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Kanneer Pookkal album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Kaviya Mullai Pol

From Kanneer Pookkal · 1981

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
Music director
Shankar Ganesh
Movie name
Kanneer Pookkal
Movie release year
1981
Lyrics added on
18 Mar 2022

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Kaaviya mullai pol oru pillai
Aa….aa….aa….aa….aa….aa…..aa….aaa…..
: Kaaviya mullai pol oru pillai
Thavazhnthathu ingae thavariyathu engae
Pillai nilaa engae ponaalo
Vandu vizhum maalai aanaalo
Pinchu nadaipottu pillai kulam pogum
Ullirukkum sogam kannil etti paarkkum
Nenjil pillai kayil illai
Nenjil pillai kayil illai
Kaaviya mullai pol oru pillai
Thavazhnthathu ingae thavariyathu engae
Thavariyathu engae….
Idhu enna medai maranaththin vaadai
Ivan thegam naalai kizhigindra olai
Soga megam vaanil pogum
Paadhaiyaavum paalaiyaagum
Kaaviya mullai pol oru pillai
Thavazhnthathu ingae thavariyathu engae
Thavariyathu engae….
Imaigalin eeram sudugindra paaram
Ini entha naalum ilaiyuthir kaalam
Saavin osai ketkkumpothu
Meendum pillai kaanpathethu
Kaaviya mullai pol oru pillai
Thavazhnthathu ingae thavariyathu engae
Pillai nilaa engae ponaalo
Vandu vizhum maalai aanaalo…..
A child like a poetic jasmine flower,
Aa.....aa.......aa.....aa....aa.....aa.....aa...aa.....
A child like a poetic jasmine flower,
She crawled right here, but where did she get lost?
Where has that moon-like child gone?
Has she become a fallen garland where beetles swarm?...
Taking tiny steps, little children walk by,
The sorrow hidden within peeks through my eyes.
The child is in my heart, but not in my arms.
The child is in my heart, but not in my arms.
A child like a poetic jasmine flower,
She crawled right here, but where did she get lost?
Where did she get lost?.......
What kind of stage is this, smelling of death?
Tomorrow, this body will be torn like a dry palm leaf.
Clouds of sorrow drift across the sky,
Every path turns into a barren desert.
A child like a poetic jasmine flower,
She crawled right here, but where did she get lost?
Where did she get lost?.......
The wet tears on my eyelids are a burning burden,
From now on, every single day is autumn.
When the sound of death is heard,
How will I ever see my child again?.....
A child like a poetic jasmine flower,
She crawled right here, but where did she get lost?
Where has that moon-like child gone?
Has she become a fallen garland where beetles swarm?...
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Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This song expresses profound grief and tragic loss over a missing or deceased child. The speaker fondly remembers the child as a delicate jasmine flower and a gentle moon, lamenting that while the child remains deeply alive in memory, the physical arms remain empty. The world now feels bleak, turned into a desert dominated by the shadow of death and perpetual grief.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Upamai)

“Kaaviya mullai pol oru pillai”

Compares the child's purity and innocence to a jasmine flower from epic literature.

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

“Pillai nilaa engae ponaalo”

Refers to the child metaphorically as a serene moon.

Antithesis / Emotional Contrast

“Nenjil pillai kayil illai”

Contrasts the deep presence of the child in the heart with their physical absence in the arms.

Edhukai (Tamil Second Letter Rhyme)

“Thavazhnthathu ingae thavariyathu engae”

The second letter 'va' rhymes across 'Thavazhnthathu' and 'thavariyathu'.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Kanneer Pookkal' (1981) features music by the popular duo Shankar-Ganesh with lyrics written by Vairamuthu in his early career. The song's melancholy is amplified by S. P. Balasubrahmanyam's emotive vocal performance.

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