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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Ambuliyai kuzhambaaki

From Ambikapathy (Old) · 1957

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singer
T. M. Soundararajan
Music director
G. Ramanathan
Movie name
Ambikapathy (Old)
Movie release year
1957
Lyrics added on
9 Feb 2019

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Ambuliyai kuzhambaakki…
Ee…ee….ee….ee…
Aravindha rasamodu amudhum serthu…
Uuu…uu….uuu…uuu….
Inba nirai mugamaakki…ee…ee…ee
Kayalirandai kannaakki…ee…ee…ee..
Mannan eendha paingiliyae ..ae…
Paingiliyae…ae…ae…ae…
Ayaloruvar kan padumo endranji
Ayaloruvar kan padumo endranji
Bayathodunnai kangalilae kanbadhallaal
Kana pozhudhum inai piriyaa…aaa…aa…
Kaalam yendro… o… oo…ooo…ooo..ooo
Melting the moon into a sweet essence...
Ee... ee... ee... ee...
Blending it with lotus extract and nectar...
Ooh... ooh... ooh... ooh...
Shaping a face filled with joy...
Making two shining fish your eyes...
O sweet parrot gifted by the king...
O sweet parrot...
Fearing that a stranger's gaze might fall upon you...
Fearing that a stranger's gaze might fall upon you...
Other than watching you with fear in my eyes...
Never parting even for a single moment...
When will that time finally come? Oh...
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This poetic verse uses exquisite classical Tamil imagery to describe the divine beauty of the beloved. The creator is imagined as having liquefied the moon, mixed it with lotus extract and heavenly nectar to craft her joyful face, and shaped two darting fish to form her eyes. The protagonist affectionately addresses her as a precious parrot and expresses deep anxiety that others' envious glances might harm her. The verse concludes with a passionate yearning for a time when the lovers will never be separated, not even for a fleeting second.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Uruvam (Metaphor / Imagery)

Ambuliyai kuzhambaakki… / Kayalirandai kannaakki…

Composing a face out of the moon, lotus essence, and nectar, and eyes out of fish (Kayal) uses classic Tamil Sangam metaphors to exaggerate facial beauty.

Adhi Monai (Initial Alliteration)

Aravindha rasamodu amudhum serthu…

The repetition of the initial vowel sound 'A' in 'Ambuliyai', 'Aravindha', and 'Ayaloruvar' builds a musical and rhythmic cadence.

Iyaibu (End Rhyme)

Inba nirai mugamaakki… Kayalirandai kannaakki…

The matching endings of 'Mugamaakki' and 'Kannaakki' create an elegant rhyming structure across consecutive lines.

Did you know?

Trivia

The 1957 classic film 'Ambikapathy' starred Sivaji Ganesan and P. Bhanumathi, with music composed by G. Ramanathan. Lyricist Kannadasan drew heavily from medieval Chola court poetry traditions for these lines, incorporating traditional epithets like comparing a woman's eyes to fish ('Kayal') and her speech/presence to a parrot ('Paingili').

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