Adari Padarndha
From Tenali Raman · 1956
- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singer
- V. N. Sundaram
- Music director
- Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy
- Details
- Tenali Raman1956
Lyrics & meaning
| ♫ Tanglish lyrics | ↻ English translation |
|---|---|
| Male | |
| Ahaa..aa..aaa | Ah... aa... aaa... |
| Aaderi padarndha koduyir aduppil | In the long-unlit hearth, where wild creepers have grown over, |
| Aambhi pooppa theempasi uzhala | Where mushrooms sprout and intense hunger torments us, |
| Illi thoorndha pollaa varudhanam | We endured a terrible year in our dilapidated, poor abode, |
| Suvaithorum suvaithorum | Seeking sustenance again and again, |
| Paal kaanadhu | Finding no milk to feed, |
| Kuzhavi thaai mugam nokka | The infant looks helplessly at the mother's face, |
| Thaai em mugam nokka | The mother looks helplessly at my face, |
| Yaamum nin mugam nokki vandhanam aiyaa | And I have come looking at your face for grace, oh Lord! |
ஹா ...ஆஆ
ஆடெரி படர்ந்த கோடுயர் அடுப்பில்
ஆம்பிப் பூப்பத் தீம்பசி உழல...
இல்லி தூர்ந்த பொல்லா வருதனம்
சுவைதொறும் சுவைதொறும்
பால் காணாது....
குழவி தாய் முகம் நோக்க
தாய் எம் முகம் நோக்க
யாமும் நின் முகம் நோக்கி வந்தனம் ஐயா....!
Ah... aa... aaa...
In the long-unlit hearth, where wild creepers have grown over,
Where mushrooms sprout and intense hunger torments us,
We endured a terrible year in our dilapidated, poor abode,
Seeking sustenance again and again,
Finding no milk to feed,
The infant looks helplessly at the mother's face,
The mother looks helplessly at my face,
And I have come looking at your face for grace, oh Lord!
Ahaa..aa..aaa
Ah... aa... aaa...
Aaderi padarndha koduyir aduppil
In the long-unlit hearth, where wild creepers have grown over,
Aambhi pooppa theempasi uzhala
Where mushrooms sprout and intense hunger torments us,
Illi thoorndha pollaa varudhanam
We endured a terrible year in our dilapidated, poor abode,
Suvaithorum suvaithorum
Seeking sustenance again and again,
Paal kaanadhu
Finding no milk to feed,
Kuzhavi thaai mugam nokka
The infant looks helplessly at the mother's face,
Thaai em mugam nokka
The mother looks helplessly at my face,
Yaamum nin mugam nokki vandhanam aiyaa
And I have come looking at your face for grace, oh Lord!
Beyond the translation
Song interpretation
This poignant song from Tenali Raman (1956) draws heavily from ancient Sangam Tamil literature (specifically Purananuru motifs) to depict extreme poverty and starvation. The bard describes a kitchen stove that has stayed unlit so long that wild creepers have covered it and mushrooms have bloomed inside it. The family endures severe hunger with no food or milk available for the newborn child. In a heartbreaking sequence of helpless gazes, the starving infant looks up to its mother for milk, the helpless mother looks to the father for answers, and the destitute poet turns to the generous patron king, looking upon his face as the sole savior for his family's survival.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Visual Imagery (Katchi Ani)
“Aaderi padarndha koduyir aduppil / Aambhi pooppa theempasi uzhala”
Evokes a dramatic picture of poverty through the image of an unlit stove overgrown with wild creepers and mushrooms.
Chain Motif / Gradation (Maalai Thodai)
“Kuzhavi thaai mugam nokka / Thaai em mugam nokka / Yaamum nin mugam nokki”
Builds a tragic chain of helpless eye contact moving from the infant to the mother, the father, and finally the patron king.
Repetition of Word and Meaning (Sol-Porul Pinvaru Nilai Ani)
“Kuzhavi thaai mugam nokka / Thaai em mugam nokka / Yaamum nin mugam nokki”
The phrase 'mugam nokka' (looking at the face) is repeated across consecutive lines to emphasize mutual helplessness and ultimate reliance on the patron.
Did you know?
Trivia
Lyricist Kannadasan adapted this verse directly from ancient Sangam literature (Purananuru poem 160/164 by bard Perunchithiranar), where a poor poet describes the squalor of his unlit kitchen and hungry family to request patronage from a king.
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