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Lyrics & meaning

Engengo Ullasa Oorvalam

From Yanai Valartha Vanampadi Magan · 1971

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singer
P. Susheela
Music director
K. V. Mahadevan
Details
Yanai Valartha Vanampadi Magan1971

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Engengo ullasa oorvalamA joyful procession going everywhere,
Sellum vennilaOh travelling white moon!
Indru endhendha oorilae thiruvizhaIn which towns is there a festival today?
Female
Unnai kalyaana penendru sollavaaShall I call you a bride?
Azhagu kannadi un maeni allavaaIs not your body a beautiful glass mirror?
Unnai kalyaana penendru sollavaaShall I call you a bride?
Azhagu kannadi un maeni allavaaIs not your body a beautiful glass mirror?
Mannukku nee thandha paavadai ondrallaThe silk dress of moonlight you gave to the earth is not just one,
Pennukkum tharuvaayaWill you give one to a woman like me too?
Female
Engengo ullasa oorvalamA joyful procession going everywhere,
Sellum vennilaOh travelling white moon!
Indru endhendha oorilae thiruvizhaIn which towns is there a festival today?
Female
Muthu pallaakku yaar thandha vaaganamWho gave you this pearl palanquin as a vehicle?
Velli vinmeengal yaar thandha sedhanamWho gave you the silver stars as a dowry?
Muthu pallaakku yaar thandha vaaganamWho gave you this pearl palanquin as a vehicle?
Velli vinmeengal yaar thandha sedhanamWho gave you the silver stars as a dowry?
Oorukku sollamal kalyanam aanadhaeYou got married secretly without telling the town,
Yaar andha maapillaiyooWho is that bridegroom?
Female
Engengo ullasa oorvalamA joyful procession going everywhere,
Sellum vennilaOh travelling white moon!
Indru endhendha oorilae thiruvizhaIn which towns is there a festival today?
Female
Iravu vaanathil varugindra pennadiOh girl who appears in the night sky,
Pagal nerathil un velai ennadiWhat is your work during the daytime?
Iravu vaanathil varugindra pennadiOh girl who appears in the night sky,
Pagal nerathil un velai ennadiWhat is your work during the daytime?
Yen endru kelamal enakkaga solladiWithout asking why, tell me for my sake,
Naanum pennallavooAm I not a woman as well?
Female
Engengo ullasa oorvalamA joyful procession going everywhere,
Sellum vennilaOh travelling white moon!
Indru endhendha oorilae thiruvizhaIn which towns is there a festival today?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

In this classic song from 'Yanai Valartha Vanampadi Magan', the protagonist addresses the full moon personified as a beautiful bride traversing the night sky. She playfully inquires about the moon's secret wedding, asking who gifted her the celestial vehicle of a pearl palanquin and the silver stars as dowry gifts. The song captures a innocent, inquisitive woman's fascination with nature, musing on the moon's daily life and comparing her own longing for womanhood and love with the bright beauty of the night sky.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Personification

Unnai kalyaana penendru sollavaa

The moon is personified as a bride dressed up for a grand procession.

Metaphor

Velli vinmeengal yaar thandha sedhanam

The twinkling stars in the sky are metaphorically described as silver dowry gifts ('sedhanam') given to the moon.

Ethugai (Second letter rhyming)

Muthu pallaakku... / Velli vinmeengal...

The second consonant sound 'th' (த்) / 'l' (ல்) creates structural rhyming across couplets.

Simile / Visual Imagery

Azhagu kannadi un maeni allavaa

Comparing the radiant glow of the moon's surface to a polished glass mirror.

Did you know?

Trivia

The film 'Yanai Valartha Vanampadi Magan' (1971) features music by the legendary master K. V. Mahadevan. Lyrics written by 'Kaviarasu' Kannadasan were famous for seamlessly blending grand cosmic imagery with simple, relatable emotional language. Singer P. Susheela's sweet rendition of this song remains a classic example of her work in 1970s Tamil cinema.

Keep listening

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