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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Enna Petha Ammave

From Rudhran · 2023

Lyricist
Madhurakavi
Singer
G. V. Prakash Kumar
Music director
G. V. Prakash Kumar
Details
Rudhran2023

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Enna petha ammavaeOh mother who gave birth to me,
Enna petha ammavaeOh mother who gave birth to me,
Enna vittu enga ponaWhere did you go, leaving me behind?
Yenga vecha ammavaeWhere did you leave me longing, oh mother?
Male
Enna petha ammavaeOh mother who gave birth to me,
Enna petha ammavaeOh mother who gave birth to me,
Enna vittu enga ponaWhere did you go, leaving me behind?
Yenga vecha ammavaeWhere did you leave me longing, oh mother?
Male
Pethu enna valathava thaanThe one who gave birth to me and raised me,
Ithupoyae kidakkiriyaeYou lie here completely motionless like this.
Pechum moochumYour speech and breath...
Oinju kidakkiyaeHave ceased and you lie still.
Male
Thaalattum thottil saelaThe saree cradle that rocked me to sleep
Saayam vittu pogalavillaiHas not even lost its color yet.
Thalattu padinavaBut you who sang the lullaby,
Saayam vittu poyittiyaeHave faded away and gone!
Male
Un saela katti ninnuDraped in your saree, you stood
Vazhi anuppi vechavalaeAnd saw me off on my way.
Pattu saela vaangi vandhenI brought a silk saree for you,
Vizhi mayangi kidakkiyaeAnd you lie here, eyes closed forever.
Male
Karuvil thaangiCarrying me in your womb,
Kanavil yengiLonging in your dreams,
Kadhari eendraCrying out in pain as you birthed me,
Thiyaaga uruvamaeOh embodiment of sacrifice!
Male
Sila nodi pidichiHolding on for a few moments,
Pinju manam podachiBurying a tender heart,
Un nizhalil nadikkaTo walk under your shadow,
Maru jenmam thondrumaWill another birth ever happen?
Male
Ooraaru mecha unnaTo make you live proudly, praised by the village,
Naan vazha veikka thaanTo make you live a good life,
Ezhezhu kadalum thaandi vandhenI crossed seven seas and came back.
Moochodu mallu kattiWrestling with my breath,
Enna pethavaleOh mother who birthed me!
Mundhaana koondil vechiKeeping me inside the shelter of your saree hem,
PadhukaathavalaeYou protected me.
Male
Thanaaga thudicha nenjuYour heart that beat on its own,
Enna nenachudhoWhat did it think of me?
Kaimaaru enna senjaWhat recompense can I offer
Paavam theerkavoTo wash away my sins?
Male
Enna petha ammaavaeOh mother who gave birth to me,
Enna petha ammaavaeOh mother who gave birth to me,
Male
Thagappan tholgalMy father's shoulders
Thaangida illaiyaeWere not there to support me.
Thaayin madiyumAnd my mother's lap
Thoonga illaiyammaIs no longer there to sleep on, oh mother.
Male
Thannanthani maramaLike a solitary tree,
Nikka vechu neeyaeLeaving me standing alone,
Thaai izhandha maganaAs a motherless son,
Paada vechittiyaeYou made me sing this mourning song.
Male
Thaayae un kadhaadhappilOh mother, in your comforting warmth,
Panikkudam vedhu vedhuppilIn the gentle warmth of the amniotic fluid,
Naan vaazha piravi vaaikkumaWill I ever be blessed with a life to live again?
Male
Oor koodi thaer izhuthumEven if the whole town gathers to pull the chariot,
Deivam kaanavillaGod cannot be seen.
Mukkodi silai irundhuEven with thirty million idols,
Thaaya minjavillaiNone can surpass a mother.
Male
Poradi sothu serthumThough I struggled and accumulated wealth,
Inbam seravillaiNo happiness came to me.
Thaayae nee illama thaanOh mother, without you,
Motcham illaiThere is no salvation.
Male
Enna petha ammavaeOh mother who gave birth to me,
Enna petha ammavaeOh mother who gave birth to me,
Enna vittu enga ponaWhere did you go, leaving me behind?
Yenga vecha ammavaeWhere did you leave me longing, oh mother?
Male
Enna petha ammavaeOh mother who gave birth to me,
Enna petha ammavaeOh mother who gave birth to me,
Enna vittu enga ponaWhere did you go, leaving me behind?
Yenga vecha ammavaeWhere did you leave me longing, oh mother?
Male
Pethu enna valathava thaanThe one who gave birth to me and raised me,
Ithupoyae kidakkiriyaeYou lie here completely motionless like this.
Pechum moochumYour speech and breath...
Oinju kidakkiyaeHave ceased and you lie still.
Male
Thaalattum thottil saelaThe saree cradle that rocked me to sleep
Saayam vittu pogalavillaiHas not even lost its color yet.
Thalattu padinavaBut you who sang the lullaby,
Saayam vittu poyittiyaeHave faded away and gone!
Male
Un saela katti ninnuDraped in your saree, you stood
Vazhi anuppi vechavalaeAnd saw me off on my way.
Pattu saela vaangi vandhenI brought a silk saree for you,
Vizhi mayangi kidakkiyaeAnd you lie here, eyes closed forever.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

The song 'Enna Petha Ammavae' from the 2023 movie 'Rudhran' is an intensely poignant mourning elegy expressed by a grieving son upon discovering his mother's death. Having traveled overseas and worked relentlessly to accumulate wealth and earn respect for his mother, he returns home eager to present her with a silk saree, only to find her lifeless body. The protagonist pours out his heartache over how the saree used as his childhood cradle hasn't even lost its color, while the mother who rocked it has faded away forever. Throughout the track, the lyrics explore deep themes of maternal sacrifice, filial remorse, and spiritual loss. The protagonist reflects on growing up without a father's guidance, only to now lose his mother's warm lap. He realizes that all his hard-earned riches are rendered meaningless without her presence, emphasizing that no deity across millions of temples can ever replace the divine status of a mother.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Monai (Initial Alliteration)

Karuvil thaangi / Kanavil yengi / Kadhari eendra

Repetition of the initial 'Ka' (க) sound across consecutive lines creating a rhythmic, somber cadence.

Simile (Uwamai)

Thannanthani marama / Nikka vechu neeyae

The protagonist compares his desolate state after losing his mother to a single tree standing isolated in an open field.

Contrast / Irony

Thaalattum thottil saela / Saayam vittu pogalavillai / Thalattu padinava / Saayam vittu poyittiyae

Contrasts the durable physical color of the cradle saree with the mother's life fading away prematurely.

Hyperbole (Aruval)

Ezhezhu kadalum thaandi vandhen

An expressive exaggeration ('crossed seven seas') commonly used in Tamil folk poetry to denote journeying across vast distances.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Enna Petha Ammavae' is a soulful maternal mourning track from the action-thriller 'Rudhran' (2023). The song was composed and rendered by G. V. Prakash Kumar, with lyrics penned by Madhurakavi. It serves as an emotional anchor in the film, highlighting the protagonist's deep bond with his mother played by veteran actress Poornima Bhagyaraj.

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