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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Pattu Poovai Thottu Parkka

From Mappillai Sir · 1988

Lyricist
Idhaya Chandran
Singers
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, K. S. Chitra
Music director
Shankar Ganesh
Details
Mappillai Sir1988

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Pattu poovai thottu paarkkaTo touch and see the silky flower,
Nenjil aasai thonuthaeA desire arises in my heart.
Female :Thottu paarththaal pattu poovinFemale: If you touch it, the silky flower's
Thegam vaadi pogumaeBody will wither away.
Male :Yaar sonnathu….Male: Who said so...?
Female :Poo solluthu…Female: The flower says so...
Male
Pattu poovai thottu paarkkaTo touch and see the silky flower,
Nenjil aasai thonuthaeA desire arises in my heart.
Female :Thottu paarththaal pattu poovinFemale: If you touch it, the silky flower's
Thegam vaadi pogumaeBody will wither away.
Male :Yaar sonnathu….Male: Who said so...?
Female :Poo solluthu….Female: The flower says so...
Male
Munthaanai saelaikkul sella vendumI want to enter inside the pallu of your saree,
Mullai poo kodi pola pinna vendumI want to entwine like a jasmine vine.
Female :Mana naal paarkkanum pudhu poochchoodanumFemale: We must wait for the wedding day and wear fresh flowers,
Antha naal vanthathum pasi nee aaranumOnce that day arrives, you can quench your hunger.
Male
Kaatrukkennadi veliWhat fence is there for the wind, my dear?
Female :Kazhuththil podanum thaaliFemale: You must tie the sacred thread around my neck first.
Male :Ingae yaedhadi needhi en kanmaniMale: Where is justice here, my darling?
Male :Kaatrukkennadi veliMale: What fence is there for the wind, my dear?
Female :Kazhuththil podanum thaaliFemale: You must tie the sacred thread around my neck first.
Male :Ingae yaedhadi needhi en kanmaniMale: Where is justice here, my darling?
Male
Pattu poovai thottu paarkkaTo touch and see the silky flower,
Nenjil aasai thonuthaeA desire arises in my heart.
Female :Thottu paarththaal pattu poovinFemale: If you touch it, the silky flower's
Thegam vaadi pogumaeBody will wither away.
Male :Yaar sonnathu….Male: Who said so...?
Female :Poo solluthu….Female: The flower says so...
Male
Kalloorum muththangal sinthum neramWhen sweet honeyed kisses shower down,
Kannae en kattil noi konjam theerumMy dear, the restlessness of my bed will be cured a little.
Female :Intha neerodaiyae ini nee aadaththaanFemale: This stream is for you to bathe in from now on,
Anthi pozhuthaanathum konji neeraadaththaanOnce dusk falls, to caress and bathe in.
Male
Koondhal paai viri kannaeSpread the bed of your long hair, my dear,
Female :Konjam kaaththiru kannaaFemale: Wait a little while, my dear groom,
Male :Pongum vaalibam ingae veenaavathaaMale: Should overflowing youth go to waste here?
Male
Koondhal paai viri kannaeSpread the bed of your long hair, my dear,
Female :Konjam kaaththiru kannaaFemale: Wait a little while, my dear groom,
Male :Pongum vaalibam ingae veenaavathaaMale: Should overflowing youth go to waste here?
Male
Pattu poovai thottu paarkkaTo touch and see the silky flower,
Nenjil aasai thonuthaeA desire arises in my heart.
Female :Thottu paarththaal pattu poovinFemale: If you touch it, the silky flower's
Thegam vaadi pogumaeBody will wither away.
Male :Yaar sonnathu….Male: Who said so...?
Female :Poo solluthu…Female: The flower says so...
Male
Pattu poovai thottu paarkkaTo touch and see the silky flower,
Nenjil aasai thonuthaeA desire arises in my heart.
Female :Thottu paarththaal pattu poovinFemale: If you touch it, the silky flower's
Thegam vaadi pogumaeBody will wither away.
Male :Yaar sonnathu….Male: Who said so...?
Female :Poo solluthu….Female: The flower says so...
Both :Laalaall lala….laalaalalaa….Both: Laalaall lala....laalaalalaa....

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Pattu Poovai Thottu Paarkka is a playful romantic duet from the film Mappillai Sir (1988) written by Idhaya Chandran. The song portrays a flirtatious dialogue between a hero eager for romantic intimacy and a heroine who coyly maintains boundaries until marriage. The hero compares his beloved to a soft silk flower and his desire to unrestrained wind that knows no fences, pleading that youth should not be allowed to go to waste in waiting. The heroine skillfully parries his eagerness using rich floral and metaphorical imagery. She warns that touching a delicate blossom prematurely will cause it to wither, reminding him that true intimacy can only be enjoyed after their wedding day when the sacred thread (thaali) is tied around her neck. Through metaphors of jasmine vines, flowing streams, and dusk, the track elegantly captures the sweet tension between passionate longing and traditional marital reverence.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Uvamaani / Metaphor

Pattu poovai thottu paarkka

Compares the heroine's softness and beauty directly to a delicate silk flower ('Pattu poo').

Uvamai / Simile

Mullai poo kodi pola pinna vendum

Uses 'pola' (like) to compare embracing the lover to a jasmine vine entwining around a support.

Personification

Female :Poo solluthu….

Attributes the human ability of speech to a flower ('The flower says so').

Rhetorical Question

Kaatrukkennadi veli

Asks a rhetorical question comparing uncontrolled desire to wind that cannot be restricted by fences.

Monai (Initial Alliteration)

Kalloorum muththangal sinthum neram

Repetition of the initial 'K' sound across consecutive lines ('Kalloorum' and 'Kannae').

Did you know?

Trivia

Mappillai Sir is a 1988 Tamil drama film. Lyricist Idhaya Chandran crafted this duet using traditional imagery of flower, wind, and stream to express youthful intimacy while adhering to the classic Tamil cinematic motif of preserving pre-marital chastity.

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