Dalwu Pahan Lyrics by Chandralekha PereraLakshman Wijesekara

May the lamps that were lit stay burning,
may the ruined hopes put out shoots and grow,
may the lips that once were close meet again,
may the parted eyes be freed from tears

May the sorrows and aches that flow from a lovelorn heart
be soothed by a wave of cool breeze,
may the pure aspirations, unbroken,
reveal a loving world in the dawn-lit sky

May the lamps that were lit stay burning,
may the ruined hopes put out shoots and grow,
may the lips that once were close meet again,
may the parted eyes be freed from tears

This is a gentle duet of blessings, a song made almost entirely of wishes, written by the eminent lyricist Prof. Sunil Ariyaratne. Every line is a prayer for a hurt love to heal: may the lamps that were lit keep burning, may ruined hopes sprout and grow again like new shoots, may lips once close meet once more, and may eyes parted in sorrow be freed from their tears. The lit lamp is the song’s recurring image of hope kept alive.

The second verse widens the blessing. May the sorrows flowing from a lovelorn heart be calmed by a wave of cool breeze, it asks, and may pure aspirations, kept unbroken, reveal a loving world in the dawn sky. The dawn stands for a fresh beginning; the wish is not for one romance alone but for a gentler, more loving world to appear with the morning.

Sung together by Chandralekha Perera and Lakshman Wijesekara, the song works as mutual reassurance, two voices wishing the same healing over each other. There is no story of conflict here, only the tender act of blessing: let what was broken mend, let what was lost grow back, let the light stay lit. It is a quiet, hopeful prayer for love and for the world, from one of Sri Lanka’s most respected songwriters.