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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Othaiyadi Pathayila

From Kanaa · 2018

Lyricist
Arunraja Kamaraj
Singer
Anirudh Ravichander
Music director
Dhibu Ninan Thomas
Details
Kanaa2018

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Othaiyadi pathayilaOn the narrow single-track pathway
Thaavi odurenI am leaping and running
Aththai peththa poonguyilaThe sweet cuckoo born to my paternal aunt
Thedi vaadurenI am searching for her and yearning
Male
Santhana malai alluthu aalaThe rain of sandalwood overwhelms a person
Vaasam yeruthuIts fragrance rises
En kili mela sangili polaOver my parrot, like a chain
Sera thonuthuI feel like binding together
Sakkarai aala sokkuthu aalaCaptivating like sugar
Maalai maatha maman varattummaShall your maternal uncle come to exchange garlands?
Male
Kanmaniyae…Oh darling...
Sa dha ni saSa dha ni sa
Dha ni sa ma ga ma ga saDha ni sa ma ga ma ga sa
Dha ni sa ga ga saDha ni sa ga ga sa
Dha pa ga sa ga gaDha pa ga sa ga ga
Sa ni dha ni saSa ni dha ni sa
Male
Vazhiyila poothaBlossomed along the way
Saamanthi neeyaeYou are the marigold flower
Vizhiyila serthaGathered in my eyes
Poongothu neeyaeYou are the bouquet of flowers
Male
Adiyae adiyae poongodiyaeOh dear girl, flowering creeper
Kavalai marakkum thaai madiyaeLike a mother's lap that makes me forget my worries
Azhagae azhagae pen azhagaeOh beauty, beauty, feminine beauty
Tharayil nadakkum therazhagaeLike a grand temple chariot walking on the ground
Male
Nizhalaattam pinnalaLike a shadow behind you
Naan odi vanthenaeI came running
Oru vaatti ennai paaren maLook at me just once, girl
Male
Othaiyadi pathayilaOn the narrow single-track pathway
Thaavi odurenI am leaping and running
Aththai peththa poonguyilaThe sweet cuckoo born to my paternal aunt
Thedi vaadurenI am searching for her and yearning
Chorus
Dhum dhum dha rae roDhum dhum dha rae ro
Dhum dhum dha rae roDhum dhum dha rae ro
Dhum dhum dha rae roDhum dhum dha rae ro
Dhum dharae dhum dharaeDhum dharae dhum dharae
Chorus
Dhum dhum dha rae roDhum dhum dha rae ro
Dhum dhum dha rae roDhum dhum dha rae ro
Dhum dhum dha rae roDhum dhum dha rae ro
Dhum dharae dhum dharaeDhum dharae dhum dharae
Chorus
Dhum dhum dha rae roDhum dhum dha rae ro
Dhum dhum dha rae roDhum dhum dha rae ro
Dhum dhum dha rae roDhum dhum dha rae ro
Dhum dharae dhum dharaeDhum dharae dhum dharae
Male
Palamurai neeyumWhen you passed by many times
Paarkaama ponaWithout looking at me
Irumbukku melaOver the iron
Thuruvena aanaIt became like rust
Male
Usura unakkaeMy life for you
Nendhu vittenI have dedicated
Irunthum nerungaYet to come close
Bayanthu kittenI got scared
Uyirae uyirae en uyirae haanOh life, oh life, my life
Ulagam neethan vaa uyiraeYou are my world, come my life
Male
Manasellam kannadiThe heart is all glass
Odaikatha panthadiDo not break it by playing ball with it
Vathaikatha kannae kanmaniyaeDo not torment me, my dear eyes, my darling
Male
Othaiyadi pathayilaOn the narrow single-track pathway
Thaavi odurenI am leaping and running
Aththai peththa poonguyilaThe sweet cuckoo born to my paternal aunt
Thedi vaadurenI am searching for her and yearning
Male
Hey…Hey…
Nenjula veesum kanmani vaasamFragrance of my darling blowing in my heart
Kaattu senbagamaeOh wild champak flower
Sangathi pesum kangalum koosumEyes that converse, eyes that shy away
Kaadhal santhanamaeOh sandalwood of love
Male
Paravai pola paranthu pogaTo fly away like a bird
Kuda sernthu neeyum vaaruviyaWill you come along with me?
Kanmaniyae…ae…..Oh darling...
Vaaa…konjidavae…ae……….Come... to caress you...
Chorus
Dhum dhum dha rae roDhum dhum dha rae ro
Dhum dhum dha rae roDhum dhum dha rae ro
Dhum dhum dha rae roDhum dhum dha rae ro
Dhum dharae dhum dharaeDhum dharae dhum dharae

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Othaiyadi Pathayila from Kanaa (2018) is a rustic and romantic Tamil folk-pop track expressing a young man's tender affection and longing for his love. Set in a rural village backdrop, the protagonist describes running along narrow village tracks searching for his cousin (aththai peththa poonguyil), comparing her beauty to blossoming marigolds, wild champak flowers, and a temple chariot walking on earth. He conveys how her presence brings comfort like a mother's lap and how her indifference turns his heart into rusted iron.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Ethukai (Second letter rhyming)

Othaiyadi pathayila / Aththai peththa poonguyila

The second consonant 'th' matches between 'Othaiyadi' and 'Aththai peththa', creating Tamil prosodic harmony.

Monaai (Initial alliteration)

Vazhiyila pootha / Vizhiyila sertha

Initial letter 'V' is matched in 'Vazhiyila' and 'Vizhiyila'.

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Manasellam kannadi / Odaikatha panthadi

The speaker directly equates the fragile human heart to a glass object that can shatter if bounced around like a ball.

Simile (Uvamai)

Tharayil nadakkum therazhagae

Comparing the grand walking posture of the beloved to a grand temple chariot moving on the ground.

Did you know?

Trivia

Othaiyadi Pathayila was composed by Dhibu Ninan Thomas for the sports drama film Kanaa (2018), which marked actor Sivakarthikeyan's debut as a film producer. Sung by popular composer-singer Anirudh Ravichander with lyrics by Arunraja Kamaraj, the song became a massive viral hit, generating hundreds of millions of views across digital platforms.

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