Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Enna Petha Rasa (Female)

From Thalaimurai · 1998

Lyricist
Arivumathi
Singer
Sunandha
Music director
Ilayaraja
Details
Thalaimurai1998

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Enna peththa rasaMy dear son born to me,
Enna petha rasa paasam enna lesaaMy dear son born to me, is motherly love a trivial thing?
Thannanthaniyaagi nikkithintha rosaThis rose stands all alone,
Magan undu irunthaalum maladiThough having a son, she is like a barren woman,
Azha vendum ippothu kumuriShe must cry and mourn in anguish now,
Kaaththiruntha naal idhu kai nazhuvi poguthuThe day she waited for is slipping away from her hands,
Paththi eriyum peththa vayiruThe womb that gave birth burns with grief,
Female
Enna petha rasa paasam enna lesaaMy dear son born to me, is motherly love a trivial thing?
Enna petha rasa….My dear son born to me...
Female
Vela senju naan pozhachchumThough I survived by doing hard labor,
Yaezhai illa manasukkullaI was never poor in my heart,
Ennaiyae padaichchaan yaen saamiyaeWhy did God create me like this, O Lord?
Ada naan paaviyaeOh, what a sinner I am!
Female
Thaanam endru thaan kodukkaTo give away as charity,
Kaiyil oru porulum indriWithout any wealth or possession in my hands,
Unnaththaan koduththaen naan paaviyaeI gave you away instead, what a sinner I am!
Female
Ammaannu nee azhaikka kaaththiruntha naaluThe day I waited for you to call me 'Mother',
Kanneeru aanathadaa saeththu vechcha paaluThe stored milk of motherly love has turned into tears,
En vayittril yaen poranthaeWhy were you born in my womb?
Vithi vanthuthaan ingu vilaiyaaduthuFate has arrived here to play its cruel game,
Enakkini mael yaaro yaaro…From now on, who is there for me, who?
Female
Enna petha rasa paasam enna lesaaMy dear son born to me, is motherly love a trivial thing?
Enna petha rasa…..My dear son born to me...
Female
Sollaama anbu vechchuHolding love without expressing it,
Sonthathaiyum moodi vechchu nenjamaeHiding the bond of kinship within my heart,
Embiyae poraaduthae dhinam poraaduthaeMy heart leaps and struggles, daily it struggles,
Peththaalum pulla illaThough I gave birth, I have no child,
Seththaalum kolli illaEven if I die, there is no one to perform my final rites,
Sonthamum panthamum veraanathaeKinship and ties have all become estranged,
Female
Ennoda mana kadhavu moodavilla saamiThe door of my heart hasn't closed, O God,
Eppothum theranthirukku anbu mugam kaamiIt remains open always; show me your loving face,
Pora vazhi oththa vazhi…ee….ee…The path to travel is a narrow, solitary path...
Ozhunkagaththaan adhu oor seranumIt must reach its destination properly,
Ini uravum yaaro yaaroFrom now on, who is family to me, who?
Female
Enna petha rasa paasam enna lesaaMy dear son born to me, is motherly love a trivial thing?
Thannanthaniyaagi nikkithintha rosaThis rose stands all alone,
Magan undu irunthaalum maladiThough having a son, she is like a barren woman,
Azha vendum ippothu kumuriShe must cry and mourn in anguish now,
Kaaththiruntha naal idhu kai nazhuvi poguthuThe day she waited for is slipping away from her hands,
Paththi eriyum peththa vayiruThe womb that gave birth burns with grief,
Female
Enna petha rasa paasam enna lesaaMy dear son born to me, is motherly love a trivial thing?
Enna petha rasa….My dear son born to me...

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This song is a heartbreaking maternal lament from the movie 'Thalaimurai' (1998). It expresses the intense emotional pain of a mother who, due to dire financial circumstances or fateful compulsions, was forced to give away her son. Despite having carried and brought a child into the world, she feels as helpless and empty as a childless woman ('maladi'). The mother mourns the loss of the tender moments she had dreamed of—such as hearing her child call her 'Amma'—and describes her maternal affection and love turning into endless tears.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Paradox / Oxymoron

Magan undu irunthaalum maladi

Presents a contradiction where having a son still leaves the mother socially and emotionally 'barren' due to separation.

Metaphor (உருவகம்)

Thannanthaniyaagi nikkithintha rosa

Compares the isolated, vulnerable mother to a lonely rose standing by itself.

Ethugai (எதுகை - Second-letter Rhyming)

Peththaalum pulla illa / Seththaalum kolli illa

The second letters of 'Peththaalum' and 'Seththaalum' rhyme ('th'), creating a rhythmic and poignant contrast between birth and death.

Metaphor (உருவகம்)

Kanneeru aanathadaa saeththu vechcha paalu

The maternal milk stored up for the child metaphorically turns into bitter tears of grief.

Did you know?

Trivia

The song features lyrics by the acclaimed poet and lyricist Arivumathi, known for writing deeply evocative Tamil folk-style lyrics exploring rural life, social realities, and maternal bonds. The song highlights the societal taboos and emotional burdens associated with motherhood and family rites in traditional Tamil culture.

Keep listening

More from Thalaimurai