- Lyricist
- Gangai Amaran
- Singers
- Vani Jairam, Malaysia Vasudevan
- Music director
- Ilayaraja
- Movie name
- Iravu Pookkal
- Movie release year
- 1985
- Lyrics added on
- 25 Dec 2021
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
The song 'Pala Raaththiri Pochchu' from the film Iravu Pookkal (1985) is a playful duet capturing the romantic banter and night-long sleeplessness of two lovers. The lyrics utilize popular Tamil colloquialisms to express passionate yearning, where the sleepless nights are metaphorically compared to 'Sivarathri' (a night-long vigil). The couple engages in playful teasing, with the hero boasting about his attempts to capture her affection and the heroine teasingly warning him not to fall for foolish tricks.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Metaphor / Idiom
“Siva raaththiri aachchu niththam niththam”
Comparing sleepless nights of romantic longing to 'Siva raaththiri', which traditionally implies an all-night spiritual vigil.
Proverbial Metaphor (Tamil Idiom)
“Kokku thalaiyil venna vekkaathae”
The line 'Kokku thalaiyil venna vekkaathae' uses the traditional Tamil folk proverb about attempting to catch a crane by putting butter on its head, meaning 'don't try foolish tricks on me'.
Rhyme / Monorhyme (Emonai & Etukai)
“Aththaan vanthaan kaiyanaikkaththaan / Niththam thanthaan nenjinaikkaththaan”
End-rhyme and rhythm matching with 'kaiyanaikkaththaan' and 'nenjinaikkaththaan'.
Onomatopoeia
“Female :Kukkuru kukkookukkuru kurukurukukooo”
Imitation of rooster calls ('Kukkuru kukkoo') to signal dawn breaking over their night-long romantic banter.
Did you know?
Trivia
Iravu Pookkal (1985) is a lesser-known B-grade Tamil film featuring lyrics written by Gangai Amaran. The song showcases Gangai Amaran's signature style of blending colloquial Tamil proverbs and rural folk humor into catchy film lyrics.
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