- Lyricist
- Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathiyaar
- Singer
- S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
- Music director
- M. S. Vishwanathan
- Movie name
- Varumayin Niram Sigappu
- Movie release year
- 1980
- Lyrics added on
- 26 Jul 2018
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
'Theertha Karaiyinile' is a timeless, soul-stirring poem composed by Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathiyar that captures the acute pain of longing and broken promises. The protagonist waits in vain for his beloved Kannamma at a pre-arranged rendezvous point in a flower garden under the moonlight. As time passes without her arrival, the lover's anxiety manifests as physical fever, a pounding heart, and hallucinations where every shadow takes the form of his beloved. The poem vividly contrasts the tranquil, sleeping world enveloped in gentle moonlight with the inner storm of grief and agony raging within the lonely lover, who feels abandoned in a hell of separation.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Monai (Initial Alliteration)
“Paarthirunthaal varuven / Paangiyodu endru sonnaai”
Matching initial consonant sounds in words within the line or across adjacent lines, such as 'Paarthirunthaal' and 'Paangiyodu'.
Ethukai (Second Letter Rhyme)
“Vaarthai thavarivittaai / Maarbu thudikkudhadi”
Matching the second letter sound across lines, seen in 'Vaarthai' and 'Maarbu'.
Personification / Visual Imagery
“Vaanin idathaielaam indha vennilaa vanthu thazhuvudhu paar”
The moonlight is personified as an entity coming down to embrace the entire sky and earth.
Anaphora (Repetition for Emotional Emphasis)
“Paavai theriyudhadi…aah… Paavai theriyudhadi”
Repetition of 'Paavai theriyudhadi' highlights the lover's frantic state and visual hallucinations.
Did you know?
Trivia
Written by Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathiyar, this iconic poem was adapted into the 1980 landmark Tamil film 'Varumayin Niram Sigappu', directed by K. Balachander. Set to music by M. S. Viswanathan and rendered by S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Kamal Haasan's intensely dramatic onscreen performance transformed Bharathiyar's romantic angst into an emblem of modern youthful frustration and emotional desperation.
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