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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

En Kadhale En Kadhale Male

From Duet · 1994

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
Music director
A. R. Rahman
Details
Duet1994

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
En kaadhalae en kaadhalaeOh my love, oh my love
Ennai enna seiya pogiraaiWhat are you going to do to me?
Naan oviyan endru therindhum neeEven knowing that I am a painter
Yen kannirandai ketkiraaiWhy do you ask for both my eyes?
Male
Siluvaigal siragugalCrosses or wings
Rendil enna thara pogiraaiWhich of the two are you going to give me?
Killuvathai killivittuAfter pinching me
Yen thalli nindru paarkiraaiWhy do you stand far away and watch?
Male
En kaadhalae en kaadhalaeOh my love, oh my love
Ennai enna seiya pogiraaiWhat are you going to do to me?
Naan oviyan endru therindhum neeEven knowing that I am a painter
Yen kannirandai ketkiraaiWhy do you ask for both my eyes?
Male
Kaadhalae nee poo erinthaalOh love, if you throw a flower
Entha malaiyum konjam kuzhaiyumEven a mountain will soften a little
Kaadhalae nee kal erinthaalOh love, if you throw a stone
Entha kadalum konjam kalangumEven an ocean will be troubled a bit
Male
Ini meelvathaa aaaTo recover now...
Illai veelvathaa…Or to fall...
Uyir vazhvathaa aaaWill my life live on...
Illai povathaa..Or will it depart...
Amuthenpathaa visham enbathaa..Is it nectar or is it poison...
Illai amuthavishamenbathaa….Or is it a poisonous nectar?
Male
En kaadhalae en kaadhalaeOh my love, oh my love
Ennai enna seiya pogiraaiWhat are you going to do to me?
Naan oviyan endru therindhum neeEven knowing that I am a painter
Yen kannirandai ketkiraaiWhy do you ask for both my eyes?
Male
Kaadhalae un kaaladiyilOh love, at your feet
Naan vilunthu vilunthu thozhudhenI fell repeatedly and worshipped
Kangalai nee moodi kondaalIf you closed your eyes
Naan kulungi kulungi azhudhenI sobbed and wept bitterly
Male
Ithu maatramaa aaaIs this a change...
Thadumaatramaa…Or a faltering step?
En nenjilae ae…In my heart...
Pani moottamaa….Is it a blanket of fog?
Nee tholiyaa …illai ethiriyaaAre you a friend... or an enemy?
Endru thinamum poraattamaa..Is this an everyday struggle?
Male
En kaadhalae en kaadhalaeOh my love, oh my love
Ennai enna seiya pogiraaiWhat are you going to do to me?
Naan oviyan endru therindhum neeEven knowing that I am a painter
Yen kannirandai ketkiraaiWhy do you ask for both my eyes?
Male
Siluvaigal siragugalCrosses or wings
Rendil enna thara pogiraaiWhich of the two are you going to give me?
Killuvathai killivittu…..After pinching me...

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This classic song from Duet expresses the deep paradoxes and agony of love. The protagonist addresses love directly, questioning why it demands the very essence of his being—asking for a painter's eyes—and whether it brings heavy crosses of suffering or wings of freedom. Love is portrayed as a force capable of softening mountains yet agitating vast oceans, blurring the line between healing nectar and lethal poison.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor

Naan oviyan endru therindhum nee / Yen kannirandai ketkiraai

Comparing the lover to a painter whose vision is demanded by love, symbolizing how love asks for one's most precious asset.

Antithesis / Binary Contrast

Siluvaigal siragugal / Rendil enna thara pogiraai

Juxtaposing 'Siluvaigal' (crosses/suffering) and 'Siragugal' (wings/liberation) to show the dual nature of romantic devotion.

Hyperbole

Kaadhalae nee poo erinthaal / Entha malaiyum konjam kuzhaiyum

Exaggerating love's impact by stating that a flower thrown by love can melt a mountain, and a stone thrown can perturb an entire ocean.

Oxymoron

Amuthenpathaa visham enbathaa.. / Illai amuthavishamenbathaa….

Combining mutually contradictory terms 'amuthu' (nectar of immortality) and 'visham' (deadly poison) to describe love.

Adukkuthodar (Iterative Repetition)

Naan vilunthu vilunthu thozhudhen / Naan kulungi kulungi azhudhen

Repetition of words like 'vilunthu vilunthu' and 'kulungi kulungi' to intensify the imagery of emotional vulnerability and sobbing.

Did you know?

Trivia

Composed by A.R. Rahman for K. Balachander's 1994 film Duet, this track features memorable saxophone passages by maestro Kadri Gopalnath alongside vocals by S. P. Balasubrahmanyam and K. S. Chithra.

Keep listening

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