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Kanave Kalaiyadhe album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Kannil Unnai

From Kanave Kalaiyadhe · 1999

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singers
K. S. Chithra, Chorus
Music director
Deva
Movie name
Kanave Kalaiyadhe
Movie release year
1999
Lyrics added on
6 Jan 2019

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Kannapiraan en kannil irukka
Kanavae kalaiyadhae
Nandhakumaran nenjil irukka
Kanavae kalaiyadhae
Kannan varum varai kaathirupaal
Indha kanmani raadhai
Kannan varuvaan
Kaadhinil solvaan kaadhalin geethai
Kannil unnai kandu konden
Kannil unnai kandu konden
Kanna perumaanae
Kangalukku nandri sonnen
Kanni ilamaanae
Gangai karai kaatrai kelu
Kanna perumaanae
Kaadhal seidha kaalamellam
Kaadhil koorum thaanae
Kannil unnai kandu konden
Kanna perumaanae
Solladi nee priya snehidiyae
Intha manam enum malarvanam
Thulir vidum thinam thinam
Avan ingu varuvaana
Iniyum oru arimugama
Iruvarumae pudhu mugama
Avan ingu varuvaana
Thozhi adaikkalam tharuvaana
Neecham poovai eera kaatru
Koocham theera koodidum iravinil
Avan ingu varuvaana
Kannaa… mazhai vannaa
Kannaa mazhai vannaa ena
Semmaankuyil pol koovugindren
Kannil unnai…
Kannil unnai kandu konden
Kanna perumaanae
Kangalukku nandri sonnen
Kanni ilamaanae
Kannil unnai kandu konden
Kanna perumaanae….
…………………
Thottakurai munbu
Vittakurai indru
Thodangida thodangida
Thodarnthinda thodarnthinda
Pudhu sugam arumbatho
Puyal adithaa nilavanaiyum
Mazhai adithaa malai karaiyum
Unakidhu theriyatha
Kanna uravugal thirumbatha
Mannil kaadhal maainthathendru
Paarthathillai boomiyil adharkkoru
Kal arai kidaiyadhu
Unnai …ingu ennai
Unnai ingu ennai
Endrum ondraai sertha
Kaadhal vaazhga
Kannil unnai…
Kannil unnai kandu konden
Kanna perumaanae
Kangalukku nandri sonnen
Kanni ilamaanae
Kannil unnai kandu konden
Kanna perumaanae….
Piravi unakkaaga edutha kili
Manadhai unakaaga kodutha kili
Iniyum thaniyaga thavithapadi
Irukka vidalamo thalaivan madi
Kannil unnai kandu konden
Kanna perumaanae
Kangalukku nandri sonnen
Kanni ilamaanae
With Lord Krishna in my eyes,
O dream, do not fade away!
With the son of Nanda in my heart,
O dream, do not fade away!
She will wait until Kannan arrives,
this darling Radha.
Kannan will come,
and whisper the Gita of love in her ear.
I saw you in my eyes,
I saw you in my eyes,
O Lord Krishna!
I thanked my eyes,
my young, gentle doe.
Ask the breeze on the banks of the Ganges,
O Lord Krishna!
All the times we were in love,
it will surely whisper in your ear.
I saw you in my eyes,
O Lord Krishna!
Tell me, my dearest friend,
in this garden of the heart
that blooms anew every single day,
will he come here?
Do we still need an introduction?
Are we two new faces to each other?
Will he come here?
My friend, will he give me shelter?
As the damp breeze embraces the water lily
on a night when all shyness melts away,
will he come here?
Kanna... O one colored like rain clouds,
calling out, "O Kanna, dark as the rain clouds!"
I call like a spotted cuckoo.
In my eyes, you...
I saw you in my eyes,
O Lord Krishna!
I thanked my eyes,
my young, gentle doe.
I saw you in my eyes,
O Lord Krishna...
...
The bond begun in the past,
the unfinished love left behind,
as it begins all over again,
and continues on and on,
does a new joy blossom?
Does the moon go out if a storm blows?
Does a mountain melt away when rain falls?
Do you not know this?
O Kanna, won't our bond return?
That love has perished on this earth—
I have never seen; on this earth,
love has no tombstone.
You... and here, me...
You and me here,
uniting us forever as one—
long live our love!
In my eyes, you...
I saw you in my eyes,
O Lord Krishna!
I thanked my eyes,
my young, gentle doe.
I saw you in my eyes,
O Lord Krishna...
I am the parrot born just for you,
the parrot that gave its heart to you.
Suffering all alone like this,
can my beloved's lap leave me to pine?
I saw you in my eyes,
O Lord Krishna!
I thanked my eyes,
my young, gentle doe.
Chorus
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Chorus
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This soulful song depicts a deep, devotional, and romantic yearning modeled after the eternal bond of Radha and Lord Krishna. The protagonist experiences intense longing, finding solace in dreams and visioning her beloved everywhere. She questions whether her love will return to fulfill incomplete desires, emphasizing that true love is immortal and free from destruction.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Mondhai / Emona (Tamil Rhyme / Alliteration)

Thottakurai munbu / Vittakurai indru

Repetition of second letter and initial consonantal sounds in line beginnings like 'Kannapiraan' / 'Nandhakumaran' and 'Thottakurai' / 'Vittakurai'.

Metaphor (Uruvagaim)

Intha manam enum malarvanam

Comparing the human mind/heart directly to a blooming flower garden ('Manam enum malarvanam').

Simile (Uvamaani)

Semmaankuyil pol koovugindren

Comparing her calling out for Krishna to the call of a cuckoo bird ('Semmaankuyil pol').

Did you know?

Trivia

The song from the 1999 movie 'Kanave Kalaiyadhae' features music composed by Deva with lyrics written by Vairamuthu. The composition heavily draws from classical devotional motifs blending traditional Bhakti poetry tropes (Krishna-Radha) with contemporary film melody structure.

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