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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Kannil Vanthaai

From Lottery Ticket · 1982

Lyricist
Muthulingam
Singers
Vani Jairam, P. Jayachandran
Music director
L. Vaithiya Nathan
Details
Lottery Ticket1982

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Kannil vanthaai nenjil nindraai neeYou came into my eyes and stayed in my heart
Female :En kadhal veenaiFemale: My veena of love
Male :Unnaalae raagam paadumMale: Sings a musical melody because of you
Female :Antha raagam en vaazhvil endrum ketkkumFemale: That melody will echo in my life forever
Male :Suga raagamaeMale: Oh sweet melody of bliss
Female :Endrum nilaiyaagumaeFemale: It will remain permanent forever
Female
Kannil vanthaai nenjil nindraai neeYou came into my eyes and stayed in my heart
Male :En kadhal veenaiMale: My veena of love
Female :Unnaalae raagam paadumFemale: Sings a musical melody because of you
Male :Antha raagam en vaazhvil endrum ketkkumMale: That melody will echo in my life forever
Female :Suga raagamaeFemale: Oh sweet melody of bliss
Male :Endrum nilaiyaagumaeMale: It will remain permanent forever
Female
Enthan paadham endrum unthan paadhai sellaathoWill my feet not always walk upon your path?
Male :Unthan sontham naanae endru parvai sollaathoMale: Doesn't your glance say that I am your own?
Female :Devan koyil poomaalaiFemale: Like a flower garland in the temple of God
Male :Dheepam yaettrum penn paavai neeyallavoMale: Aren't you the maiden lighting the lamp?
Female :Vaasal thedi naanum vanthenae…ae….ae…Female: I came searching for your doorstep...
Male :Malar soodavey…Male: To adorn you with flowers...
Female :Naan varam ketkiraenFemale: I am asking for a boon
Female
Ellai thaandi vaazhumpothum ennam maaraathuEven when living beyond boundaries, my thoughts will not change
Male :Gangai vellam kaainthaalumMale: Even if the floodwaters of the Ganges dry up
Female :Thingal vinnil thaeinthaalum manam theiyumoFemale: Even if the moon wanes in the sky, will the heart diminish?
Male :Unmai anbu endrum thaeyaathuMale: True love will never fade away
Female :Edhirkaalam neeFemale: You are my future
Male :Endrum namathaaumaeMale: It will always belong to us

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This romantic duet captures a deep exchange of eternal devotion between two lovers. By comparing their love to a veena producing sweet melodies, they express how harmony and joy will permanently resound throughout their lives. Using sacred and natural imagery like temple garlands, lamps, the Ganges river, and the moon, they pledge that physical distance and the passage of time will never diminish the truth of their love.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Female :En kadhal veenai

Compares love to a 'veena' (a stringed musical instrument) that plays endless melodies in life.

Internal Rhyme / Assonance (Emoni)

Kannil vanthaai nenjil nindraai nee

Pairs 'Kannil' (in eyes) and 'Nenjil' (in heart) to create a rhythmic, euphonic sound pattern.

Hyperbole (Uyarvu Navirtchi)

Male :Gangai vellam kaainthaalum

Uses the extreme hypothetical image of the mighty Ganges river completely drying up to emphasize that true love will still endure.

Rhetorical Question

Female :Thingal vinnil thaeinthaalum manam theiyumo

Asks whether a person's heart wanes like the moon, asserting rhetorically that true affection does not fade with changing phases.

Did you know?

Trivia

The lyrics were penned by Muthulingam, a acclaimed Tamil poet who also served as the official Poet Laureate (Aasthana Kavingnar) of Tamil Nadu. The song extensively uses traditional Tamil metaphors combining nature and temple motifs to reflect romantic devotion.

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