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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Thekkathi Pakkathu Kaathu

From Annai En Deivam · 1986

Lyricist
Vaali
Singers
Malaysia Vasudevan, S. P. Shailaja
Music director
Shankar Ganesh
Details
Annai En Deivam1986

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Thekkaththi pakkaththu kaaththuThe southern breeze from the south side
Thottuththaan mottuththaan pooththuTouched it and made the bud bloom
Thallaattam podumpothuWhen it sways rhythmically
Themmaangu paadumpothuWhen it sings a folk melody
Allattaa killattaa saeththGathering lily and parrot together
Female
Thekkaththi pakkaththu kaaththuThe southern breeze from the south side
Thottuththaan mottuththaan pooththuTouched it and made the bud bloom
Thallaattam podumpothuWhen it sways rhythmically
Themmaangu paadumpothuWhen it sings a folk melody
Allaiyaa killaiyyaa saeththuGathering lily and parrot together
Male
Naan pudichcha mayilaeOh peacock that I caught
Female :AahhahFemale: Aahhah
Male :Poo mudicha kuyilaeMale: Oh cuckoo wearing flowers
Female :AahhahFemale: Aahhah
Male :Vanthaalenna senthaamaraMale: Why don't you come, red lotus
Thanneerilae neeraadaTo bathe in the water?
Female
Naal muzhukka enakkuThroughout the day, for me
Male :AahMale: Aah
Female :Un nenappu irukkuFemale: Thoughts of you remain
Male :AahahMale: Aahah
Female :Unnaalathaan raaththookkamaeFemale: Only because of you, without night's sleep
Illaamththaan naan vaadaI am wilting away
Male
Vannakkodi ennappadiOh colorful creeper, as you wished
Vanthirukkaen kaiyai pudiI have come, hold my hand
Female :Mella thodu mella thoduFemale: Touch gently, touch gently
Aa maththathellaam sollikkoduAh, teach me all the rest
Male :Naan sengarumbu villeduththuMale: Taking a bow made of red sugarcane
Ambugalai thoduppaenI shall shoot arrows of love
Female
Thekkaththi pakkaththu kaaththuThe southern breeze from the south side
Thottuththaan mottuththaan pooththuTouched it and made the bud bloom
Male :Thallaattam podumpothuMale: When it sways rhythmically
Themmaangu paadumpothuWhen it sings a folk melody
Allattaa killattaa saeththGathering lily and parrot together
Male
Moongililae panithaanThe dew on the bamboo
Female :AahhaaFemale: Aahhaa
Male :Thoongum sugam thanithaanMale: The pleasure of sleeping is unique
Female :AahhaaFemale: Aahhaa
Male :Pulveliyil unnodu naanMale: With you on the grassy lawn
Palli kolla koodaathaCan't I lie down and rest?
Female
Paai virukkum pozhuthuWhen spreading the mat
Male :AahMale: Aah
Female :Paatteduththu ezhuthuFemale: Write a poem about it
Male :AahahMale: Aahah
Female :Kannaalanthaan kannaalaththaanFemale: Only my lover, through his gaze
Chinna ponnu vaadaathaaDoesn't this young girl wither?
Male
Panguniyil chiththiraiyilIn the month of Panguni or Chithirai
Panthalukku vanthiduvaenI will come to the marriage pandal
Female :Panthalkku vanthavudalFemale: As soon as I reach the wedding pandal
Aa paakkiyellam thanthiduvaenAh, I will give you all the rest
Male :Un neththiyilae maththiyilaeMale: Right in the middle of your forehead
Kungumaththa iduvaenI will place the red kumkum
Male
Thekkaththi aa thekkaththi pakkaththu kaaththuThe southern breeze from the south side
Thottuththaan mottuththaan pooththuTouched it and made the bud bloom
Female :Thallaattam podumpothuFemale: When it sways rhythmically
Male :AahMale: Aah
Female :Themmaangu paadumpothuFemale: When it sings a folk melody
Allaiyaa killaiyyaa saeththuGathering lily and parrot together
Male :Allattaa killattaa saeththMale: Gathering lily and parrot together

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

'Thekkaththi Pakkaththu Kaaththu' is a romantic Tamil folk song from the 1986 film 'Annai En Deivam', penned by Vaali. The lyrics make extensive use of pastoral imagery—cool southern wind, blooming flower buds, dew drops on bamboo leaves, and singing cuckoos—to capture the playful romance and deep affection shared between two lovers. The couple playfully exchanges flirtatious lines, expressing restless sleepless nights, yearning for each other's touch, and dreaming of their upcoming wedding in the Tamil months of Panguni or Chithirai, culminating in the sacred ritual of placing kumkum on the bride's forehead.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Monnai (Initial Alliteration)

Thekkaththi pakkaththu kaaththu / Thottuththaan mottuththaan pooththu

Repetition of initial consonant sound 'Th' in consecutive lines: 'Thekkaththi', 'Thottuththaan', 'Thallaattam', 'Themmaangu'.

Uruvagam (Metaphor)

Naan sengarumbu villeduththu / Ambugalai thoduppaen

The hero metaphorically compares himself to Kamadeva (the god of love) wielding a bow made of red sugarcane ('sengarumbu villu') to shoot love arrows.

Nature Imagery

Moongililae panithaan / Thoongum sugam thanithaan

Use of rural Tamil landscape imagery such as 'Moongililae panithaan' (dew on bamboo) and 'senthaamara Thanneerilae' (red lotus water) to evoke sensory romantic feelings.

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Trivia

Annai En Deivam (1986) features actor Vijayakanth in the lead role, and the song incorporates traditional southern Tamil Nadu 'Themmaangu' folk rhythms, famously stylized by lyricist Vaali using native rural idioms.

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