- Lyricist
- Vaali
- Singers
- T. M. Soundararajan, P. Susheela
- Music director
- K. V. Mahadevan
- Movie name
- Pesum Dheivam
- Movie release year
- 1967
- Lyrics added on
- 29 Sept 2019
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This iconic song from 'Pesum Dheivam' (1967) expresses poetic admiration for a child or loved one, comparing her presence to divine forms of beauty and traditional Tamil artistic concepts. The singer wonders if she is a divine incarnation of Lakshmi, Saraswati, or Parvati, stepping gently into his life and supplying the metrical foot (adi) to his romantic poetry. As the song progresses, the speaker uses poetic negations, stating she is far greater than natural elements like coconut palms, moonlit clouds, or fish-filled streams. The child's toddling gait gives rise to rhythm (thaalam), her hand movements bring forth emotional expression (bhavam), and her sweet voice creates melody (raagam), together forming the ultimate union of traditional Tamil art—Iyal (prose/poetry), Isai (music), and Naadagam (drama).
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Metaphor / Allegory (Uruvagam)
“Aazhiyilae piravaadha alai magalo…”
Compares the child to divine goddesses (Alai Magal, Kalai Magal, Malai Magal) and the core tenets of classical Tamil culture.
Metrical Wordplay / Pun (Sledai / Yaappu)
“Adiyeduthu vaithadho / Naan anbu kavidhai solla solla Adiyeduthu koduthadho”
'Adiyeduthu vaithadho' uses 'adi' in a double sense: taking a physical step with feet and providing a metrical line/foot for poetry.
Negation as Metaphor (Iliporul Anai / Il porul uvamai)
“Ilaneerai sumandhirukkum Thennai maram alla”
Employs poetic negation, arguing that common natural metaphors fall short of describing her true essence.
Rhyme and Alliteration (Edhukai and Monai)
“Thathi varum thalar nadaiyil / Thaavi varum kai asaivil”
Employs Tamil second-letter rhyming (Edhukai) across consecutive lines ('Thathi', 'Thaavi').
Did you know?
Trivia
'Pesum Dheivam' (1967) stars Sivaji Ganesan and Padmini. The music for the film was composed by the legendary K. V. Mahadevan, with lyrics penned by Vaali and vocals rendered by T. M. Soundararajan. The lyricist Vaali brilliantly weaves the classical concept of 'Muthamizh' (Iyal, Isai, Naadagam) into a popular cinematic song.
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