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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Kadhalikkum Aasai

From Chellamae · 2004

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singers
Kay Kay, Chinmayi, Timmy, Mahathi
Music director
Harris Jayaraj
Details
Chellamae2004

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Aaaa….aaa…haaa …aaa…Aaaa....aaa...haaa ...aaa...
Aaaa….aaa…haaa …aaa…Aaaa....aaa...haaa ...aaa...
Haaa…aaa….aaa…Haaa...aaa....aaa...
Haahaaa..haaahaaa…aaa…aa.a…Haahaaa..haaahaaa...aaa...aa.a...
Male
Oh oo oo wow oo oooOh oo oo wow oo ooo
En sonali so so sonaliMy Sonali, so so Sonali
Oh oo oo wow oo oooOh oo oo wow oo ooo
My sonali so so sonaliMy Sonali, so so Sonali
Male
Kaadhalikum aasai illaiI had no desire to love someone
Kangal unnai kaanum varaiUntil my eyes set sight on you
Ullukkul kaadhal poothathu unnaalLove blossomed inside me because of you
Pattinathaar paadal mattumI only memorized and recited
Paadam seidhu oppithenThe verses of Saint Pattinathar
Kannae naan unnai kaanum munnaalMy darling, before I saw you
Male
En aasai moongil vedikka vaithaaiYou made my desire burst like a bamboo stem
En aanmai enakkae vilanga vaithaaiYou made me realize my own masculinity
Naan thottukkolla kitta vanthaalWhen I came closer to touch you
Thitti thitti thithithaaiYou scolded me, yet it felt sweet
Male
Kaadhalikum aasai illaiI had no desire to love someone
Kangal unnai kaanum varaiUntil my eyes set sight on you
Ullukkul kaadhal poothathu unnaalLove blossomed inside me because of you
Pattinathaar paadal mattumI only memorized and recited
Paadam seidhu oppithenThe verses of Saint Pattinathar
Kannae naan unnai kaanum munnaalMy darling, before I saw you
Female
Haaa….aaa….aaa…Haaa....aaa....aaa...
Ahaaa….aaa….aaa….Ahaaa....aaa....aaa....
Haa….aaa….haaahaaahaaahaaa..aa…aa..Haa....aaa....haaahaaahaaahaaa..aa...aa..
Male
Chandhira sooriyar ezhugaiyilaeWhen the sun and moon rise
Un muga jaadaigal therigirathaeGlimpses of your facial features are seen
Boomiyil iravu varugaiyilaeWhen night falls upon the earth
Azhagiya koonthal sarigirathaeYour beautiful dark hair falls down
Sarigirathae.. virigirathae..It falls down... it spreads out...
Hey ey ey ey eyyyyHey ey ey ey eyyyy
Male
Adi vinnum mannumHey, are the sky and the earth
Unakkulla vilambaramoAn advertisement within you?
Nee velichathil seithu vaithaAre you a sculpture of light
Oli sirppamoCrafted out of pure brightness?
Male
Hey manmadha motto..Hey, are you a bud of Cupid?
Naan varudum kaatroAm I the gentle wind caressing it?
Manmadha motto..hey hey hey heyAre you a bud of Cupid?.. hey hey hey hey
Naan varudum kaatro..oo..oo.Am I the gentle wind caressing it?..oo..oo.
Hoo hoo hooo…oo…Hoo hoo hooo…oo…
Male
Kaadhalikum aasai illaiI had no desire to love someone
Kangal unnai kaanum varaiUntil my eyes set sight on you
Ullukkul kaadhal poothathu unnaalLove blossomed inside me because of you
Chorus :Hoo ooo oooHoo ooo ooo
Male :Pattinathaar paadal mattumI only memorized and recited
Paadam seidhu oppithenThe verses of Saint Pattinathar
Kannae naan unnai kaanum munnaalMy darling, before I saw you
Chorus
……………………….....
Male
Un mugam konda paruvinilumEven in the pimple on your face
Vinmeen oligal veesuthadiStarlight shines through, my girl
Kobam vazhiyum velaiyilumEven when anger overflows
Idhayam kannil minnuthadiYour heart sparkles in your eyes
Minnuthadi.. eee…ennai kolluthadi..ee..It sparkles... oh, it kills me...
Male
Engae nindru kaanum bothumNo matter where one stands and looks
Vaanam ondru thaanThe sky is just one and the same
Ada entha pakkam paarkkum bothumAh, whichever direction one looks
Penmai nandruthaanWomanhood is always good
Male
Uyir vidum munnaeBefore my life leaves me
Chorus :Uuuhuu uuu uuuUuuhuu uuu uuu
Male :Ennai kaadhali pennaeLove me, my girl
Chorus :Uuuhuu aaaa….aa…Uuuhuu aaaa….aa…
Male
Uyir vidum munnaeBefore my life leaves me
Chorus :Uuuhuu uuu uuuUuuhuu uuu uuu
Male :Ennai kaadhali pennaeLove me, my girl
Chorus :Uuu wowhu wowhu oooUuu wowhu wowhu ooo
Female
Kaadhalikum aasai illaiI have no desire to love
Kadavul vanthu sonnaalumEven if God Himself comes and tells me
Yemaantha pennai thedi poyaaGo look for a gullible girl, go away!
Un sattaiyodu otti kollumI am not a silk rose
Pattai roja naanallaTo stick onto your shirt
Mullodu thaenum illai poyaaThere is no honey along with thorns, go away!
Oru kaadhal enakkul pirakkavillaiNo love has born inside me
Unnai yeno enakku pidikkavillaiFor some reason, I just do not like you
Nee kallai thanthu kaniyo endruGiving me a stone and asking if it is a fruit
Kaadhal seivathu veen velaiAnd trying to love me is a futile effort
Chorus
…………………………...

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

The song 'Kadhalikkum Aasai Illai' (also known as 'En Sonali') portrays a dramatic romantic dialogue between a passionately smitten man and a firm, uninterested woman. The male protagonist expresses how he used to live a ascetic life, reciting Saint Pattinathar's verses about renunciation, until he saw her. He praises her beauty hyperbolically, describing her hair as night, her face as radiant as celestial lights, and her presence as life-awakening.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor / Classical Allusion

Pattinathaar paadal mattum paadam seidhu oppithen

The speaker contrasts his past detachment with Saint Pattinathar (a famous Tamil saint who renounced worldly desires), highlighting how intense his sudden love is.

Alliteration (Thodai / Monai)

Thitti thitti thithithaai

Repetition of the 'Thi' phonetic sound creates a rhythmic and playful effect.

Hyperbole / Visual Imagery

Boomiyil iravu varugaiyilae azhagiya koonthal sarigirathae

Exaggeration equating the night's darkness to her cascading hair and celestial bodies to her presence.

Did you know?

Trivia

Composed by Harris Jayaraj for the 2004 romantic thriller 'Chellamae', this song highlights dynamic vocal contrasts between Hariharan and Mahathi, where the female lead unexpectedly rejects the suitor's poetic advances at the end of the track.

Keep listening

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