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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Manam Pona Pokkil

From Kadhal Rojavae · 2000

Lyricist
Vaali
Singers
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, K. S. Chithra
Music director
Ilayaraja
Details
Kadhal Rojavae2000

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Manam pona pokkil ponenI went wherever my mind drifted
En paadhaiyilIn my path
Vidivelli ondru kandenI saw a morning star
Adhi kaalaiyilIn the early morning
Female
Yaar nammai serthu vaithadhuWho brought us together?
Namm kaiyil enna ulladhuWhat control do we hold in our hands?
Pudhu anbu ondru thaanaeA new love alone
VilaiyaadudhuPlays around
Adhu nenjil nindru thaanaeStaying within the heart
Pudhir podudhuIt poses a riddle
Male
Neer illaadha paalaiylIn a waterless desert
Nilavu pola neeyadiYou are like the moon, my dear
Nindru kaana iyalaaUnable to stand and watch
Vazhi pokkan naanadiI am a wayfarer, my dear
Female
Nee marutha podhilumEven when you refuse it
Unnai thodarum vennilaaThe full moon follows you
Amudha oliyai veesumShining its divine light
Dhinam undhan kaaladiEvery day at your feet
Male
Kadal neerilWith sea water
Dhaagam theerumaaCan thirst ever be quenched?
Kadhaigal ingaeWill stories told here
Vaazhkkai aagumaaBecome real life?
Male
Manam pona pokkil ponenI went wherever my mind drifted
En paadhaiyilIn my path
Vidivelli ondru kandenI saw a morning star
Adhi kaalaiyilIn the early morning
Male
Yaar nammai serthu vaithadhuWho brought us together?
Namm kaiyil enna ulladhuWhat control do we hold in our hands?
Pudhu anbu ondru thaanaeA new love alone
VilaiyaadudhuPlays around
Adhu nenjil nindru thaanaeStaying within the heart
Pudhir podudhuIt poses a riddle
Female
Kaadhal varigal paadinaalIf love lines are sung
Kaanal varigal aagumaaWill they become lines of a mirage?
Unadhu kaigal meettumPlucked by your hands
Pudhu ponnin veenai naanI am a new golden veena
Male
Vasantha kaalam pona pinAfter the spring season leaves
Kuyilgal koova koodumoCan cuckoos still sing?
Vandhu pogum vasanthamThe spring that comes and goes
Vaazhvil endru thondrumoWhen will it bloom in life?
Female
Kadaloram aadum neeralaiThe ocean wave dancing by the shore
Oru podhum oivadhillaiyaeNever rests at any time
Female
Manam pona pokkil ponenI went wherever my mind drifted
En paadhaiyilIn my path
Vidivelli ondru kandenI saw a morning star
Adhi kaalaiyilIn the early morning
Male
Yaar nammai serthu vaithadhuWho brought us together?
Female :Namm kaiyil enna ulladhuWhat control do we hold in our hands?
Male
Idhu therindhu pogum neramKnowing this, it is time to leave
Vazhiyanuppa vaaCome to see me off
Unnai arindhu konda neramNow that I have known you
Nee sendru vaaGo ahead and take your leave

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This song reflects on fate, yearning, and the bittersweet nature of love. The narrator describes walking aimlessly through life until encountering a beloved who shines like a morning star in a desert. Questioning whether human effort or destiny controls their bond, the speaker wrestles with the uncertainty of whether love will flourish into reality or vanish like a mirage.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Upamai (Simile)

Nilavu pola neeyadi

Comparing the beloved to the moon shining in a dry desert ('Neer illaadha paalaiyl / Nilavu pola neeyadi').

Rhetorical Question

Kadal neeril / Dhaagam theerumaa

Using questions like 'Can sea water quench thirst?' to express the impossibility or inadequacy of fulfilling deep emotional desires through temporary means.

Metaphor

Unadhu kaigal meettum / Pudhu ponnin veenai naan

The speaker compares themselves to a golden veena waiting to be played by the beloved's touch.

Emona / Rhyme (Tamil Rhyming Pattern)

Kaadhal varigal paadinaal / Kaanal varigal aagumaa

Use of internal and end-rhyming patterns characteristic of Vaali's lyrical style ('Varigal' matching 'Kaanal').

Did you know?

Trivia

This track features poetic Tamil lyrics by Vaali exploring existential questions of destiny and romance through classical nature metaphors like the desert, sea waves, and spring season.

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