- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singer
- S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
- Music director
- M. S. Vishwanathan
- Movie name
- Payanam 1976 Film
- Movie release year
- 1976
- Lyrics added on
- 19 Dec 2019
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This classic song celebrates eternal youth, feminine beauty, and romantic longing through vivid imagery of nature. The lyrics assert that nature—symbolized by the gentle breeze (thendral) and the twilight moon—is perennially sixteen years old, representing timeless freshness. Kannadasan crafts rich allegories comparing the heroine to a temple deity on a silver chariot, a pristine jasmine, and a rare pearl playing within a shell.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Metaphor (Uvamai / Uruvagam)
“Thendralukku endrum vayadhu Pathinaarae andro”
Compares the freshness of the breeze and twilight moon to a 16-year-old youth, symbolizing everlasting beauty.
Hyperbole (Uyarvu Navortchi)
“Kannan kanda raadhai kooda eedilladi”
Extolling the heroine's supreme beauty by stating that even Radha, praised in classical legends by Lord Krishna, cannot compare to her.
Personification (Maanidamayamaakkal)
“Paalaivanathil kaaviri aaru Bairavi paadatho”
Attributes human traits to nature, describing the desert river singing in Bhairavi ragam and the garden dressed in a silk saree welcoming guests with rosewater.
Monai (Initial Rhyme / Alliteration)
“Paal vanna poo mullai / Paarthaal podhatho / Paalaivanathil kaaviri aaru”
Repetition of the 'P' sound at the beginning of words across consecutive lines.
Did you know?
Trivia
Written by the iconic lyricist Kannadasan for the 1976 film 'Payanam', the line 'Thendralukku endrum vayadhu pathinaaru' became a legendary phrase in Tamil popular culture, frequently quoted to describe timeless elegance and youth.
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