Kollayile Thennai
From Kadhalan · 1994
- Lyricist
- Vairamuthu
- Singer
- P. Jayachandran
- Music director
- A. R. Rahman
- Details
- Kadhalan1994
Lyrics & meaning
| ♫ Tanglish lyrics | ↻ English translation |
|---|---|
| Male | |
| Kollaiyilae thennai vaithu | Planted a coconut tree in the backyard, |
| Kuruthola petti senju | Made a box out of tender palm leaves, |
| Seeni pottu nee thinga | For you to eat the sugar put inside, |
| Chellamai pirandhavalo | Were you born as the pampered child? |
| Male | |
| Marakkilayil thottil katta | To tie a cradle on a tree branch, |
| Mamanavan mettu katta | For your maternal uncle to compose a tune, |
| Aranmanaiya vittu vandha | Having left her grand palace behind, |
| Alli rani kannurangu | Queen Alli, go to sleep. |
| Male | |
| Marakkilayil thottil katta | To tie a cradle on a tree branch, |
| Mamanavan mettu katta | For your maternal uncle to compose a tune, |
| Aranmanaiya vittu vandha | Having left her grand palace behind, |
| Alli rani kannurangu | Queen Alli, go to sleep. |
| Male | |
| Mmmm…mmm…mmmm… | Mmmm...mmm...mmmm... |
| Mmm…mmm…mmm….mmm… | Mmm...mmm...mmm....mmm... |
| Mmm…mmm… | Mmm...mmm... |
கொல்லையிலே தென்னை வைத்து
குருத்தோலைப் பெட்டி செஞ்சு
சீனி போட்டு நீ திங்க
செல்லமாய்ப் பிறந்தவளோ
Planted a coconut tree in the backyard,
Made a box out of tender palm leaves,
For you to eat the sugar put inside,
Were you born as the pampered child?
மரக்கிளையில் தொட்டில் கட்ட
மாமன் அவன் மெட்டுக் கட்ட
அரண்மனையை விட்டு வந்த
அல்லிராணி கண்ணுறங்கு
To tie a cradle on a tree branch,
For your maternal uncle to compose a tune,
Having left her grand palace behind,
Queen Alli, go to sleep.
மரக்கிளையில் தொட்டில் கட்ட
மாமன் அவன் மெட்டுக் கட்ட
அரண்மனையை விட்டு வந்த
அல்லிராணி கண்ணுறங்கு
To tie a cradle on a tree branch,
For your maternal uncle to compose a tune,
Having left her grand palace behind,
Queen Alli, go to sleep.
ம்ம்ம்ம்......ம்ம்ம்ம்.....ம்ம்ம்
ம்ம்ம்....ம்ம்ம்...ம்ம்ம்....ம்ம்ம்ம்...
ம்ம்ம்...ம்ம்ம்ம்...
Mmmm...mmm...mmmm...
Mmm...mmm...mmm....mmm...
Mmm...mmm...
Kollaiyilae thennai vaithu
Planted a coconut tree in the backyard,
Kuruthola petti senju
Made a box out of tender palm leaves,
Seeni pottu nee thinga
For you to eat the sugar put inside,
Chellamai pirandhavalo
Were you born as the pampered child?
Marakkilayil thottil katta
To tie a cradle on a tree branch,
Mamanavan mettu katta
For your maternal uncle to compose a tune,
Aranmanaiya vittu vandha
Having left her grand palace behind,
Alli rani kannurangu
Queen Alli, go to sleep.
Marakkilayil thottil katta
To tie a cradle on a tree branch,
Mamanavan mettu katta
For your maternal uncle to compose a tune,
Aranmanaiya vittu vandha
Having left her grand palace behind,
Alli rani kannurangu
Queen Alli, go to sleep.
Mmmm…mmm…mmmm…
Mmmm...mmm...mmmm...
Mmm…mmm…mmm….mmm…
Mmm...mmm...mmm....mmm...
Mmm…mmm…
Mmm...mmm...
Beyond the translation
Song interpretation
This tender lullaby snippet from the film Kadhalan expresses deep affection and pampering for a beloved young girl child, affectionately addressing her as a royal queen. The speaker describes rustic acts of love, such as making sweet boxes from tender palm leaves and tying a simple cradle to a tree branch. It invokes rich Tamil cultural traditions, where the maternal uncle plays a central role in putting the child to sleep with custom tunes. The song gently lulls the child to rest by portraying her as a princess who chose the warmth of family and nature over a cold palace.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Metaphor (Urvagam)
“Alli rani kannurangu”
Refers to the young child as 'Alli Rani' (Queen Alli), a legendary female ruler in Tamil folklore, elevating the child's status out of deep maternal endearment.
Cultural Imagery & Allusion
“Mamanavan mettu katta”
Invokes the traditional Tamil familial bond of the 'Maman' (maternal uncle) composing a melody ('mettu') to put his niece to sleep.
Pastoral Imagery
“Kuruthola petti senju”
Evokes vivid rural sights of coconut trees, palm leaf craft boxes ('kuruthola petti'), and tree-branch cradles.
Did you know?
Trivia
Composed by A. R. Rahman with lyrics by Vairamuthu for the 1994 film Kadhalan, this short track beautifully encapsulates the traditional Tamil 'Thaalattu' (lullaby) genre, blending folk simplicity with sweet, soothing vocal hums.
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