- Lyricist
- Pulamaipithan
- Singers
- S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Vani Jairam
- Music director
- Shankar Ganesh
- Movie name
- Engamma Maharani
- Movie release year
- 1981
- Lyrics added on
- 13 Jan 2022
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
'Maalaiyil Pooththa Mallaigai Pookkalae' is a romantic romantic duet expressing intimate love and admiration between lovers in an evening setting. The lyrics poetically compare the lover's smile to the blooms of evening jasmine and the smiles of Manmatha (the deity of love). The song captures the delicate interplay between bashfulness and desire, detailing how spoken words may try to hold back passion while expressive eyes softly invite love.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Metaphor (Uvamai)
“Manmathan sinthum punnagai neengalae”
The flowers and smiles are poetically equated to the divine smiles scattered by Manmatha (god of love).
Alliteration (Monai)
“Maalaiyil pooththa mallaigai pookkalae”
Repetition of the 'Ma' sound at the beginning of words in the line.
Rhyme (Ethukai)
“Mozhigalo ennai thaduththana / Vizhigalo mella azhaiththana”
Agreement of the second consonant sound 'zi' in consecutive lines.
Personification
“Idhu thendral thaerottamae”
The gentle breeze (thendral) is personified as driving a chariot procession.
Did you know?
Trivia
Engamma Maharani is a 1981 Tamil film featuring music scored by K. Devaraj and lyrics by Pulamaipithan. The song is memorable for its gentle melody evocative of classical 1980s South Indian film duets.
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