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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Oru Kanam Oru Yugamaga

From Nadodi Thendral · 1992

Lyricist
Isaignani Ilayaraja
Singers
Ilayaraja, S. Janaki
Music director
Ilayaraja
Details
Nadodi Thendral1992

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Ahaa…aaa…haaa….Ahaa…aaa…haaa….
Ahaa…aaa…haaa….Ahaa…aaa…haaa….
Ahaaa…aaa..aaaa…Ahaaa…aaa..aaaa…
Ooo…aaaa..aaaa…aaa..Ooo…aaaa..aaaa…aaa..
Female
Oru kanam oru yugamagaWhy must a single moment feel like an era,
Yen thondra vendumooWhy should it appear so?
Dhinam dhinam unnai ethir parthuWaiting for you day after day,
Manam yenga vendumooWhy must my heart yearn?
Female
Oru kanam oru yugamagaWhy must a single moment feel like an era,
Yen thondra vendumooWhy should it appear so?
Dhinam dhinam unnai ethir parthuWaiting for you day after day,
Manam yenga vendumooWhy must my heart yearn?
Female
Thendralum unnai paaduthaeEven the gentle breeze sings of you,
Ven mathi unnai theduthaeThe full white moon searches for you,
Ithu kaadhal ragamaeThis is the melody of love,
Puriyatha mogamaeAn incomprehensible passion.
Female
Oru kanam oru yugamagaWhy must a single moment feel like an era,
Yen thondra vendumooWhy should it appear so?
Dhinam dhinam unnai ethir parthuWaiting for you day after day,
Manam yenga vendumooWhy must my heart yearn?
Female
Vaan meethu vinmeengalThe stars up in the sky
Vedigai parkindrathaeAre watching like spectators.
Un thoothu vaaramalWithout a message coming from you,
Nenjukul verkindrathaeMy heart breaks into anxious sweat.
Female
Nenjukul nee pottaThe nose-ring you placed inside my heart
Mookuthi minaalgalaeFlashes like streaks of lightning.
Vanjikul un kaadhalWithin this young woman, your love
Ennathin pinnalgalae…Is an intertwining of thoughts...
Female
Ohhhh ohhhhhhhOhhhh ohhhhhhh
Ithu kaadhal ragamaeThis is the melody of love,
Puriyatha mogamaeAn incomprehensible passion.
Male
Oru kanam oru yugamagaWhy must a single moment feel like an era,
Yen thondra vendumooWhy should it appear so?
Male
Vaanamum poo thendrallumThe sky and the breeze scented with flowers
Vazhthuthae malar thoovuthaeOffer blessings and shower blossoms.
Ithu kaadhal ragamaeThis is the melody of love,
Puriyatha mogamaeAn incomprehensible passion.
Male
Megathil eeram polLike the moisture inside a cloud,
Kannukkul neer yen ammaWhy are there tears in your eyes, my dear?
Boomikul vairam polLike a diamond deep within the earth,
Nenjathil nee thaanammaYou reside inside my heart, my dear.
Male
Sogangal sollamal odattumLet sorrows slip away without saying a word,
Kaadhal pennaeMy beloved girl.
Sonthagal pogamal koodattumLet our ties unite without ever drifting apart,
Oodal pennaeOh girl of playful lovers' spats.
Male
Ohhhh ohhhhhhhOhhhh ohhhhhhh
Ithu kaadhal ragamaeThis is the melody of love,
Puriyatha mogamaeAn incomprehensible passion.
Female
Oru kanam oru yugamagaWhy must a single moment feel like an era,
Yen thondra vendumooWhy should it appear so?
Dhinam dhinam unnai ethir parthuWaiting for you day after day,
Manam yenga vendumooWhy must my heart yearn?
Male
Vaanamum poo thendrallumThe sky and the breeze scented with flowers
Vazhthuthae malar thoovuthaeOffer blessings and shower blossoms.
Female :Ithu kaadhal ragamaeFemale: This is the melody of love,
Puriyatha mogamaeAn incomprehensible passion.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

'Oru Kanam Oru Yugamaga' is a soulful romantic track from the movie 'Nadodi Thendral' (1992) that captures the sweet ache of longing and separation between lovers. The central premise revolves around how a single moment spent away from one's beloved feels as agonizingly long as an entire era (yugam). The lyrics paint nature as an active companion in their romance—the breeze sings, the moon searches, and the stars act as amused spectators to their love story. As the song unfolds, the emotional tone shifts from anxious waiting to comforting reassurance. The lover reassures his beloved that she is as precious as a diamond hidden deep within the earth, urging her to wash away her tears and let their love overcome all sorrows. The track beautifully balances deep passion with poetic metaphors of nature.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Hyperbole (Exaggeration)

Oru kanam oru yugamaga / Yen thondra vendumoo

Compares a single moment (kanam) to an entire epoch/era (yugam) to emphasize the excruciating feeling of waiting in separation.

Personification

Thendralum unnai paaduthae / Ven mathi unnai theduthae

Gives human actions to nature: the breeze is described as singing and the moon as searching for the beloved.

Simile (Upamai Ani)

Megathil eeram pol / Boomikul vairam pol

Compares tears in the eyes to moisture in a cloud, and the beloved's place in the heart to a diamond buried deep in the earth.

Metaphor

Nenjukul nee potta / Mookuthi minaalgalae

Metaphorically describes the memory of the nose-ring/love planted in the heart as flashing lightnings.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Nadodi Thendral' (1992) is a period romantic drama directed by Bharathiraja, starring Karthik and Ranjitha. The soundtrack was composed by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja, who also penned lyrics for songs in this album. The movie features rich rural imagery and classical/folk-fusion orchestrations characteristic of Ilaiyaraaja-Bharathiraja collaborations during the late 80s and early 90s.

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