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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Kanmani Nillu

From Oomai Vizhigal · 1986

Lyricist
Aabavanan
Singers
S. N. Surendar, Sasirekha
Music director
Manoj – Gyan
Movie name
Oomai Vizhigal
Movie release year
1986
Lyrics added on
27 Jul 2018

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Hmmm..mmm..mmm..mmm..
Hmmm..mmm..mmm..mmm..
Kanmani nillu kaaranam sollu
Kanmani nillu kaaranam sollu
Kaadhal kiliyae kobamaa
Nadandhathai ninaithu yengum velai
Kaadhalai maruthaal nyayamaa
Kangalil valarntha kaadhalai neeyum
Kalaithida ninaithaal marumaa
Kanmani nillu kaaranam sollu
Kaadhal kiliyae kobamaa
Malar ondru eduthu
Saram ondru thoduthu
Devi un poojaikku naan koduthen
Malar charam pirithu
Malarvalai thoduthu
Ezhai en kaadhalai nee pudhaithaai
Pudhaithadu meendum
Malaraagum
Un poojaiyai ninaithae
Saramaagum
Kanmani nillu kaaranam sollu
Kaadhal kiliyae kobamaa
Idhayathil thondrum
Kaadhal nilavae
Udhayathai nee yen marandhuvittai
Udhayathai maruthu
Idhayathai veruthu
Uyirindri ennai yen vaazha vittaai
Kaadhalin vidhiyae
Idhuvaanaal
Kallarai thaanae
Mudivaagum
Kanmani nillu kaaranam sollu
Kaadhal kiliyae kobamaa
Kanmani nenjam
Kalangiya neram
Kaadhal ninaivum maarumaa
Kovathil oodal seitha nenjam
Kallarai mudivai thaangumaa
Kaadhalai vendra kaadhalan uyirai
Pirinthaal iniyum vaazhumaa
Hmmm..mm…mm….hmm….
Mmm... mmm... mmm... mmm...
Mmm... mmm... mmm... mmm...
Stop, my darling, and tell me why,
Stop, my darling, and tell me why,
My sweet parrot of love, are you angry with me?
When my heart yearns, thinking of what happened,
is it fair to reject this love?
If you try to wipe away the love
that grew in our eyes, will it ever disappear?
Stop, my darling, and tell me why,
My sweet parrot of love, are you angry with me?
Gathering fresh blossoms,
and stringing a garland,
I offered it for your worship, my goddess.
Yet you tore that garland apart,
wove a trap of flowers,
and buried the love of this poor soul.
What you buried
will blossom into a flower again,
and longing only for your worship,
it will become a garland once more.
Stop, my darling, and tell me why,
My sweet parrot of love, are you angry with me?
Rising in my heart,
O moon of my love,
why did you forget the dawn?
Rejecting the sunrise,
and scorning my heart,
why did you leave me to live without a life inside?
If this is indeed
the fate of love,
then only the grave
will be its end.
Stop, my darling, and tell me why,
My sweet parrot of love, are you angry with me?
When your darling's heart
is troubled and hurting,
can the memories of love ever change?
Can the heart that sulked in a lovers' quarrel
ever bear the thought of the grave as the end?
If separated from the soul of the lover who won her heart,
can this life still go on living?
Mmm... mmm... mmm... mmm...
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Female

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

Kanmani Nillu Kaaranam Sollu is a poignant, haunting love ballad from the cult 1986 Tamil film Oomai Vizhigal. The song portrays the intense anguish and heart-wrenching pleas of a lover seeking an explanation from his beloved, who seems to have turned away or fallen silent. He questions whether it is fair to reject a love that blossomed naturally in their eyes and compares his devotion to offering a flower garland in worship, which has tragically been converted into a funeral wreath for his feelings. The song delves deep into themes of heartbreak, fate, and mortality, suggesting that if love is doomed to fail, the grave becomes the ultimate sanctuary. Towards the end, it ponders if a heart that engaged in mere lovers' tiffs can survive the grief of eternal separation, underscoring the tragic depth of true romance.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvam)

“Kaadhal kiliyae kobamaa”

Addressing the beloved as 'Kaadhal kiliyae' (Love parrot) and 'Kaadhal nilavae' (Moon of love) compares her to sweet and luminous aspects of nature.

Antithesis / Contrast

“Malar charam pirithu / Malarvalai thoduthu”

Contrasting the worship garland ('poojaikku') with a burial wreath ('malarvalai'), emphasizing how devotion turned into tragedy.

Ethirai (Second letter rhyme)

“Udhayathai maruthu / Idhayathai veruthu”

The second consonant sound 'dh' in Udhayathai rhymes with 'dh' in Idhayathai.

Monai (First letter rhyme)

“Kanmani nillu kaaranam sollu”

Repetition of the 'Ka' sound across words in the line creates a pleasing melodic rhythm.

Did you know?

Trivia

Oomai Vizhigal (1986) was a pathbreaking action thriller created by students from the Adyar Film Institute, directed by K. Rangaraj/Aravindraj and produced by Aabavanan (who also penned these soulful lyrics). The music was composed by the duo Manoj-Gyan, and the song remains an evergreen classic known for its iconic saxophone interludes and emotional renditions by K.J. Yesudas and S. Janaki.

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