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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Porale

From Aayiram Vilakku · 2011

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
Karthik
Music director
Srikanth Deva
Details
Aayiram Vilakku2011

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Poraalae nenjakkillikkittuShe is going away after pinching my heart,
Killikkittu killikkittu poraalaePinching and pinching my heart, she leaves.
Vaaraalae nanja allikkittuShe comes toward me, scooping up my life,
Allikkittu allikkittu vaaraalaeScooping and scooping it up, she comes.
Male
Kuttippatta poonai polaLike a mother cat with newborn kittens,
Enna vandhu suththiriyaeYou come and keep circling around me.
Kondappotta kozhippolaLike a crested hen,
Kitta vandhu koththuriyaeYou come close and peck at me.
Onnappola enna kollaTo kill me like the way you do,
Arali vedha thevaiyillaThere is no need for toxic oleander seeds.
Male
Hmm mmm mmm mm mmHmm mmm mmm mm mm
Hmm mmm mmm mm mmHmm mmm mmm mm mm
Male
Poraalae poraalae poraalaeShe is going, she is going, she is going.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This song captures a playful, rustic expression of romantic fascination and surrender. The protagonist describes how his lover captivates his thoughts—playfully teasing him, circling around him like a protective cat, and pecking at his heart like a crested hen. Her presence and affectionate actions are so overwhelmingly potent that he hyperbolically claims her love alone is enough to undo him, rendering any actual poison like oleander seeds completely unnecessary.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Upamai)

Kuttippatta poonai pola / Kondappotta kozhippola

Compares the girl's circling movement and teasing behavior to a mother cat ('Kuttippatta poonai pola') and a crested hen ('Kondappotta kozhippola').

Repetition (Adukku Thodar)

Killikkittu killikkittu poraalae

Uses repeated words like 'killikkittu killikkittu' and 'allikkittu allikkittu' to add rhythmic flavor and emphasize the continuous action.

Hyperbole (Uruvagamm / Uyarthu Navirtchi)

Onnappola enna kolla Arali vedha thevaiyilla

Exaggerates the effect of her love by saying her presence is lethal enough that no deadly oleander seed ('Arali vedha') is needed to kill him.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Arali vedhai' (oleander seed) is a traditional Tamil metaphor often associated with lethal toxicity; lyricist Vairamuthu cleverly uses it here as a poetic exaggeration for the overwhelming power of love.

Keep listening

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