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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Sola Pasunkiliye

From En Rasavin Manasile · 1991

Lyricist
Isaignani Ilayaraja
Singer
Ilayaraja
Music director
Ilayaraja
Details
En Rasavin Manasile1991

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Sola pasungkiliyae….Oh green parrot of the grove...
Sondhamulla poongkodiyae….Oh flowering vine that belongs to me...
Eechcha ilangkuruththae….Oh tender shoot of the date palm tree...
En thaayi solaiyammaa….Oh Solaiyamma, my beloved...
Male
Kodi thiraviyamaeOh priceless treasure...
Vanthathu vanthathu yenWhy did it come, why did it come?
Kolla ponathu ponathu yenWhy did it go away stealing everything?
Aavi thudikka vittuLeaving my soul throbbing in agony,
Sendrathu sendrathu yenWhy did it go away, why did it go?
Vittu sendrathu sendrathu yenWhy did it leave and go away, why did it go?
Male
Sola pasungkiliyae….Oh green parrot of the grove...
Sondhamulla poongkodiyae….Oh flowering vine that belongs to me...
Eechcha ilangkuruththae….Oh tender shoot of the date palm tree...
En thaayi solaiyammaa….Oh Solaiyamma, my beloved...
Male
Kannupada pogum endruFearing that evil eyes would fall upon you,
Poththi vacha poongkuyilaeOh sweet cuckoo whom I kept protected,
Mannu pattu pogum endruFearing that soil would touch and stain you,
Nenjam indru thoongaliyaeMy heart cannot sleep today.
Male
Vaangi vantha malliyappooThe jasmine flowers bought for you,
Vaasam innum pogaliyaeTheir fragrance has not yet faded.
Panthakaalu pallam innumThe hole dug for the wedding canopy post,
Manneduthu moodaliyaeHas not yet been filled back with soil.
Male
Nee vaazhntha kaatchi ellaamAll the memories of you living here,
ThedugindrenaeI search for them now.
Naan ingae naadhi indriHere, left all alone without any support,
VaadugindrenaeI am wilting away.
Male
Sola pasungkiliyae….Oh green parrot of the grove...
Sondhamulla poongkodiyae….Oh flowering vine that belongs to me...
Male
Kodi thiraviyamaeOh priceless treasure...
Vanthathu vanthathu yenWhy did it come, why did it come?
Kolla ponathu ponathu yenWhy did it go away stealing everything?
Aavi thudikka vittuLeaving my soul throbbing in agony,
Sendrathu sendrathu yenWhy did it go away, why did it go?
Vittu sendrathu sendrathu yenWhy did it leave and go away, why did it go?
Male
Thangathula thaali panniMaking a mangalsutra out of gold,
Thangathukku pottenaeI placed it around a precious gold-like woman.
Thangiyaval vaazhavum illaeBut she who stayed did not get to live,
Thattu kettu ponenaeAnd I became completely lost and ruined.
Male
Sangu nira thaamaraiyaCan red termites touch and devour,
Sengaraiyaan theendidumoA lotus as pure and white as a conch?
Manja muga malligaiyaCan mud termites alter or destroy,
Mankaraiyaan maathidumoA jasmine with a golden face?
Male
Karppoora katti onnuA piece of camphor,
Kaathula ponathadiHas vanished into the wind.
Sendhoora vaazhai onnuA red banana plant,
Sethula saanjathadiHas collapsed into the mud.
Male
Sola pasungkiliyae….Oh green parrot of the grove...
Sondhamulla poongkodiyae….Oh flowering vine that belongs to me...
Male
Kodi thiraviyamaeOh priceless treasure...
Vanthathu vanthathu yenWhy did it come, why did it come?
Kolla ponathu ponathu yenWhy did it go away stealing everything?
Aavi thudikka vittuLeaving my soul throbbing in agony,
Sendrathu sendrathu yenWhy did it go away, why did it go?
Vittu sendrathu sendrathu yenWhy did it leave and go away, why did it go?
Male
Sola pasungkiliyae….Oh green parrot of the grove...
Sondhamulla poongkodiyae….Oh flowering vine that belongs to me...
Eechcha ilangkuruththae….Oh tender shoot of the date palm tree...
En thaayi solaiyammaa….Oh Solaiyamma, my beloved...

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Sola Pasungkiliyae from the movie En Rasavin Manasile is a heart-wrenching lament expressing the inconsolable grief of a man mourning the sudden death of his beloved, Solaiyamma. Addressing her with affectionate metaphors drawn from nature—a green parrot, a delicate vine, a palm shoot, and a sweet cuckoo—he questions why fate allowed happiness to enter his life briefly, only to snatch it away and leave his spirit in agony. The lyrics vividly capture the tragic contrast between the lingering remnants of wedding preparations—such as fresh jasmine flowers and the post-hole dug for the marriage canopy—and the cruel reality of her death. He mourns how her life dissolved rapidly like camphor in the wind, leaving him completely helpless and shattered.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uvamanam)

Sola pasungkiliyae… Sondhamulla poongkodiyae… Eechcha ilangkuruththae…

The protagonist addresses his beloved using delicate natural elements like 'Sola pasungkili' (green parrot of the grove), 'Poongkodi' (flowering vine), and 'Eechcha ilangkuruthu' (tender date palm shoot).

Repetition / Anaphora (Adukku Thodar)

Vanthathu vanthathu yen / Sendrathu sendrathu yen

Words like 'vanthathu vanthathu' and 'sendrathu sendrathu' are repeated to convey intense emotional anguish and questioning.

Irony and Imagery

Panthakaalu pallam innum / Manneduthu moodaliyae

Highlights the poignant contrast between active wedding preparations (hole dug for the pandal post) and sudden death, emphasizing the abruptness of tragedy.

Symbolic Imagery

Karppoora katti onnu kaathula ponathadi / Sendhoora vaazhai onnu sethula saanjathadi

Compares the fragility and transience of human life to a piece of camphor evaporating in the wind and a banana plant falling in mud.

Did you know?

Trivia

Sola Pasungkiliyae is a classic mourning/dirge song written, composed, and sung by Isaignani Ilaiyaraaja for the 1991 blockbuster En Rasavin Manasile, directed by Kasthuri Raja and starring Rajkiran. Ilaiyaraaja's raw, rustic vocal delivery and folk orchestration made it one of the most iconic path-breaking mourning songs in Tamil cinema history.

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