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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Poove Poove Pen Poove

From Once More · 1997

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singers
S. N. Surendar, K. S. Chithra
Music director
Deva
Details
Once More1997

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Chorus
Aaaah… aaahhhaaa..Aaaah… aaahhhaaa..
Aaaaahaaa.aaahaaa……………..Aaaaahaaa.aaahaaa……………..
……………………………………………………………………
Male
Poovae poovae pen poovaeOh flower, flower, female flower!
En poojaikku varavendumYou must come to my worship.
Male
Poovae poovae pen poovaeOh flower, flower, female flower!
En poojaikku varavendumYou must come to my worship.
Nam kaadhal vaazha vendumOur love must live long,
Nammai kaatrum vaazhtha vendumEven the wind should bless us.
Nee vidum moochilaeIn the breath that you exhale,
Naan konjam vaazhgirenI live a little.
Kaadhalukku endrumFor love, forever,
Jana gana mana illaiyae….There is no national anthem (no boundary or end).
Female
Poovae poovae pen poovaeOh flower, flower, female flower!
Un poojaikku varavendumI must come to your worship.
Nam kaadhal vaazha vendumOur love must live long,
Nammai kaatrum vaazhtha vendumEven the wind should bless us.
Nee vidum moochilaeIn the breath that you exhale,
Naan konjam vaazhgirenI live a little.
Kaadhalukku endrumFor love, forever,
Jana gana mana illaiyae….There is no national anthem (no boundary or end).
Male
Poovae poovae pen poovaeOh flower, flower, female flower!
Chorus
: …………………………..…………………………………
Male
Kaadhalin vayathuThe age of love,
Adi eththanai kodiOh girl, is how many crores of years?
Aththanai varushamFor that many years,
Naam vaazhanum vaadi…We must live together, my dear girl...
Female
Ottrai nimishamIf for a single minute
Unnai pirinthaal uyirum attru pogumI am separated from you, my life will ebb away.
Paathi nimisham vaazhnthaal koodaEven if we live together for half a minute,
Kodi varushamaagumIt will feel like a crore years.
Male
Kaadhalukku endrumFor love, forever,
Jana gana mana illaiyaeThere is no national anthem.
Female
Poovae poovae pen poovaeOh flower, flower, female flower!
Female
Bhoomiyai thazhuvumLike the roots
Vergalai polaeThat embrace the earth,
Un udal thazhuviEmbracing your body,
Naan vaazhnthida vanthenI came to live.
Male
Aandu nooru neeyum naanumFor a hundred years, you and I
Sernthu vaazha vendumMust live together.
Maandu pona kavigal nammaiDeceased poets from the past
Meendum paada vendumShould sing of us once again.
Female
Kaadhalukku endrumFor love, forever,
Jana gana mana illaiyaeThere is no national anthem.
Male
Poovae poovae pen poovae..ae…Oh flower, flower, female flower...
En poojaikku varavendumYou must come to my worship.
Female : Nam kaadhal vaazha vendumFemale : Our love must live long,
Nammai kaatrum vaazhtha vendumEven the wind should bless us.
Male : Nee vidum moochilaeMale : In the breath that you exhale,
Naan konjam vaazhgirenI live a little.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This romantic song expresses the depth, eternity, and boundlessness of love between two lovers. The speaker addresses his beloved as a flower, inviting her into the sacred shrine of his heart's devotion. He muses that love has existed for millions of years, and he wishes to share that eternal lifespan with her, emphasizing that even a moment spent apart feels fatal, while a split second together feels like a million years.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Uvamaani (Simile)

Bhoomiyai thazhuvum / Vergalai polae

Compares the embrace of the lovers to the roots that cling tightly and embrace the earth.

Metaphor / Oxymoron (Jana Gana Mana)

Kaadhalukku endrum / Jana gana mana illaiyae

Uses 'Jana Gana Mana' (National Anthem) metaphorically to signify a concluding anthem or a strict national boundary, stating love knows no such end or border.

Hyperbole (Atisayokthi)

Paathi nimisham vaazhnthaal kooda / Kodi varushamaagum

Exaggerates time by saying living together for half a minute feels like a crore years, and that long-dead poets will return to sing of their love.

Monnai (Alliteration)

Poovae poovae pen poovae

Repetition of initial consonant sounds like 'p' in 'Poovae poovae pen poovae' and 'v' in 'Vergalai polae / Un udal thazhuvi'.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Poovae Poovae Pen Poovae' features in the 1997 Tamil romantic comedy 'Once More', starring Vijay and Simran alongside legendary actor Sivaji Ganesan. The soundtrack was composed by SA Rajkumar, with lyrics penned by Vairamuthu. The line comparing love's boundlessness to the absence of a national anthem ('Jana Gana Mana') is a iconic signature style of lyricist Vairamuthu.

Keep listening

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