Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Vanna Nilave

From Ninaithen Vandhai · 1998

Lyricist
Pazhani Bharathi
Singer
Hariharan
Music director
Deva
Details
Ninaithen Vandhai1998

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Sam …. sam …. sam …. sam …sam …samSam... sam... sam... sam... sam... sam (vocalizing)
Aaaaaaa …. aaaaa ……… aaaaa …. aaaaaaAaaaaaa... aaaaa... aaaaa... aaaaaa (vocalizing)
Male
Vanna nilavae vanna nilavaeOh colorful moon, oh colorful moon
Varuvadhu neethaanaaIs it really you who is coming?
Vaasanaigal varugirathaeFragrance is wafting in
Varuvadhu nijamthaanaaIs your arrival truly real?
Male
Oru nooru nilaavinThe light of a hundred moons
Velicham paarthen un kannilI saw in your eyes
Adi kodi puraakalOh, a crore of doves
Koottam kanden en nenjilI saw a flock of them in my heart
Kanmoodinaal un niyabagamWhen I close my eyes, your memory
Poo pookudhae en vaalibamMakes my youth blossom like a flower
Male
Vanna nilavae vanna nilavaeOh colorful moon, oh colorful moon
Varuvadhu neethaanaaIs it really you who is coming?
Vaasanaigal varugirathaeFragrance is wafting in
Varuvadhu nijamthaanaaIs your arrival truly real?
Female
Thana nana …aeae ..aaThana nana... aeae... aa (vocalizing)
Thana nana …aeae ..aaThana nana... aeae... aa (vocalizing)
Male
Kangal ariyaa kaatrai polaeLike the wind that eyes cannot see
Kanavil ennai thazhuviyathennaWhy did you embrace me in my dream?
Paadhi iravil thookathaiOh flower that disturbs my sleep
Kalaikum poovae undhanIn the middle of the night
Mugavari ennaWhat is your address?
Male
Medhu medhuvaai mugam kaatumOh full moon showing your face slowly
Pournamiyae oliyaathaeDo not hide away
Peyarai kooda sollaamalWithout even telling your name
En uyirai pizhiyaadhaeDo not wring my soul
Male
Ninaivodu thandhathai ellaamWill you give me in reality
Nijamaaga tharuvaayaAll that you gave in my thoughts?
Uyiruku uyirai thandhuGiving life to my life
Uravaada varuvayaaWill you come to bond with me?
Male
Vanna nilavae vanna nilavaeOh colorful moon, oh colorful moon
Varuvadhu neethaanaaIs it really you who is coming?
Vaasanaigal varugirathaeFragrance is wafting in
Varuvadhu nijamthaanaaIs your arrival truly real?
Female
……………………………………..(Musical Interlude)
Male
Koonthal kaattil vazhi theriyaamalWithout knowing the path in the forest of your hair
Maati konden en vazhi ennaI am trapped, what is my way out?
Unnai ingae thedi thediSearching for you here repeatedly
Tholaindhu ponen en gadhi ennaI got lost, what will become of me?
Male
Mazhai megam naan aanaalIf I become a rain cloud
Un vaasal varuvenaeI will come to your doorstep
Un meedhu mazhai aagiBecoming rain upon you
En jeevan nanaivenaeMy life will drench itself
Male
Kanavodu vanthaai pennaeYou came in my dreams, oh girl
Neril vara pozhudhillaiyoDo you not have time to come in person?
Thavam podhavillai endraeIs it because my penance was not enough
Dhevathai varavillaiyoThat the angel has not arrived?
Male
Vanna nilavae vanna nilavaeOh colorful moon, oh colorful moon
Varuvadhu neethaanaaIs it really you who is coming?
Vaasanaigal varugirathaeFragrance is wafting in
Varuvadhu nijamthaanaaIs your arrival truly real?
Male
Oru nooru nilaavinThe light of a hundred moons
Velicham paarthen un kannilI saw in your eyes
Adi kodi puraakalOh, a crore of doves
Koottam kanden en nenjilI saw a flock of them in my heart
Kanmoodinaal un niyabagamWhen I close my eyes, your memory
Poo pookudhae en vaalibamMakes my youth blossom like a flower

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Vanna Nilave is a romantic track from the 1998 Tamil film Ninaithen Vandhai, composed by Deva and written by Pazhani Bharathi. The song captures the intense longing of a young man who has fallen in love with a woman he has primarily seen in dreams or brief glances. He addresses her as a colorful moon, wondering if her presence and fragrance around him are real or a pleasant illusion. Throughout the song, he describes how her eyes hold the brightness of a hundred moons and how thoughts of her cause a flutter in his heart like a flock of doves. He pleads with her to reveal her name and address, hoping that she will manifest in reality rather than existing solely in his dreams.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uvamaani)

Vanna nilavae vanna nilavae

Comparing the beloved woman to a 'vanna nilavu' (colorful moon) to highlight her rare and radiant beauty.

Hyperbole (Uyarvu Navitchi Ani)

Oru nooru nilaavin Velicham paarthen un kannil

Exaggerating the radiance of her eyes as equivalent to the light of a hundred moons.

Metaphor (Uvamaani)

Koonthal kaattil vazhi theriyaamal

Describing her long hair as a dense forest ('koonthal kaadu') in which the protagonist feels blissfully lost.

Initial Rhyme / Alliteration (Monai)

Vanna nilavae vanna nilavae / Varuvadhu neethaanaa

Repetition of the starting sound 'Va' across consecutive lines (Vanna / Varuvadhu / Vaasanaigal / Varuvadhu).

Did you know?

Trivia

Ninaithen Vandhai (1998) is a Tamil romantic comedy film starring Vijay, Soundarya, and Rambha. It is an official remake of K. Raghavendra Rao's 1996 Telugu blockbuster Pelli Sandadi. The song 'Vanna Nilave', composed by Deva and sung by Hariharan, became one of the most popular Tamil romantic melodies of the late 90s.

Keep listening

More from Ninaithen Vandhai