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Lyrics & meaning

Enga Pora

From Madha Yaanai Kootam · 2013

Lyricist
Ekadasi
Singer
Thanjai Selvi
Music director
N. R. Raghunanthan
Details
Madha Yaanai Kootam2013

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Enga pora maganaeWhere are you going, my son?
Nee enga poramaganaeOh straying son, where are you going?
Oora vittu poraYou are leaving the village,
Thaai vera vittu poraYou are leaving your mother, your very roots.
Sandaala ganamaeOh cruel moment!
Vittu poraadhu un inamaeYour clan will never leave you alone.
Irukudhu ettu dhesaiThere are eight directions out there,
Nee poradhu endha dhesaWhich direction are you heading to?
Female
Sirippai marandhaaiYou forgot how to smile,
Chinnadhaaga irandhaaiYou died a little inside.
Unaku marundhaaiTo heal you like medicine,
Irukiraal oru thaaiA mother is still here.
Kuthi vacha arisi thaanThe pounded rice,
Ulayila kidakudhuLies waiting in the cooking pot.
Pethu potta vairuthaanThe belly that gave birth to you,
Pathikittu eriyudhu …Is burning in intense grief...
Female
Enga pora maganaeWhere are you going, my son?
Nee enga poramaganaeOh straying son, where are you going?
Oora vittu poraYou are leaving the village,
Thaai vera vittu poraYou are leaving your mother, your very roots.
Sandaala ganamaeOh cruel moment!
Vittu poraadhu un inamaeYour clan will never leave you alone.
Irukudhu ettu dhesaiThere are eight directions out there,
Nee poradhu endha dhesaWhich direction are you heading to?
Female
Vethalla kodi onnuA betel vine,
Nerupula padarndhirichiHas spread right into the fire.
Pethavalin madi piriyumSeparating from the mother's lap who bore you,
Perundhuyar nadandirichaeA great tragedy has occurred.
Soru ootum sondham bandhamThe relatives who once fed you rice,
Soolchiyaaga pesirichaeHave now spoken with deceitful malice.
Ver arukka saadhi sanamTo sever your roots, your own caste people,
Vettaruvaa veesirichaeHave brandished their machetes.
Female
Enna idhu kanakkuWhat kind of accounting/fate is this?
Idi mattum unakkuOnly thunderbolts strike you.
Saadhisanam edhukuWhy do we need such caste relatives?
Saamiyum dhaan edhukkuWhy do we even need God?
Veyila somandhuCarrying the burden of heat,
Viththukittu poradhengaeWhere are you wandering, losing yourself?
Iruta paaipolRolling yourself up like a dark mat,
Suritikittu povadhengae …Where are you fleeing...
Female
Enga pora maganaeWhere are you going, my son?
Nee enga poramaganaeOh straying son, where are you going?
Oora vittu poraYou are leaving the village,
Thaai vera vittu poraYou are leaving your mother, your very roots.
Sandaala ganamaeOh cruel moment!
Vittu poraadhu un inamaeYour clan will never leave you alone.
Irukudhu ettu dhesaiThere are eight directions out there,
Nee poradhu endha dhesaWhich direction are you heading to?
Female
Valithunai illaamaWithout any companion on the way,
Vanavaasam povadhu polLike going into forest exile,
Karai illaa nadhiyaatamLike a river overflowing without banks,
Kandhaa neeyum poradhengae.Oh Kandha, where are you going?
Female
Kal vilundha kulam polaLike a pond struck by a heavy stone,
kalangiruchae un polappuYour life has become muddy and disturbed.
Poo vilundha kanna polaLike an eye affected by blindness,
Poyirichae un polappuYour livelihood is lost completely.
Female
Nenjukuzhi oramNear the pit of my chest,
Pacha kuthi ponenI got a green tattoo inked.
Pachakili onnuA green parrot inside,
Kathukittu kidakkuKeeps crying out in anguish.
Chellamae… chediyaeOh darling... oh tender plant...
Chengaattu chiththiramaeOh painting of the red soil wilderness!
Mullayae… kodiyaOh jasmine... oh creeper vine!
Upparathu vazhi neeyaeYou are the path to salvation!
Female
Enga pora maganaeWhere are you going, my son?
Nee enga poramaganaeOh straying son, where are you going?
Oora vittu poraYou are leaving the village,
Thaai vera vittu poraYou are leaving your mother, your very roots.
Sandaala ganamaeOh cruel moment!
Vittu poraadhu un inamaeYour clan will never leave you alone.
Irukudhu ettu dhesaiThere are eight directions out there,
Nee poradhu endha dhesaWhich direction are you heading to?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

'Enga Pora Maganae' from Madha Yaanai Kootam is a deeply emotional, soil-rooted lament sung from the perspective of a mother or matriarch witnessing a young man forced to flee his native village due to caste animosity, betrayal, and violence. The lyrics depict the tragedy of familial and caste loyalty turning into deadly hostility, forcing an innocent young man into exiled wandering like a bankless river or a stone thrown into a peaceful pond.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Upamai)

Kal vilundha kulam pola kalangiruchae un polappu

Compares the protagonist's disturbed and ruined life to a clear pond disturbed by a fallen stone.

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Vethalla kodi onnu nerupula padarndhirichi

Metaphorically compares a delicate life or family connection to a betel creeper vine spreading into fire.

Rhyme / Rhyming endings (Iyaipu)

Sirippai marandhaai / Chinnadhaaga irandhaai / Unaku marundhaai

The line endings 'marandhaai', 'irandhaai', and 'marundhaai' establish a tragic rhythmic cadence.

Alliteration (Monai)

Veyila somandhu / Viththukittu poradhengae

Repetition of the initial 'Va'/'Ve' sound creates a poetic flow.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Madha Yaanai Kootam' (2013) was directed by Vikram Sugumaran and produced by music director Kathir. The soundtrack was composed by N. R. Raghunanthan, with lyrics penned by Ekadasi. The song captures the intense rural ethos and clan dynamics of Southern Tamil Nadu.

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