- Lyricist
- A. Maruthakasi
- Singer
- P. Susheela
- Music director
- Shankar Ganesh
- Movie name
- Magarantham
- Movie release year
- 1981
- Lyrics added on
- 29 Apr 2022
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This classic lullaby from the movie 'Magarantham' (1981) features a foster mother singing lovingly to a child in her care. She showers the child with affection, comparing the child to a divine sculpture, a golden doll, and a sweet fruit. She praises the child's parents by metaphorically equating the father to an unwavering mountain and the mother to the soothing greenery surrounding it, while describing their union as a beautiful orchard. Throughout the song, the foster mother expresses immense gratitude for her role as the child's protector and caretaker. She views her duty not as a burden or mere duty, but as a heavenly blessing earned through good deeds in her past life (poorva jenmam paakkiyam). The lyrics combine gentle maternal warmth with deep philosophical reflections on destiny and parental devotion.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Monal / Emona (Monaikal - Initial Rhyme)
“Kannae en karpagamae / Kann kanda arputhamae”
Repetition of initial consonant sounds across adjacent words, such as 'Kannae' / 'Karpagamae' / 'Kann' / 'Kali' / 'Karpangkonda'.
Simile (Upamai)
“Antha malaiyai pola uyarnthavar un thanthai thaanadaa”
Explicit comparisons using 'pola' and 'pondra', comparing the father to a mountain ('malaiyai pola') and the mother to surrounding greenery ('pasumai pondra').
Metaphor (Uruvagam)
“Karpangkonda mani vayiru sorkkamthaanadaa / Antha sorkkaththile koyil konda sirpam neeyadaa”
Direct metaphorical identification of the mother's womb as heaven ('sorkkam') and the child as a divine temple sculpture ('koyil konda sirpam') or sweet fruit ('suvai miguntha kani').
Iyaibu (End Rhyme)
“Intha sirpaththai seeraatta vantha sevili thaayadaa”
Consistent end rhyming pattern using the affectionate suffix '-adaa' across multiple stanzas (e.g., sirpam neeyadaa, thaayadaa, seithithaanadaa).
Did you know?
Trivia
Composed by the legendary duo Shankar-Ganesh and penned by A. Maruthakasi, 'Kannae en karpagamae' is a classic Tamil cinematic lullaby sung by P. Susheela. Maruthakasi's lyrics beautifully weave traditional Tamil concepts of maternal love, foster care (sevili thaay), and karmic fortune (poorva jenmam paakkiyam) into a soothing melody.
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