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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Enakkenna Manakkavalai

From Sorgathil Thirumanam · 1974

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singer
Vani Jairam
Music director
Shankar Ganesh
Details
Sorgathil Thirumanam1974

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Chorus
……………..
Female
Enakkenna manakkavalaiWhat mental worry do I have?
Female
Enakkenna manakkavalaiWhat mental worry do I have?
Inippillai kasappum illaiThere is no sweetness, nor is there bitterness.
Idhu thuravu nilaiThis is a state of renunciation.
Mazhaiyilae nanaigiraenI get drenched in the rain,
Veyyilil kaaigiraenI dry in the heat of the sun.
Female
No mother no father we don’t botherNo mother, no father, we don't bother,
Female
Thaayennum panbu thavariya pinbuAfter failing in the quality of being a mother,
Thaayena solvathu paavamIt is a sin to call oneself a mother.
Annai enna pillai ennaWhat is a mother? What is a child?
Panthamaa paasamaa yaavumae naadagamIs it a bond? Is it affection? Everything is a drama.
Female
Enakkenna manakkavalaiWhat mental worry do I have?
Inippillai kasappum illaiThere is no sweetness, nor is there bitterness.
Idhu thuravu nilaiThis is a state of renunciation.
Mazhaiyilae nanaigiraenI get drenched in the rain,
Veyyilil kaaigiraenI dry in the heat of the sun.
Chorus
…………….
Female
Kadhalan endrum kadhali endrumCalling someone a lover or a beloved,
Konjiyathaal enna laabamWhat profit is there in coaxing and pampering?
Micham enna meetham ennaWhat is left? What is the remainder?
Aangalae pengalae kadhal orr kaanalaeOh men and women, love is just a mirage.
Female
Where we begin where we endWhere we begin, where we end,
Then and there we have no friendThen and there, we have no friend.
Female
Yaarengu povaar yaarukku theriyumWho goes where, who knows?
Yaar vazhai yaar vara koodumIn whose path can anyone join?
Kelvi illai vidaiyum illaiThere are no questions, nor are there answers.
Karuvarai kallarai irandilum thanimaithaanFrom the womb to the tomb, in both, there is only solitude.
Female
Enakkenna manakkavalaiWhat mental worry do I have?
Inippillai kasappum illaiThere is no sweetness, nor is there bitterness.
Idhu thuravu nilaiThis is a state of renunciation.
Mazhaiyilae nanaigiraenI get drenched in the rain,
Veyyilil kaaigiraenI dry in the heat of the sun.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This song portrays a profound philosophical awakening and spiritual detachment from worldly life. The protagonist expresses a state of complete indifference ('thuravu nilai' or renunciation) where emotional dualities like joy and sorrow, sweetness and bitterness, cease to matter. Motherhood, romantic love, and family ties are depicted as transient stage plays ('naadagam') and mirages ('kaanal') rather than enduring truths. Through Kannadasan's sharp philosophical phrasing, the song underscores the absolute existential truth of human solitude from birth to death ('karuvarai kallarai irandilum thanimaithaan'). Enduring external hardships like rain and heat with equanimity, the speaker accepts the solitary nature of human existence without expectations, attachments, or regrets.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Antithesis / Contrast (Muran)

Inippillai kasappum illai

Juxtaposes contrasting concepts like sweetness and bitterness ('inippu' vs 'kasappu') and rain and sun ('mazhai' vs 'veyyil') to symbolize emotional neutrality.

Metaphor (Uruvagaimai)

Aangalae pengalae kadhal orr kaanalae

Directly compares romantic love to a mirage ('kaanal'), highlighting its illusory and deceptive nature.

Initial Alliteration (Monaai)

Karuvarai kallarai irandilum thanimaithaan

Repetition of the 'Ka' sound in 'Karuvarai' and 'Kallarai', creating a poetic link between womb and tomb.

End Rhyme (Iyaibu)

Kelvi illai vidaiyum illai

Repetition of the ending term 'illai' emphasizing non-existence and philosophical negation.

Did you know?

Trivia

Composed by the duo Shankar-Ganesh for the 1974 film 'Sorgathil Thirumanam', this song is renowned for Kannadasan's detached philosophical lyrics which blend English and Tamil lines effortlessly. Singer Vani Jairam delivered the track with a calm, meditative tone that perfectly captures the mood of renunciation.

Keep listening

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