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Mella Thirandhathu Kadhavu album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Kuzhaloothum Kannanukku

From Mella Thirandhathu Kadhavu · 1986

Lyricist
Vaali
Singer
K. S. Chithra
Music director
Ilayaraja
Movie name
Mella Thirandhathu Kadhavu
Movie release year
1986
Lyrics added on
10 Feb 2017

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Kuzhaloodhum kannanukku
kuyil paadum paattu ketkuthaa
kukkoo kukkoo kukkoo….
Kuzhaloodhum kannanukku
kuyil paadum paattu ketkuthaa
kukkoo kukkoo kukkoo….
En kuralodu machaan unga
Kuzhaloosa potti poduthaa..
Elaiyodu poovum thalaiyaattum paaru..
Elaiyodu poovum kaayum thalaiyaattum paaru paaru
Kuzhaloodhum kannanukku
kuyil paadum paattu ketkuthaa
kukkoo kukkoo kukkoo….
{Malakaathu veesurapothu malligapoo paadaathaa
Mazhamegam koodurapothu vanna mayil aadaathaa} (2)
En meni thaenarumbu… en paattu poonkarumbu
Machan naan Mettedupen unnathaan kattivaipen
Sugamana thalam thatti paadattumaa
Unakachu enakaachu sarijodi naamaachu kelaiyaa
Kuzhaloodhum kannanukku
kuyil paadum paattu ketkuthaa
kukkoo kukkoo kukkoo….
En kuralodu machaan unga
Kuzhaloosa potti poduthaa..
{Kanna un vaaliba nenjai en paattu usuppuradha
Karkandu sarkaraiyellam ippathaan kasakuratha} (2)
Vandhachu chithirai thaan… poyaachu nithiraithaan
Poovaana ponnukuthaan… raavaana theduthu thaan
Medhuvaaga thoothu solli paadattumaa
Velakethum pozhudaanaa ilanenjam padum paadu kelaiyaa…
Kuzhaloodhum kannanukku
kuyil paadum paattu ketkuthaa
kukkoo kukkoo kukkoo….
En kuralodu machaan unga
Kuzhaloosa potti poduthaa..
Elaiyodu poovum thalaiyaattum paaru..
Elaiyodu poovum kaayum thalaiyaattum paaru paaru
Kuzhaloodhum kannanukku
kuyil paadum paattu ketkuthaa
kukkoo kukkoo kukkoo….
To the flute-playing Kannan,
can you hear the song this cuckoo sings?
Cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo...
To the flute-playing Kannan,
can you hear the song this cuckoo sings?
Cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo...
My darling, with my voice,
is the melody of your flute competing?
Look, the flower nods its head along with the leaf...
Look, look, the leaves, flowers, and fruits are nodding along!
To the flute-playing Kannan,
can you hear the song this cuckoo sings?
Cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo...
When the mountain breeze blows, won't the jasmine flower sing?
When the rain clouds gather, won't the colorful peacock dance?
My body is a honeyed bud, my song is sweet sugarcane...
My love, I will weave a tune and capture your heart!
Shall I tap a sweet rhythm and sing?
It is settled for you and me, we have become the perfect match—listen!
To the flute-playing Kannan,
can you hear the song this cuckoo sings?
Cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo...
My darling, with my voice,
is the melody of your flute competing?
Oh Kannan, is my song stirring your youthful heart?
Are rock candy and sugar tasting bitter to you only now?
Chithirai (the spring month) has arrived, and sleep has flown away...
For this flower-like girl, when night falls, longing takes over...
Shall I softly send a message of love and sing?
Listen to what this young heart goes through when the evening lamps are lit...
To the flute-playing Kannan,
can you hear the song this cuckoo sings?
Cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo...
My darling, with my voice,
is the melody of your flute competing?
Look, the flower nods its head along with the leaf...
Look, look, the leaves, flowers, and fruits are nodding along!
To the flute-playing Kannan,
can you hear the song this cuckoo sings?
Cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo...
Female
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Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

Kuzhaloodhum Kannanukku is a celebrated romantic track from the 1986 film Mella Thirandhathu Kadhavu. The heroine playfully addresses her lover as Lord Krishna, equating his flute's melody to her own singing voice, which rivals the call of a cuckoo bird. Nature itself seems to dance and respond to their musical courtship, with leaves, flowers, wind, and rainclouds echoing their romantic harmony. As the song unfolds, she expresses her deep yearning for him as spring arrives in the month of Chithirai. Worldly sweets lose their allure compared to the sweetness of love, and as dusk sets in, her heart aches for his presence, affirming that they are a pair destined to be together.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Onomatopoeia

kukkoo kukkoo kukkoo….

The line mimics the natural calling sound of a cuckoo bird.

Personification

Elaiyodu poovum thalaiyaattum paaru..

Inanimate elements of nature like leaves, flowers, and fruits are given human traits of nodding along to music.

Metaphor (Uruvagamm)

En meni thaenarumbu… en paattu poonkarumbu

The singer's body is directly compared to a honey bud and her song to sugarcane.

Rhyme (Edhugai / Iyaibu)

Vandhachu chithirai thaan… poyaachu nithiraithaan

Rhyming words 'Chithirai' and 'Nithirai' create a poetic cadence.

Alliteration (Moonaai)

Kuzhaloodhum kannanukku kuyil paadum paattu ketkuthaa

Repetition of the 'K' sound across the opening words (Kuzhaloodhum, kannanukku, kuyil).

Did you know?

Trivia

This iconic song from Mella Thirandhathu Kadhavu (1986) features a rare musical collaboration between legends M. S. Viswanathan and Ilaiyaraaja. Sung by S. Janaki with lyrics penned by Vaali, the track was picturized on Radha and Mohan.

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