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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Unnai Thotta Thendral

From Thalaivasal · 1992

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singers
K. S. Chithra, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
Music director
Bala Bharathi
Details
Thalaivasal1992

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Unnai thotta thendral indruThe breeze that touched you today
Ennai thottu sonnandhoru seidhiTouched me and delivered a message.
Ullukkullae aasai vaithuHiding desire inside your heart,
Thalli thalli povathenna needhiWhat justice is there in staying far away?
Female
Pesa vanthen nooru vaarthaiI came to speak a hundred words,
Pesi ponen veru vaarthaiI spoke completely different words instead.
Unmai sollavaShall I tell the truth?
Male
Unnai thotta thendral indruThe breeze that touched you today
Ennai thottu sonnandhoru seidhiTouched me and delivered a message.
Ullukkullae aasai vaithuHiding desire inside your heart,
Thalli thalli povathenna needhiWhat justice is there in staying far away?
Male
Thalaivi undhan kan paarkkum pozhuthaeOh my queen, the moment I looked into your eyes,
Thalaippu seidhi thanthaayaeYou gave me the headline news.
Thalaippu seidhi puriyaamal thavithenStruggling without understanding the headline news,
Thalaippai kaiyil thanthaayaeYou placed the headline right in my hands.
Female
Urangum pothum undhan peyaraiEven while sleeping,
Solli paarkkirenI try calling out your name.
Unnai kandu pesum pothumWhen I see you and speak,
Uchi verkkirenI sweat all the way to my crown.
Male
Indha sundhara vaarthaigalThese beautiful words...
Thanthathu yaaradi unnai ketkkirenWho gave them to you, my girl? I ask you.
Female
Unnai thotta thendral indruThe breeze that touched you today
Ennai thottu sonnandhoru seidhiTouched me and delivered a message.
Male
Ullukkullae aasai vaithuHiding desire inside your heart,
Thalli thalli povathenna needhiWhat justice is there in staying far away?
Female
Unnai enni enni nee meliyaThinking of you repeatedly as you grew slender,
Urugi urugi noolaanenMelting and melting, I became as thin as a thread.
Unnaikkandu or vaarthai mozhiyaTo utter just a single word upon seeing you,
Udainthu udainthu thool aanenI broke into pieces and turned into dust.
Male
Paarkkavantha seidhi mattumOh jasmine flower, you only told the news you came to see for,
Sonna mullaiyaeOh jasmine flower...
Paruvam vantha seidhi mattum sollavillaiyaeYou didn't share the news that youth has arrived.
Female
Nee paarvaiyum kaadhalumYour glance and your love,
Pazhakkathin korthalum sollavillaiyaeAnd the binding of our intimacy—you didn't mention.
Male
Unnai thotta thendral indruThe breeze that touched you today
Ennai thottu sonnandhoru seidhiTouched me and delivered a message.
Ullukkullae aasai vaithuHiding desire inside your heart,
Thalli thalli povathenna needhiWhat justice is there in staying far away?
Female
Pesa vanthen nooru vaarthaiI came to speak a hundred words,
Pesi ponen veru vaarthaiI spoke completely different words instead.
Unmai sollavaShall I tell the truth?
Male
Unnai thotta thendral indruThe breeze that touched you today
Ennai thottu sonnandhoru hmm mmmTouched me and delivered a message, hmm mmm...
Ullukkullae aasai vaithuHiding desire inside your heart,
Thalli thalli povathennaWhat justice is there in staying far away?
Female :HahahahaFemale: Hahahaha

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Unnai Thotta Thendral is a romantic duet that captures the tender, playful, and bashful emotions of two lovers expressing their deep affection. The protagonist imagines that the gentle breeze passing by his beloved carries a secret message of her inner longings to him. Despite harboring immense passion and having a hundred things to convey, nervousness takes over whenever they meet face-to-face, leaving them tongue-tied or speaking of mundane matters.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Adukku Thodar (Repetition for Emphasis)

Urugi urugi noolaanen

Words like 'thalli thalli', 'enni enni', and 'urugi urugi' are repeated consecutively to intensify the emotion of longing and physical transformation.

Edhugai (Second Letter Rhyme)

Unnai thotta thendral indru / Ennai thottu sonnandhoru seidhi

The second consonant 'nna' rhymes between 'Unnai' and 'Ennai', creating a harmonious phonetic rhythm.

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Thalaivi undhan kan paarkkum pozhuthae / Thalaippu seidhi thanthaayae

The lover's expressive eyes and gaze are metaphorical 'headline news' (Thalaippu seidhi) communicating love without formal words.

Monaivazhi Wordplay (Initial Consonant Alliteration)

Thalaivi undhan kan paarkkum pozhuthae

Alliteration using the root 'Thalai' across multiple line openings ('Thalaivi', 'Thalaippu').

Did you know?

Trivia

This track was a breakout hit for composer Bala Bharathi from the 1992 film Thalaivasal. The film gained significant attention and gave actor Vijay his popular screen name prefix 'Thalaivasal' Vijay, who made his acting debut in this movie.

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