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Kanave Kalaiyadhe album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Poosu Manjal

From Kanave Kalaiyadhe · 1999

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
Hariharan
Music director
Deva
Movie name
Kanave Kalaiyadhe
Movie release year
1999
Lyrics added on
13 Mar 2017

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
…………………………………….
Poosu manjal poosu manjal
Poosiya poovondru
Boomiyodu pona pinnum
Poothadhu yen ingu
En kangal poi sollumaa
Ver illaamal poo pookumaa
Kannodu aananthamaa
En nenjodu boogambamaa
Bimbamaa un polae bimbamaa
Oh oh nambumaa en ullam nambumaa
Poosu manjal poosu manjal
Poosiya poovondru
Boomiyodu pona pinnum
Poothadhu yen ingu
…………………………….
Uyir neengi ponavalae
En uyir vaangi ponavalae
En uyir pona thegam matum nadamaadudhae
Paaramma en vaazhvai paaramma
Nee thandha kaayangal
Nenjodu aarumunnae
Azhakaana vaalondru adhai keerudhae
Thaangumaa en ullam thaangumaa
Un pondra punnagaiyaal
En vaazhvai kudipaval yaar
Un pondra paarvaiyinaal
En kannai eripaval yaar
Oru thodarkadhaiyae ingu vidukadhaiyaa
Andha vidaiyin ezhuthu
Endhan vithi vandhu maraithadhaa
Pongudhae kanneerum pongudhae
Oh oh kangalil un bimbam thangudhae
Poosu manjal poosu manjal
Poosiya poovondru
Boomiyodu pona pinnum
Poothadhu yen ingu
………………………..
Vadakae oru asthamanam
Therkae oru santhrothayam
Aagaayam ennodu thisai maarudhae
Unmaiyaa naan enna bommaiyaa
Oru jenmam vaangi vandhu
Iru jenmam vaazhukiren
Idhu enna kathai endru vithi ketkudhae
Maayamaa en kanneer maarumaa
Engeyo tholaintha vithai
Ingae vandhu poothathena
Mullai poo endrirunthen
Mullodu paainthadhena
Naan oda ninaika
Nizhal ennai thuratha
Uyir thikaikum payanam
Endha thirupathil mudivadhu
Ointhadhae en kaalkal ointhadhae
Oh oh theernthadhae kanneerum theernthadhae
Poosu manjal poosu manjal
Poosiya poovondru
Boomiyodu pona pinnum
Poothadhu yen ingu
En kangal poi sollumaa
Ver illaamal poo pookumaa
Kannodu aananthamaa
En nenjodu boogambamaa
Bimbamaa un polae bimbamaa
Oh oh nambumaa en ullam nambumaa
……………………………..
...
Smeared with turmeric, smeared with turmeric,
a flower adorned in it,
even after merging into the earth,
why has it bloomed here again?
Will my eyes tell a lie?
Can a flower bloom without roots?
Is it joy in my eyes,
or an earthquake in my heart?
Is it a reflection, a reflection just like yours?
Oh oh, will my heart believe it? Will my heart believe?
Smeared with turmeric, smeared with turmeric,
a flower adorned in it,
even after merging into the earth,
why has it bloomed here again?
...
O woman who departed, leaving life behind,
O woman who snatched my life away,
only my lifeless body walks along.
Look at my life, my dear, look at my life!
The wounds that you inflicted,
before they could heal in my heart,
a beautiful sword slashes them anew.
Can my heart bear it? Can my heart bear this?
With a smile just like yours,
who is she that consumes my life?
With a gaze just like yours,
who is she that burns my eyes?
Is a continuous story turning into a riddle here?
Did my fate arrive and conceal
the written answer to that puzzle?
Tears well up and overflow!
Oh oh, your reflection lingers in my eyes.
Smeared with turmeric, smeared with turmeric,
a flower adorned in it,
even after merging into the earth,
why has it bloomed here again?
...
A sunset in the north,
a moonrise in the south,
the sky changes its directions with me.
Is this real, or am I just a puppet?
Having taken a single birth,
I am living two lifetimes!
Fate itself asks, 'What kind of story is this?'
Is it an illusion? Will my tears ever vanish?
The seed lost somewhere,
why has it come here to bloom?
I thought it was a jasmine flower,
why did it pierce me with thorns?
As I try to run away,
my shadow chases after me.
This soul-dazing journey,
at which turn will it end?
My feet have grown weary, oh so weary!
Oh oh, even my tears have run dry!
Smeared with turmeric, smeared with turmeric,
a flower adorned in it,
even after merging into the earth,
why has it bloomed here again?
Will my eyes tell a lie?
Can a flower bloom without roots?
Is it joy in my eyes,
or an earthquake in my heart?
Is it a reflection, a reflection just like yours?
Oh oh, will my heart believe it? Will my heart believe?
...
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Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

Poosu Manjal from Kanave Kalaiyadhe (1999) captures the agonizing shock and poetic grief of a man who suddenly sees a woman who looks exactly like his deceased beloved. Smeared with the traditional yellow turmeric associated with auspiciousness and beauty, the flower metaphorically represents the loved one who had returned to the earth. The protagonist grapples with internal turmoil, asking whether his eyes are playing tricks on him or if fate is playing a cruel joke by creating a rootless flower.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Ver illaamal poo pookumaa

Compares the deceased lover to a turmeric-smeared flower buried in the earth, and the lookalike appearing without explanation to a rootless flower blooming.

Hyperbole (Uyarvu Navitchi Ani)

Vadakae oru asthamanam Therkae oru santhrothayam

Exaggerates cosmic impossibilities like a sunset in the north and moonrise in the south to describe the protagonist's disorientation upon seeing the lookalike.

Rhetorical Question (Vinaa Ani)

En kangal poi sollumaa

Uses persistent rhetorical questioning throughout the stanza to express disbelief, grief, and emotional paralysis.

Alliteration (Monai)

Poosu manjal poosu manjal

Repetition of the initial 'P' sound ('Poosu', 'Poosiya', 'Poovondru', 'Boomiyodu', 'Poothadhu') creating a gentle, poetic rhythm.

Did you know?

Trivia

Kanave Kalaiyadhe (1999) stars Prashanth and Simran. The music was composed by Deva with lyrics written by Vairamuthu. The song highlights a key narrative point in the film where the protagonist encounters his dead lover's doppelgänger.

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