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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Kaattumalli

From Viduthalai Part 1 · 2023

Lyricist
Isaignani Ilayaraja
Singers
Ilayaraja, Ananya Bhat
Music director
Ilayaraja
Movie name
Viduthalai Part 1
Movie release year
2023
Lyrics added on
16 Jan 2023

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Vazhi neduga kaattumalli
Yaarum adha paakkaliyae
Enakkaa pooththathu kaattukulla
Varuma.. varuma veettukulla
Kaadae manakudhu vaasathula
Ennoda kalakudhu nesathulaa
Vazhi neduga kaattumalli….ee…
Vazhi neduga kaattumalli
Kann paarthum kavanam illa
Pookura neram theriyadhu
Kaathiruppen naan salikkadhu
Poo manam pudhusa theriuthamma
En manam karumba inikudhamma
Vazhi neduga kaattumalli…ee..
Kanavenakku vandhadhu illai
Idhu nesama kanavu illai
Female :Kanavaa ponadhu vazhka illai
Vazhkaiya nenachi vazhndhadhillai
Manju mootttama manasukulla
Pogura varugira ninaivugalae
Orangudhu ulla oru visaiyum
Orakkam kalanja nesam theriyum
Kathiruppen naan thirumbi vara
Kaattumalliyila arumbedukka
Vazhi neduga kaattumalli
Kann parrkum kavanamillai
Kaadae manakudhu vaasathula
Ennoda kalakudhu nesathulaa
Kitta varum nerathula
Etti pora dhoorathula
Nee irruikka ullukullla
Unna vittu povadhilla
Ulagathil engo moolaiyila
Irukkira irunda kaattukulla
Male :Iru siru usiru thudikiradhu
Nesama yarrukum theriyaadhu
Saatchi sollum indha kaadariyum
Kaattula veesidum kaathariyum
Vazhi neduga kaattumalli
Kann paarthum kavanamillai
Enakkaa pooththathu kaattukulla
Varuma.. varuma veettukulla
Female :Poo manam pudhusa theriuthamma
En manam karumba inikudhamma
Both :Vazhi neduga kaattumalli…ee..
Wild jasmine all along the path,
No one has noticed it.
Did it bloom inside the forest just for me?
Will it come... will it come into my home?
The whole forest smells sweet with its scent,
It blends with me in tender love.
Wild jasmine all along the path...
Wild jasmine all along the path,
The eyes look, but pay no mind.
I do not know the time it blooms,
Yet I will wait, never growing tired.
The scent of this flower feels so new,
And my heart turns sweet as sugarcane.
Wild jasmine all along the path...
I have never had dreams before,
This is real, it is no dream.
Female: Life hasn't vanished like a dream,
I never lived worrying about life.
Like a blanket of fog within the mind,
Memories that come and go...
Something stirs asleep inside,
When that sleep breaks, love will be seen.
I will wait for you to return,
To gather the buds of wild jasmine.
Wild jasmine all along the path,
The eyes look, but pay no mind.
The whole forest smells sweet with its scent,
It blends with me in tender love.
Just at the moment you come near,
You drift away, out of reach.
Yet you remain deep within me,
And I will never leave your side.
Somewhere in a corner of this world,
Deep inside this dark forest,
Male: Two little lives are beating with hope,
No one knows about this love.
This forest knows and will bear witness,
The breeze blowing through the woods knows.
Wild jasmine all along the path,
The eyes look, but pay no mind.
Did it bloom inside the forest just for me?
Will it come... will it come into my home?
Female: The scent of this flower feels so new,
And my heart turns sweet as sugarcane.
Both: Wild jasmine all along the path...
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Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

Kaattumalli is a soulful romantic ballad from Viduthalai Part 1, written and composed by Ilaiyaraaja. The song uses the central metaphor of 'Kaattumalli'—a wild jasmine flower blooming unseen in a deep, secluded forest—to depict the pure, quiet love blossoming between two innocent souls in an isolated world. The lyrics capture the sweet longing, quiet patience, and deep emotional bond between the lovers. Unnoticed by the outside world, their hidden affection is witnessed only by nature—the dense forest and the blowing breeze.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uvamaani)

“Vazhi neduga kaattumalli”

The 'Kaattumalli' (wild jasmine) serves as a metaphor for hidden, unpretentious love blossoming unnoticed deep in the forest.

Simile (Uvamai)

“En manam karumba inikudhamma”

The speaker's emotional sweet feeling is explicitly compared to the sweetness of sugarcane using the comparative sense.

Imagery

“Manju mootttama manasukulla”

Visually evocative image describing hazy, gentle memories filling the heart like dense morning mist.

Rhyme (Emoni / Monai & Edhugai)

“Kaadae manakudhu vaasathula / Ennoda kalakudhu nesathulaa”

Tamil poetic rhyming pattern with second-letter agreement between lines ('Kaadae' / 'Ennoda') and matching line endings ('vaasathula' / 'nesathulaa').

Did you know?

Trivia

Written, composed, and co-sung by 'Isaignani' Ilaiyaraaja, 'Kaattumalli' became a massive viral chart-buster in 2023. Singer Ananya Bhat's rustic vocal style paired with Ilaiyaraaja's signature earthy composition earned widespread critical acclaim for capturing the raw, rustic ambiance of the film's forest setting.

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