Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Kalvare Kalvare

From Raavanan · 2010

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
Shreya Ghoshal
Music director
A. R. Rahman
Details
Raavanan2010

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Kalvarae kalvaraeO thief, O thief!
Kalvarae kalvaraeO thief, O thief!
Kanpugum kalvaraeO thief who steals in through my eyes!
Kaikondu paareerooo..Won't you hold my hand and look at me?
Kankondu sereerooo..Won't you embrace me with your eyes?
Kalai solli thaareeroo..Won't you teach me the art of love?
Female
Ummai enni ummai enniThinking of you, thinking of you,
Oomai kangal thoongaathuMy silent eyes do not sleep.
Thalaiva en thalaiva agam ariveero..O my leader, will you understand my heart?
Arulpuriveero..Will you bestow your grace upon me?
Vaaram thorum azhagin baaramWeek after week, the heavy burden of beauty,
Koodum koodum kuraiyaathuKeeps growing and growing, never fading.
Uravae en uravae udai kalaiveero..O my beloved, will you strip away my attire?
Udal aniveero..Will you wear my body as your own?
Chorus
aaahhh..aahhhhah….Ah... ah...
Female
En aasai en aasai…My desire, my desire...
Naanaa solvenShall I express it myself?
En aasai naanaa solvenShall I speak of my desire myself?
En aasai neeyae sonnaal..If you yourself voice my desire...
Kannaalae aamaam enbenaeI will nod 'yes' with my eyes.
Female
Engengae udhadu pogumWherever your lips wander,
Angangae uyirum pogumThere my very life energy goes.
Anbaalae aala solvenaeWith love, I shall ask you to rule over me.
Valimigum idangalThe places where hard sounds double (where pain increases),
Vali migaa idangalThe places where hard sounds do not double (where pain does not exist),
Thamizhukku therigindrathae..aee..Tamil grammar knows them well...
Valimigum idangalThe places where pain increases,
Vali migaa idangalThe places where pain does not exist,
Thangalukku therigindrathaa..Do you know them too?
Female
{Kalvarae kalvaraeO thief, O thief!
Kalvarae kalvaraeO thief, O thief!
Kanpugum kalvaraeO thief who steals in through my eyes!
Kaikondu paareerooo..Won't you hold my hand and look at me?
Kankondu sereerooo..Won't you embrace me with your eyes?
Kalai solli thaareeroo..} (2)Won't you teach me the art of love?
Kalai solli thaareeroo..Won't you teach me the art of love?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

In 'Kalvare Kalvare' from Raavanan (2010), the heroine addresses her captor/beloved as a 'thief' who has infiltrated her soul through her eyes. Filled with intense longing, she yearns for physical intimacy and emotional understanding, asking him to decipher her unspoken desires without requiring her to state them aloud. Vairamuthu brilliantly uses a famous Tamil grammatical rule—'Valimigum idangal' and 'Vali migaa idangal' (rules dictating where hard consonants double)—as a poetic double-entendre. Here, 'vali' puns on both phonetic hardness and bodily/emotional pain, asking if he understands where her pain and pleasure reside just as Tamil grammar knows its rules.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Double Entendre / Pun (Slesai)

Valimigum idangal / Vali migaa idangal / Thamizhukku therigindrathae..

The phrase 'Valimigum idangal / Vali migaa idangal' refers grammatically to hard-consonant doubling in Tamil syntax, but 'vali' also translates to 'pain'. Vairamuthu uses it as a metaphor for touch, pleasure, and sensitivity.

Monai (Initial Rhyme / Alliteration)

Kalvarae kalvarae / Kanpugum kalvarae / Kaikondu paareerooo..

Repetition of the 'Ka' syllable across consecutive lines creates rhythmic melody.

Personification / Oxymoron

Oomai kangal thoongaathu

Describing eyes as 'Oomai' (mute or silent) that refuse to sleep creates a poetic paradox of silent longing.

Did you know?

Trivia

Composed by A. R. Rahman with lyrics by Vairamuthu and sung by Shreya Ghoshal, this song highlights Mani Ratnam's aesthetic portrayal of love and captivity in Raavanan. The Hindi version of the song is titled 'Khili Re' (sung by Reena Bhardwaj), and the Telugu version is 'Usure Poothe'.

Keep listening

More from Raavanan