- Lyricist
- Vaali
- Singer
- P. Susheela
- Music director
- Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy
- Movie name
- Panam Padaithavan
- Movie release year
- 1965
- Lyrics added on
- 14 Feb 2018
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This poignant song expresses the deep pain of separation and heartbreak. The narrator reflects on the irony of being alive while feeling spiritually dead: while no one can physically see their own soul depart at the moment of death, she feels as though her own soul has left her body to go with her beloved. Her physical body remains behind like a lifeless shell.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Paradox
“Naan ennuyir pirivadhai paarthu nindren”
A person cannot physically watch their own life leave their body, yet the singer describes standing and watching her life depart.
Metaphor (உருவகம்)
“Poo udal vaazhum / Unnudanae enthan ponnuyir pogum”
Describing her body as a soft flower ('Poo udal') and her soul as precious gold ('Ponnuyir').
Parallelism / Antithesis
“Maaligai illai / Mannanum illai”
Contrasting past hopeful dreams with present stark reality ('There was a chariot/palace' vs 'There is no chariot/palace').
Did you know?
Trivia
Panam Padaithavan (1965) starred M. G. Ramachandran (MGR), K. R. Vijaya, and B. Saroja Devi. The music for this soulful track was composed by the iconic duo Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy, with lyrics written by Vaali and vocals rendered by P. Susheela.
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