| Amazing lyrics of Vairamuthu |
 For Vairamuthu, the lyrics he pens are the very air he suspires. He is one lyricist who gives life to his words. Even his first lyric
'Idhu oru pon maalaip pozuthu' contained many a lilting stroke of the master.
'poomarangal saamarangal veesadho…' For him nothing less than the flowering trees should fan the wind.
'vaanam enakkoru bodhi maram…' The sky is his peepul tree under whose shade Buddha attained gnana. The first of his lyrics was spangled with sparkling phrases. He comes out with phrases and verbal combinations that surprise us. Lines like
'unakku mattum kaetkkum en uyir urugum saththam…' (You alone can here the music of my soul melting)…
'vizi eerppu visai' (the gravity of your eyes) bewitch any heart in love.
The Nature so mundane and does not mean anything to us finds its significance when his brush presents pictures that captivate the soul.
'meen pidiththu meendum aatril vida aasai' (O for the feeling of baiting a fish and letting it swim again!)
'poovukkul olindhirukkum kanikkootam adhisayam..' (wonder indeed is the plentiful fruits hidden in these blooming flowers). When he says
'bulokam aanandhaththin ellai indha bumikkuk kanneer sondham illai' (This earth is the destination for happiness; it does not possess those tears of lament) and
'vaaza solvathu iyarkkayada, vaazvil thunbam seyarkkayada (Live this life for it is so natural and all afflictions are unnatural), he lifts up the listener from his pensive mood. Rhythmic lines like
'manidhaa manidhaa ini un vizikal sivandhal ulagam vidiyum' (It will be a sunrise when your eyes redden with anger) betray the rebel in him.
 It is not that easy to write rhythmic, lilting lines to suit cinematic tunes. It is an art perfected by Atlases like Kannadaasan. It is not possible for people with little ability to sit in the same throne with Kannadaasan, when he was ruling supreme.
All said and done, Vairamuthu has the usual weakness of poets for pet phrases and repetitive use of words. His excessive use of
Deva as an adjective for example. Deva vaarthai, deva punnagai… (a divine word, divine smile….) Subsequently the word
raaja enslaved him. Raja poovey, raaja thene (Kingly blossom, royal
honey…). It goes to the credit of the Press which wrote tirelessly and humorously with takeoff like
'raaja vaervai' (royal sweat), which put a stop to his addiction.
The latest of his favourite is swaasam (breath). May be it started with the movie
'En swaasak kaatre'. It showed up in the song 'en swaasak kaatre
neeyadi' (You are my very breath), first. His recent lines carry his penchant for
swaasam. 'un moochuk kaatrinil irukku; adhai vaangi uyir vaazvaena' (….the air that you exhaled… I will live by inhaling it…).
'Poong kaatrile un swaasaththai theedip paarththaen (I hunted for the breath that you exhaled in the fragrant wind).
'Naetru nee engu irundhai kaatre nee solvay endraen swaasaththil irundhadhaga solli
sendrai' (When I enquired your whereabouts o wind, you left me saying 'was in the breath') are a few to quote.
Vairamuthu has the fascination for writing science in his lyrics.
'sevvaayil jeevarasi unndaa endru vigyanam kavalai kollum… un sevvaayil ulladhadi' (Science is looking for evidence of life in Mars. It is there in your lips -
sevvay is a pun for Mars and the ruddy lip.) Variety, diction, cadence, passion and rich meaning distinguish his lyrics. No wonder he is called
'Kavip paerarasu' (the monarch of poetry).
By Tamil Magan
Translated by Hari Krishnan
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