Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Kaattumalli

From Viduthalai Part 1 · 2023

Lyricist
Isaignani Ilayaraja
Singers
Ilayaraja, Ananya Bhat
Music director
Ilayaraja
Details
Viduthalai Part 12023

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Vazhi neduga kaattumalliWild jasmine along the path
Yaarum adha paakkaliyaeHas no one seen it?
Enakkaa pooththathu kaattukullaDid it bloom inside the forest just for me?
Varuma.. varuma veettukullaWill it come... will it come inside the home?
Male
Kaadae manakudhu vaasathulaThe entire forest smells sweet with its fragrance
Ennoda kalakudhu nesathulaaIt blends with me in deep affection
Vazhi neduga kaattumalli….ee…Wild jasmine along the path...
Female
Vazhi neduga kaattumalliWild jasmine along the path
Kann paarthum kavanam illaEyes look, but pay no attention
Pookura neram theriyadhuThe time it blooms is unknown
Kaathiruppen naan salikkadhuI will wait endlessly without tiring
Female
Poo manam pudhusa theriuthammaThe flower's fragrance feels fresh and new
En manam karumba inikudhammaMy heart tastes sweet like sugarcane
Vazhi neduga kaattumalli…ee..Wild jasmine along the path...
Male
Kanavenakku vandhadhu illaiI never used to have dreams
Idhu nesama kanavu illaiThis is real, it is no dream
Female :Kanavaa ponadhu vazhka illaiFemale: Life has not faded away like a dream
Vazhkaiya nenachi vazhndhadhillaiI haven't lived worrying constantly about life
Male
Manju mootttama manasukullaLike a dense fog inside the heart
Pogura varugira ninaivugalaeMemories keep coming and going
Female
Orangudhu ulla oru visaiyumA dormant spark sleeps within
Orakkam kalanja nesam theriyumWhen sleep breaks, true love reveals itself
Male
Kathiruppen naan thirumbi varaI will wait for you to return
Kaattumalliyila arumbedukkaTo pluck the buds from the wild jasmine
Female
Vazhi neduga kaattumalliWild jasmine along the path
Kann parrkum kavanamillaiEyes look, but pay no attention
Male
Kaadae manakudhu vaasathulaThe entire forest smells sweet with fragrance
Ennoda kalakudhu nesathulaaIt blends with me in deep affection
Female
Kitta varum nerathulaJust when it comes close
Etti pora dhoorathulaIt reaches out far away
Male
Nee irruikka ullukulllaYet you remain inside me
Unna vittu povadhillaI will never leave your side
Female
Ulagathil engo moolaiyilaSomewhere in a corner of the world
Irukkira irunda kaattukullaInside a dark, secluded forest
Male :Iru siru usiru thudikiradhuMale: Two little souls beat together
Nesama yarrukum theriyaadhuTruly, no one else knows this
Female
Saatchi sollum indha kaadariyumThis forest knows and stands as witness
Kaattula veesidum kaathariyumAnd the wind blowing through the forest knows
Vazhi neduga kaattumalliWild jasmine along the path
Kann paarthum kavanamillaiEyes look, but pay no attention
Male
Enakkaa pooththathu kaattukullaDid it bloom inside the forest just for me?
Varuma.. varuma veettukullaWill it come... will it come inside the home?
Female :Poo manam pudhusa theriuthammaFemale: The flower's fragrance feels fresh and new
En manam karumba inikudhammaMy heart tastes sweet like sugarcane
Both :Vazhi neduga kaattumalli…ee..Both: Wild jasmine along the path...

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

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.

Keep listening

More from Viduthalai Part 1