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Isaimozhi
Manikuyil album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Kathal Ennum Vetham

From Manikuyil · 1993

Lyricist
Ponnadiyan
Singer
Malaysia Vasudevan
Music director
Ilayaraja
Movie name
Manikuyil
Movie release year
1993
Lyrics added on
22 Mar 2020

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Haa….aaa….aaa…..aa….aaa…
Hoo…ooo ooo oo oo ooo
Ho oo hoo ooo ooo
Kaadhal ennum vaedham ingu
Kanneeril vaadudhammaa
Nadu kaanagathil kan vizhithu
Pon maanai thaedudhammaa
En aaviyae vaegudhae punnaagiyae ponadhae
Anbaalae thavikkudhadi en nenju thudikkudhadi
Kaadhal ennum vaedham ingu
Kanneeril vaadudhammaa
Nadu kaanagathil kan vizhithu
Pon maanai thaedudhammaa
Paatteduthu katru koduthu
Paada vaithadhum yaenadiyo
Maedaiyilae paada vandhaal
Moodi vaithadhum yaenadiyo
Naetraiya kanavellaam kaatrin kadhai thaano
Arangaetram kaanaadha oru paattin porul thaano
Putham pudhu puthagam cellaruthu pogumaa
Singaara paingiliyae
Kaadhal ennum vaedham ingu
Kanneeril vaadudhammaa
Nadu kaanagathil kan vizhithu
Pon maanai thaedudhammaa
En aaviyae vaegudhae punnaagiyae ponadhae
Anbaalae thavikkudhadi en nenju thudikkudhadi
Kaadhal ennum vaedham ingu
Kanneeril vaadudhammaa
Nadu kaanagathil kan vizhithu
Pon maanai thaedudhammaa
Haa….aa…..aa….aaa….aa….haa..aa…
Hoo ooo oo oo haa…aa….aa….aa…
Kalangam illaa manadhinilae
Kaalai vaithadhu yaaradiyo
Kalangi nindra podhinilae
Kallerindhadhum yaenadiyo
Azhagaai agal vilakkai angu yaaro yaetri vaithaar
Alai veesum sudar oliyai thirai pottae moodi vaithaar
Indha thirai vilagum inba kadhai thodarum
Singaara paingiliyae
Kaadhal ennum vaedham ingu
Kanneeril vaadudhammaa
Nadu kaanagathil kan vizhithu
Pon maanai thaedudhammaa
En aaviyae vaegudhae punnaagiyae ponadhae
Anbaalae thavikkudhadi en nenju thudikkudhadi
Kaadhal ennum vaedham ingu
Kanneeril vaadudhammaa
Nadu kaanagathil kan vizhithu
Pon maanai thaedudhammaa
Ah... aa... aa... aa... aa...
Oh... oh oh oh oh oh oh...
Oh oh oh oh oh...
Here, the scripture called love
is withering away in tears.
Waking up in the middle of the deep forest,
it searches for the golden deer.
My soul is burning, wounded and hurting.
Longing for your love, my heart is pounding in pain.
Here, the scripture called love
is withering away in tears.
Waking up in the middle of the deep forest,
it searches for the golden deer.
You picked a song and taught it to me,
making me sing—why did you do that?
When I came to perform on stage,
why did you hide me away and silence me?
Were all of yesterday's dreams just stories lost to the wind?
Are they just the lyrics of a song that never made its stage debut?
Will a brand-new book simply be eaten away by termites?
O my beautiful, sweet parrot!
Here, the scripture called love
is withering away in tears.
Waking up in the middle of the deep forest,
it searches for the golden deer.
My soul is burning, wounded and hurting.
Longing for your love, my heart is pounding in pain.
Here, the scripture called love
is withering away in tears.
Waking up in the middle of the deep forest,
it searches for the golden deer.
Ah... aa... aa... aa... aa... haa... aa...
Oh... oh oh oh oh... haa... aa... aa... aa...
Into an innocent, spotless heart,
who was it that stepped in?
And when it stood broken and troubled,
why was a stone thrown at it?
Someone beautifully lit an oil lamp there,
yet covered its glowing flame behind a curtain.
This curtain will fall away, and the joyful story will go on,
O my beautiful, sweet parrot!
Here, the scripture called love
is withering away in tears.
Waking up in the middle of the deep forest,
it searches for the golden deer.
My soul is burning, wounded and hurting.
Longing for your love, my heart is pounding in pain.
Here, the scripture called love
is withering away in tears.
Waking up in the middle of the deep forest,
it searches for the golden deer.
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This song from Manikuyil expresses deep sorrow and emotional agony over lost love and unfulfilled hopes. The speaker compares love to a sacred Veda that is drowning in tears and describes feeling lost in a dense forest searching for an elusive golden deer, symbolizing impossible desires. The lyrics raise heartbreaking questions about why love was nurtured only to be abruptly silenced and shielded like a lamp hidden behind a curtain.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Kaadhal ennum vaedham ingu

Compares love to a sacred scripture ('vaedham') that is now wilting in sorrow.

Allusion / Imagery

Nadu kaanagathil kan vizhithu / Pon maanai thaedudhammaa

Refers to searching for a golden deer in a forest, reminiscent of the Ramayana motif signifying elusive or tragic pursuit.

Emona / Rhyme (Etugai)

Paatteduthu katru koduthu / Maedaiyilae paada vandhaal

Second-letter rhyming between consecutive lines ('Paatteduthu' and 'Maedaiyilae').

Rhetorical Question

Putham pudhu puthagam cellaruthu pogumaa

Uses dramatic rhetorical questions to express disbelief at betrayal and emotional pain.

Did you know?

Trivia

Manikuyil (1993) features music composed by Deva with lyrics written by Ponnadiyan. The movie stars Murali and Gouthami in lead roles, and the song captures classic 90s Tamil film melodrama and emotional pathos.

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