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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Kannukulla

From Pakka · 2018

Lyricist
Yugabharathi
Singer
Mahalingam
Music director
C. Sathya
Details
Pakka2018

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
En kannukulla unna vachenI kept you inside my eyes
Novaama kaakkaTo protect you without pain
Kan avinji ponathennaWhy did the eye go dark
Ooraarum paakkaFor the entire town to see?
Male
Nalla thanni kinaruA good-water well
Onnu nodiyilaIn a single second
Nanji pattu thoonthathuBecame poisoned and filled with dirt
En madiyilaRight on my lap
Male
Vaazha vandha thangamThe pure gold that came to live
Neeyum vazhiyila…aa…You too on the way...
Verarundhu vizhunthathuFell down uprooted
Yen theriyalaI don't know why
Male
En kannukulla unna vachenI kept you inside my eyes
Novaama kaakkaTo protect you without pain
Kan avinji ponathennaWhy did the eye go dark
Ooraarum paakkaFor the entire town to see?
Male
Aasayila un mugathaIn desire, your face
Arumba paathiruppaI would have seen as a flower bud
Pesayila dhevadhayaWhile speaking, as an angel
Kurumba paathiruppaI would have seen your playful nature
Male
Odi varum un nadaiyilIn your running walk
Vellalaya paathiruppaI would have seen a white wave
Nee utkaarum perazhagilIn the great beauty of your sitting stance
Ooviyatha paathiruppaI would have seen a painting
Male
Athanaiyum paarthavizhiThe eyes that saw all of that
MoodalayaeHave not closed yet
Kai irunthum kaal irunthumDespite having hands and feet
Moochi vida thonalayaeYou didn't feel like breathing?
Male
Hey en kannukulla unna vachenHey, I kept you inside my eyes
Novaama kaakkaTo protect you without pain
Male
Paarvaiyila pesiyadhaWhat you spoke through eyes
Vachirukken patthiramaI have kept safe
Pakkathula nikkayilumEven standing right beside me
Pakkala nee sathiyamaTruly you didn't look at me
Male
Kanna katti kaattulathaanBlindfolding me in a dense forest
Vittutiyae appadiyaeYou left me just like that
Kaalu patta mannulathaanOn the soil touched by your feet
Sanjathenna uthamiyaeWhy did you fall down, pure soul?
Male
Pathu jenmam vaazha thaanaeTo live for ten lifetimes
Nee poranthaYou were born
Paala pola thirinji yendiLike milk curdling, why did you
Pattunu ver arundhaSnap your roots all of a sudden?
Male
Kannukulla unnaInside the eyes, you...
Eh kannukulla unnaHey, inside the eyes, you...
Kannukulla unna vachenI kept you inside my eyes
Novaama kaakkaTo protect you without pain
Kan avinji ponathennaWhy did the eye go dark
Ooraarum paakkaFor the entire town to see?
Male
Nalla thanni kinaruA good-water well
Onnu nodiyilaIn a single second
Nanji pattu thoonthathuBecame poisoned and filled with dirt
En madiyila…Right on my lap...
Kannukulla….Inside the eyes...
Kannukulla…aaa….aaa….Inside the eyes...

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This heart-wrenching song expresses deep grief and sorrow over the loss of a beloved partner. The singer laments how he cherished his love with extreme care, placing her safely inside his eyes, only to watch her life slip away unexpectedly in front of the whole town. He compares her presence to a sweet-water well that suddenly turned poisonous and a sturdy tree that unceremoniously got uprooted. Throughout the song, he nostalgically recalls her beauty, comparing her expressions to a blossoming bud, an angel, ocean waves, and a serene painting. Struggling to come to terms with the tragic end, he questions why someone who was meant to live for multiple lifetimes withered away so suddenly like curdled milk.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Uvamaani (Simile)

Arumba paathiruppa

Comparing the girl's face to a flower bud ('Arumba paathiruppa') and her walk to a white ocean wave ('Vellalaya paathiruppa').

Metaphor

Nalla thanni kinaru

Describing her life and purity as a 'good-water well' ('Nalla thanni kinaru') that suddenly got polluted/destroyed.

Monai (Initial Alliteration)

En kannukulla unna vachen

Repetition of initial consonant/vowel sounds across words in the line ('Kannukulla', 'Kaakka').

Edupai / Rhyme Scheme (Edhukai)

Arumba paathiruppa

Second letter matching across lines ('Arumba' / 'Kurumba', 'Vellalaya' / 'Ooviyatha').

Did you know?

Trivia

The song 'En Kannukulla Unna Vachen' features in the 2018 Tamil action-comedy film 'Pakka', starring Vikram Prabhu and Nikki Galrani. The song's soundtrack was composed by C. Sathya, with poignant lyrics penned by Yugabharathi that depict tragic loss through rural imagery.

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