- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singer
- S. P. Sailaja
- Music director
- Shankar Ganesh
- Movie name
- Ponnazhagi
- Movie release year
- 1981
- Lyrics added on
- 30 Aug 2022
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
In this expressive folk-style melody from 'Ponnazhagi', a young rural woman confides her romantic longings and blossoming youthful desires to nature around her—addressing a parrot, deer, fish, and flowers. She asks the parrot to reveal a way to attain romantic fulfillment with her beloved, wondering if they are a perfect match and if he holds her in his heart as deeply as she holds him. As she matures into womanhood, her traditional reserve and shyness yield to an earnest yearning to marry her beloved in front of her entire village. Kannadasan's lyrical imagery draws heavily on classical Tamil Akam poetry conventions, portraying nature as a gentle confidante to a young woman's innermost hopes.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Kili Viduthoothu (Parrot Messenger Motif)
“Sugam pera vazhiyondru nee sollu kiliyae”
A traditional Tamil literary convention where a lover addresses a parrot as a messenger or confidante to express romantic feelings.
Ethukai (Second Letter Rhyming)
“Raja endraal rajathaan / Rani endraal naanaethaan”
The second letters of consecutive lines match in consonant sound ('r' in Raja / Rani).
Monaai (Initial Alliteration)
“Maanae thullum maanae vaa / Maangaattu amman sonnalaa”
Matching starting letters across adjacent lines ('M' sound in Maanae / Maangaattu).
Apostrophe / Personification
“Poovae mullai poovammaa / Nee kooda aasai kondaayaa”
Directly addressing non-human entities like fish and flowers as living conversational partners.
Did you know?
Trivia
'Ponnazhagi' (1981) features music composed by the veteran duo Shankar-Ganesh. The song is sung by S. P. Sailaja with lyrics written by Kannadasan, employing the classical Tamil tradition of addressing nature to reflect romantic anticipation.
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