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Lyrics & meaning

Poraen Naa Poraen

From Meiyazhagan · 2024

Lyricist
Uma Devi
Singers
Kamal Haasan, Vijay Narain
Music director
Govind Vasantha
Details
Meiyazhagan2024

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Poren naan porenI am leaving, I am leaving
Verum koodaa porenLeaving as just an empty shell
Poratha kodunkaalamThrough a cruel, unforgiving time
Vazhi naan porenI walk my path
Male
Odi aadi velaiyandaWhere I ran and played
Oora pirinjenI parted from my hometown
Paatan pootan kattiBuilt and guarded by my ancestors
Kaatha veeta pirinjenI parted from that home
Male
Yei poren naan porenHey, I am leaving, I am leaving
Verum koodaa porenLeaving as just an empty shell
Poratha kodunkaalamThrough a cruel, unforgiving time
Vazhi naanAlong my path
Male
Kaalame sari thaanaIs time itself right and fair?
Kann ellam katchi pizhai thaanaIs all my eyes see just an optical illusion?
Naan senja paavam thanIs it a sin that I committed?
Edhu poi vaazhvu soozhuthuWhy does an illusionary life surround me?
Paal tharum thaai madiyaIs it a mother's lap that offers milk?
Pangida alaiyum sonthangalOr relatives wandering to claim their share?
Naalaigal ellameAll the tomorrows to come
Niraasai aanatheHave turned into pure despair
Male
Noolodu aadum kaathadiA kite that once danced attached to a string
Nool arunthu poneneI have now snapped free from the thread
Verodu saayum poo maramaLike a flowering tree uprooted at its roots
Vedikai aaneneI became a tragic spectacle
Nadu kaatil odum aaru polLike a river flowing through a deep forest
Kaanaama poreneI am disappearing into obscurity
Kan kootil vaala paravai ivanA bird unable to live in its own nest
Agathi aanenI have become a refugee
Male
Poren naan porenI am leaving, I am leaving
Verum koodaa porenLeaving as just an empty shell
Poratha kodunkaalam porenLeaving through a cruel, unforgiving time
Male
Edhai solli naanWhat words can I say
Enai thetruvenTo comfort myself?
Intha oolvinai thanai maatruvenWill I ever change this ancient destiny?
Sathi aadidum irul paadhaiyilOn this dark path where treachery plays
Oli yettruvenI shall light a lamp of hope
Indru pogiren endru meeluvenI depart today, but I shall return
Iraivaasalai vandhu seruvenI will reach the divine threshold
Sontha kaatrile enai meetidaTo redeem myself in my native breeze
Meiyaana oar karam theduvenI search for a truthful hand
Oorodu sernthe vaazhathaA life without living reunited with my people
Vaazhvingu vaazhvenoWill I truly live such a life here?
Neerodu sernthe pogadhaUnable to blend and flow with the water
Neer kumili naanI am merely a fragile water bubble
Male
Poi vaa kalangaatheFarewell, do not grieve
Kalangaathe maganeDo not grieve, my son
Unakaaga kaathu irupomWe will be waiting for you
Poi nee vaaGo, but return to us
Poi vaa varamal irukathe maganeFarewell, do not fail to return, my son
Unakaaga kaathu irupomWe will be waiting for you
Poi nee vaaGo, but return to us

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Poren Naan Poren is a deeply moving lament about displacement, nostalgia, and the unbearable pain of leaving one's ancestral home. The protagonist grieves the loss of his childhood roots, feeling stripped of his identity and reduced to an empty body. Through haunting imagery of a snapped kite, an uprooted flowering tree, and a fragile water bubble, the song captures the agonizing experience of feeling like a refugee in one's own life. Despite the prevailing despair and the bitterness toward deceptive worldly relationships, a glimmer of resilience shines through toward the end. The song resolves with an assurance of returning one day to seek redemption and reconnect with native soil, wrapped in the comforting farewell blessing of elders who promise to await his return.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (உருவகம்)

Verum koodaa poren

Compares the protagonist's body without soul or belonging to an 'empty shell' (Verum koodu).

Simile (உவமை)

Noolodu aadum kaathadi / Nool arunthu ponene

Compares the protagonist's lost condition to a severed kite floating aimlessly after breaking its string.

Simile (உவமை)

Neerodu sernthe pogadha / Neer kumili naan

Compares human life and transience to a short-lived water bubble that cannot merge with the river stream.

Edhugai (எதுகை - Second Letter Rhyme)

Noolodu aadum kaathadi / Verodu saayum poo marama / Nadu kaatil odum aaru pol

Repetition of the second consonant 'da' sound in 'Noolodu', 'Verodu', and 'Nadu'.

Did you know?

Trivia

Poren Naan Poren is a soulful track from C. Prem Kumar's critically acclaimed Tamil film Meiyazhagan (2024). Composed by Govind Vasantha with lyrics by Uma Devi, the song features vocals by veteran polymath Kamal Haasan alongside Vijay Narain. The song plays during a pivotal scene reflecting loss of ancestral land and forced migration.

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