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Kilinjalgal album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Kadhal Oru Vazhi Payanam

From Kilinjalgal · 1981

Lyricist
T. Rajendar
Singer
P. Jayachandran
Music director
T. Rajendar
Movie name
Kilinjalgal
Movie release year
1981
Lyrics added on
17 Mar 2022

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Kilaiyillaa marangalil
Nizhal thedum manangalae
Azhivillaa kadhalil
Azhugindra malargalae
Aa….azhugindra malargalae
Kadhal oru vazhi padhai payanam
Adhil nuzhaivathu enbathu sulapam
Pinbu thirumbida ninaippathu paavam
Pinbu thirumbida ninaippathu paavam
Adhu aattrida mudiyaa kaayam
Kadhal aattrida mudiyaa kaayam….
Kadhal oru vazhi padhai payanam
Adhil nuzhaivathu enbathu sulapam
Megangal pottidum kolam
Adhu kaattrinil kalainthida sogam
Megangal pottidum kolam
Adhu kaattrinil kalainthida sogam
Kaalai kadhiravan azhiththidum panipol
Kaalai kadhiravan azhiththidum panipol
Kadhal vithiyavan sidhaiththidum kanavo
Kadhal vithiyavan sidhaiththidum kanavo
Kadhal oru vazhi padhai payanam
Adhil nuzhaivathu enbathu sulapam
Kodaiyil kaainthidum nadhigal
Entha nilaiyilum kaayaatha vizhigal
Kodaiyil kaainthidum nadhigal
Entha nilaiyilum kaayaatha vizhigal
Kadhai saagindra varaiyum thodarum
Kadhai saagindra varaiyum thodarum
Kattai vegindra pothum malarum
Kattai vegindra pothum malarum
Kadhal oru vazhi padhai payanam
Adhil nuzhaivathu enbathu sulapam
Pinbu thirumbida ninaippathu paavam
Pinbu thirumbida ninaippathu paavam
Adhu aattrida mudiyaa kaayam
Kadhal aattrida mudiyaa kaayam….
Under branchless trees,
O hearts searching for shade,
In undying love,
O weeping flowers...
Ah... O weeping flowers...
Love is a one-way journey,
Entering it is easy,
But wanting to turn back is a sin,
But wanting to turn back is a sin,
It is a wound that cannot heal,
Love is a wound that cannot heal...
Love is a one-way journey,
Entering it is easy.
The patterns drawn by clouds,
Bring sorrow when scattered by the wind.
The patterns drawn by clouds,
Bring sorrow when scattered by the wind.
Like the dew erased by the morning sun,
Like the dew erased by the morning sun,
Is love a dream shattered by fate?
Is love a dream shattered by fate?
Love is a one-way journey,
Entering it is easy.
Rivers run dry in the summer,
Yet these eyes never dry in any sorrow.
Rivers run dry in the summer,
Yet these eyes never dry in any sorrow.
This story will continue until death,
This story will continue until death,
It will bloom even as the funeral pyre burns,
It will bloom even as the funeral pyre burns.
Love is a one-way journey,
Entering it is easy,
But wanting to turn back is a sin,
But wanting to turn back is a sin,
It is a wound that cannot heal,
Love is a wound that cannot heal...
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This poignant song from the film 'Kilinjalgal' reflects on the irreversible and tragic nature of love. T. Rajendar portrays love as a one-way journey that is effortless to enter but impossible to escape without suffering deep, permanent wounds. Using vivid metaphors of nature—such as shade-less trees, cloud patterns swept away by wind, and dew melted by the morning sun—the song emphasizes how fate often destroys romantic dreams. Ultimately, it depicts love as an enduring passion that persists even through relentless grief, staying alive until death and the funeral pyre.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagaim)

“Kadhal oru vazhi padhai payanam”

Love is directly compared to a one-way journey ('Kadhal oru vazhi padhai payanam') and an unhealable wound ('aattrida mudiyaa kaayam').

Simile (Upamai)

“Kaalai kadhiravan azhiththidum panipol”

Love destroyed by destiny is compared to morning dew evaporating in the warmth of the sun ('Kaalai kadhiravan azhiththidum panipol').

Personification / Metaphor

“Azhugindra malargalae”

Grieving lovers are addressed metaphorically as 'weeping flowers' ('azhugindra malargalae') searching for shade under branchless trees.

Contrast (Muran)

“Kodaiyil kaainthidum nadhigal / Entha nilaiyilum kaayaatha vizhigal”

Contrasts rivers drying up in summer against eyes filled with eternal tears that never dry up.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Kilinjalgal' (1981), starring Mohan and Poornima Bhagyaraj, was a major commercial hit. The soundtrack was entirely composed and written by T. Rajendar, solidifying his reputation for deeply emotional, rhyming lyrics and melancholic melodies rendered brilliantly by P. Jayachandran.

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