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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Anbulla Appa Ennappa

From Anbulla Appa · 1987

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singers
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. P. Sailaja
Music director
Shankar Ganesh
Details
Anbulla Appa1987

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Anbulla appaaDear father
Male :EnnappaaMale: Yes, my child?
Female :Ungal kaadhal kadhaiyaiFemale: Your love story
Kettaal thappaaIs it wrong if I ask about it?
Male :Appappaa pollaadha pennappaaMale: Oh my, what a troublesome girl!
Female
Anbulla appaaDear father
Male :EnnappaaMale: Yes, my child?
Female :Ungal kaadhal kadhaiyaiFemale: Your love story
Kettaal thappaaIs it wrong if I ask about it?
Male :Ahaahahaa pollaadha pennappaaMale: Ahaha, what a mischievous girl!
Female
M… ungalodadhuM... yours
Kaadhal kalyaanam thaanaeWas it a love marriage?
Male
Of course it was a love marriageOf course it was a love marriage
Female
Neenga ammaavaWhen did you
Paarthadhu eppodhuSee mother for the first time?
Nyaabagam undaa ippodhuDo you remember it now?
Male
Mmm…hahahaMmm...hahaha
Mudhal muthathaiyumThe first kiss
Mudhal kaadhalaiyumAnd the first love
Marakka mudiyaadhu magalaeCannot be forgotten, my daughter.
Avalai naan paarthadhu…When I saw her...
Malargal vandugalukku paetti kodukkumWhere flowers give interviews to bees,
Oottiyil oru malar kaatchiyil thaan…At a flower show in Ooty...
Andha nandhavanathai chandhithaenI met that garden of flowers.
Female
Ammaa eppadiHow was mother?
Azhagaa irundhaangalaaWas she beautiful?
Male :Andha malar kaatchiyilMale: At that flower show,
Azhagaana poovaeThe only beautiful flower
Aval mattum thaanWas her alone!
Pookkalellaam aval kanindhaAll the other flowers, to see her gentle
Mugam kaanaFace,
Naani koni kunindhu kondanaShied away and bent low in awe!
Female
Ungal mana vaazhkkaiyilIn your married life,
Malarum ninaivugal undaaAre there blooming memories?
Male :Naan thaaiyidam koodaMale: Even from my own mother,
Paarthadhillai andha paasamI haven't seen such affection.
Aval ninaivugalae en swaasamHer memories are my very breath.
Female
Anbulla appaaDear father
Male :EnnappaaMale: Yes, my child?
Female :Ungal kaadhal kadhaiyaiFemale: Your love story
Kettaal thappaaIs it wrong if I ask about it?
Male :Appappappappaa naughty girlappaaMale: Oh dear, what a naughty girl!
Female
Appaa ammaa ungalaFather, did mother take
Nallaa gavanichikkittaangalaaGood care of you?
Male
Saelaiyil enadhuWith her saree, my
Mugam thudaippaalFace she would wipe.
Naan sinunginaalIf I sulked,
Chella adi koduppaalShe'd give a loving tap.
ViralgalukkellaamFor all my fingers,
SulukkeduppaalShe would relieve sprains.
En naga kannil koodaEven from my fingernails,
AzhukkeduppaalShe would remove dirt.
Male
ThaayaaiAs a mother,
Avalai paarthadhunduI have seen her.
En thaadhiyaaiAs a nurse,
Avalai paarthadhunduI have seen her.
Oru thaen kudamaaiAs a pot of honey,
Avalai paarthadhundu…I have seen her...
But… aval urangi mattumBut... sleeping, alone,
Naan paarthadhillai…I have never seen her...
Female
Is it…Is it...
Ammaa urangi neengaYou haven't seen mother sleeping?
Paarthadhae illaiyaaI saw her, my daughter, I saw her.
Male
Paarthaen magalae paarthaenI saw her, my daughter, I saw her.
Paarthaen magalae paarthaenWhen she took her final sleep
Eppodhu aval kadaisi urakkam kollaAnd closed her eyes, only then
Kan moodinaalo appodhu thaanDid I see her sleeping.
Aval urangi naan paarthaenFather...
Female
Appaa…Male: Yes, my daughter...
Male :Aam magalae…You opened your eyes...
Nee kan thirandhaai…She vanished from sight...
Aval kan maraindhaal…In my sky... the morning star arose...
En vaanathil… vidi velli ezhundhadhu…And the full moon... disappeared...
Vennilavu… maraindhadhu…

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This poignant duet takes the form of a conversational musical dialogue between a loving father and his inquisitive daughter. The daughter playfully probes into her father's past, asking about his love marriage with her mother. The father nostalgically recalls meeting his late wife at an Ooty flower exhibition, painting a picture of her peerless grace and tender care that surpassed even motherly devotion.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagakani)

Andha nandhavanathai chandhithaen

The wife is metaphorically described as a blooming garden ('nandhavanam') and a pot of honey ('thaen kudam').

Personification (Tharkurippaetragani)

Naani koni kunindhu kondana

Flowers at the show are personified as shyly bowing low in humility upon seeing the mother's breathtaking face.

Contrast / Antithesis

Nee kan thirandhaai… Aval kan maraindhaal…

The lyricist creates a bitter-sweet contrast between the daughter's arrival into the world and the mother's departure.

Symbolic Imagery

En vaanathil… vidi velli ezhundhadhu… Vennilavu… maraindhadhu…

The daughter is symbolized as the bright morning star ('vidi velli') while the mother is symbolized as the setting full moon ('vennilavu').

Did you know?

Trivia

This emotional song from the 1987 film 'Anbulla Appa' features music composed by the duo Shankar-Ganesh, lyrics penned by Vairamuthu, and vocals performed by S. P. Balasubrahmanyam and K. S. Chithra.

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