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Uyirullavarai Usha album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Vaigai Karai Katre

From Uyirullavarai Usha · 1983

Lyricist
T. Rajendar
Singer
K. J. Yesudas
Music director
T. Rajendar
Movie name
Uyirullavarai Usha
Movie release year
1983
Lyrics added on
9 Apr 2020

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Vaigai karai kaatrae nillu
Vanji thanai paarthaa sollu
Vaigai karai kaatrae nillu
Vanji thanai paarthaa sollu
Mannam manam vaadudhendru
Mangai thanai thaedudhendru
Kaatrae poongaatrae
En kanmani avalai kandaal neeyum
Kaadhoram poi sollu
Vaigai karai kaatrae nillu
Vanji thanai paarthaa sollu
Vaigai karai kaatrae nillu
Vanji thanai paarthaa sollu
Mannam manam vaadudhendru
Mangai thanai thaedudhendru
Kaatrae poongaatrae
En kanmani avalai kandaal neeyum
Kaadhoram poi sollu
Thirukkoyil vaasal adhu thirakkavillai
Theru kodi poojai adhu nadakkavillai
Dhevadhaiyai kaanbadharkku vazhiyum illai
Thaen mozhiyai kaetpadharkku vagaiyum illai
Kaadhalil vaazhndha kanni manam
Kaavalil vaadaiyil kanni vidum
Koondukkullae alai modhum
Kaadhal kili aval paavam kaadhal kili aval paavam
Kaatrae poongaatrae
En kanmani avalai kandaal neeyum
Kaadhoram poi sollu
Maakkolam podudharkku varavillaiyae
Aval kolam paarppadharkku vazhiyillaiyae
Jannalukkul nilavu aval thondravillaiyae
Jaadaiyoli sindha aval indru illaiyae
Nilavinai maegam vaanil maraikka
Avalinai yaaro veettil thadukka
Megam adhu vilagaadho sogam adhu neengaadho
Megam adhu vilagaadho sogam adhu neengaadho
Sogam adhu neengaadho
Kaatrae poongaatrae
En kanmani avalai kandaal neeyum
Kaadhoram poi sollu
Vaigai karai kaatrae nillu
Vanji thanai paarthaa sollu
Vaigai karai kaatrae nillu
Vanji thanai paarthaa sollu
Mannam manam vaadudhendru
Mangai thanai thaedudhendru
Kaatrae poongaatrae
En kanmani avalai kandaal neeyum
Kaadhoram poi sollu
Nee kaadhoram poi sollu nee kaadhoram poi sollu
Breeze of the Vaigai riverbank, wait!
If you see my beloved girl, tell her,
Breeze of the Vaigai riverbank, wait!
If you see my beloved girl, tell her,
That this lover's heart is withering away,
That it is searching for that young girl.
O breeze, gentle breeze,
If you happen to see my darling girl,
Go whisper softly in her ear.
Breeze of the Vaigai riverbank, wait!
If you see my beloved girl, tell her,
Breeze of the Vaigai riverbank, wait!
If you see my beloved girl, tell her,
That this lover's heart is withering away,
That it is searching for that young girl.
O breeze, gentle breeze,
If you happen to see my darling girl,
Go whisper softly in her ear.
The doors of the sacred temple haven't opened,
The prayer at the end of the street hasn't taken place.
There is no way to catch a glimpse of my angel,
There is no way to hear her sweet voice.
The heart of the young girl who lived in love
Now sheds tears, trapped in confinement.
Fluttering restlessly inside a cage,
Pity that poor lovebird, pity that poor lovebird!
O breeze, gentle breeze,
If you happen to see my darling girl,
Go whisper softly in her ear.
She hasn't come out to draw the kolam (rice-flour patterns),
There is no way for me to see her now.
That moon of a girl hasn't appeared at the window,
She isn't there today to cast her sparkling glances.
Just as clouds conceal the moon in the sky,
Someone keeps her locked inside the house.
Won't those clouds drift away? Won't this sorrow disappear?
Won't those clouds drift away? Won't this sorrow disappear?
Won't this sorrow disappear?
O breeze, gentle breeze,
If you happen to see my darling girl,
Go whisper softly in her ear.
Breeze of the Vaigai riverbank, wait!
If you see my beloved girl, tell her,
Breeze of the Vaigai riverbank, wait!
If you see my beloved girl, tell her,
That this lover's heart is withering away,
That it is searching for that young girl.
O breeze, gentle breeze,
If you happen to see my darling girl,
Go whisper softly in her ear.
Go whisper softly in her ear, go whisper softly in her ear.
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

The song is a poignant romantic lament where the protagonist addresses the breeze flowing along the Vaigai river as a messenger (a classic Tamil poetic tradition known as 'Dhoodhu'). He pleads with the wind to carry his anguish to his trapped lover, whom he envisions as a sacred goddess and a caged bird. Deeply distressed by her sudden disappearance from her routine activities like drawing rangoli or standing by her window, he compares her family's house arrest of her to thick clouds obscuring the radiant moon. Throughout the composition, he clings to the hope that these obstacles will part like clouds, allowing him to be reunited with his love.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Apostrophe / Megadhoodham (Message via nature)

“Vaigai karai kaatrae nillu”

Addressing an inanimate natural element (the Vaigai breeze) directly as a messenger to carry a loving message to his beloved.

Metaphor (Uruvagham)

“Koondukkullae alai modhum Kaadhal kili aval paavam”

Describing the confined heroine as a caged love parrot ('Kaadhal kili') and as a moon inside the window ('Jannalukkul nilavu').

Analogy / Simile (Uvamai)

“Nilavinai maegam vaanil maraikka Avalinai yaaro veettil thadukka”

Comparing the heroine's domestic confinement by her family to dark clouds concealing the bright moon in the sky.

Second-Letter Rhyme (Edhugai)

“Thirukkoyil vaasal adhu thirakkavillai / Theru kodi poojai adhu nadakkavillai”

Tamil poetic rhyme scheme where the second consonant/syllable of consecutive lines matches (e.g., 'Thirukkoyil' and 'Theru kodi').

Did you know?

Trivia

This iconic melody from the 1983 blockbuster 'Uyirullavarai Usha' was composed, written, and produced by multi-talented filmmaker T. Rajendar. Sung by K.J. Yesudas, the song is revered as one of the finest modern renditions of the classical Sangam-era 'Dhoodhu' motif in Tamil cinema.

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