- Lyricist
- Muthulingam
- Singer
- K. J. Yesudas
- Music director
- M. S. Vishwanathan
- Movie name
- Oorukku Uzhaippavan
- Movie release year
- 1976
- Lyrics added on
- 12 Dec 2019
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This song is a tender lullaby and tribute to a child, structured in the classic classical Tamil genre 'Pillaitthamizh' (a genre of poetry dedicated to praising a child's stages of growth). The singer showering endless blessings upon the infant, comparing the child's sweet innocence to jasmine flowers and comparing the love in their heart to the sacred Ganges river. The lyrics express wishes for the child to live as long and grandly as ocean waves and epic classical literature. In the second stanza, the lyricist poetically contrasts the incomparable charm of a child with natural beauty—not all rain becomes pearls, nor can any flower's bloom equal the divine smile and sweet babble of a child.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Simile (Upamai)
“Malligai pol manadhil vaazhum”
Compares the sweet presence of the child residing in the heart to a fresh jasmine flower ('Malligai pol').
Metaphor (Uruvagam)
“Nenjam ennum gangaiyilae”
Metaphorically equates the deep emotions of the heart to the holy river Ganges ('Nenjam ennum gangai').
Alliteration (Moonaai / Ethirai)
“Neela kadal alai pola / Needoozhi nee vaazhga”
Consonant and vowel rhyming sound matching at the start of words ('Neela kadal' / 'Needoozhi', 'Kaanji' / 'Kaaviyamaai').
Did you know?
Trivia
'Pillai Thamizh' is a revered traditional Tamil literary genre dating back over a thousand years. Lyricist Muthulingam beautifully adapted this classical poetic format into film lyrics for the M. G. Ramachandran starrer 'Oorukku Uzhaippavan' (1976), featuring memorable music composed by M. S. Viswanathan.
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