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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Kanagathe Gugai

From Digambara Samiyar · 1950

Lyricist
Ka. Mu. Sheriff
Singer
A. P. Komala
Music director
G. Ramanathan
Movie name
Digambara Samiyar
Movie release year
1950
Lyrics added on
24 Aug 2025

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Kanagathae kugai naduvae maan ondru
Puliyidathae agappattar polae
Naanum ingae naligindrenae
Yenindha penn jenmam eduthaen jegadheesa
Yenindha penn jenmam eduthaen jegadheesa
Yenindha penn jenmam
Perum kadalil soorai kaatril
Alai modhum thoni pola
Perum kadalil soorai kaatril
Alai modhum thoni pola
Karai saerum maargam kaanaadhu
Kedhi kalangugindrenae
Karai saerum maargam kaanaadhu
Kedhi kalangugindrenae
En ennam yaavum paazhadainthu
Mannum aagumoo
Yenindha penn jenmam eduthaen jegadheesa
Like a deer inside a cave in the forest,
Trapped in the clutches of a tiger,
I am suffering here in agony.
Why was I born as a woman, O Lord of the universe?
Why was I born as a woman, O Lord of the universe?
Why this birth as a woman?
In the vast sea, caught in a stormy wind,
Like a boat battered by crashing waves,
In the vast sea, caught in a stormy wind,
Like a boat battered by crashing waves,
Unable to see a way to reach the shore,
I tremble, lost and helpless.
Unable to see a way to reach the shore,
I tremble, lost and helpless.
Will all my hopes be ruined
And turn to dust?
Why was I born as a woman, O Lord of the universe?
Female
Female
Female
Female

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

In this poignant song from the 1950 film Digambara Samiyar, the protagonist deeply laments her helplessness and questions the hardship of her existence as a woman. She uses vivid similes to express her sorrow, comparing herself first to a trapped deer in a forest cave about to be devoured by a tiger, and then to a fragile boat violently tossed by stormy waves in the middle of a boundless sea without a way to reach safety. Devastated by despair and feeling her destiny crumbling to dust, she cries out to the Almighty (Jegadheesa) seeking answers for her plight.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Upamai)

Puliyidathae agappattar polae

Compares the protagonist's helpless trapped situation to a deer caught by a tiger in a forest cave ('polae').

Simile (Upamai)

Alai modhum thoni pola

Compares her soul's suffering amidst troubles to a small boat tossed by ocean waves in a cyclone ('pola').

Imagery (Katchi Inbam)

Perum kadalil soorai kaatril

Evokes turbulent imagery of a massive stormy ocean to symbolize existential chaos and helplessness.

Alliteration (Monaai)

Karai saerum maargam kaanaadhu / Kedhi kalangugindrenae

Use of the 'K' consonant sound across words ('Karai', 'kaanaadhu', 'Kedhi', 'kalangugindrenae') creating a rhythmic melancholy.

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Trivia

Digambara Samiyar (1950) was a hit Tamil adaptation of Vaduvoor K. Duraiswamy Iyengar's detective novel, produced by Modern Theatres. The movie featured music by G. Ramanathan, whose melodious and emotionally resonant compositions helped establish the dramatic tone of early Tamil cinema.

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