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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Amma Seiyaadha

From Mangayar Ullam Mangatha Selvam · 1962

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singer
T. M. Soundararajan
Music director
P. Aadhinarayana Rao
Details
Mangayar Ullam Mangatha Selvam1962

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Amma …..Oh mother...
Seiyaadha paavam soozhndhadheSins uncommitted have surrounded me,
Seradha thunbam serndhadhaeUnmerited sorrow has reached me.
Amma …..Oh mother...
Seiyaadha paavam soozhndhadheSins uncommitted have surrounded me,
Seradha thunbam serndhadhaeUnmerited sorrow has reached me.
Male
Anbu vaithaal adhu thunbamIf love is bestowed, it brings suffering,
Nenjil aasai vaithaal adhu mosamIf desire is kept in the heart, it leads to deceit,
Ondrupattaal adhu paavamIf coming together, it is deemed a sin,
Nalla uravu kondaal adhu dhrogamIf establishing a good bond, it turns into betrayal.
Male
Amma …..Oh mother...
Seiyaadha paavam soozhndhadheSins uncommitted have surrounded me,
Seradha thunbam serndhadhaeUnmerited sorrow has reached me.
Male
Annai maarbilae thanga malarA golden flower on the mother's chest,
Adhu mannar maalgai thandha malarThat flower gifted by the royal palace,
Indru ezhai pol vaadudhammaToday, it wilts like a poor soul, oh mother,
Thaai idhaya oonjalil aadudhammaSwinging in the cradle of the mother's heart, oh mother.
Male
O mannargalae…Oh kings...
O..mannargalaeOh... kings!
Ungal needhi engaeWhere is your justice?
Manidhargalae manam engaeOh human beings, where is your heart?
Mangaiyar nallaram engaeWhere is the righteous virtue of women?
Male
Amma …..Oh mother...
Seiyaadha paavam soozhndhadheSins uncommitted have surrounded me,
Seradha thunbam serndhadhaeUnmerited sorrow has reached me.
Male
Eduthu kollavoo kaigal illaiThere are no hands left to embrace,
Paal koduthu kaakavoo vazhiyum illaiNor is there a way to feed milk and protect,
Viduthu pogavoo mudiyavillaiYet, one cannot abandon and walk away,
Nenjil viluntha paasamoo kuraiyavillaiAnd the deep affection fallen in the heart does not lessen.
Male
Un thaaimaiyilaeIn your motherhood...
Un thaaimaiyilaeIn your motherhood...
Undhan selvam valarum thalaradhaeYour precious child will grow without faltering,
Irul maraiyum oru naal ulagam vidiyumThe darkness will fade one day, and the world will see dawn,
Male
Amma …..amma…amma…Oh mother... oh mother... oh mother...

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This poignant song depicts profound emotional anguish and a plea against injustice. The singer cries out to a motherly figure, grieving how innocent actions and pure love have met with suffering, deceit, and betrayal. The lyrics address the ruler's lack of justice and humanity's loss of empathy, contrasting the royalty of a child's heritage with the impoverished state of their current plight. Ultimately, the song carries a message of resilient hope through motherhood, assuring that love will sustain the child and light will eventually break through the darkness.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Edhugai (Second-letter Rhyme)

Seiyaadha paavam / Seradha thunbam

The second consonant sound 'i' matches across consecutive lines, creating a classic Tamil rhyming rhythm.

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Annai maarbilae thanga malar

The child is metaphorically described as a 'thanga malar' (golden flower) placed upon the mother's chest.

Antithesis / Irony

Anbu vaithaal adhu thunbam / Nalla uravu kondaal adhu dhrogam

Contrasts virtuous actions like love, affection, and bonding with their tragic and opposite consequences like suffering, sin, and betrayal.

Rhetorical Questioning

Ungal needhi engae / Manidhargalae manam engae

Directly questions authority and society to highlight moral bankruptcy.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Mangayar Ullam Mangatha Selvam' (1962) was a bilingual film (made concurrently in Telugu as 'Swarnamanjari') produced and composed by P. Aadhinarayana Rao under the Anjali Pictures banner, starring Gemini Ganesan and Anjali Devi. Kannadasan's emotive lyrics combined with T. M. Soundararajan's expressive vocal delivery made this song an enduring tragic masterpiece.

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