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Isaimozhi
Asai Magan album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Vanavillena Vandhu

From Asai Magan · 1953

Lyricist
Kuyilan
Singer
Jikki
Music director
V. Dakshinamurthy
Movie name
Asai Magan
Movie release year
1953
Lyrics added on
28 Sept 2021

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Vaanavillena vanthu kadhalin
Varna jalanal kaattinaai
Maasillaatha en ulla veenaiyil
Mouna geedhangal meettinaai
Vaazhvin aanantha pon moolaigalil
Vanthu peroli veesinaai
Vaazhga nee enthan ulla koyilil
Vaazhga vaazhga nee endrumae
Vaana veedhiyil odum meanal
Varna villinai moodumo
Maasillaatha en ulla kottaigal
Mannil vizhunthu mannaagumo
Thenil thointhezhum enthan aasaigal
Theinthu maainthidum kaalamo
Theerumo thuyar maarumo
Ariyaathu en manam yaenguthae
You came like a rainbow and showed
The magical colors of love.
On the pure veena of my heart,
You strummed silent melodies.
Into the blissful golden corners of my life,
You came and shone a radiant light.
May you dwell in the temple of my heart,
May you live and flourish forever...
Will the clouds racing across the sky
Hide that colorful rainbow?
Will the pure castles of my heart
Fall to the ground and turn to dust?
Is it time for my honey-sweet desires
To slowly wither and die?
Will this sorrow end? Will things change?
Not knowing, my heart aches in longing.
Female
Female
Female
Female

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This song is a deeply emotional reflection on the bliss of love intertwined with the fear of heartbreak and uncertainty. The speaker remembers how their beloved entered their life like a radiant rainbow, playing quiet melodies on the veena of their heart and bringing immense light into their existence. They pray for their beloved to forever reside in the temple of their soul. However, the narrative shifts to anxious foreboding. The speaker wonders whether floating clouds will cover their rainbow, whether the strong fortresses of their heart will crumble into dust, and if their honeyed dreams are destined to erode away. Unable to foresee the future, their heart aches with uncertainty, questioning whether their grief will ever find resolution.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Uvamai Ani)

Vaanavillena vanthu kadhalin

Compares the sudden, beautiful entry of love into the protagonist's life to the appearance of a vibrant rainbow ('Vaanavillena').

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Maasillaatha en ulla veenaiyil

Metaphorically equates the soul/heart to a veena ('ulla veenaiyil') and a temple ('ulla koyilil').

Second-Letter Rhyme (Edhugai)

Maasillaatha en ulla kottaigal

The second consonant 's' (க்/ஸ்) rhymes across lines 'Maasillaatha' (line 3) and 'Maasillaatha' (line 11), or the 'i'/'u' sound matches in Tamil prosody.

Initial Rhyme / Alliteration (Monai)

Thenil thointhezhum enthan aasaigal

Repetition of the initial sound 'Th' across words 'Thenil' and 'Theinthu', as well as 'Theerumo' in subsequent lines.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Asai Magan' (1953) featured lyrics by the prominent poet Kuyilan. The imagery of comparing love to a transient rainbow obscured by clouds is a traditional motifs in classical Tamil poetry (Sangam literature) adapted into 1950s cinema.

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