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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Maalaiye Ilamaalaiye

From Madhu Malar · 1981

Lyricist
Vaali
Singer
S. Janaki
Music director
Gangai Amaran
Details
Madhu Malar1981

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Maalaiyae ilamaalaiyaeO evening, young tender evening!
Pani thoovi pogathaeDo not leave after sprinkling this chilly mist!
Maalaiyae ilamaalaiyaeO evening, young tender evening!
Pani thoovi pogathaeDo not leave after sprinkling this chilly mist!
Female
Ennaasaiyae enai vaattuthaeMy own desires torment me relentlessly.
En ennam kaattril vaadiduthaeMy thoughts wither away in the wind.
Engengo sellum nenjaeO heart, where all do you wander?
Female
Maalaiyae ilamaalaiyaeO evening, young tender evening!
Pani thoovi pogathaeDo not leave after sprinkling this chilly mist!
Female
Thaamarai meniyil aasai vannam thullumVibrant colors of desire leap upon my lotus-like body.
Thangamaan maariyae thaavi unnai kenjumLike golden rain, my heart leaps and pleads with you.
Yaavivitta manmathan yaenga vaiththaan naayaganLord Cupid unleashed his arrows, yet my beloved leaves me yearning.
Ennaalum thedavo…..Am I destined to search for him every single day?
Female
Maalaiyae ilamaalaiyaeO evening, young tender evening!
Pani thoovi pogathaeDo not leave after sprinkling this chilly mist!
Female
Ennaasaiyae enai vaattuthaeMy own desires torment me relentlessly.
En ennam kaattril vaadiduthaeMy thoughts wither away in the wind.
Engengo sellum nenjaeO heart, where all do you wander?
Female
Panjanai thalliyae paal nilaavum thaeyumPushing aside the soft bed, even the milky moon seems to wane.
Sinthanai unnidam kondu sendraai nerilYou carried all my thoughts directly to him.
Yaen maranthaai thendralae yaezhai nenjin kadhalaiO gentle breeze, why did you forget the love of this poor heart?
Engae en dhevanaeWhere is my beloved lord?
Female
Maalaiyae ilamaalaiyaeO evening, young tender evening!
Pani thoovi pogathaeDo not leave after sprinkling this chilly mist!
Female
Ennaasaiyae enai vaattuthaeMy own desires torment me relentlessly.
En ennam kaattril vaadiduthaeMy thoughts wither away in the wind.
Engengo sellum nenjaeO heart, where all do you wander?
Female
Maalaiyae ilamaalaiyaeO evening, young tender evening!
Pani thoovi pogathaeDo not leave after sprinkling this chilly mist!

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

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.

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