- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singers
- P. Susheela, T. M. Soundararajan
- Music director
- Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy
- Movie name
- Karnan
- Movie release year
- 1964
- Lyrics added on
- 31 Jan 2019
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This romantic duet from the epic film Karnan (1964) expresses the deep intimacy, love, and affection between King Karnan and his wife Subhangi. Set against the serene backdrop of the night, the couple wishes for time to linger, allowing their sweet memories and romantic bond to multiply. Kannadasan poetically portrays love as a continuous interplay of giving, receiving, playful fear, and coy shyness, weaving natural imagery like jasmine beds and lotus faces to symbolize romantic bliss.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Iyaibu (End Rhyme)
“Iravum nilavum valarattumae / Nam inimai ninaivugal thodarattumae”
Repeated usage of the suffix '-attumae' at the end of consecutive lines (valarattumae, thodarattumae, perugattumae, virikkattumae) creates a melodious and cohesive lyrical rhythm.
Uvamai (Metaphor)
“Male :Angu mangaiyin thaamarai / Sirikkattumae”
Comparing the woman's smiling face to a blossoming lotus flower ('mangaiyin thaamarai sirikkattumae').
Edhukai (Second Letter Rhyming)
“Angu achamum konjam / Irukkattumae”
Matching second letters in words across lines, such as 'achamum' and 'ichai/nadagam' patterns in Tamil poetry, enhanced by thematic rhythm.
Did you know?
Trivia
'Iravum Nilavum' features in Karnan (1964), directed by B. R. Panthulu. Composed by the iconic duo Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy with lyrics by Kannadasan, this song remains a celebrated classic for its rich classical composition and graceful expression of romance within an epic historical narrative.
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