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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Ellam Alangolamo Ithuvum

From Paasavalai · 1956

Lyricist
Pattukkottai Kalyanasundram
Singer
Jikki
Music director
Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy
Details
Paasavalai1956

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Ellaam alangolamooIs everything in complete disarray?
Idhuvum en kaalamooIs this my fate too?
Thunba irulum manathuyarumThe darkness of sorrow and mental agony
Ini endha naalil thaan maarumooOn which day will it finally change?
Female
Ellaam alangolamooIs everything in complete disarray?
Idhuvum en kaalamooIs this my fate too?
Thunba irulum manathuyarumThe darkness of sorrow and mental agony
Ini endha naalil thaan maarumooOn which day will it finally change?
Female
Ullam vaedhanaiyaal vendhaeMy heart burns with grief
Urugum paedhai inai kandumEven seeing a helpless woman melting in sorrow
OOmaiyaanadhoo needhi urakkam kondadhoHas justice gone mute, or has it fallen asleep?
Oru kallam ninaithariyaatha ennaiFor me, who never harbored a single deceitful thought
Kavalai moodidumooWill grief shroud me completely?
Female
Madhi kalangum en vaazhvuWill my life, which confuses the mind
Kannil karainthuthaan vidumooDissolve away in my tears?
Thiraikadalil thurumbenavaeLike a piece of straw in a roaring ocean
Thindaadum sodhanai yaenoWhy is there such a struggling trial?
Female
Ellaam alangolamooIs everything in complete disarray?
Idhuvum en kaalamooIs this my fate too?
Thunba irulum manathuyarumThe darkness of sorrow and mental agony
Ini endha naalil thaan maarumooOn which day will it finally change?
Female
Aasai selvangalum manaiyumDesired treasures and the household
Azhagu naayaganumAnd the handsome husband
Vindhai pesum kuzhandhaigalumAnd children who speak innocent wonders
Thaayum pirindhae ponadhu polJust like being separated from a mother
Female
Indha vaasal kolangalumHave the decorative doorstep patterns
Kalandhu maraindhu ponadhuvooFaded away and completely vanished?
Padu mosa ulaginilaeIn this treacherous world
Nallorin mudivu idhu thaanoIs this the end reserved for good people?
Thiraikadalil thurumbenavaeLike a piece of straw in a roaring ocean
Thindaadum sodhanai yaenoWhy is there such a struggling trial?
Female
Ellaam alangolamooIs everything in complete disarray?
Idhuvum en kaalamooIs this my fate too?
Thunba irulum manathuyarumThe darkness of sorrow and mental agony
Ini endha naalil thaan maarumooOn which day will it finally change?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This poignant song expresses the deep anguish and despair of a virtuous woman who finds her once-happy household reduced to utter chaos and grief. She questions her destiny and wonders why divine justice seems to have gone silent or fallen asleep, leaving her to suffer despite her innocence and purity of heart. The lyricist draws vivid imagery, comparing her plight to a helpless speck of straw tossed in a stormy ocean and to threshold decorations that fade away into nothingness. The song laments the tragic suffering that often befalls righteous people in a deceitful world, constantly yearning for the day when this overwhelming darkness will end.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Upamai (Simile)

Thiraikadalil thurumbenavae

Compares the protagonist's helpless struggle in life to a piece of straw floating precariously in a ocean.

Personification

OOmaiyaanadhoo needhi urakkam kondadho

Justice (needhi) is personified as a human being who has either lost its voice (oomaeyaanadhoo) or fallen asleep (urakkam kondadho).

Uruvagam (Metaphor)

Thunba irulum manathuyarum

Sorrow is metaphorically described as darkness (thunba irulum) enveloping the mind.

Esubhu (Rhyme / End Rhyme)

Ellaam alangolamoo / Idhuvum en kaalamoo

Use of lingering long vowel sounds '-oo' at the end of lines to convey prolonged grief and questioning tone.

Did you know?

Trivia

Paasavalai (1956) featured music composed by the duo Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy, with lyrics by the legendary social philosopher-poet Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram. Sung heart-wrenchingly by P. Leela, the song captures the core thematic tragedy of the film's heroine.

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