- Lyricist
- Vairamuthu
- Singer
- S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
- Music director
- Sankar Ganesh
- Movie name
- Idhaya Thamarai
- Movie release year
- 1990
- Lyrics added on
- 1 Jul 2019
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This song from the film 'Idhaya Thamarai' (1990) expresses the intense heart-wrenching anguish of a betrayed lover. The protagonist grieves over his lost love, questioning how promises and cherished memories could dissolve so easily like shadows cast on water. He addresses his beloved as his eye and a fragile vine, asking for an explanation to his overwhelming loneliness. Throughout the track, the lyricist uses metaphors of imprisonment, freedom, fire, and water to illustrate emotional contradictions. The protagonist reflects on the irony of feeling soaring and hopeful while incarcerated, only to lose his wings upon gaining physical freedom. He laments the fickle nature of relationships and destiny, seeking solace in memories while yearning for emotional liberation.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Iyaibu (End Rhyme)
“Kannaana en kannmani / En kanneerin kadhai keladi / Thadumaarum ilam poongadi / En thanimaikku bathil ennadi”
Repeated end rhymes creating rhythmic musicality across consecutive lines.
Paradox / Imagery
“Neer meedhu thanalaa”
Contradictory visual imagery representing an impossible or surreal emotional phenomenon.
Metaphor (Uvamaani)
“Neer meedhu nizhala”
Comparing fleeting promises and paths to transient shadows cast over water.
Irony / Antithesis
“Siraiyil irundha pozhudhu siragu konden / Veliyil vandhu siragu izhandhu nindren”
Sharp contrast where captivity gave wings of hope, but physical freedom brought emotional powerlessness.
Simile / Metaphor
“Noolil aadugindra bommai”
Comparing a woman controlled by fate or desires to a puppet manipulated on a thread.
Keep listening
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