- Lyricist
- A. Maruthakasi
- Singers
- T. M. Soundararajan, P. Susheela
- Music director
- Shankar Ganesh
- Movie name
- Kettikaran
- Movie release year
- 1971
- Lyrics added on
- 15 Nov 2023
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
Parthaen paarkkaatha azhagae is a captivating duet from the 1971 movie Kettikaran, penned by A. Maruthakasi and set to music by Shankar-Ganesh. The song portrays two lovers expressing profound admiration for each other, comparing their newfound joy to seeing an unseen beauty and hearing unheard melody. They dream of joining together in art, dance, and love, comparing their bond to divine lovers Rathi and Madhan or rivers uniting into the vast ocean. However, a poignant sense of tragic realism surfaces when they reflect on their diverging life paths, comparing themselves to parallel straight lines that can never meet.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Paradox / Oxymoron
“Parthaen paarkkaatha azhagae”
The phrase combines 'saw' (parthaen) with 'unseen' (paarkkaatha) to create a striking paradoxical expression describing extraordinary beauty.
Mythological Allusion
“Radhiyaaga madhanaaga uravaadalaam”
Compares the romantic relationship to Rathi and Madhana (Manmatha), the mythological deities of love and desire in Hindu lore.
Metaphor
“Iru veru nerkkodu inaiyaathathu”
Uses the geometric concept of parallel straight lines that never intersect to represent destiny and incompatible paths of life.
Iyaibu (End Rhyme)
“Naan paada neeyaada sabaiyaeralaam”
The repetition of the '-alaam' suffix across consecutive lines creates rhythmic musicality.
Did you know?
Trivia
The song is from Kettikaran (1971), starring Jaishankar and Leelavathi. Composed by the popular duo Shankar-Ganesh, it stands out for Maruthakasi's lyricism using geometric metaphors like 'nerkkodu' (straight lines) in Tamil film music.
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