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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Idhayame Poguthey

From Aranmanai Kili · 1993

Lyricist
Ponnadiyan
Singer
Krishnamoorthy
Music director
Ilayaraja
Details
Aranmanai Kili1993

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Idhayamae… pogudhae…My heart is slipping away...
Kaadhalil… vaegudhae…It is burning in love...
Male
Thuni melae kaadhal kuriyai pottu vaitha maanaeOh doe-like girl, you marked your love tag on the clothes
Nenjinilae kuriyai poda marandhu ponaai yaenoWhy did you forget to put a mark on my heart?
Thuni melae kaadhal kuriyai pottu vaitha maanaeOh doe-like girl, you marked your love tag on the clothes
Nenjinilae kuriyai poda marandhu ponaai yaenoWhy did you forget to put a mark on my heart?
Idhayamae pogudhae kaadhalil vaegudhaeMy heart slips away, burning in love
Kanavugal kalaiyudhae ninaivugal alaiyudhaeDreams are shattered, memories wander around
Male
Thuni melae kaadhal kuriyai pottu vaitha maanaeOh doe-like girl, you marked your love tag on the clothes
Nenjinilae kuriyai poda marandhu ponaai yaenoWhy did you forget to put a mark on my heart?
Male
Oo….ooo….ooo….hooo…..ooo….hooo…Oo....ooo....ooo....hooo.....ooo....hooo...
Male
Vellaaviyil vaega vachaBoiled in the steaming vat
Velutha thuni naanu pullaI am a bleached cloth, my girl
Kachidhamaa kanji pottuCrisp and perfectly starched
Thaecha thuni nee thaan pullaYou are the ironed cloth, my girl
Aathukkullae nee irangi nikkaiyilaeWhen you step down into the river and stand
Oru sogusuWhat a grace it is!
Thuni eduthu thovaikkirappoWhen you pick up clothes to beat and wash them
Thuvandu vidum en manasuMy heart wilts and collapses
Male
Kanchipuram pattil minnumShining like the gold in Kanchipuram silk
Ponna pola un maeniYour body glistens
Eppodhumae saayam pogaaNever losing its color
Silukku thuni kannae neeYou are a silk fabric, my dear
Naan thaediyae vaaduren dheviyaeI am searching for you and wilting away, my goddess
Male
Thuni melae kaadhal kuriyai pottu vaitha maanaeOh doe-like girl, you marked your love tag on the clothes
Nenjinilae kuriyai poda marandhu ponaai yaenoWhy did you forget to put a mark on my heart?
Male
Katta vandi pasangalellaamAll those bullock cart guys
Kaadhalikka kannadippaarWill wink at you trying to romance
Motta suvar orathilae paedhalichuBy the side of the low terrace wall, distracted
Dhum adippaarThey smoke cigarettes
Vekkangettu velai kettuShameless and unemployed
Vetti paechu pesiduvaarThey indulge in idle talk
Vetta veyil velaiyilumEven in the scorching sun
Kattazhagukku yengiduvaarThey pine for your sculpted beauty
Male
Daavadikkum pasanga pakkamTowards those boys who flirt around
Yereduthu paakkaadhaeDo not even turn around to look
Novadichu em manasaBy causing pain to my heart
Thuniya pola thuvaikkaadhaeDo not wash and beat my heart like clothes
Naan thaediyae vaaduren dheviyaeI am searching for you and wilting away, my goddess
Male
Thuni melae kaadhal kuriyai pottu vaitha maanaeOh doe-like girl, you marked your love tag on the clothes
Nenjinilae kuriyai poda marandhu ponaai yaenoWhy did you forget to put a mark on my heart?
Idhayamae pogudhae kaadhalil vaegudhaeMy heart slips away, burning in love
Kanavugal kalaiyudhae ninaivugal alaiyudhaeDreams are shattered, memories wander around
Male
Thuni melae kaadhal kuriyai pottu vaitha maanaeOh doe-like girl, you marked your love tag on the clothes
Nenjinilae kuriyai poda marandhu ponaai yaenoWhy did you forget to put a mark on my heart?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Idhayamae Pogudhae from the film Aranmanai Kili (1993) is a soulful yet folk-infused romantic song sung from the perspective of a washerman deeply in love with a young woman. Using the evocative imagery of his daily profession—bleached cloth, starching, steaming vats, and dhobi laundry marks—the protagonist expresses how the heroine has marked her laundry tags on garments but neglected to mark his heart with her love. He lovingly warns her about idle local boys who try to court her and pleads with her not to treat his heart roughly like a piece of cloth being beaten on a washing stone.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Velutha thuni naanu pulla / Thaecha thuni nee thaan pulla

The protagonist uses laundry elements to metaphorically describe himself and his beloved, calling himself bleached cloth and her ironed cloth.

Simile (Upamai)

Ponna pola un maeni / Thuniya pola thuvaikkaadhae

Comparing the girl's skin/body shine to gold interwoven in Kanchipuram silk, and pleading not to beat his heart like washing a cloth.

Anaphora / Refrain

Thuni melae kaadhal kuriyai pottu vaitha maanae / Nenjinilae kuriyai poda marandhu ponaai yaeno

Repetition of the central query about marking clothes versus marking the lover's heart to emphasize longing.

Did you know?

Trivia

Aranmanai Kili (1993) featured iconic music by Ilaiyaraaja and was produced and directed by Rajkiran, who also played the lead. Because the protagonist belongs to the washerman community, lyricist Ponnadiyan creatively used metaphors related to laundry work—such as starching, ironed silk, steaming vats, and laundry ID marks—to articulate romantic longing.

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