- Lyricist
- Na. Kamarasan
- Singer
- P. Susheela
- Music director
- Ilayaraja
- Movie name
- Africavil Appu
- Movie release year
- 1986
- Lyrics added on
- 26 Aug 2021
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This song is a comforting and motivational lullaby-style address to a young person named Appu. The lyrics acknowledge grief and impending hardship, poetically describing danger surging like unpredictable waves and cruel circumstances as dark as an unfeeling heart. Despite these hardships, the singer urges Appu not to lose hope or give up. The lyricist encourages Appu to rise above adversity like the morning star ('Vidivelli') and reassures them that struggles, much like thirst, are temporary and will eventually be relieved.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Metaphor (Uruvagam)
“Un kangalil uppu”
Salt in the eyes ('Un kangalil uppu') is used as a poetic metaphor for tears of suffering and grief.
Simile (Upamai)
“Aabaththu kalam alaipolae paayum”
Dangerous times are compared to surging waves using the marker 'polae' ('alaipolae').
Simile (Upamai)
“Irakkam illaa idhayam pol”
The darkness of the night is compared to a heart devoid of mercy using 'pol'.
Alliteration (Monaai)
“Iravu endrum karupputhaan / Irakkam illaa idhayam pol”
Repetition of the initial 'I' sound in 'Iravu' and 'Irakkam'.
Did you know?
Trivia
The lyrics were penned by Na. Kamarasan, one of the pioneering modern poets of the Tamil Puthukkavithai (new poetry) movement who contributed deeply emotional lyrics to 1980s Tamil cinema.
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