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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Eppan Eppanai

From Yaazh · 2017

Lyricist
Yazh Bharathi
Singer
Namitha Babu
Music director
S. N. Arunagiri
Details
Yaazh2017

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Eppan eppanaai saak kolluthaeHow and in what ways does it kill me on pretext,
Kothari kaadhalThis mauled, torn love?
Appan kuppanin sollai koodathanEven the advice of common folk,
Ketkatha kaadhalThis stubborn love refuses to listen to!
Female
Ethukkaai inga irunthaWhy were you staying here,
Vara maruthai payalaeOh boy who then refused to come?
Anai karukkai enai aruthaaiYou sliced through me like a sharp blade of grass,
Ippo veruthaai uyiraeAnd now you despise my very life, my love!
Female
Vekkatti pora en kitta nillamaLeaving shamelessly without standing near me,
Ookkatti vaikka orr saattai sollathaDo not utter excuses to keep me dangling!
Female
Eppan eppanaai saak kolluthaeHow and in what ways does it kill me on pretext,
Kothari kaadhalThis mauled, torn love?
Appan kuppanin sollai koodathanEven the advice of common folk,
Ketkatha kaadhalThis stubborn love refuses to listen to!
Female
Idhayathin valavukkul nippanaWill he stand inside the curved bends of my heart?
Ezhamal eripatten eppanaanI burned without being able to rise, how did it happen?
Poovunnu sonna nee mookkannaIf I am called a gentle flower, are you an abrasive thorn?
Nee nillendru sonnal thaan nikkanaWill I halt only if you tell me to halt?
Nallooraai naan irunthaal nee thaeradaIf I am a sacred town, you are its temple chariot, my dear!
Naam illa yazhukku ini yaradaWithout the two of us, who is there left for the Yazh instrument?
Female
Eppan eppanaai saak kolluthaeHow and in what ways does it kill me on pretext,
Kothari kaadhalThis mauled, torn love?
Appan kuppanin sollai koodathanEven the advice of common folk,
Ketkatha kaadhalThis stubborn love refuses to listen to!
Female
Ethukkaai inga irunthaWhy were you staying here,
Vara maruthai payalaeOh boy who then refused to come?
Anai karukkai enai aruthaaiYou sliced through me like a sharp blade of grass,
Ippo veruthaai uyiraeAnd now you despise my very life, my love!
Female
Kadhaalai kanjalai ukkumoWill love spill out like heavy, sorrowful tears?
Kaarai mullai athu kuthumoWill it prick relentlessly like sharp thorny bushes?
Kalam karaichalai nikkumoWill the troubled turbulence of time ever cease?
Ennai kathi kularida vaikkumoWill it make me scream out as if wounded by a knife?
Aaripona thaen kaniyai ennai oothuraYou pour me away like a fruit nectar that has gone cold,
Ammana yazhaiyum nee emaathuraYou deceive even the pure, innocent Yazh harp!
Female
Eppan eppanaai saak kolluthaeHow and in what ways does it kill me on pretext,
Kothari kaadhalThis mauled, torn love?
Appan kuppanin sollai koodathanEven the advice of common folk,
Ketkatha kaadhalThis stubborn love refuses to listen to!
Female
Ethukkaai inga irunthaWhy were you staying here,
Vara maruthai payalaeOh boy who then refused to come?
Anai karukkai enai aruthaaiYou sliced through me like a sharp blade of grass,
Ippo veruthaai uyiraeAnd now you despise my very life, my love!
Female
Vekkatti pora en kitta nillamaLeaving shamelessly without standing near me,
Ookkatti vaikka orr saattai sollathaDo not utter excuses to keep me dangling!
Female
Eppan eppanaai saak kolluthaeHow and in what ways does it kill me on pretext,
Kothari kaadhalThis mauled, torn love?
Appan kuppanin sollai koodathanEven the advice of common folk,
Ketkatha kaadhalThis stubborn love refuses to listen to!

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This emotional song expresses the deep angst, heartbreak, and resilience of a woman in love. She reflects on how love torments her relentlessly, disregarding all logic, societal advice, and common sense. The lyrics use rural and cultural metaphors to convey the sharp pain of betrayal and abandonment by her beloved, comparing his words to blades of grass and sharp thorns.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Ethugai (Rhyming second letter)

Eppan eppanaai saak kolluthae / Appan kuppanin sollai koodathan

The second consonant 'p' rhymes across consecutive thematic couplets ('Eppan' and 'Appan').

Metaphor

Nallooraai naan irunthaal nee thaerada

The speaker metaphorically equates herself to a holy town (Nalloor) and her lover to the grand temple chariot (Thaer) that gives it purpose.

Imagery / Simile

Anai karukkai enai aruthaai

Uses vivid tactile imagery, comparing emotional heartbreak to being sliced by the sharp edge of wild grass (karukku).

Did you know?

Trivia

'Yaazh' (2017) is an Indian Tamil-language drama directed by MS Anand. Set against the backdrop of the Eelam Tamil diaspora, the movie heavily features regional Eelam Tamil linguistic nuances and cultural motifs, such as the ancient Yazh musical instrument.

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