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Lyrics & meaning

Kannamoochi Yenada

From Kandukondain Kandukondain · 2000

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singers
K. S. Chithra, Shahana
Music director
A. R. Rahman
Details
Kandukondain Kandukondain2000

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Kannamoochi yenadaWhy this game of hide and seek?
Kannamoochi yenadaWhy this game of hide and seek?
En kannaaMy Krishna,
Female
{Kannamoochi yenada{Why this game of hide and seek,
En kannaaMy Krishna,
Naan kannaadi porul polada} (2)Am I not a fragile glass object?}
Female
{Andha nadhiyin karaiyai{I asked the riverbanks,
Naan ketten.I asked.
Andha kaatrai niruthiyumEven stopping the wind,
Ketten} (2)I asked.}
Female
{Vaan veliyai ketten{I asked the vast sky,
Vidaiyae illai (2)There was no answer at all}
{Irudhiyil unnai kanden{Finally, I found you,
Irudhaya poovil kanden }(2)I found you inside the flower of my heart.}
Female
Kannamoochi yenadaWhy this game of hide and seek?
En kannaaMy Krishna,
Naan kannaadi porul polada…aaa….Am I not a fragile glass object... ah...
Female
{En manam unakkoru{Is my mind a toy
Vilaiyaattu bommaiyaa }(2)For you to play with?}
Enakkena unarchigalDo I not have feelings
Thaniyaaga illaiyaaOf my own?
Nenjin alai urangaadhuThe waves of my heart do not sleep,
Female
Un idhazh konduUsing your lips,
Vaai mooda vaaCome silence my mouth,
En kannaa…aaaa..aaa…My Krishna... ah...
Female
Un idhazh konduUsing your lips,
Vaai mooda vaaCome silence my mouth,
En kannaa..My Krishna..
Un imai konduUsing your eyelids,
Vizhi mooda vaaCome close my eyes,
Un udal thaanIs not your body
En udai allavaaMy clothing?
Female
{Paarkadalil aadiya pinnum{Even after dancing in the Ocean of Milk,
Un vannam maaravillai innum} (2)Your color has not changed yet.}
Female
En nenjil koodiyaeShall I join in your heart
Niram maaravaaAnd change my color?
Ennuyiril nee vandhu sergaMay you come and merge into my soul,
Udhadugal eeramaai vazhgaMay our lips live in wetness,
Kalandhidavaa…aaaa…..Shall we unite... ah...
Female
Kannamoochi yenadaWhy this game of hide and seek?
En kannaaMy Krishna,
Naan kannaadi porul poladaAm I not a fragile glass object?
Female
{Vaan mazhai vizhumpodhu{When rain fell from the sky,
Malai kondu kaathaai}(2)You protected us using a mountain.}
Kan mazhai vizhum podhuWhen rain falls from my eyes,
Edhil ennai kaappaaiWith what will you protect me?
Poovin kanneerai rasippaaiYou enjoy the tears of a flower,
Female
Naan enna pennilaiyaa…Am I not a woman...
En kannaaMy Krishna,
Adhai nee kaana kannillaiyaaDo you not have eyes to see that?
Un kanavugalil naan illaiyaaAm I not in your dreams?
Female
Dhinam oosal aaduthu manasuMy mind swings like a pendulum every day,
Ada oomai alla en kolusuHey, my anklet is not mute,
En ullmoochilae uyir neengudhaeMy life escapes in my deep breath,
Ennuyir thudikkaamalaeWithout my life throbbing in pain,
Kaappadhu un theendalaeIt is your touch that saves me,
Uyir thara vaa…Come to give me life...
Female
Kannamoochi yenadaWhy this game of hide and seek?
En kannaaMy Krishna,
Naan kannaadi porul polada…aa…Am I not a fragile glass object... ah...

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Kannamoochi Yenada is a deeply expressive song built on classic Vaishnavite Bhakti poetic traditions, where romantic longing is portrayed through the persona of a Gopi seeking Lord Krishna. The protagonist compares her fragile heart to glassware and questions why her beloved plays coy games of hide-and-seek rather than embracing her devotion. She contrasts his grand mythological feats—such as lifting Mount Govardhana to shield against cosmic rain—with her personal, human tears, asking how he intends to shield her emotional storm. Across the verses, she surrenders her emotional identity to him, seeking physical and spiritual merging to heal her angst.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Uvamai)

Naan kannaadi porul polada

Compares her emotional state to a fragile glass object ('kannaadi porul') to highlight her extreme vulnerability.

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Irudhaya poovil kanden

Metaphorizes the inner heart as a blossoming flower ('irudhaya poovu') where the divine resides.

Mythological Allusion (Aanmeega Uvamai)

Vaan mazhai vizhumpodhu Malai kondu kaathaai

Refers to the Bhagavata Purana legend where Krishna lifted Mount Govardhana to protect the dwellers of Vrindavan from rain.

Personification / Hyperbole

Ada oomai alla en kolusu

Personifies the anklet as a non-silent companion ('oomai alla en kolusu') asserting her presence.

Did you know?

Trivia

Composed by A.R. Rahman in the expressive Carnatic raga Reethigowla, this song highlights Rajiv Menon's film adaptation of Jane Austen's 'Sense and Sensibility'. Lyricist Vairamuthu borrowed heavily from the sangam and bhakti tradition of 'Thoothu' and 'Nayaka-Nayaki Bhava' (viewing God as the lover). The movie context features the character played by Tabu (sung on screen) lost in deep yearning.

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