Appa Un Magalai
From Kavitha · 1962
- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singer
- P. Susheela
- Music director
- K. V. Mahadevan
- Details
- Kavitha1962
Lyrics & meaning
| ♫ Tanglish lyrics | ↻ English translation |
|---|---|
| Female | |
| Appa un magalai paarthaaya | Father, did you see your daughter? |
| Azhu kural sangeetham kettaaya | Did you hear the music of her crying voice? |
| Appa un magalai paarthaaya | Father, did you see your daughter? |
| Azhu kural sangeetham kettaaya | Did you hear the music of her crying voice? |
| Eppodhum idhu pol thudikattum endrae | Praying that she throb with agony like this forever, |
| Eduthoru kaiyil koduthaaya… | Did you hand her over into someone else's hands? |
| Appa un magalai paarthaaya | Father, did you see your daughter? |
| Azhu kural sangeetham kettaaya | Did you hear the music of her crying voice? |
| Female | |
| Thaalatti seeratti valarthaayae | You raised me with loving lullabies and care, |
| En thangame endreduthu anaithaayae | Calling me your precious gold, you embraced me tightly. |
| Thaalatti seeratti valarthaayae | You raised me with loving lullabies and care, |
| En thangame endreduthu anaithaayae | Calling me your precious gold, you embraced me tightly. |
| Vaazha vendum endru ninaithaayae | You wished that I should live a good life, |
| Vaazha vendum endru ninaithaayae | You wished that I should live a good life, |
| Oru maalaiyil en vaazhvai mudithaayae | Yet with a single garland, you brought my life to an end. |
| Appa un magalai paarthaaya | Father, did you see your daughter? |
| Azhu kural sangeetham kettaaya | Did you hear the music of her crying voice? |
| Female | |
| Naan kanda kanavai nee kalaithaai | You shattered the dreams that I had, |
| Indru nee kanda kanavai avar kalaithaar | Today, he shattered the dreams that you had. |
| Naan kanda kanavai nee kalaithaai | You shattered the dreams that I had, |
| Indru nee kanda kanavai avar kalaithaar | Today, he shattered the dreams that you had. |
| Naam kanda kanavugal kalaindhadhappa | Father, all the dreams we harbored have dissolved, |
| Naam kanda kanavugal kalaindhadhappa | Father, all the dreams we harbored have dissolved. |
| Ellam naayagan vidhippadi nadanthadhappa | Everything happened according to the fate written by the Almighty, father. |
| Female | |
| Appa…appaa | Father... father... |
| Appa un magalai paarthaaya | Father, did you see your daughter? |
| Azhu kural sangeetham kettaaya | Did you hear the music of her crying voice? |
| Eppodhum idhu pol thudikattum endrae | Praying that she throb with agony like this forever, |
| Eduthoru kaiyil koduthaaya… | Did you hand her over into someone else's hands? |
| Appa un magalai paarthaaya | Father, did you see your daughter? |
| Azhu kural sangeetham kettaaya | Did you hear the music of her crying voice? |
அப்பா உன் மகளைப் பார்த்தாயா
அழுக் குரல் சங்கீதம் கேட்டாயா
அப்பா உன் மகளைப் பார்த்தாயா
அழுக் குரல் சங்கீதம் கேட்டாயா
எப்போதும் இது போல் துடிக்கட்டும் என்றே
எடுத்தொரு கையில் கொடுத்தாயா
அப்பா உன் மகளைப் பார்த்தாயா
அழுக் குரல் சங்கீதம் கேட்டாயா
Father, did you see your daughter?
Did you hear the music of her crying voice?
Father, did you see your daughter?
Did you hear the music of her crying voice?
Praying that she throb with agony like this forever,
Did you hand her over into someone else's hands?
Father, did you see your daughter?
Did you hear the music of her crying voice?
தாலாட்டிச் சீராட்டி வளர்த்தாயே
என் தங்கமே என்றெடுத்து அணைத்தாயே
தாலாட்டிச் சீராட்டி வளர்த்தாயே
என் தங்கமே என்றெடுத்து அணைத்தாயே
வாழ வேண்டுமென்று நினைத்தாயே
வாழ வேண்டுமென்று நினைத்தாயே
ஒரு மாலையில் என் வாழ்வை முடித்தாயே
அப்பா உன் மகளைப் பார்த்தாயா
அழுக் குரல் சங்கீதம் கேட்டாயா
You raised me with loving lullabies and care,
Calling me your precious gold, you embraced me tightly.
You raised me with loving lullabies and care,
Calling me your precious gold, you embraced me tightly.
You wished that I should live a good life,
You wished that I should live a good life,
Yet with a single garland, you brought my life to an end.
Father, did you see your daughter?
Did you hear the music of her crying voice?
நான் கண்ட கனவை நீ கலைத்தாய்
இன்று நீ கண்ட கனவை அவர் கலைத்தார்
நான் கண்ட கனவை நீ கலைத்தாய்
இன்று நீ கண்ட கனவை அவர் கலைத்தார்
நாம் கண்ட கனவுகள் கலைந்ததப்பா
நாம் கண்ட கனவுகள் கலைந்ததப்பா
எல்லாம் நாயகன் விதிப்படி நடந்ததப்பா
You shattered the dreams that I had,
Today, he shattered the dreams that you had.
You shattered the dreams that I had,
Today, he shattered the dreams that you had.
Father, all the dreams we harbored have dissolved,
Father, all the dreams we harbored have dissolved.
Everything happened according to the fate written by the Almighty, father.
அப்பா ..அப்பா
அப்பா உன் மகளைப் பார்த்தாயா
அழுக் குரல் சங்கீதம் கேட்டாயா
எப்போதும் இது போல் துடிக்கட்டும் என்றே
எடுத்தொரு கையில் கொடுத்தாயா
அப்பா உன் மகளைப் பார்த்தாயா
அழுக் குரல் சங்கீதம் கேட்டாயா
Father... father...
Father, did you see your daughter?
Did you hear the music of her crying voice?
Praying that she throb with agony like this forever,
Did you hand her over into someone else's hands?
Father, did you see your daughter?
Did you hear the music of her crying voice?
Appa un magalai paarthaaya
Father, did you see your daughter?
Azhu kural sangeetham kettaaya
Did you hear the music of her crying voice?
Appa un magalai paarthaaya
Father, did you see your daughter?
Azhu kural sangeetham kettaaya
Did you hear the music of her crying voice?
Eppodhum idhu pol thudikattum endrae
Praying that she throb with agony like this forever,
Eduthoru kaiyil koduthaaya…
Did you hand her over into someone else's hands?
Appa un magalai paarthaaya
Father, did you see your daughter?
Azhu kural sangeetham kettaaya
Did you hear the music of her crying voice?
Thaalatti seeratti valarthaayae
You raised me with loving lullabies and care,
En thangame endreduthu anaithaayae
Calling me your precious gold, you embraced me tightly.
Thaalatti seeratti valarthaayae
You raised me with loving lullabies and care,
En thangame endreduthu anaithaayae
Calling me your precious gold, you embraced me tightly.
Vaazha vendum endru ninaithaayae
You wished that I should live a good life,
Vaazha vendum endru ninaithaayae
You wished that I should live a good life,
Oru maalaiyil en vaazhvai mudithaayae
Yet with a single garland, you brought my life to an end.
Appa un magalai paarthaaya
Father, did you see your daughter?
Azhu kural sangeetham kettaaya
Did you hear the music of her crying voice?
Naan kanda kanavai nee kalaithaai
You shattered the dreams that I had,
Indru nee kanda kanavai avar kalaithaar
Today, he shattered the dreams that you had.
Naan kanda kanavai nee kalaithaai
You shattered the dreams that I had,
Indru nee kanda kanavai avar kalaithaar
Today, he shattered the dreams that you had.
Naam kanda kanavugal kalaindhadhappa
Father, all the dreams we harbored have dissolved,
Naam kanda kanavugal kalaindhadhappa
Father, all the dreams we harbored have dissolved.
Ellam naayagan vidhippadi nadanthadhappa
Everything happened according to the fate written by the Almighty, father.
Appa…appaa
Father... father...
Appa un magalai paarthaaya
Father, did you see your daughter?
Azhu kural sangeetham kettaaya
Did you hear the music of her crying voice?
Eppodhum idhu pol thudikattum endrae
Praying that she throb with agony like this forever,
Eduthoru kaiyil koduthaaya…
Did you hand her over into someone else's hands?
Appa un magalai paarthaaya
Father, did you see your daughter?
Azhu kural sangeetham kettaaya
Did you hear the music of her crying voice?
Beyond the translation
Song interpretation
This classic song from the 1962 movie 'Kavitha' captures a deeply tragic emotional confrontation between a daughter and her father. The protagonist laments her fate after her marriage, questioning her father about how the loving upbringing he gave her ultimately led to her suffering. She sarcastically compares her tearful cries to 'music' and grieves over how an arranged union ruined her life despite her father's good intentions.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Oxymoron / Irony
“Azhu kural sangeetham kettaaya”
Combining 'Azhu kural' (crying voice) with 'sangeetham' (music) highlights the bitter irony of her pain being treated lightly or turning her suffering into a tragic melody.
Double Entendre / Metaphor
“Oru maalaiyil en vaazhvai mudithaayae”
'Maalai' refers both to 'evening' and 'wedding garland'. By placing the wedding garland on her, her life was symbolically ended rather than started.
Parallelism / Rhyme (Iyaibu)
“Naan kanda kanavai nee kalaithaai / Indru nee kanda kanavai avar kalaithaar”
Contrasts 'Naan kanda kanavai' (dreams I saw) with 'nee kanda kanavai' (dreams you saw), showing the fatal cycle of shattered hopes between generations.
Anaphora
“Appa un magalai paarthaaya”
Repeated line emphasizing the direct plea and grief directed toward the father.
Did you know?
Trivia
Composed by K. V. Mahadevan with lyrics by Kannadasan, 'Appa un magalai paarthaaya' remains one of Tamil cinema's most poignant father-daughter heartbreak songs, elevated by P. Susheela's expressive vocals.
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