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Kaalamellaam Un Madiyil album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Kannana Kannae

From Kaalamellaam Un Madiyil · 1986

Lyricist
Vaali
Singer
K. J. Yesudas
Music director
Chandrabose
Movie name
Kaalamellaam Un Madiyil
Movie release year
1986
Lyrics added on
2 Apr 2020

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Kannana kannae en pon maalaiyae
Kai veesi pogindra poonjolaiyae
Naan paarkum un paarvai un kannilae
En jenmam un anbilae
Madimel nilavae vidiyum poluthae
Kannana kannae en pon maalaiyae
Kai veesi pogindra poonjolaiyae
……………………………….
Aaa….aa….aa….aa….aaa…laa laa laa laaa
Thaaiyaarai yaar endru kaanathavan
Thaalaattu paatondrum kelathavan
Nee indri sondhangal illadhavan
Nee annai nee pillai endraanavan
Unadhu sondham unadhu bandham
Enadhu vaazhvin vasantha kaalam
Nee endhan devaalayam
Kalai maan vizhiyae mazhalai mozhiyae
………………………………..
Ennalum kaayadha gangai nadhi
En maarbil saaindhaadum thangai ival
Nee pogum pallaakku en thozhilae
Nee thaanae kaar kaalam en vaanilae
Malarin meedhum nadakkum bothum
Unadhu paadham sivanthu pogum
En nenjam thaangathu amma
Sirithaal sirippen azhuthaal thudippen
Kannana kannae en pon maalaiyae
Kai veesi pogindra poonjolaiyae
Naan paarkum un paarvai un kannilae
En jenmam un anbilae
Madimel nilavae vidiyum poluthae
Kannana kannae en pon maalaiyae
Kai veesi pogindra poonjolaiyae
My precious darling, my golden evening,
O blooming garden walking by with swaying arms,
The sight through which I see is in your eyes,
My whole life lives in your love,
O moon resting on my lap, my bright dawn,
My precious darling, my golden evening,
O blooming garden walking by with swaying arms,
...
Aa... aa... aa... aa... aa... la la la laa
I am one who never knew a mother's care,
I am one who never heard a single lullaby,
Without you, I have no family of my own,
To me, you became both my mother and my child,
Your kinship and your bond with me
Are the springtime of my life,
You are my sacred temple,
O doe-eyed darling, speaking sweet innocent words,
...
Like the Ganges river that never runs dry,
Here is my little sister, resting gently against my chest,
The palanquin you travel in rests upon my shoulders,
You are the rain-bearing clouds in my sky,
Even when you walk upon soft flower petals,
Your tender feet turn red,
And my heart cannot bear it, my little one,
If you smile, I will smile; if you cry, my heart will ache,
My precious darling, my golden evening,
O blooming garden walking by with swaying arms,
The sight through which I see is in your eyes,
My whole life lives in your love,
O moon resting on my lap, my bright dawn,
My precious darling, my golden evening,
O blooming garden walking by with swaying arms,
Male
Male
Chorus
Male
Male
Male
Chorus
Male
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This song is a deeply emotional portrait of brotherly love, where a brother pours out his affection for his younger sister. Having grown up orphaned and deprived of a mother's lullaby or tender affection, he sees his sister as his mother, child, temple, and entire world. He views her as a blessed presence that brought spring into his once-barren life. The lyrics express intense protectiveness and empathy—the brother feels her pain as his own and considers it his life's duty to shelter her. Vaali's evocative verses emphasize how familial devotion can heal past grief, turning a lonely life into a sacred sanctuary through pure, unconditional love.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

“Madimel nilavae vidiyum poluthae”

Compares the sister to a moon on the lap ('Madimel nilavae') and a temple ('Nee endhan devaalayam') to highlight her purity and divinity.

Visual Imagery (Katchi Bimbam)

“Kai veesi pogindra poonjolaiyae”

Paints a vivid picture of a little girl strolling cheerfully like a moving flower garden waving her hands.

Anaaphora / Parallelism

“Sirithaal sirippen azhuthaal thudippen”

Uses parallel structures 'Nee annai nee pillai' and 'Sirithaal sirippen azhuthaal thudippen' to emphasize complete emotional synchronization.

Hyperbole (Uvavazhakku)

“Malarin meedhum nadakkum bothum / Unadhu paadham sivanthu pogum”

Exaggerates the sister's extreme delicacy by claiming her feet turn red even when treading upon soft flower petals.

Did you know?

Trivia

Written by poet Vaali, this song is a classic example of Tamil cinema's rich tradition of sibling affection (Pasam) songs. The imagery of a brother acting as both a mother and child to an orphaned sibling is a recurring emotional motif in 1980s Tamil family dramas.

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