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IsaimozhiLyrics · Translation · Meaning

Lyrics & meaning

Unakkena Thaanae

From Ponnu Oorukku Pudhusu · 1979

Lyricist: Panchu Arunachalam
Singers: Ilayaraja, S. P. Sailaja
Music director: Ilayaraja
Movie name: Ponnu Oorukku Pudhusu
Movie release year: 1979
Lyrics added on: 29 Apr 2020

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics

↻ English translation

Unakkena thaanae inneramaa

Naanum kaathirundhaen

Ragasiyam paesa manasirukku

Raathiri neram nilavirukku

Unakkena thaanae inneramaa

Naanum kaathirundhaen

Ragasiyam paesa manasirukku

Raathiri neram nilavirukku

Ingae naama irandaa illa

Endha kadhavu therakkaa enna

Ennum bodhu thaedum nenjam

Eduthu pogavae

Pirichaalum piriyaadhammaa

Marachaalum kuraiyaadhammaa

Kadhavu dhaan thadukkudhu

Thelivaagummaa

Unakkena thaanae inneramaa

Veenaa pozhudhu pogudhu ingae

Viricha paayum thoongudhu angae

Unna enni perugudhu mogam

Romba vegamaa

Nadusaamam naamum thani

Nedu neram vaasam thani

Poluthadhu vidinjadha kadhavoramaa

Unakkena thaanae inneramaa

Dhevaaram thottam vazhi

Thaenikinnu pora vandi

Bodi vazhi poganum naa

Roadu romba mosammadaa

Roadu romba mosammadaa

Oi vandha paadhaiya maathaadheengadaa

Appadiyae ottungadaa dei

Odambuvali theriyaama odungadaa kaalaigalaa

Bhathiramaa kondu ponaa

Paruthi kotta vaangi thaaren

Paruthi kotta vaangi thaaren

Aiyanaaru saathum namma

Aathaa maari koduppaal namma

Bhayam unakku venaam kannu

Konjam poruthiru

Nee irukka bayamaa enna

Nilavirukka irulaa enna

Enakku nee unakku naan thonadhaanaiyaa

Unakkena thaanae inneramaa

Naanum kaathirundhaen

Ragasiyam paesa manasirukku

Raathiri neram nilavirukku

Unakkena thaanae inneramaa

Was it not for you at this hour

that I was waiting too?

My heart longs to whisper secrets,

and the night has the moonlight.

Was it not for you at this hour

that I was waiting too?

My heart longs to whisper secrets,

and the night has the moonlight.

Are we two separate souls here? No,

so what does it matter if no door opens?

When yearning, the seeking heart

reaches out to carry us away.

Even if pulled apart, we will not separate;

even if concealed, our love will not lessen.

Only the door stands in the way;

will everything soon become clear?

Was it not for you at this hour?

Time is slipping away in vain here,

and the spread-out mat lies sleeping there.

Thinking of you, desire swells

so deeply.

At midnight, we are all alone;

for a long time, this sweet fragrance lingers.

Has the day already dawned by the doorway?

Was it not for you at this hour?

Through the groves of Thevaram,

the cart rolls on towards Theni.

If you want to go to Bodi too,

the road is really rough, man!

The road is really rough, man!

Hey, do not change the path you came on!

Just keep driving straight ahead, hey!

Run without feeling any aches, my bulls!

If you take us there safely,

I will buy you cotton seeds to eat!

I will buy you cotton seeds to eat!

Ayyanar (guardian deity) will protect us,

and Mother Mari (goddess Mariamman) will bless us.

You do not have to fear, my darling,

just wait a little while.

With you here, why should I fear?

With the moon shining, why should there be darkness?

You are for me and I am for you, as companions, my love!

Was it not for you at this hour

that I was waiting too?

My heart longs to whisper secrets,

and the night has the moonlight.

Was it not for you at this hour?

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Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This song from the film 'Ponnu Oorukku Pudhusu' (1979) depicts a romantic late-night journey intertwined with intimate conversations between lovers and local folk flavor. The couple expresses their deep longing, desire, and emotional connection under the moonlight, disregarding physical barriers like doors and long distances. Interspersed within the romantic dialogue are rustic folk calls to bullock cart drivers navigating bumpy roads from Devaram and Bodi to Theni, offering simple rustic rewards like cottonseed feed to the cattle for a safe trip.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Edhugai (Second letter rhyming)

“Veenaa pozhudhu pogudhu ingae / Viricha paayum thoongudhu angae”

Matching second consonants in adjacent lines creating rhythmic flow, e.g., 'Ragasiyam' and 'Raathiri' or 'Veenaa' and 'Viricha'.

Metaphor & Personification

“Viricha paayum thoongudhu angae”

'Viricha paayum thoongudhu angae' personifies the spread mat as 'sleeping', symbolizing an empty bed waiting for love.

Rhetorical Question

“Nilavirukka irulaa enna”

Asking questions to emphasize certainty of love and comfort, such as asking if darkness exists when the moon is present.

Did you know?

Trivia

Composed by Ilaiyaraaja with lyrics by Panchu Arunachalam, 'Ponnu Oorukku Pudhusu' is known for introducing authentic rural Tamil folk tunes into mainstream Tamil film music. The song 'Unakkena Thaane Innerama' blends romantic melody with rustic bullock-cart driver chants, capturing the regional geography of the Thenmarani region (Theni, Bodi, Devaram).

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