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Vaidehi Kathirunthal album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Rasathi Unna

From Vaidehi Kathirunthal · 1984

Lyricist
Vaali
Singer
P. Jayachandran
Music director
Ilayaraja
Movie name
Vaidehi Kathirunthal
Movie release year
1984
Lyrics added on
31 Dec 2016

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
{Raasaathi unna kaannadha nenju
Kaathaadi polaadudhu
Raasaathi unna kaannadha nenju
Kaathaadi polaadudhu} (2)
Pozhudhaagi pochu
Velakethiyaachu
Ponmaanae onna theduthu
Raasaathi unna kaannadha nenju
Kaathaadi polaadudhu
{Kannukkoru vannakilii
Kaadhukkoru gaanakkuyil
Nenjukkoru vanjikkodi needhaanamma} (2)
Thathi thavalum thangha chimizhae
Ponghi perghum sangha tamizhae
Mutham thara nitham varum natchathiram
Yaarodu inghu ennaku enna pechu
Nee thaanae kannae naan vanghum moochu
Vazhnthaga vendum vaa vaa kannae
Raasaathi unna kaannadha nenju
Kaathaadi polaadudhu
Pozhudhaagi pochu
Velakethiyaachu
Ponmaanae onna theduthu
Raasaathi unna kaannadha nenju
Kaathaadi polaadudhu
{Mangai oru gangai ena
Mannan oru kannan ena
Kaadhil oru kaadhal kadhai
Sonnaal enna} (2)
Athai magaloo..maaman magaloo
Sondham edhuvoo..bandham edhuvoo
Sandhithathum sindhithadhum thithithida
Ammaadi needhaan illaadha naanum
Venmegam vandhu neendhaadha vaanam
Thangaadha ekkam podhum podhum
Raasaathi unna kaannadha nenju
Kaathaadi polaadudhu
Pozhudhaagi pochu
Velakethiyaachu
Ponmaanae onna theduthu
Raasaathi unna kaannadha nenju
Kaathaadi polaadudhu
Kaathaadi polaadudhu
My darling, without the sight of you, my heart
Flutters like a kite in the wind.
My darling, without the sight of you, my heart
Flutters like a kite in the wind.
Dusk has fallen,
The evening lamps are lit,
Yet it still searches for you, my golden deer.
My darling, without the sight of you, my heart
Flutters like a kite in the wind.
A colorful parrot to my eyes,
A melodious cuckoo to my ears,
You are the slender, graceful vine to my heart, my dear.
My golden treasure toddling gently,
Overflowing like rich classical Tamil,
A star that arrives every night to give a kiss.
With whom else would I speak here?
Aren't you the very breath I take, my dear?
I have to live on, so come to me, my love!
My darling, without the sight of you, my heart
Flutters like a kite in the wind.
Dusk has fallen,
The evening lamps are lit,
Yet it still searches for you, my golden deer.
My darling, without the sight of you, my heart
Flutters like a kite in the wind.
Saying the woman is like the river Ganga,
And the king is like Lord Krishna,
What if I whisper a sweet love story
Softly into your ear?
Whether you are my aunt's daughter or uncle's daughter,
Whatever our relation and bond may be,
As meeting you and thinking of you tastes so sweet,
My dear girl, a life without you
Is like a sky where no white clouds float.
This unbearable longing is too much to bear.
My darling, without the sight of you, my heart
Flutters like a kite in the wind.
Dusk has fallen,
The evening lamps are lit,
Yet it still searches for you, my golden deer.
My darling, without the sight of you, my heart
Flutters like a kite in the wind,
Flutters like a kite in the wind.
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

Raasaathi Unna Kaannadha Nenju is a timeless Tamil romantic track from the 1984 film Vaidehi Kathirunthal, composed by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja with lyrics by Vaali and rendered soulfully by P. Jayachandran. The song captures the deep yearning and emotional distress of a lover in the absence of his beloved. He expresses how his restless heart fluctuates helplessly like a kite in the wind as twilight approaches and village lamps are lit.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Upamai)

“Kaathaadi polaadudhu”

Compares the restless, anxious human heart to a kite swaying wildly in the wind.

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

“Ponghi perghum sangha tamizhae”

Directly equates the beloved's speech and presence to the richness of ancient Sangam Tamil poetry.

Second-letter Rhyme (Edhugai)

“Thathi thavalum thangha chimizhae / Ponghi perghum sangha tamizhae”

Features traditional Tamil poetic rhyme on the second consonant ('th') across consecutive lines.

Did you know?

Trivia

This beloved song is composed in the classical Carnatic raga Simhendramadhyamam by Ilaiyaraaja. P. Jayachandran's emotive rendition earned wide acclaim, making it one of the defining melodies of 1980s Tamil cinema.

Featured in Stories

Read more about this song

Song DecodingThe Poetry of Raasathi Unna

There are love songs that tell us someone is beautiful. There are love songs that tell us someone is missed. And then there are songs like “Raasathi Unna”, where missing somebody seems to slowly alter the entire world around the person singing.

4 min read · Isaimozhi Editorial

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