- Lyricist
- A. Maruthakasi
- Singer
- T. V. Rathinam
- Music director
- K. V. Mahadevan
- Movie name
- Asai Anna Arumai Thambi
- Movie release year
- 1955
- Lyrics added on
- 19 Sept 2021
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This uplifting philosophical song from 'Asai Anna Arumai Thambi' (1955) advises the human mind to stop dwelling on past regrets and lost times. Instead, lyricist A. Maruthakasi urges the listener to embrace the future with optimism and hope. Through simple yet profound analogies—such as restringing a broken harp to restore melody and repairing a fallen house to reside in it again—the song highlights resilience and the human capacity to rebuild life after setbacks. Furthermore, the song reminds us that death and change are natural parts of existence. Wasting energy in hopeless grief over the past achieves nothing. One must observe nature, like the joyous singing skylark, and actively seek paths that eliminate sorrow to lead a fulfilling and cheerful life.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Apostrophe (Addressing the Mind / Manavi)
“Udhari thallaathae manmae”
The lyricist directly addresses his own mind throughout the song using 'manamae' or 'manamaa', treating it as an entity to be counseled.
Analogy (Uvamai)
“Arunthu pona pinnum antha yaazhiyilae / Pudhiya narambai maatti naadham saerpathillaiyaa”
The song uses the metaphor of replacing a broken string on a lute (yaazh) to tune melody again as an analogy for rebuilding one's broken life.
Edhugai (Second-letter Rhyme)
“Arunthu pona pinnum antha yaazhiyilae / Sarinthu pona veetai intha ulagilae”
The second letters of 'Arunthu' and 'Sarinthu' share matching sound/consonant rhyming structures in Tamil poetic tradition.
Did you know?
Trivia
Written by the famed lyricist A. Maruthakasi, who was known as 'Aasiriya Kavingnar', this song exemplifies his signature style of providing practical life philosophy in simple, rhythmic Tamil. The film 'Asai Anna Arumai Thambi' (1955) starred A. P. Nagarajan, who later became an acclaimed director in Tamil cinema.
Keep listening
Songs with a similar feeling
From the same album
More songs from Asai Anna Arumai Thambi
View albumSpot an issue?
Help us improve the lyrics or English translation.