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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Maalaiye Ilamaalaiye

From Madhu Malar · 1981

Lyricist
Vaali
Singer
S. Janaki
Music director
Gangai Amaran
Movie name
Madhu Malar
Movie release year
1981
Lyrics added on
15 Apr 2022

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Maalaiyae ilamaalaiyae
Pani thoovi pogathae
Maalaiyae ilamaalaiyae
Pani thoovi pogathae
Ennaasaiyae enai vaattuthae
En ennam kaattril vaadiduthae
Engengo sellum nenjae
Maalaiyae ilamaalaiyae
Pani thoovi pogathae
Thaamarai meniyil aasai vannam thullum
Thangamaan maariyae thaavi unnai kenjum
Yaavivitta manmathan yaenga vaiththaan naayagan
Ennaalum thedavo…..
Maalaiyae ilamaalaiyae
Pani thoovi pogathae
Ennaasaiyae enai vaattuthae
En ennam kaattril vaadiduthae
Engengo sellum nenjae
Panjanai thalliyae paal nilaavum thaeyum
Sinthanai unnidam kondu sendraai neril
Yaen maranthaai thendralae yaezhai nenjin kadhalai
Engae en dhevanae
Maalaiyae ilamaalaiyae
Pani thoovi pogathae
Ennaasaiyae enai vaattuthae
En ennam kaattril vaadiduthae
Engengo sellum nenjae
Maalaiyae ilamaalaiyae
Pani thoovi pogathae
O evening, tender evening,
do not scatter mist and leave.
O evening, tender evening,
do not scatter mist and leave.
My own desires torment me,
my thoughts wither in the wind.
O heart, wandering everywhere...
O evening, tender evening,
do not scatter mist and leave.
On this lotus-like body, shades of desire leap,
turning into a golden deer, leaping to plead with you.
Manmathan (God of Love) shot his arrows, and my lover left me yearning,
must I search for him forever?...
O evening, tender evening,
do not scatter mist and leave.
My own desires torment me,
my thoughts wither in the wind.
O heart, wandering everywhere...
Tossing away from the soft bed, even the milky moon wanes,
my thoughts are with you, you carried them away.
O gentle breeze, why did you forget this poor heart's love?
Where is my beloved?...
O evening, tender evening,
do not scatter mist and leave.
My own desires torment me,
my thoughts wither in the wind.
O heart, wandering everywhere...
O evening, tender evening,
do not scatter mist and leave.
Female
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Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This classic song expresses the intense yearning and romantic grief of a woman longing for her beloved during a cold evening. She addresses nature directly, pleading with the cool evening dusk and the mist not to heighten her loneliness and desire while her hero remains away.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Personification

“Maalaiyae ilamaalaiyae / Pani thoovi pogathae”

Addressing the evening ('Maalaiyae') and breeze ('Thendralae') as living entities capable of hearing her pleas.

Metaphor (Uvamaikani)

“Thaamarai meniyil aasai vannam thullum”

Describing her body as a lotus ('Thaamarai meniyil') and comparing the moon's glow to milk ('paal nilaavum').

Alliteration (Monai)

“Thaamarai meniyil aasai vannam thullum / Thangamaan maariyae thaavi unnai kenjum”

Repetition of initial consonant sounds like 'Th' in 'Thaamarai' and 'Thangamaan'.

Did you know?

Trivia

Composed by Gangai Amaran for the 1981 film 'Madhu Malar', this song stands out for S. Janaki's soulful vocal performance and Vaali's delicate imagery of evening dusk evoking romantic longing.

Keep listening

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Mazhaikoru Devane1985
Sri RaghavendrarNatureDesperate
Uzhaippali Illatha1993
UzhaippaliProud
Naadu Athai Naadu1966
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