Pottu Pottu Mal Pohottu

Bud by bud, the flower buds,
petal by petal opening wide,
enter the world of flowers

The bird chicks in the nest,
leaving mother and father, spreading their two wings,
fly off into the sky… away they go… away they go

The buds that lay hidden, alone, have entered the world of flowers
bees are drawn from every side, as fragrance is shared with the world
a flower’s life has begun, to share its fruitfulness with the world
the bud-age of life enters the world of flowers
those lives, given over to the love of God and the love of others
to spread the love of God through the world, may God keep you safe

This is a gentle hymn built entirely on a picture from nature, and it uses that picture to bless young lives setting out to serve God. Its central image is the opening of flower buds, “bud by bud, petal by petal opening wide,” entering “the world of flowers,” and, alongside it, the fledgling birds who, “leaving mother and father, spreading their two wings, fly off into the sky.” Both images speak of the tender moment when something small and sheltered grows up and steps out into the wider world.

The middle verse draws the parable out. The buds that once “lay hidden, alone” now open and share their fragrance, so that “bees are drawn from every side,” and “a flower’s life has begun, to share its fruitfulness with the world.” A blossom exists not just to be beautiful but to give, scent, nectar, fruit, and so does a maturing human life.

The song then names what it has been describing all along: “the bud-age of life,” youth coming into its own, and it prays that those young lives be “given over to the love of God and the love of others.” Their purpose is to “spread the love of God through the world,” and the hymn closes with a blessing, “may God keep you safe.” What the listener is left with is a warm, hopeful send-off, the sense that growing up, like a flower opening, is meant to end in generosity, dedication and a life poured out in love.