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Lyrics & meaning

Vaanai Maranthu Nindra

From Thamarai Nenjam · 1968

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singer
P. Susheela
Music director
M. S. Vishwanathan
Details
Thamarai Nenjam1968

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Aa.. ha..haAa.. ha..ha
Vaanai maranthu nindra puvi yedhuWhich earth exists forgetting the sky?
Mazhaiyai maranthu nindra payir yedhuWhich crop exists forgetting the rain?
Aadal maranthu nindra mayil yedhuWhich peacock exists forgetting its dance?
Aasai maranthu nindra hm haForgetting desire... hm ha
Aasai maranthu nindraForgetting desire...
Manam yedhu.. manam yedhuWhich heart exists? Which heart exists?
Female
Ilaiyil amarum paniyum thuyilumThe dew resting on a leaf sleeps,
Thugilum paniyum nilavum thazhuvumThe veil and cold dew embrace the moon,
Female
Vaanathil kaalaiyilae oruIn the morning sky, a single...
Aadhavanai kandaalIf the sun is seen,
Mounathil kaadhalilae avalIn silent love, she...
Malar polae nindraalStood like a flower.
Nerukku nerr irundhumEven when face to face,
Aval nenjm pesavillaiHer heart did not speak.
Adhu ninaivoo illai kanavooIs it a memory or a dream?
Adhai ketkkum thunivum illaiThere isn't even the courage to ask that.
Female
Sottu sottu…sottu sottuDrip by drip... drop by drop
Vellam vandhaalWhen the flood comes,
Ondrai ondru pinni kondu ondraagumThey intertwine with each other and become one.
Muthu muthu ennam vandhaalWhen pearl-like thoughts arrive,
Munnum pinnum kannum nenjum thalladumBack and forth, the eyes and heart totter.
Aval solvaalo thunai kolvaaloWill she speak? Will she accept companionship?
Thannai velvaaloWill she conquer herself?
Female
Thaamarai nenjam ingae oliyaagaThe lotus heart here becoming light,
Aadhavan nenjam sellum vazhiyaagaAs the sun's heart becomes the path to travel,
Thoodhu solvorum illaiThere is no messenger to convey the message,
Thunaiyaaga ennai thuyavanAs a companion, the pure one...
Kaanavillai thelivaagaHas not seen me clearly.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This song from 'Thamarai Nenjam' captures the tender, unspoken longing of a woman in love, using vivid nature metaphors to illustrate the inevitability of love. Kannadasan compares the heart's natural pull toward desire to the earth needing the sky, crops needing rain, and peacocks needing to dance. The imagery centers on the lotus blooming upon seeing the sun, representing her pure emotion blossoming silently in the presence of her beloved while she struggles with bashfulness and hesitation.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Anaphora & Rhetorical Question

Vaanai maranthu nindra puvi yedhu

Repetition of 'maranthu nindra... yedhu' across consecutive lines to emphasize that love is as natural and inescapable as elemental relationships in nature.

Simile (Upamai)

Malar polae nindraal

Compares the silent, graceful presence of the woman to a flower blooming in response to the sun.

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Thaamarai nenjam ingae oliyaaga

'Thaamarai nenjam' (Lotus heart) metaphorically equates a pure, delicate heart to a lotus flower that opens to the warmth of love.

Reiteration (Adukkuthodar)

Sottu sottu…sottu sottu

Rhythmic repetition of words like 'sottu' (drop) and 'muthu' (pearl) to create auditory harmony matching the flow of emotion.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Thamarai Nenjam' (1968) was directed by K. Balachander and starred B. Saroja Devi, Gemini Ganesan, and Vanisri. The film's soundtrack, composed by M. S. Vishwanathan with lyrics by Kannadasan, is renowned for its classical poetic imagery, particularly the lotus motif representing purity and love.

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