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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Rasave Rasave Kathirunthen

From Namma Ooru Nayagan · 1988

Lyricist
Rajesh Khanna
Singer
Uma Ramanan
Music director
Rajesh Khanna
Details
Namma Ooru Nayagan1988

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Raasavae raasavae kaathirunthen raasavaeOh king, my king, I have been waiting for you, my king.
Unna kaanamae kaanamae paarthiruthen raasavaeUnable to see you anywhere, I kept searching for you, my king.
Vazhi meedhu kotta kotta vizhiyellam unna suthaStaring continuously at the path, my eyes kept wandering for you.
Vazhi meedhu kotta kotta vizhiyellam unna suthaStaring continuously at the path, my eyes kept wandering for you.
Female
Thadam paarthu kaathirunthen thanga raasa kaanalaiyaeWatching out for your footsteps I waited, but my golden king is nowhere to be seen.
Un ninaivaa kaathirunthen anbu raasa kaanalaiyaeImmersed in your memories I waited, but my beloved king is nowhere to be seen.
Raasavae raasavae kaathirunthen raasavaeOh king, my king, I have been waiting for you, my king.
Unna kaanamae kaanamae paarthiruthen raasavaeUnable to see you anywhere, I kept searching for you, my king.
Female
Pala naala unna thaedi pasiyaara maranthenaiyaaSearching for you for many days, I forgot to satisfy my hunger.
Kaduthaasi varumoonnu kannuranga marukkuthaiyaaHoping for a letter to arrive, my eyes refuse to sleep.
Manasukkulla nee irunthu mani kanakka thudikkiriyaeResiding inside my heart, you beat like the ticking hours.
Mathavanga paarvaikku thaan mana kanakka irukkuriyaeYet to the eyes of others, you exist only as a thought in my mind.
Female
Tharaiyilae viricha paaya madichu veikka manasillaiyaeI do not have the heart to fold back the mat spread on the floor.
Thalaiyilae vechen malli irunthum athu sugam illaiyaeI placed jasmine flowers in my hair, yet there is no joy in it.
Raasavae raasavae kaathirunthen raasavaeOh king, my king, I have been waiting for you, my king.
Unna kaanamae kaanamae paarthiruthen raasavaeUnable to see you anywhere, I kept searching for you, my king.
Female
Muhurtham vechuthaanae manam mudichom oru naaluAfter setting an auspicious time, we got married one fine day.
Mudhaliravu mudiyum munnae yen neeru ponneeruBefore our wedding night could even end, why did my golden glow fade?
Kadamai azhaikkuthinnu nee paranthu ponaayooSaying duty calls you away, did you fly off?
Un udambhu nikkuthingae adha maranthu ponaayaeYour presence lingers right here, did you forget that?
Female
Nethiyilae vecha pottu nenjukkulla nikkuthaiyaaThe bindi placed on my forehead stays firmly enshrined in my heart.
Nee mathiyilae thantha mutham manasukkulla nikkuthaiyaaThe kiss you gave me in the afternoon stays lingering in my soul.
Raasavae raasavae kaathirunthen raasavaeOh king, my king, I have been waiting for you, my king.
Unna kaanamae kaanamae paarthiruthen raasavaeUnable to see you anywhere, I kept searching for you, my king.
Vazhi meedhu kotta kotta vizhiyellam unna suthaStaring continuously at the path, my eyes kept wandering for you.
Vazhi meedhu kotta kotta vizhiyellam unna suthaStaring continuously at the path, my eyes kept wandering for you.
Female
Thadam paarthu kaathirunthen thanga raasa kaanalaiyaeWatching out for your footsteps I waited, but my golden king is nowhere to be seen.
Un ninaivaa kaathirunthen anbu raasa kaanalaiyaeImmersed in your memories I waited, but my beloved king is nowhere to be seen.
Raasavae raasavae kaathirunthen raasavaeOh king, my king, I have been waiting for you, my king.
Unna kaanamae kaanamae paarthiruthen raasavaeUnable to see you anywhere, I kept searching for you, my king.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This poignant Tamil folk melody expresses the deep grief, longing, and eternal wait of a newly married rural bride for her absent husband. Having parted ways shortly after their wedding due to his call of duty, she spends her days gazing down the road, sleepless and unable to eat, clinging onto the precious memories of their short time together.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Anaphora / Repetition (Eretologia)

Raasavae raasavae kaathirunthen raasavae

Repetition of words like 'Raasavae raasavae' and 'kaanamae kaanamae' heightens the emotional intensity of pleading and sorrow.

Visual Imagery

Vazhi meedhu kotta kotta vizhiyellam unna sutha

The imagery of staring down a path until the eyes turn around captures the physical strain and devotion of waiting.

Simile / Temporal Metaphor

Manasukkulla nee irunthu mani kanakka thudikkiriyae

Comparing the lover's presence in the heart to the steady ticking of hourly clock chimes ('mani kanakka thudikkiriyae').

Second-letter Rhyming (Edukai)

Nethiyilae vecha pottu nenjukkulla nikkuthaiyaa

Classical Tamil poetic rhyming where the second letter matches ('Nethiyilae' / 'Nee mathiyilae').

Did you know?

Trivia

This track is a classic example of late 1980s Tamil rural heartbreak songs rendered by singer Uma Ramanan, whose soft and emotional voice became synonymous with expressive village melodies during that era.

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