Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

En Peyare Enakku Marandhu

From Oru Indhiya Kanavu · 1983

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singers
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Vani Jairam
Music director
M. S. Vishwanathan
Details
Oru Indhiya Kanavu1983

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Anaamikka anaamikka anaamikkaAnamika, Anamika, Anamika (Nameless lady)
Female :En peyarae enakku maranthu ponaFemale: In this wilderness where I had even forgotten my own name,
Indha vanantharathil ennai peyar solliWho called me by my name?
Azhaithathu yaar neeya… neeyaWas it you... was it you?
Female
Ennai oru minnal keettruI thought of myself as merely a streak of lightning,
Endrallava ninaithirunthenDidn't I think so?
Nee eppadi adhil niranthira paai mudainthaiHow did you weave a permanent mat out of it?
Chorus :…………………….Chorus: ......
Male
Enadhu yaathiraiyil ella manidhargalumIn my journey, when all other human beings
Ellai karkalaai irukkaRemained as mere boundary stones/milestones,
Nee mattum enakku paadhai aaginaai eppadiHow did you alone become the path for me?
Female
Paruva kaalangalaal pusttikkadhaMy garden which wasn't nourished by the changing seasons,
En thottamMy garden,
Un paarvaigalaal pushtithathaeBecame nourished and bloomed by your glances!
Male
Thee vizhunthaalum urugaadha en nenjuMy heart which wouldn't melt even if fire fell on it,
Oru poo vizhundha podhu urugiyadhaeMelted when a single flower fell upon it!
Chorus :…………………………..Chorus: ......
Female
Indha kaadhal megam thaanThis cloud of love,
Manamennum erimalaiyilUpon the volcano called the mind,
Mazhai sindhi mazhai sindhi adhilShowers rain again and again, and from it,
Ullaasa vanangalai urpathi seiyumCreates joyous, delightful forests!
Male
Idhaya rojaa sediyilOn the rose plant of the heart,
Indha ottrai poo poothu vitaalOnce this single flower blossoms,
Aththanai mutkalum udhirnthu pogindranaAll the sharp thorns drop off and vanish.
Female
Vaalibam yenthi paarkkumThis is the begging bowl that youth holds out,
Thiruvodum idhu thaanThis is it.
Male :Vaalibam soodi paarkkumMale: Youth also wears this as a crown,
Kreedamum idhu thanThis is indeed that crown.
Chorus :…………………………..Chorus: ......
Male
Mudhalil sapthangalukkuAt first, the meaning of sounds
Artham sariyaai vilagavillaiWas not clear to me;
Female :Ippodho maunathirukkum koodaFemale: But now, even for silence itself,
Urai ezhudha mudigirathuI am able to write an explanatory commentary!
Male
En kangal unnidam kaadhal pitchaiMy eyes ask you for the alms of love,
Ketkkum amudha surabigalLike the legendary vessel of inexhaustible food (Amudha Surabhi);
Amudha surabhigal pattini kidakalaamaShould such an Amudha Surabhi lie starving?
Un paarvaiyai pichaiyidu hmmm pichaiyiduGrant your glance as alms... hmmm, grant it as alms!
Chorus
…………………………........

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

The song 'Anaamikka' from 'Oru Indhiya Kanavu' (1983) is a deeply philosophical and poetic expression of newfound love and self-realization. The female protagonist feels transformed from a state of identity-less isolation into a flourishing world of emotion. She marvels at how her lover transformed her fleeting existence into something permanent, becoming her path rather than a mere bystander.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Uruvagamb (Metaphor)

Manamennum erimalaiyil

Comparing the mind to a volcano ('Manamennum erimalaiyil') and comparing eyes to the mythical vessel of divine abundance ('Amudha Surabhi').

Muran (Oxymoron / Contrast)

Thee vizhunthaalum urugaadha en nenju

Contrasting fire not melting the heart versus a soft flower melting it instantly ('Thee vizhunthaalum urugaadha en nenju / Oru poo vizhundha podhu urugiyadhae').

Hyperbole & Personification

Vaalibam yenthi paarkkum Thiruvodum idhu thaan

Describing youth as holding a begging bowl (thiruvodu) and wearing a crown (kreedam) depending on perspective.

Did you know?

Trivia

The film 'Oru Indhiya Kanavu' was directed by Komal Swaminathan, based on his own famous play of the same name. Vairamuthu's lyrics incorporate rich literary metaphors such as 'Amudha Surabhi' (from the ancient Tamil epic Manimekalai), juxtaposing classical Tamil motifs with modernist poetic imagery.

Keep listening

More from Oru Indhiya Kanavu