- Lyricist
- Pulamaipithan
- Singers
- Kamal Haasan, Ilayaraja
- Music director
- Ilayaraja
- Movie name
- Nayagan
- Movie release year
- 1987
- Lyrics added on
- 12 Jan 2018
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
Thenpaandi Cheemayilae is an iconic, deeply emotional lullaby and lament from Mani Ratnam's film Nayagan (1987). Written by Pulamaipithan and composed by Ilaiyaraaja, the song captures profound empathy, sorrow, and protective love towards an innocent soul who has suffered at the hands of a cruel world. Through gentle metaphors of a deer and a waxing crescent moon, the narrator expresses heartbreak over the protagonist's hardship, repeatedly questioning who could bring harm to such innocence.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Simile (Uvamai)
“Maan pola vandhavanae”
Compares the gentle and harmless protagonist to a deer ('Maan pola').
Metaphor (Uruvagam)
“Valarum piraiyae theyaathae”
Refers to the developing child as a growing crescent moon ('Valarum pirai').
Anaphora / Repetition
“Yaar adithaaro”
The phrase 'Yaar adithaaro' is repeated to highlight intense grief, questioning, and sorrow over the suffering.
Monai (Initial Alliteration)
“Thenpaandi cheemayilae / Therodum veedhiyilae”
Repetition of initial consonant sounds in 'Thenpaandi' and 'Therodum'.
Did you know?
Trivia
Composed by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja and sung jointly by Ilaiyaraaja and Kamal Haasan, this song forms the thematic and emotional backbone of Nayagan (1987), recurring throughout the film to highlight Velu Naicker's inner innocence amidst a life of crime.
Keep listening
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