vaanam aanadhae').

Personification

Megangal pen pola yengiyae

Attributes human desires to natural elements, depicting clouds longing like a young maiden.

Second-letter Rhyme (Edhugai)

Neerodum odai kandu / Neeraadum aasai kondu

Consonance in the second letter between consecutive lines: 'Neerodum' and 'Neeraadum'.

Did you know?

Trivia

The film 'Thalattu Padava' (1990), directed by R. Sundarrajan, features music composed by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja and stars Prabhu, Khushbu, and Kanaka. Written by Gangai Amaran, this track is renowned for its lush romantic imagery and classical-infused melody.

Keep listening

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