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Lyrics & meaning

Poo Vaasam Purappadum

From Anbe Sivam · 2003

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singers
Sadhana Sargam, Vijay Prakash
Music director
Vidyasagar
Details
Anbe Sivam2003

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Aaaa aaa aaa aaaAaaa aaa aaa aaa
Male
Poo vaasam porapadum pennaeFloral fragrance emanates, O girl,
Naan poo varainthaalIf I draw a flower,
Thee vanthu viral sudum kannaeFire comes and burns my fingers, my dear,
Naan thee varainthaalIf I draw fire.
Female
Uyirallathellaam uyir kollum endraalIf non-living art takes on a life of its own,
Uyirulla naano ennaaguven..What will become of me, who is alive?
Male :Uyir vaangidum oviyam neeyadi…eeMale: You are a painting that steals my life...
Male
Poo vaasam porapadum pennaeFloral fragrance emanates, O girl,
Naan poo varainthaalIf I draw a flower,
Thee vanthu viral sudum kannaeFire comes and burns my fingers, my dear,
Naan thee varainthaalIf I draw fire.
Male
Mmm.. pulli sernthu.. pulli sernthu oviyamMmm.. dots joining together form a painting,
Ullam sernthu.. ullam sernthu kaaviyamHearts joining together form an epic poem.
Female
Kodu kooda oviyathin bhagamaeEven simple lines are parts of a painting,
Oodal koda kaadhal endru aagumaeEven lovers' feuds become a part of love.
Male
Oru vaanam varaiya neela vannaTo paint a sky, blue is the color,
Nam kaadhal varaiya enna vannamTo paint our love, what color shall we use?
Female
En vetkathin niram thottu..Dipping into the color of my bashfulness,
Viral ennum kol konduUsing the finger as a paintbrush,
Nam kaadhal varaivomae vaa aaaa ……Come, let us paint our love...
Male
Poo vaasam porapadum pennaeFloral fragrance emanates, O girl,
Naan poo varainthaalIf I draw a flower,
Thee vanthu viral sudum kannaeFire comes and burns my fingers, my dear,
Naan thee varainthaalIf I draw fire.
Female
Oviyathin jeevan engu ulladhu..Where does the soul of a painting reside?
Male
Uttru paarkum aalin kannil ulladhu..It resides in the eyes of the onlooker..
Female
Penn udambil kaadhal enghu ulladhuWhere does love reside in a woman's body?
Male
Aan thodaadha bhaagham thannil ulladhuIt resides in the untouched parts unreached by man.
Female
Nee varaiya therindha oru navina kavignanYou are a modern poet who knows how to sketch,
Penn vasiyam therindha..oru nalindha kalaignanA subtle artist who understands the allure of a woman.
Male
Megathai yemaatri mann serum mazhai polaeLike rain trickling down to the earth, tricking the clouds,
Madiyodu vizhundhaayae… vaa aaaaa ….You fell right into my lap... Come...
Male
Poo vaasam porapadum pennaeFloral fragrance emanates, O girl,
Naan poo varainthaal…Female :Mm hmm hmmIf I draw a flower... Female: Mm hmm hmm
Thee vanthu viral sudum kannaeFire comes and burns my fingers, my dear,
Naan thee varainthaalIf I draw fire.
Female
Uyirallathellaam uyir kollum endraalIf non-living art takes on a life of its own,
Uyirulla naano ennaaguven..What will become of me, who is alive?
Male :Uyir vaangidum oviyam neeyadi…eeMale: You are a painting that steals my life...
Female
Aaaa aaa aaa aaaAaaa aaa aaa aaa

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Poo Vaasam is a deeply poetic romantic track from Anbe Sivam that uses fine art and painting as a central metaphor for love and connection. The protagonist, a talented painter, marvels at how his artwork assumes lifelike qualities when inspired by his beloved—drawing a flower releases real fragrance, while drawing fire burns his fingertips. The song delves into philosophical musings on aesthetics, asserting that art gains its soul through the eyes of the observer, just as love finds its deepest sanctity in emotional intimacy.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Hyperbole (Uyarvu Navitchi Ani)

Poo vaasam porapadum pennae... Thee vanthu viral sudum kannae

Exaggerating the realism of the artist's work by stating that drawing a flower produces real fragrance and drawing fire physically burns his fingers.

Metaphor (Uruvagamm)

Pulli sernthu.. pulli sernthu oviyam, Ullam sernthu.. ullam sernthu kaaviyam

Comparing connecting dots to creating a painting, and connecting hearts to writing an epic poem.

Simile (Uvamai Ani)

Megathai yemaatri mann serum mazhai polae, Madiyodu vizhundhaayae

Comparing the lover gently falling into the lap to rain trickling down from clouds to touch the earth.

Rhyme & Monai (Initial Rhyme/Alliteration)

Kodu kooda oviyathin bhagamae, Oodal koda kaadhal endru aagumae

Rhythmic pairing of words like Pulli/Ullam and Kodu/Oodal creating musical flow in Tamil prosody.

Did you know?

Trivia

In the film Anbe Sivam (2003), composer Vidyasagar provided the music, with vocals rendered by Vijay Prakash and Sadhana Sargam. The artistic imagery in Vairamuthu's lyrics directly connects to the background of Kamal Haasan's character, Nallasivam, who is portrayed as a passionate communist street painter and commercial artist before his life-changing accident.

Keep listening

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