Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Veenai Enadhu Kuzhanthai

From Oonjalaadum Uravugal · 1985

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
P. Susheela
Music director
Ilayaraja
Details
Oonjalaadum Uravugal1985

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Aaa…..aa……aa…..aa…..Aaa…..aa……aa…..aa…..
A…..aa……aa…..aaa…..aaa…..A…..aa……aa…..aaa…..aaa…..
Female
Veenai enathu kuzhnthaiThe Veena is my child.
Veenai enathu kuzhnthaiThe Veena is my child.
Athil meettum surangal mazhalaiThe musical notes played on it are like a baby's innocent babble.
Veenai enathu kuzhnthaiThe Veena is my child.
Female
Madi meedhu naan vaiththu thaalaattuvaenI will hold it on my lap and sing it a lullaby.
Madi meedhu naan vaiththu thaalaattuvaenI will hold it on my lap and sing it a lullaby.
Athil magarantha raagangal naan meettuvaenFrom it, I will pluck ragas sweet as pollen.
Female
Veenai……veenai…..Veena……Veena…..
Veenai enathu kuzhnthaiThe Veena is my child.
Female
Adadaa enakkoru sirakondru mulaikkindrathaeOh my, wings seem to sprout upon me!
Viralgal asaiththaalae surangalin oorkolamJust a movement of fingers creates a grand procession of musical notes.
Vizhiththae irnthaalum kanavugal yaeraalamEven while awake, dreams are boundless.
Manathukkul mazhai vizhum anubavamo….ooo….oo..Is this the experience of rain falling inside my heart?
Female
Vaan meedhu pogindra megangalaeOh clouds drifting across the sky!
Isai ketkka enaith thedi vaarungalaenCome seeking me to listen to this music!
En veenai…..pon veenaiMy Veena….. golden Veena!
Urangaamal kann moodi shruthi saerkkindrenSleepless, with closed eyes, I align the pitch.
Uyirenum dheepaththil nei vaarkkindrenI pour ghee into the lamp of my soul.
Female
Veenai……veenai…..Veena……Veena…..
Veenai enathu kuzhnthaiThe Veena is my child.
Female
Vaazhvae kanavinil varaigindra neerkolamae….ae…Life is like a decorative water-pattern drawn in a dream.
Irukkum varaiyingae isaiyoru santhosamAs long as we live here, music is pure happiness.
Nilamae marainthaalum nilaippathu sangeethamEven if the earth vanishes, music is eternal.
Swarangalae varangalaai thirigindrathae…ae….The musical notes are turning into divine boons.
Female
Vizhiyoram thuliyondru thiralgindrathaeA tear drop gathers at the edge of my eye.
En veenaithanil vanthu vizhugindrathaeIt falls right onto my Veena.
Idhu pothum….isai podumThis is enough… music is enough.
Sevi engum amuthaaga naan paaigindraenI flow into every ear like divine nectar.
Puvi engum isaiyaaga naan ketkkindraenI hear music echoing across the entire world.
Female
Veenai enathu kuzhnthaiThe Veena is my child.
Athil meettum surangal mazhalaiThe musical notes played on it are like a baby's innocent babble.
Veenai enathu kuzhnthaiThe Veena is my child.
Female
Madi meedhu naan vaiththu thaalaattuvaenI will hold it on my lap and sing it a lullaby.
Madi meedhu naan vaiththu thaalaattuvaenI will hold it on my lap and sing it a lullaby.
Athil magarantha raagangal naan meettuvaenFrom it, I will pluck ragas sweet as pollen.
Female
Veenai……veenai…..Veena……Veena…..
Veenai enathu kuzhnthaiThe Veena is my child.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

In 'Veenai enathu kuzhnthai', the protagonist expresses a deeply intimate and spiritual bond with the Veena, treating the musical instrument not merely as an object, but as her own child. The notes that emanate from its strings are likened to the sweet, innocent babble of an infant, and cradling the instrument on her lap evokes the tenderness of singing a lullaby. Music elevates her soul, granting her a sense of weightlessness as if wings were sprouting on her back, and making her feel that even the passing clouds ought to pause and listen. As the song progresses, she reflects on the ephemeral nature of life, comparing it to a temporary pattern drawn on water in a dream. Amidst life's transience, music shines as an imperishable joy that endures even if the physical world fades. The act of creating music becomes a holy ritual—pouring her soul like ghee into a flame, culminating in tears of bliss that drop onto the instrument, filling the world and every ear with divine nectar.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Veenai enathu kuzhnthai / Uyirenum dheepaththil nei vaarkkindren

Equating the instrument directly to a child ('Veenai enathu kuzhnthai') and the soul/life to a lamp ('Uyirenum dheepaththil').

Simile / Analogy (Upamai)

Athil meettum surangal mazhalai / Vaazhvae kanavinil varaigindra neerkolamae

Comparing the musical notes to the tender babble of an infant ('surangal mazhalai') and life to a fragile water-kolam in a dream ('Vaazhvae kanavinil varaigindra neerkolamae').

Hyperbole (Uyarvu Navirtchi)

Adadaa enakkoru sirakondru mulaikkindrathae / Nilamae marainthaalum nilaippathu sangeetham

Exaggerating the transcendent feeling of music as sprouting wings ('sirakondru mulaikkindrathae') and asserting music's survival beyond the disappearance of earth ('Nilamae marainthaalum nilaippathu sangeetham').

Rhyme / Alliteration (Monai and Edhugai)

Sevi engum amuthaaga naan paaigindraen / Puvi engum isaiyaaga naan ketkkindraen

Use of matching second letters ('Edhugai') in 'Sevi engum' and 'Puvi engum', creating a rhythmic symmetry.

Did you know?

Trivia

Written by lyricist Vairamuthu for the 1985 movie 'Oonjalaadum Uravugal', the song stands out for its maternal allegories applied to classical Indian instrumental music. It beautifully illustrates how an artist's devotion turns musical creation into a maternal act of creation.

Keep listening

More from Oonjalaadum Uravugal