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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Ye Nilave Ye Nilave

From Mugavari · 2000

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
Unni Menon
Music director
Deva
Movie name
Mugavari
Movie release year
2000
Lyrics added on
4 Jan 2017

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Yae nilavae yae nilavae
Naan unnai thoda
Unnai thoda unnai thoda
Vinnai adainthen
Yae nilavae yae nilavae
Nee vinnai vittu mannai thottu
Kadalukkul pugunthuvittai
Imai mooda maruthu vittal
Vizhigal thoongathu
Idi thaangum idhayam kooda
Mounam thaangathu
Un vizhi eerppu visaiyinilae anbae anbae
Naan vanthu vizhunthu vitten anbae anbae
Kan jaadai aamaam endrathu
Kai jaadai illai endru irupathu
Poonkodi nijam ennadi
Ithu vaazhvaa saavaa
Ethai nee tharuvaai pennae
Yae nilavae yae nilavae
Naan unnai thoda
Unnai thoda unnai thoda
Vinnai adainthen
Ninaindhu ninaindhu
Nenjam vali kondathae
En nizhalil irunthum
Ratham kasigindrathae
Oru sol oru sol oru sol
Sonnaal uyirae oori vidum
Adiyae adiyae mudiyaathendral
Idhayam keeri vidum
Nilaaaaa… neeyallavaa
Theibavan naan allavaa
Kaaranam naan sollavaa
Kaalgal illamalae
Kaatru nadai podalaam
Neeyum illamalae
Naatkal nadai poduma
Imai mooda maruthu vittal
Vizhigal thoongathu
Idi thaangum idhayam kooda
Mounam thaangathu
Un vizhi eerppu visaiyinilae
Anbae anbae naan vanthu
Vizhunthu vitten anbae anbae
Kan jaadai aamaam endrathu
Kai jaadai illai endru irupathu
Poonkodi nijam ennadi
Ithu vaazhvaa saavaa
Ethai nee tharuvaai pennae…
Oh moon, oh moon,
To reach out and touch you,
to touch you, to touch you,
I reached the sky.
Oh moon, oh moon,
Leaving the sky, touching the earth,
you plunged into the sea.
If eyelids refuse to close,
the eyes cannot sleep.
Even a heart that can withstand a thunderbolt
cannot bear silence.
Caught in the gravitational pull of your eyes, my love, my love,
I have fallen right in, my love, my love.
The look in your eyes said yes,
yet the wave of your hand says no.
Oh delicate vine, what is the truth?
Is this life or is this death?
Which one will you give me, girl?
Oh moon, oh moon,
To reach out and touch you,
to touch you, to touch you,
I reached the sky.
Thinking of you again and again,
my heart aches with pain.
Even from my shadow,
blood seems to bleed.
Just one word, one word, one word—
if you say it, life will rush back into me.
Girl, oh girl, if you say no,
it will tear my heart apart.
You are the moon, aren't you?
Yet aren't I the one who is fading away?
Shall I tell you the reason why?
Even without legs,
the wind can still wander.
Without you by my side,
can my days ever move on?
If eyelids refuse to close,
the eyes cannot sleep.
Even a heart that can withstand a thunderbolt
cannot bear silence.
Caught in the gravitational pull of your eyes,
my love, my love, I came and
fell right in, my love, my love.
The look in your eyes said yes,
yet the wave of your hand says no.
Oh delicate vine, what is the truth?
Is this life or is this death?
Which one will you give me, girl?
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This song depicts the deep emotional turmoil and agonizing longing of a lover torn between hope and rejection. The protagonist compares his beloved to the unreachable moon and expresses how her mixed signals—encouraging eye contact versus hesitant physical gestures—leave him floating between life and death. He describes how his heart, strong enough to face severe hardships, crumbles under her absolute silence. In the second verse, the intensity of his affection deepens into poetic agony, suggesting that even his shadow bleeds from the persistent grief of separation. He pleads for a single word of hope to revive his soul, emphasizing that just as days cannot pass without time moving forward, his life cannot progress without her presence.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor

Un vizhi eerppu visaiyinilae anbae anbae

The lover's gaze is metaphorically compared to gravitational force ('eerppu visai') pulling the protagonist towards her.

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Poonkodi nijam ennadi

The woman is addressed directly as a tender flowering creeper ('Poonkodi').

Contrast / Antonymy (Muran)

Kan jaadai aamaam endrathu / Kai jaadai illai endru irupathu

Contrasts 'yes' ('aamaam') indicated by her eyes with 'no' ('illai') shown by her hand gestures.

Hyperbole

En nizhalil irunthum / Ratham kasigindrathae

An extreme exaggeration where pain is described as blood oozing out even from the protagonist's shadow.

Rhyme / Assonance (Monai)

Ninaindhu ninaindhu / Nenjam vali kondathae

Repetition of initial consonant/vowel sounds ('Ni' and 'Ne') across lines.

Did you know?

Trivia

This track is composed by Deva for the 2000 musical romantic drama movie 'Mugavari', starring Ajith Kumar and Jyothika. Sung by Unni Menon, the song features rich orchestral arrangements that highlight Vairamuthu's melancholic poetry.

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