Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Azhagiya Azhagiya Kili

From Abhiyum Naanum · 2008

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
Music director
Vidyasagar
Details
Abhiyum Naanum2008

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Azhagiya azhagiya kili ondraiA beautiful, beautiful parrot,
Pidi pidi pidiththadhu poonaiA cat caught it tightly.
Pani vizhum pani vizhum malar ondraiA dew-drenched flower,
Pari pari pariththathu yaanaiAn elephant plucked it away.
Male
Aiyo aiyoOh no, oh no!
Aniyaayam aiyaiyoWhat an injustice, oh dear!
Uyir pol valarththenI raised you like my very own life,
Un uravu poi aiyaiyoIs your relationship with me a lie now, oh dear?
Male
Noolanadhu izhaiyum izhaiyumThe thread gets pulled and stretched,
Thari thaanadi valigal ariyumOnly the loom knows the pain it endures.
Adhu pondrathu enadhu nilayumMy condition is just like that loom,
Aasai kannaeMy beloved child.
Chorus
Nachudhani kaali raath haeThis is a dark, inescapable night,
Athu naghu pari barsaathu haeIt pours like a continuous heavy rain.
Teri jingadi saathae haath haeYour life is now tied in another hand,
Achu gaiya samaju haeI have come to understand this clearly.
Male
Uyirin pirivu muzhusaai maaranamThe separation of life is full death,
Uravin pirivu paadhi maranamThe separation of a relationship is half death.
Vidhiyin pidiyil naanae saranamCaught in the grip of fate, I surrender,
Gnyanam pazhaga idhuvae tharunamThis is the time to learn spiritual wisdom.
Male
En vaasanai vaasanai vaadhaiyoIs my gentle loving affection a torment today?
Indru vaanara senaiyidamIn the hands of a monkey army,
Ada kaadugal koodugal aagumoAh, will the forests turn into nests,
En paingili serumidamWhere my sweet parrot goes to live?
Male
En kannadi kai maariMy glass treasure changed hands,
Kal serumo….Will it strike against a stone?
Noolanadhu izhaiyum izhaiyumThe thread gets pulled and stretched,
Thari thaanadi valigal ariyumOnly the loom knows the pain it endures.
Adhu pondrathu enadhu nilayumMy condition is just like that loom,
Aasai kannaeMy beloved child.
Chorus
Nachudhani kaali raath haeThis is a dark, inescapable night,
Athu naghu pari barsaathu haeIt pours like a continuous heavy rain.
Teri jingadi saathae haath haeYour life is now tied in another hand,
Achu gaiya samaju haeI have come to understand this clearly.
Male
Thaai dhaan azhudhaalIf only the mother cries,
Koodam nanaiyumThe central hall gets drenched in tears.
Thandhai azhudhaalIf the father cries,
Veedae nanaiyumThe entire house gets drenched.
Male
Oomai valiyilIn silent, mute agony,
Ullam eriyumThe heart burns inside.
Pennai pettraalIf you father a daughter,
Umakkum puriyumYou too will understand this pain.
Male
Naan aasaiyilThe precious treasure I saved up
Saemiththa pudhaiyalaiWith all my heartfelt desires,
Oru anniyan thiruduvadho ah…Is a stranger stealing it away, ah...
Endhan nenjinilThe moon that danced happily
Aadiya nilavinaiInside my heart,
Indru grahanam theenduvadhoIs an eclipse touching it today?
Male
Ini en vaazhvumHereafter, what will become of my life,
Penn vaazhvum yennaagumo…And what will become of my daughter's life?
Magal enbadhu mudhalil inimaiHaving a daughter is sweetness in the beginning,
Magal enbadhu pirivil kodumaiHaving a daughter brings cruelty in separation.
Mudivenbadhu mudhumai thanimaiThe ultimate end is old age and loneliness.
Poi vaa pennae….Farewell, my daughter...
Chorus
Nachudhani kaali raath haeThis is a dark, inescapable night,
Athu naghu pari barsaathu haeIt pours like a continuous heavy rain.
Teri jingadi saathae haath haeYour life is now tied in another hand,
Achu gaiya samaju haeI have come to understand this clearly.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This poignant track from Abhiyum Naanum expresses the intense anguish, helplessness, and grief of a loving father who is struggling to accept his daughter's departure after her marriage. Through vivid metaphors of a delicate parrot captured by a cat or a fragile flower plucked by an elephant, the song captures his internal turmoil and fear of losing his daughter to an unfamiliar world. The father reflects on the deep, unspoken emotional bond between a father and daughter, noting that while a mother's tears are visible, a father's silent grief drenches the entire household from within. He comes to terms with destiny, realizing that raising a daughter brings sweet joy during childhood, bitter agony during her parting, and ultimately leaves behind a lonely old age.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Urvagam)

Azhagiya azhagiya kili ondrai / Pidi pidi pidiththadhu poonai

Compares the daughter to a delicate parrot ('kili') and a flower ('malar'), while comparing fate/the groom to a cat ('poonai') and an elephant ('yaanai').

Simile (Uvamai)

Thari thaanadi valigal ariyum / Adhu pondrathu enadhu nilayum

Compares the father's internal emotional torment to the physical strain endured by a handloom weaving threads.

Hyperbole (Uyarvu Navortchi)

Thaai dhaan azhudhaal koodam nanaiyum / Thandhai azhudhaal veedae nanaiyum

Exaggerates the weight of paternal tears by stating that a mother's weeping fills a room, but a father's weeping drowns the entire house.

Anaphora (Mohnai / Repetitive Structure)

Magal enbadhu mudhalil inimai / Magal enbadhu pirivil kodumai

Repetition of 'Magal enbadhu' at the start of consecutive lines to emphasize the dual nature of having a daughter (sweetness vs pain).

Did you know?

Trivia

Composed by Vidyasagar with lyrics penned by Vairamuthu, this song features an unusual blend of Tamil and Hindi lines. The Hindi lines represent the North Indian cultural background of the daughter's partner in the movie Abhiyum Naanum (2008). Sung by Madhu Balakrishnan, the track serves as a major emotional centerpiece in the film, which stars Prakash Raj as the overly protective father.

Keep listening

More from Abhiyum Naanum