- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singer
- P. Susheela
- Music director
- K. V. Mahadevan
- Movie name
- Enga Veettu Penn
- Movie release year
- 1965
- Lyrics added on
- 8 Dec 2023
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This poignant song expresses the internal turmoil and deep devotion of a woman torn between emotional pain and divine destiny. Addressing her own feet and eyes, she pleads with them to stop and speak, questioning whether love is merely a tragedy where tears become an epic poem. She reflects on how inescapable her beloved's presence is, noting that his face and voice will follow her wherever she runs. Ultimately, she surrenders to the belief that fate is supreme, trusting that God has already written their union as husband and wife, a divine painting that no human power can erase.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Personification (Uruvagam)
“Kaalgalae nillungal / Kangalae sollungal”
Addressing inanimate/body parts ('Kaalgalae' - feet, 'Kangalae' - eyes) directly as conscious entities capable of stopping and speaking.
Metaphor (Uruvagam)
“Adhil kanneer enbadhu kaaviyama / Avan eluthum oviyathai”
Comparing grief/tears to an epic poem ('kaaviyam') and fate/divine will to a canvas painting ('oviyam').
Rhetorical Question
“Kaadhal enbadhu nadagama / Adhil kanneer enbadhu kaaviyama”
Using questions to express emotional anguish and philosophical reflection on love and sorrow.
Emona / Rhyme (Monai and Ethirai)
“Kaalgalae nillungal / Kangalae sollungal”
Harmonious initial letter and second letter rhyming across adjacent lines (Kaalgalae / Kangalae, Saalaiyilae / Sandhithaal).
Did you know?
Trivia
Enga Veettu Penn (1965), starring Jaishankar and Vijaya Kumari, featured timeless music by 'Thirai Isai Thilagam' K. V. Mahadevan. Lyrics by Kannadasan beautifully blend philosophical musings on fate with deep emotional yearning. Singer P. Susheela's expressive vocal rendering of this track remains one of her classic solo performances from the 1960s Tamil cinema era.
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