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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Adhirshtam Adhu Ishtamaaga

From Kathanayaki · 1955

Lyricist
Suratha
Singer
P. Leela
Music director
G. Ramanathan
Details
Kathanayaki1955

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
AdhirstamLuck
Adhirstam athu istamaagaLuck comes of its own accord,
Varuvathaanunga adhirstamGood fortune comes naturally, my friends!
Adhu istamaagaIt comes on its own,
Varuvathuthaanunga adhirtamGood fortune indeed comes of its own accord!
Female
Pathatta pattaal mudiyumaaCan panic get things done?
Pettai kozhi koovinaal vidiyumaaWill dawn break if a hen crows?
Pathatta pattaal mudiyumaaCan panic get things done?
Pettai kozhi koovinaal vidiyumaaWill dawn break if a hen crows?
Female
Paaril yaavarum thannai meeriyaeEven if everyone in this world exceeds their limits
Panaththaasaiyaal alainthaalumWandering about due to greed for money,
Adhu istamaaga varuvathaanunga adhirstamGood fortune only arrives when it desires to, my friends!
Paaril yaavarum thannai meeriyaeEven if everyone in this world exceeds their limits
Panaththaasaiyaal alainthaalumWandering about due to greed for money,
Adhu istamaaga varuvathaanunga adhirstamGood fortune only arrives when it desires to, my friends!
Female
Kanavu paliththida kaaththirunthaenI waited for my dream to come true,
Annaalilae en manam polOn that day, according to my heart's desire,
Antha kavalai theernthathae vaazhvilaeThat worry in life finally vanished.
Kanavu paliththida kaaththirunthaenI waited for my dream to come true,
Annaalilae en manam polOn that day, according to my heart's desire,
Antha kavalai theernthathae vaazhvilaeThat worry in life finally vanished.
Female
Kalai aarvamaagavae aduththu muyandraalumEven if one tries earnestly out of passion for art,
Aagum naalandri aagaathu ulagil athuIn this world, nothing happens except on its destined day;
Istamaaga varuvathaanunga adhirstamGood fortune arrives only on its own terms, my friends!
Kalai aarvamaagavae aduththu muyandraalumEven if one tries earnestly out of passion for art,
Aagum naalandri aagaathu ulagil athuIn this world, nothing happens except on its destined day;
Istamaaga varuvathaanunga adhirstamGood fortune arrives only on its own terms, my friends!
Female
Rani polavae vaazhvenI will live like a queen,
Aa…aa…..aah…aa…aa…aa…Aa…aa…..aah…aa…aa…aa…
Rani polavae vaazhvenI will live like a queen,
Isai vaani endra pugazh adaivaenI will achieve fame as the goddess of music,
Female
Kalaivaanil mevidum vaanampaadi polLike a skylark soaring in the sky of art,
Kaanampaadidum enathu vaazhvilae athuIn my life filled with singing melodies,
Ishtamaaga varuvaathanunga adhirstamGood fortune arrives only on its own terms, my friends!
Kalaivaanil mevidum vaanampaadi polLike a skylark soaring in the sky of art,
Kaanampaadidum enathu vaazhvilae athuIn my life filled with singing melodies,
Ishtamaaga varuvaathanunga adhirstamGood fortune arrives only on its own terms, my friends!

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Adhirstam from the 1955 film Kathanayaki is a philosophical and lighthearted song sung by P. Leela, set to music composed by G. Ramanathan with lyrics by Suratha. The song reflects on the nature of destiny, fortune, and human patience. It highlights that true luck cannot be forced or rushed by panic, drawing upon classic folk wisdom that a hen's crowing cannot force the sun to rise ahead of time. Despite mankind's endless, restless chase after wealth, fortune unfolds strictly on its own timeline. The singer reflects on her own life, expressing how her patience paid off when her creative dreams came true. Envisioning a bright future where she lives like a queen and achieves renown in the world of music, she compares herself to a free skylark soaring through the sky of fine arts, celebrating both her artistic passion and her trust in divine timing.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Proverb / Folk Wisdom (Pazhamozhi)

Pettai kozhi koovinaal vidiyumaa

Uses the popular Tamil folk saying about a hen crowing to emphasize that natural processes and destiny cannot be rushed.

Rhetorical Question

Pathatta pattaal mudiyumaa

Asks a rhetorical question to point out the inefficiency and futility of panicking or rushing.

Simile (Upamai)

Kalaivaanil mevidum vaanampaadi pol

Compares the singer's musical life to a lark ('vaanampaadi') soaring freely in the sky of arts ('kalaivaan').

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Isai vaani endra pugazh adaivaen

Metaphorically addresses achieving ultimate musical fame as becoming 'Isai Vaani' (the goddess of music).

Refrain / Chorus (Eiybu)

Istamaaga varuvathaanunga adhirstam

Repeats the central thesis line emphasizing that good fortune comes strictly on its own terms.

Did you know?

Trivia

The lyricist Suratha was popularly known in Tamil literature as 'Uvamai Kavagnar' (The Poet of Metaphors) due to his innate ability to explain deep philosophical truths using simple everyday analogies, as seen in this song with the hen and dawn metaphor. The film Kathanayaki (1955) featured music by master composer G. Ramanathan, whose classical compositions defined early Tamil cinema.

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