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Isaimozhi
Pudhiya Mugam album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Netru Illadha Matram

From Pudhiya Mugam · 1993

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
Sujatha
Music director
A. R. Rahman
Movie name
Pudhiya Mugam
Movie release year
1993
Lyrics added on
31 Jan 2017

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
{Netru illatha matram ennathu
Katru en kaathil etho sonnathu
Ithu thaan kaadhal enbadha
Ilamai pongivitatha
Idhayam sindhivitatha
Sol maname…..} (2)
Kadavul illai endren..
Thayai kannum varai
Kanavu illai endren..
Aasai thondrum varai
Kaadhal poi endru sonnen..
Unnai kannum varai…
Kavithai variyin suvai..
Artham puriyum varai
Gangai neerin suvai..
Kadalil serrum varai
Kaadhal suvai ondru thanae..
Kaatru veesum varai….
Netru illatha matram ennathu
Katru en kaathil etho sonnathu
Ithu thaan kaadhal enbadha
Ilamai pongivitatha
Idhayam sindhivitatha
Sol maname….
Netru illatha matram ennathu
Katru en kaathil etho sonnathu
Vaanam illamalae
Boomi undagalaam
Varthai ilaamalae
Bashai undagalaam
Kaadhal ilamal ponal
Vazhkai undagumaa…
Vaasam illamalae
Vanna poo pookalam
Vasal ilamalae
Kaatru vandhadalam
Nesam ilaatha vazhvil
Paasam undagumaa…
{Netru illatha matram ennathu
Katru en kaathil etho sonnathu
Ithu thaan kaadhal enbadha
Ilamai pongivitatha
Idhayam sindhivitatha
Sol maname….} (2)
What is this change that wasn't here yesterday?
The breeze whispered something in my ear.
Is this what they call love?
Has youth overflowed?
Has my heart spilled over?
Tell me, oh my heart...
I said there was no God...
...until I saw a mother.
I said dreams didn't exist...
...until desires awoke.
I said love was a lie...
...until I saw you.
The sweetness of a line of poetry...
...lasts until its meaning is understood.
The sweetness of the Ganga's water...
...lasts until it joins the sea.
Only the sweetness of love endures...
...for as long as the wind blows.
What is this change that wasn't here yesterday?
The breeze whispered something in my ear.
Is this what they call love?
Has youth overflowed?
Has my heart spilled over?
Tell me, oh my heart...
What is this change that wasn't here yesterday?
The breeze whispered something in my ear.
Even without a sky,
the earth could exist.
Even without words,
a language could exist.
If there is no love,
can life exist at all?
Even without fragrance,
a colorful flower can bloom.
Even without a doorway,
the breeze can enter and dance.
In a life without love,
can true affection ever be born?
What is this change that wasn't here yesterday?
The breeze whispered something in my ear.
Is this what they call love?
Has youth overflowed?
Has my heart spilled over?
Tell me, oh my heart...
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This classic romantic song captures the subtle, awakening epiphany of falling in love for the first time. The protagonist reflects on an inexplicable overnight transformation within themselves, questioning whether this overwhelming feeling of joy and vulnerability is indeed love. The lyrics express how the presence of the beloved gives real meaning to abstract concepts like passion, beauty, and life itself. Through poetic analogies, Vairamuthu elevates love from a mere emotion to an essential element of existence. Just as a mother's selfless affection proves the existence of God, meeting one's soulmate validates the truth of love. The song poetically argues that while physical phenomena might exist without their natural conditions, human life is fundamentally empty and meaningless without love and affection.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Personification

Katru en kaathil etho sonnathu

The wind is personified as a companion whispering secrets into the protagonist's ear.

Iyaipu (End Rhyme)

Ilamai pongivitatha / Idhayam sindhivitatha

Both lines end with the matching rhythmic suffix '-vitatha', creating melodic symmetry.

Ethugai (Second-letter Rhyme)

Vaanam illamalae / Varthai ilaamalae

The second letter/sound structure pairs poetically across consecutive lines ('aa' sound).

Analogy / Metaphor

Kadavul illai endren.. Thayai kannum varai

Compares seeing a mother's love to discovering divine existence, setting up a parallel for discovering love upon seeing the beloved.

Keep listening

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