- Lyricist
- Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass
- Singer
- S. Varalakshmi
- Music director
- C. R. Subbaraman
- Movie name
- Macha Rekai
- Movie release year
- 1950
- Lyrics added on
- 2 Jan 2024
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
Vaan maevum nilavae from the 1950 film Macha Rekai expresses the intense grief and disillusionment of a heartbroken lover. Addressing the silent moon in the sky, the singer questions if her deep romantic devotion was built on a falsehood and laments the tragic state her life has fallen into. Rich in classic Tamil poetic imagery, the song employs striking metaphors including a stag deceived by a mirage, words written upon water, a flower destroyed in a whirlwind, and a parrot waiting in vain for the silk-cotton fruit to ripen. Ultimately, the piece reflects on the fleeting nature of worldly pleasures and romantic ideals, reducing them to a passing dream.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Simile (Upamai)
“Sooravazhiyil sidhariya malar polavae”
Comparing the protagonist's helpless emotional state to a flower scattered away by a destructive cyclone.
Metaphor (Uruvagaimai)
“Peraasai yaavumae neerezhuthaagavae”
Describing desires as 'words written on water' (neerezhuthu), indicating their complete instability and quick disappearance.
Proverbial Allegory
“Ilavu kaathae endrum Yengiya killaithaana”
Utilizing the famous Tamil idiom 'Ilavu kaatha kili' (a parrot waiting for the silk-cotton fruit, which explodes into useless cotton) to portray futile hope.
Rhetorical Question
“Aaha en kaadhal poi thaana”
Repeatedly questioning if love is merely a deception to emphasize heartbreak and existential angst.
Did you know?
Trivia
Macha Rekai (1950) featured music by master composer C. R. Subbaraman and was sung by the actress-singer S. Varalakshmi herself. Lyricist Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass seamlessly blended classical Tamil literary idioms (like 'Ilavu kaatha kili' and 'Neerezhuthu') into contemporary film lyrics to convey deep sorrow.
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