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Ponniyin Selvan – Part 2 album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Chinnanjiru Nilave

From Ponniyin Selvan – Part 2 · 2023

Lyricist
Ilango Krishnan
Singer
Haricharan
Music director
A. R. Rahman
Movie name
Ponniyin Selvan – Part 2
Movie release year
2023
Lyrics added on
26 Feb 2023

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Chinnanjiru nilave ennai vittu
Yenadi neenginaiyo
Oru kollai puyaladithaal sagiyae
Senjudar thaangidumo
Attham azhindhadhadi annamae
Rathamum oindhadhadi
Oru kotramum veezhndhadhadi sagiye
Yaadhini kol yaane
Yaangunai theduvano anname
Yedhini seiguvano
Pongkoozh aanadhadi anname
Theengirul soozhndhadhadi
Thullum nayanamengae
Vellam pol
Sollum mozhigal engae
Kannal siruppumengae
Ennai ser
Aarana maarbumengae
Manjin ilankuliraai
Nenjilae serndhidum kaigal engae
Konjum ilam veyilaai
Ennaiyae thedidum paarvai engae
Chinnanjiru nilave ennai vittu
Yenadi neenginaiyo
Oru kollai puyaladithaal sagiyae
Senjudar thaangidumo
Kaanagam yeriyudhadi vanjiyae
Gnyaalamum nazhuvudhadi
Vaanam udaindhadhadi azhagae
Boomiyum sarindhadhadi
Kollai neruppinilae thalliyae
Eppadi neengudhiyo
Etradi kutramutren pirivai
Saabamaai thandhanaiyo
Chinnanjiru nilave ennai vittu
Yenadi neenginaiyo
Oru kollai puyaladitthaal sagiyae
Senjudar thaangidumo
Attham azhindhadhadi annamae
Rathamum oaindhadhadi
Oru kotramum veezhndhadhadi sagiye
Yaadhini kol yaane
O my little moon, leaving me behind,
why did you go away?
If a raging storm strikes, my love,
can a tender flame survive?
Everything I valued is lost, my gentle swan,
and the blood in my veins has gone still.
Even a kingdom has fallen, my love,
what is left for me to hold?
Where shall I search for you, my gentle swan?
What can I do now?
Cruel fate has overtaken me, my gentle swan,
and a dreadful darkness has surrounded me.
Where are your lively, dancing eyes?
Like a rushing flood,
where are the words you used to speak?
Where is your sweet, sugarcane smile?
Holding me close,
where is your adorned bosom?
Like the gentle chill of mist,
where are the hands that rested on my heart?
Like the warmth of soft morning sunlight,
where is the gaze that looked only for me?
O my little moon, leaving me behind,
why did you go away?
If a raging storm strikes, my love,
can a tender flame survive?
The forest is burning, my slender love,
and the world is slipping away.
The sky has shattered, my beautiful one,
and the earth has collapsed beneath me.
Pushing me into a raging fire,
how could you just walk away?
I admit I was at fault;
did you give me this separation as a curse?
O my little moon, leaving me behind,
why did you go away?
If a raging storm strikes, my love,
can a tender flame survive?
Everything I valued is lost, my gentle swan,
and the blood in my veins has gone still.
Even a kingdom has fallen, my love,
what is left for me to hold?
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Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

Chinnanjiru Nilave is a poignant lament sung from the perspective of Crown Prince Aditha Karikalan, expressing his agonizing grief, disorientation, and sense of loss regarding his beloved, Nandhini. Addressing her tenderly as a tiny moon and a delicate red flame facing a raging storm, he mourns how her absence has destroyed his world and robbed his life of all purpose.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagamm)

“Chinnanjiru nilave ennai vittu”

Addressing the beloved as 'Chinnanjiru nilave' (Tiny moon) and 'Senjudar' (Red flame) to emphasize her fragility in the face of catastrophic fate.

Hyperbole (Uyarvu Navortchi)

“Vaanam udaindhadhadi azhagae / Boomiyum sarindhadhadi”

Using cosmic destruction—burning forests, shattering skies, and collapsing earth—to convey the magnitude of emotional heartbreak.

Imagery (Kaatchi Bimbam)

“Manjin ilankuliraai / Nenjilae serndhidum kaigal engae”

Evoking tactile and visual memories through contrasts of cold mist ('Manjin ilankuliraai') and soft morning warmth ('Konjum ilam veyilaai').

Monai & Edhugai (Tamil Rhyme and Alliteration)

“Thullum nayanamengae / Vellam pol”

Matching initial consonant sounds and second-letter rhymes in 'Thullum' and 'Vellam', as well as 'Manjin' and 'Nenjilae'.

Did you know?

Trivia

The song title and phrasing pay homage to Subramania Bharati's famous poem 'Chinnanjiru Kiliye', recontextualized by lyricist Ilango Krishnan to mirror the tragic arc between Karikalan and Nandhini in Kalki Krishnamurthy's historical masterpiece Ponniyin Selvan.

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