Raasathi En Usuru - Thiruda Thiruda

My cousin says that this song is Rahman's best ever. Rendered almost as an ‘a capella’ - a song of only vocals and no accompanying instruments - this bewitching song gives me goosebumps each time I hear it. Sung by the late Shahul Hameed, it reverabates with the folkishness of a village side singer at dusk singing for himself about his deep feelings for a separating love. Were I walking home through the fields at sunset and were I to hear a song over the orange evening and across the paddy and ponds, this would be it. Shahul Hameed, most famous for his folkish songs under Rahman, sings it passionately to perfection. And I would stop to listen again.

There is very little to be said about Rahman's composition for describing such beautiful simplicity in complex words would be ironical. But I would like to concur that this is one of Rahman's best. From what I understand, the bass guitar is used in the song and so it is not entirely without accompanying instruments, but you would be hard pressed to hear it yourself among the vocal melody.

Vairamuthu's lyrics are descriptive and evocative, justly putting the village side and yearning love in superb combination. And in this song, it is the words that is the centre of all attention. Maniratnam again has done justice with his picturisation. The situation for the song is when the female protagonist intends to leave her two male friends. One of them, the one singing the song, is the extrovert and has already expressed her love for her - but that love is unrequited. It is for the other, who also loves the girl, that she has reserved her affection. Unable to express her real love and yet unable to honestly turn down her other suitor, she makes the choice to leave both. At that point is this masterpiece …

Thanks to both Savitha for bringing this up and Kannal Achuthan for giving me very important parts of the translation. Again, I’ve taken the liberty to overwrite what she has given me just because I like it better my way - so as usual, if there are mistakes, they are mine.

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Raasathi yen usuru yennathu ille hmm…

Princess, this soul’s no more mine …

Raasathi is also the name of the female protagonist in the film

Poochoodi vazhkaatthu pora pulle hmm…

Adorned with flowers you leave for a new life

Nee poona yen udambu mannukulle hmm…

When you leave, my lifeless body will be buried in this very earth ...

Raavodu seithi varum vaadhi pulle hmm…

And this sad news will reach you in the morning
... so please don’t go, come back

Raasathi yen usuru yennathu ille hmm… Ah…ah…ah…ah…

Kaara veettu thinnayile karikku manjal araikayile

You were grinding sandalwood paste on the porch of your terraced house ...

Chorus:Manjale araikum munne manase arachavale

Chorus:... before you finished with that, you had ground my heart to a powder

Karisa kaatthu odayile kandaanggi thovaikayile

At the canal by the black soil, you were washing your clothes ...

Chorus:Thuniye nanaike vitthhu manase pulinjavale

Chorus:... you left the clothes to soak, but it was my heart you wrung

Nalla kalatthu mettil enna ilutthu mudinjukkittu poonavale…

Now you have tethered me to this plough alone, and you bid goodbye

Chorus:Porave porave than butthikketthu porave than

Chorus: She is going having lost her mind to her troubles

Kalyana chelayile kannire thodachikuttu pooravale…

She leaves, wiping her tears on her sari like a departing bride ...

Chorus: Porave porave than pothikkittu poravathan

Chorus: She leaves, all covered up, wrapping within her, her true feelings

Naan tantha malligaye nattathil potthu vitthu

Discarding my gift of jasmine flowers in the river …

Arali poochoodi aluthabadi poravale…

She leaves wearing /poisonous/ arali flowers

arali here denotes the poisonous quality of the arali plant

Chorus: Kadala kaatthu kulle kai adichu sonna pulle

Chorus: In the groundnut plantations, this girl, she slapped my open palm and made promises …

Chorus: Katthule yeluthanam ponbalingga sonna solla

Chorus: … these women’s words are as good as writings in the air.

Tottu tottu pottu vatche chuttu viral kaayaliye

The finger that dabbed the vermillion twice and dotted your forehead has still not lost its new color …

Chorus:Marikolunthu vatcha kaiyil vaasam innum pogaliye

Chorus: … The hand that laid the marigold in your hair has not lost its fragrance

Maruthayil vaanggi thantha valavi innum valayiliye

... the bangles that I bought her in Madurai remain as good as new

Chorus: Mallu vetti matthiyile manja kara marayiliye

Chorus: … The turmeric mark on the new dhoti still remains

Antha kaluthu themaliyum, kaathoram matchatiyum parthatu eppo…

When will I see the nape of that neck, and the beauty spot by the ear

Chorus: Parthathu parthathu eppo paurnamiyum maruthatu eppo

Chorus: When again, when again, when will the full moon dawn again?

Antha kolusu mani ciripum kumari ilam ciripum kertpathu eppo…

When again will I hear the music of your anklets and the soft laughter of this young girl

Chorus: Kertpathu kertpathu eppo kira thandu poopatheppo

Chorus: When will I hear it again, when again, when will the green crops bloom again?

Karuvelang kaatthu kulle karicang kuruvi onnu
Suthi maari katthuthamma thunai yettham kaanam innu

In the dry forests, there is this black sparrow
Who sings out of tune with sadness that his partner has gone missing

Chorus:Kadala kaatthu kulle kai adicu sonna pulle
Katthule yeluthanam ponbalingga sonna solla

Raasathi yen usuru yennathu ille hmm…
Poochoodi vaka patthu pora pulle hmm…
Nee pona yen udambu mannukulle hmm…
Raavodu seithi varum vaadhi pulle hmm…
Raasathi yen usuru yennathu ille hmm…