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Asuran album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Kannazhagu Rathiname

From Asuran · 2019

Lyricist
Yugabharathi
Singer
Dhanush
Music director
G. V. Prakash Kumar
Movie name
Asuran
Movie release year
2019
Lyrics added on
8 Sept 2019

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Kannazhagu rathinamae
Kai asaiyum porchilaiyae
Kaanalaiyae kannae unna kaanalaiyae
Kaiyum kaalum unna enni odalaiyae
Ponnazhagu pettagamae
Poo mudinja kattadamae
Kaanalaiyae thangam unna kaanalaiyae
Aadum maadum unna enni meiyalaiyae
Precious gem with beautiful eyes,
Golden statue with graceful hands,
I cannot find you, my darling, I cannot see you.
Thinking of you, my hands and legs refuse to move.
Treasure chest of golden beauty,
Stately beauty adorned with flowers,
I cannot find you, my gold, I cannot see you.
Thinking of you, even the goats and cattle refuse to graze.
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This poignant song fragment expresses deep longing and grief through a traditional Tamil folk lament (oppari style). The speaker addresses a loved one using affectionate endearments, describing them as a golden statue and a treasure chest of beauty, while sorrowfully repeating that they can no longer be found. The emotional weight of loss is depicted through its overwhelming impact on everyday life: the speaker feels paralyzed with hands and feet refusing to function, and even the livestock are said to stop grazing, reflecting a profound sense of emptiness felt across the entire household and environment.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor

Kannazhagu rathinamae

Compares the loved one to precious and beautiful items such as a gem ('rathinam'), a golden statue ('porchilai'), and a treasure chest ('pettagam').

Hyperbole / Pathetic Fallacy

Aadum maadum unna enni meiyalaiyae

Exaggerates the emotional impact of the loved one's absence by suggesting even the goats and cattle are too grief-stricken to graze.

Monai (Initial Alliteration)

Kaiyum kaalum unna enni odalaiyae

Repetition of the initial consonant sound 'K' in 'Kaiyum' and 'kaalum'.

Anaphora / Refrain

Kaanalaiyae kannae unna kaanalaiyae

Repetition of the line 'Kaanalaiyae... unna kaanalaiyae' to emphasize the distress of not being able to see the beloved.

Did you know?

Trivia

Although the text lists the singers as unknown, this lament form in Asuran (2019) is part of G. V. Prakash Kumar's rustic, critically acclaimed soundtrack. The film, directed by Vetrimaaran, frequently uses authentic folk-style lullabies and grief-laments (oppari) written by lyricist Yugabharathi to evoke the intense raw emotions of rural Tamil Nadu.

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