Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Azhutha Kanneerum Paalaagumaa

From Paadhai Theriyudhu Paar · 1960

Lyricist
Jeyakanthan
Singer
P. Susheela
Music director
M. B. Sreenivas
Details
Paadhai Theriyudhu Paar1960

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Azhutha kannerum paalagumaWill the tears shed turn into milk?
Adhanaal unadhu pasi theerumaWill that quench your hunger?
Adhanaal unadhu pasi theerumaWill that quench your hunger?
Inba sumaiyaai irunthavanae…ae…O one who was once a joyful burden...
Thunba sumaiyaai piranthavanaeO one who was born as a sorrowful burden!
Thunba sumaiyaai piranthavanaeO one who was born as a sorrowful burden!
Female
Thaai oru ezhai ariyaamalUnaware that your mother is a poor woman,
Thuyar thandhida vandhaai en maganaeYou came to give grief, my son.
Nee oru selvam endriduvaarPeople will claim that you are a precious treasure;
En nenja kumuralai solliduvaaiGo tell them the agony in my heart!
Female
Azhutha kannerum paalagumaWill the tears shed turn into milk?
Adhanaal unadhu pasi theerumaWill that quench your hunger?
Female
Chinnanchiriya kudisaiyilae oliIn a tiny little hut, light
Sindhida vandha theru vilakkaeYou came to spill like a street lamp.
Ennai illamal pon vilakkil sudarIn a golden lamp devoid of oil, the flame
Aadi thudikkudhae aandavanaeFlickers and shivers, O Lord!
Female
Azhutha kannerum paalagumaWill the tears shed turn into milk?
Adhanaal unadhu pasi theerumaWill that quench your hunger?
Female
Natta nadutheru orathilaeRight on the side of the open street,
Pani kottidum kuliril nadungugiraaiYou shiver in the biting cold as dew falls.
Ottiya maarbinil mugam pudhaithuBurying your face against my sunken chest,
Nee urangidadaa en kanmaniyaeSleep now, my dear apple of my eye!
Female
Azhutha kannerum paalagumaWill the tears shed turn into milk?
Adhanaal unadhu pasi theerumaWill that quench your hunger?
Adhanaal unadhu pasi theerumaWill that quench your hunger?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This poignant song depicts an impoverished mother's heartbreaking grief as she cradles her starving child on a cold night. She laments that her sorrowful tears cannot transform into milk to satisfy her baby's hunger, questioning the irony of society viewing a child as a blessing when she cannot even afford to feed him.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Rhetorical Question

Azhutha kannerum paalaguma

The opening line asks if tears can turn into milk, highlighting the tragic helplessness of extreme poverty.

Antithesis / Oxymoron

Inba sumaiyaai irunthavanae... Thunba sumaiyaai piranthavanae

Contrasts 'Inba sumai' (joyful burden) with 'Thunba sumai' (sorrowful burden) to show the conflict between maternal love and painful poverty.

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Ennai illamal pon vilakkil sudar Aadi thudikkudhae aandavanae

Compares a starving, dying child to a flame flickering in an oil-less lamp.

Did you know?

Trivia

Paadhai Theriyudhu Paar (1960) was a realistic, left-leaning Tamil film directed by Nemai Ghosh with music composed by M. B. Sreenivasan. The lyrics were penned by acclaimed writer Jayakanthan and sung beautifully by P. Susheela.

Keep listening

More from Paadhai Theriyudhu Paar