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Lyrics & meaning

Oru Mani Adithal

From Kaalamellam Kadhal Vaazhga · 1997

Lyricist
Pazhani Bharathi
Singer
Hariharan
Music director
Deva
Details
Kaalamellam Kadhal Vaazhga1997

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
………………………….
Male
Oru mani adithaal kannae un niyabagamWhen a single bell rings, my darling, I remember you.
Telephone kuyilae vendum un tharisanamO cuckoo on the telephone, I long to see you.
Pothum kannae nee nadathum naadagamaeEnough, my darling, of this drama you play.
Thoongum pothum thoongavillai un niyabagamaeEven when I sleep, your memory never sleeps.
Paadinal antha paadalin swaram nee adiyo … ooIf I sing, you are the musical note of that song, my girl...
Thedinaal vizhi eeram aavathu enadiyo … ooWhy do my eyes turn moist whenever I search for you?...
Male
Oru mani adithaal kannae un niyabagamWhen a single bell rings, my darling, I remember you.
Telephone kuyilae vendum un tharisanamO cuckoo on the telephone, I long to see you.
Male
Vaasam mattum veesum poovaeO flower that only wafts fragrance without showing itself,
Vandhu konjam kaatuvayaWill you come and show yourself for a moment?
Thendral polae engum unnai thedugirenLike the breeze, I search for you everywhere,
Naan thedugirenI keep searching.
Male
Thedi unnai paarthu paarthuSearching and looking endlessly for you,
Kangal rendum verthu verthuBoth my eyes are sweating with tears,
Sinthum vizhi neeril nanae muzhgugirenIn those shed tears, I am drowning,
Naan muzhgugirenI am drowning.
Male
Veesidum puyal kaatrilaeIn the blowing stormy wind,
Naan otrai siraganenI have become a bird with a single wing.
Kaadhalin sudum theeyilaeIn the burning fire of love,
Naan eriyum viraganenI am the firewood consuming in flame.
Male
Medai thorum paadal thantha vaanmathiyaeO moon-like girl who gave me songs across every stage,
Jeevan pogum munbu vanthaal nimathiyaeIf you come before my life slips away, it would bring peace.
Pothum kannae nee nadathum naadagamaeEnough, my darling, of this drama you play.
Thoongum pothum thoongavillai un niyabagamaeEven when I sleep, your memory never sleeps.
Male
Oh oru mani adithaal kannae un niyabagamOh, when a single bell rings, my darling, I remember you.
Telephone kuyilae vendum un tharisanamO cuckoo on the telephone, I long to see you.
Female
…………………….
Male
Unthan mugam paartha pinnaeAfter looking at your face,
Kan izhanthu povathendralIf I am destined to lose my sight,
Kan irandum naan izhapen ippodhaeI am ready to lose both my eyes right now,
Naan ippodhaeYes, right now.
Male
Unthan mugam paarkum munnaeBefore looking at your face,
Naan marainthu povathendralIf I am destined to pass away,
Kangal mattum appozhuthum moodadhaeMy eyes alone must not close even then,
Imai moodadhaeMy eyelids must not close.
Male
Kaadhalae en kaadhalae ennaiO love, my dear love, I have
Kaanikai thanthu vittenOffered myself as a sacrifice.
Sothanai ini thevaiyaIs further testing really necessary now?
Sudum moochinil venthu vittenI have scorched in my own burning breath.
Male
Kaadhalenum saabam thantha devathaiyaeO goddess who bestowed the curse of love,
Kaanalamo raagam indru povathu yenCan we see each other? Why is the melody fading away today?
Pothum kannae nee nadathum naadagamaeEnough, my darling, of this drama you play.
Thoongum pothum thoongavillai un niyabagamaeEven when I sleep, your memory never sleeps.
Male
Oru mani adithaal kannae un niyabagamWhen a single bell rings, my darling, I remember you.
Telephone kuyilae vendum un tharisanamO cuckoo on the telephone, I long to see you.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This song expresses the intense yearning and emotional agony of a lover who has fallen in love with a woman's voice over the telephone without ever seeing her face. Every phone ring triggers deep memories of her, and her voice feels like a sweet song that haunts his thoughts day and night. He begs her to step out of hiding and reveal herself to him, comparing his state to a single-winged bird caught in a storm and firewood burning in the fire of passion. In the second stanza, his desperation reaches its dramatic peak. He declares that he would gladly lose his eyesight right after seeing her face just once, or if death comes before seeing her, he wishes his eyes to stay open in anticipation. The song beautifully captures the late 90s aesthetic of telephonic romance, highlighting the pain of distance, sweet torture of suspense, and devotion of pure love.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor

Telephone kuyilae vendum un tharisanam

The singer addresses his beloved as 'Telephone kuyilae' (Telephone cuckoo), metaphorically comparing her melodious phone voice to a cuckoo bird's song.

Metaphor

Naan otrai siraganen / Naan eriyum viraganen

The protagonist compares himself to a 'single-winged bird' helpless in a storm and 'firewood' burning in the fire of love.

Hyperbole

Unthan mugam paartha pinnae... Kan irandum naan izhapen ippodhae

An exaggerated expression of devotion where he states he is willing to go blind immediately after taking a single look at her face.

Ethugai (Second letter rhyming)

Sothanai ini thevaiya / Sudum moochinil venthu vitten

Rhyming of the second consonant sound 'th/d' ('So-tha-nai' and 'Su-du-m') across adjacent lines.

Repetition (Anaphora)

Naan thedugiren... Naan muzhgugiren... Naan ippodhae

Refrain-style repetition at the end of lines emphasizing the singer's personal state of longing and submission.

Did you know?

Trivia

Composed by Deva with lyrics by Pazhani Bharathi and sung by Hariharan, 'Oru Mani Adithaal' is one of the iconic phone-romance songs of 1990s Tamil cinema. The movie *Kaalamellam Kadhal Vaazhga* (1997), starring Murali and Kausalya, revolves around a protagonist who falls in love with a girl solely through telephonic conversations without knowing what she looks like, making this song the emotional centerpiece of the film.

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