Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Thalli Pogathae

From Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada · 2016

Lyricist
Thamarai
Singer
Sid Sriram
Music director
A. R. Rahman
Details
Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada2016

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Yeno vaanilai maarutheWhy is the weather changing?
Mani thuli pogutheThe minutes are ticking away.
Maarbin vegam koodutheyMy heart rate is quickening.
Manamo yetho solla vaarthai thedutheeeMy mind searches for words to express something.
Male
: Kannellam neeye thaan nirkindraaiWherever I look, only you stand before me.
Vizhiyin mel naan kobam kondenI grew angry at my own eyes.
Imai moodidu endrenAnd told them to close their eyelids.
Nagarum nodigalThe passing seconds,
Kasaiyadi poleAre like the lashes of a whip,
Mudhugin meleFalling upon my back.
VizhuvathinaaleBecause they fall on me,
Vari vari kavithai..Line upon line of poetry...
Male
Ezhuthum valigalThe pains that write them,
Ezhuthaa mozhigalLanguages left unwritten,
Enadhu..Are mine...
Kadal pola perithaaga nee nindraiYou stood vast like the ocean.
Siruvan naan siru alaiI am a young boy, a small wave,
Mattum thaan paarkiren paarkirenIs all that I keep seeing, seeing.
Male
Yeriyum theeyil ennai nee ootruPour me into the burning fire.
Naan vanthu neeraadum neerootru..Be the water fountain in which I come to bathe...
Oh oorellam kan moodi thoongum oosaigal illadha irave oohhOh night without sound, where the whole town sleeps with eyes closed!
Naan mattum thoongaamal yengi un pola kaaigindren nilaveeeI alone stay awake yearning, burning like you, oh moon!
Male
Kalaabam polaadum kanavil vaazhgindreneI live in a dream that sways like a peacock's plumage.
Kai neeti unnai theendave paarthenI reached out my hand trying to touch you.
Yen athil thotrenWhy did I fail in that?
En mudhal mutham thara thaamatham aaguthu..There is a delay in giving my first kiss...
Thamarai veguthu..The lotus is burning...
Male
{Thalli pogaadheDon't go far away,
Enaiyum thalli poga solladheDon't ask me to go away either,
Iruvar idhazhum malar enum multhaane} (2)Both our lips are flowers that act like thorns.
Male
Dhegam thadai illaiPhysical distance is no barrier,
Ena naanum oru vaarthai solgindrenI say these words to myself.
Aanal athu poi thaan ena neeyum arivaai engindrenBut I know you also realize that it is a lie.
Aruginil vaa..Come closer..
Male
Kanavile therinthaaiYou appeared in my dreams.
Vilithathum olinthaaiYou hid the moment I woke up.
Kanavinil dhinam dhinamIn my dreams every single day,
Mazhai thuliyaai pozhinthaaiYou showered like raindrops.
Male
{Thalli pogaadhe…Enaiyum thalli poga solladheDon't go far away... Don't ask me to go away either / Both our lips are flowers that act like thorns.
Iruvar idhazhum malar enum multhaane} (3)Both our lips are flowers that act like thorns.
Male
Nodi nodiyai neram kuraiyaAs time decreases second by second,
En kaadhal aayul karaiyaAs the lifespan of my love melts away,
Yeno yeno maarbil vegam koodaFor some reason my heart beat quickens,
Vidhiyin sadhi vilaiyaadutheyDestiny's conspiracy plays out.
Enai vittu piriyaadhey anbeDo not separate from me, my love.
Enai vittu piriyaadhey anbeDo not separate from me, my love.
Yeno yeno..Why, oh why...
Yeno yeno..Why, oh why...
Yeno yeno..Why, oh why...
AnbeyMy love.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Thalli Pogathey is an intense, soulful Tamil romantic ballad that captures the raw passion, anguish, and vulnerability of lovers facing impending physical and emotional distance. The protagonist details his sensory overload—his racing heart, sleepless nights, and the agony of passing time, comparing time's progression to whip lashes that carve silent poetry onto his soul. Through dramatic contrasts of fire and water, heat and cold, the lyrics explore the pain of unfulfilled longing and the sweet torture of romantic desire. The song builds into a desperate plea to his beloved not to drift away as twist of fate threatens to separate them.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Upamai)

Nagarum nodigal kasaiyadi pole mudhugin mele

Compares the painful passage of moving seconds directly to the lashes of a whip upon one's back.

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Iruvar idhazhum malar enum multhaane

Compares the soft lips of lovers to sweet flowers that paradoxically inflict pain like sharp thorns.

Simile (Upamai)

Kadal pola perithaaga nee nindrai siruvan naan siru alai

Compares the vast, overwhelming presence of the beloved to a massive ocean, while contrasting the speaker as a tiny wave.

End Rhyme (Iyebu)

Yeno vaanilai maaruthe / Mani thuli poguthe / Maarbin vegam kooduthey

Rhyming endings in the opening lines creating a rhythmic, anxiety-driven tempo (maaruthe, poguthe, kooduthey, thedutheee).

Did you know?

Trivia

The track became a massive cultural phenomenon upon its release in 2016. Lyricist Thamarai cleverly incorporated her own name into the lyric 'Thamarai veguthu' (the lotus burns) as a poetic double entendre representing both the flower wilted by longing heat and a sly signature imprint.

Keep listening

More from Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada

Song2016
Showkali

Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada

Song2016
Idhu Naal

Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada

Song2016
Rasaali

Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada