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Lyrics & meaning

Pirivondrai Santhithen

From Piriyadha Varam Vendum · 2001

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
Hariharan
Music director
S. A. Rajkumar
Details
Piriyadha Varam Vendum2001

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Pirivondrai santhithen muthal muthal netruI met with a separation for the very first time yesterday.
Nuraieeral theendaamal thirumbuthu kaatruThe air returns without even touching my lungs.
Nee endra thooram varai neelaatho enthan kudaiWon't my umbrella extend up to the distance where you are?
Naan endra neram varai thooraatho unthan mazhaiWon't your rain drizzle until the time I exist?
Ododi vaaraaiyo anbae anbae anbae anbaeWon't you come running, my beloved, my beloved, my beloved, my beloved?
Anbae anbae anbae anbaeMy beloved, my beloved, my beloved, my beloved.
Male
Pirivondrai santhithen muthal muthal netruI met with a separation for the very first time yesterday.
Nuraieeral theendaamal thirumbuthu kaatruThe air returns without even touching my lungs.
Female
Hey …hey …hey..heyhey…hey…heyHey... hey... hey... hey hey... hey... hey
Hey…hey…hey…heyhey…hey …heyHey... hey... hey... hey hey... hey... hey
Male
Oru vari nee oru vari naanYou are one line, and I am another line.
Thirukuralai unnai sonnenI described you as a Thirukkural couplet.
Thani thaniyae pirithuvaithaalIf separated into distinct parts,
Porul tharumo kavithai ingaeWould poetry give any meaning here?
Male
Un kaigal endrae naan thudaikindra kaikuttaiThe handkerchief I use to wipe feels like your hands.
Nee thotta adaiyaalam alikaathu en sattaiMy shirt does not erase the mark where you touched.
Ennai naanae thedi ponenI went searching for myself.
Pirivil naanae neeyai aanenIn separation, I became you.
Male
Pirivondrai santhithen muthal muthal netruI met with a separation for the very first time yesterday.
nuraieeral theendaamal thirumbuthu kaatruThe air returns without even touching my lungs.
Chorus
……………...
Male
Keezh imai naan mel imai neeI am the lower eyelid, you are the upper eyelid.
Pirinthathillai kannae kannaeWe were never separated, my darling, my darling.
Mel imai nee pirinthathanaalBecause you, the upper eyelid, moved away,
Purinthu konden kaadhal endraeI understood that this is love.
Male
Naam piranthanaalil thaanOnly on the day we were separated,
Nammai naan unarnthenaeDid I truly realize ourselves.
Naam piranthanaalil thaanOnly on the day we were separated,
Nam kaadhal thiranthenaeDid our love unfold.
Ullam engum neeyae neeyaeYou are everywhere in my heart, only you.
Uyirin thaagam kaadhal thaanaeLove is indeed the soul's thirst.
Male
Pirivondrai santhithen muthal muthal netruI met with a separation for the very first time yesterday.
Nuraieeral theendaamal thirumbuthu kaatruThe air returns without even touching my lungs.
Nee endra thooram varai neelaatho enthan kudaiWon't my umbrella extend up to the distance where you are?
Naan endra neram varai thooraatho unthan mazhaiWon't your rain drizzle until the time I exist?
Ododi vaaraaiyo anbae anbae anbae anbaeWon't you come running, my beloved, my beloved, my beloved, my beloved?
Anbae anbae anbae anbae…..My beloved, my beloved, my beloved, my beloved...
Chorus
hmmmmmm..mmmmm.mmmmmmHmmmmmm... mmmmm... mmmmmm

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Pirivondrai Santhithen from Piriyadha Varam Vendum captures the profound sorrow and sudden enlightenment brought upon by a lover's first experience of separation. The protagonist expresses an overwhelming sensation of breathlessness, metaphorically describing how even the air turns back before reaching the lungs without the beloved's presence. Through rich poetic imagery—such as comparing their bond to the two lines of a Thirukkural or upper and lower eyelids—the lyrics convey how separation paradoxically forces them to realize the depth of their devotion, blurring the boundary between 'self' and 'other'. Ultimately, the song serves as a poignant longing for reunion, characterizing love as the eternal thirst of the soul that can only be quenched when the lovers reunite.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Hyperbole (Uyarvu Navitchi)

Nuraieeral theendaamal thirumbuthu kaatru

Exaggerates the agonizing pain of heartbreak by describing air turning away before touching the lungs.

Metaphor (Uvamai / Uruvagam)

Oru vari nee oru vari naan Thirukuralai unnai sonnen

Compares the two lovers to two lines of a Thirukkural, which lose their complete meaning when split apart.

Analogy / Metaphor

Keezh imai naan mel imai nee

Compares the lovers to the top and bottom eyelids, which operate together and cause pain/realization when separated.

Monai (Initial Rhyme / Alliteration)

Nee endra thooram varai neelaatho enthan kudai / Naan endra neram varai thooraatho unthan mazhai

Repetition of the initial 'N' sound across consecutive lines creates rhythmic flow.

Did you know?

Trivia

Piriyadha Varam Vendum (2001) is the Tamil remake of the hit 1999 Malayalam film Niram. The soundtrack was composed by S. A. Rajkumar, with lyrics penned by Vairamuthu. This particular track, sung by Hariharan and K. S. Chithra, stands out for its high-concept literary imagery such as the Thirukkural metaphor.

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