- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singer
- S. Janaki
- Music director
- S. M. Subbaiah Naidu
- Movie name
- Aayiram Kalathu Payir
- Movie release year
- 1963
- Lyrics added on
- 9 Sept 2020
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This poignant song expresses the tragic sorrow of a newly wedded bride who loses her husband shortly after marriage. She laments that the very flowers adorning her hair haven't yet withered and the vermilion mark on her forehead hasn't faded, yet her world has shattered before her husband could return to build a family with her. Through evocative folk metaphors, she conveys how her briefly found happiness turned into an agonizing trap, comparing her grief to that of a helpless bird locked in a cage.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Iyaibu (End Rhyme)
“Katti vachcha poovum vaadavillaiyae”
Repeated line endings with '-villaiyae' ('vaadavillaiyae', 'maaravillaiyae', 'varavillaiyae') create a rhythmic, sorrowful refrain.
Edhugai (Second Letter Rhyme)
“Katti vachcha poovum vaadavillaiyae”
The second consonant 't' ('tt') rhymes across lines: Katti, Thottu, Vittu.
Uvamai (Simile)
“Koottukkili pola ennai vaadavittathu”
The protagonist compares her lonely, grieving state to a parrot trapped inside a cage ('Koottukkili pola').
Metaphor
“Vittu sendra dheivam innum varavillaiyae”
The husband is poetically referred to as 'Dheivam' (God) and 'Manna' (King), elevating her devotion to him.
Antithesis / Wordplay
“Maalai varum endrirunthaen olai vanthathu”
Contrast between 'Maalai' (Garland/Evening) and 'Olai' (Letter/Omen), highlighting expected joy versus unexpected grief.
Did you know?
Trivia
Written by the legendary lyricist Kannadasan, this song uses classical Tamil poetic tradition (Sangam metaphor of flower freshness representing the recency of marriage) to convey tragic grief (Viraha/Thuya). P. Susheela's haunting rendition remains a classic example of grief expression in Tamil cinema.
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