- Lyricist
- Vairamuthu
- Singer
- T. M. Soundararajan
- Music director
- Vairamuthu
- Movie name
- Aalay Pathu Malai Mathu
- Movie release year
- 1990
- Lyrics added on
- 26 Dec 2025
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
The song 'Ponnaaga Poranthaa' from 'Aalay Pathu Malai Mathu' (1990) is a tragic lament sung by iconic playback singer T. M. Soundararajan. It tells the story of a pure, innocent woman who grew up with simple dreams of marriage and love, but was driven to a tragic end due to social prejudices, misunderstandings, and malevolence. The lyrics express profound grief over how her life was cut short, comparing her demise to a garland of flowers thrown into a burning fire.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Simile (Uvamaani)
“Ponnaaga poranthaa / Poovaaga valarnthaa”
Compares the girl's birth and upbringing to gold and flowers using 'Aaga' ('Ponnaaga', 'Poovaaga').
Metaphor (Uruvagaimai)
“Ippothu saavukku vaakkappattaa”
Metaphorically describes her tragic death as being betrothed/wedded to death ('Saavukku vaakkappattaa').
Monai (Initial Alliteration / Rhyme)
“Ponnaaga poranthaa / Poovaaga valarnthaa”
Repetition of the sound 'P' across consecutive words/lines ('Ponnaaga', 'Poovaaga', 'Paasaththa').
Edupai / Rhyme (Iyaibu)
“Sollaama thavichchaalae / Ippothum sollaama erinjaalae”
End rhymes using similar verb endings like '-thaa', '-ttaa', and '-lae'.
Did you know?
Trivia
This track features legendary singer T. M. Soundararajan in the later stage of his career, delivering an emotionally charged performance composed by the duo Shankar-Ganesh with lyrics by Vairamuthu.
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