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Ninaivellam Nithya album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Kaanal Neer Pol

From Ninaivellam Nithya · 1982

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
S. Janaki
Music director
Ilayaraja
Movie name
Ninaivellam Nithya
Movie release year
1982
Lyrics added on
26 Jan 2018

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Aahaa..aaa..aaa..aaa…aaaa..
Aa..aa..aaa…aaa…aaa…aaa…aaa…
Kaanal neer pol endhan kaadhal
Kanneeril en kangal
Indruillai en thendral
Thoduvaanam en bandhangal
Kaanal neer pol endhan kaadhal
Kanneeril en kangal
{Uyirodu serndha uravu
Paadhai vilagi pogaadhae
Kadalodu serndha gangai
Meendum thirumbhi pogiradhae} (2)
Kannil neer ulla varaikkum
Endhan uyir ingu irukkum
Kannil neer ulla varaikkum
Endhan uyir ingu irukkum
Sogangal en paadal parigaaram..mm…
Kaanal neer pol endhan kaadhal
Kanneeril en kangal
Indruillai en thendral
Thoduvaanam en bandhangal
Kaanal neer pol endhan kaadhal
Kanneeril en kangal
{Kaadhalai bali koduththu
Kaadhalanai vaazha veiththaen
Oru kuyil vaanil parakka
Enadhu siragai dhaanam thandhen} (2)
Pookkalae mannil vizhungal
Saabamae endhan marangal
Pookkalae mannil vizhungal
Saabamae endhan varangal
Kannaththil kanneerin kaayangal
Kaanal neer pol endhan kaadhal
Kanneeril en kangal
Indruillai en thendral
Thoduvaanam en bandhangal
Kaanal neer pol endhan kaadhal
Kanneeril en kangal
Aha... ah... ah... ah...
Aha... ah... ah... ah...
My love is like a mirage,
My eyes are drowning in tears.
My gentle breeze is gone today,
My bonds of love are as far as the horizon.
My love is like a mirage,
My eyes are drowning in tears.
A relationship tied to my very soul,
Must not stray from its path.
The river Ganga that joined the sea,
Is now turning and flowing back!
As long as there are tears in my eyes,
My life will linger here.
As long as there are tears in my eyes,
My life will linger here.
My song is the only cure for my sorrows.
My love is like a mirage,
My eyes are drowning in tears.
My gentle breeze is gone today,
My bonds of love are as far as the horizon.
My love is like a mirage,
My eyes are drowning in tears.
By sacrificing my own love,
I helped my lover live on.
Just so a cuckoo could fly in the sky,
I gave away my own wings as a gift.
O flowers, fall to the ground!
Curses have become my blessings.
O flowers, fall to the ground!
Curses have become my blessings.
Tears have left scars upon my cheeks.
My love is like a mirage,
My eyes are drowning in tears.
My gentle breeze is gone today,
My bonds of love are as far as the horizon.
My love is like a mirage,
My eyes are drowning in tears.
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This soulful track expresses the profound anguish of lost love and noble sacrifice. The protagonist compares her love to a mirage—an elusive vision that leaves her weeping and emotionally isolated, with only the distant horizon as her companion. She reflects that a true soul connection cannot be undone, just as the river Ganges cannot flow backward once it meets the sea. In the second stanza, she reveals the heartbreak of self-sacrifice: she surrendered her own happiness and freedom so her beloved could thrive. Transforming her agony into song, she accepts pain, tear-stained cheeks, and curses as her reality, finding solace only in music while enduring her grief.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Uvamai)

Kaanal neer pol endhan kaadhal

Compares love to a mirage ('kaanal neer pol'), signifying an illusion that promises water but leaves one parched.

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Enadhu siragai dhaanam thandhen

Metaphorically refers to giving away her own wings ('siragai dhaanam thandhen') to represent sacrificing her freedom and dreams for her lover.

Analogy (Auvamai)

Kadalodu serndha gangai meendum thirumbhi pogiradhae

Uses the natural phenomenon of the Ganges merging into the sea and never returning as an analogy for an irreversible soul connection.

Alliteration (Monai)

Kaadhalai bali koduththu kaadhalanai vaazha veiththaen

Repetition of initial consonant sound 'Kaa' in 'Kaadhalai' and 'Kaadhalanai'.

Did you know?

Trivia

Although listed with unknown metadata in some records, this memorable sad track from 'Ninaivellam Nithya' (1982) was composed by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja, rendered poignantly by legendary singer S. Janaki, with lyricist Vairamuthu penning the poetic lines.

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