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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Kotravan Madhurai Moodhor

From Thanga Padhumai · 1959

Lyricist
Pattukkottai Kalyanasundram
Singer
P. Leela
Music director
Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy
Details
Thanga Padhumai1959

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Kottravan mathurai moothoorOh king's ancient city of Madurai,
Kothithezhundheritha thaayaeMother who rose in rage and burned it down!
Kottravan mathurai moothoorOh king's ancient city of Madurai,
Kothithezhundheritha thaayaeMother who rose in rage and burned it down!
Kuttramillatha indha kulamagalRegarding the husband of this faultless noble woman,
Kozhunan thannai pattriCruel sinners have thrown him,
Vensiraiyil pottaar paadhagarInto a harsh prison.
Kanavarkaaga uttrathor uthavi ketkaTo seek crucial help for my husband,
Un munnam nirkindren yaan…aaa…aa…aa….aa…aa…aa…I stand before you... ah...
Female
Vadivathaal sinthanaiyaal vaakinaalThrough form, thought, and spoken word,
Vadivathaal sinthanaiyaal vaakinaalThrough form, thought, and spoken word,
Kanavar thiru adi thaazhndhu kaatha aramagalaeOh virtuous lady who protected by bowing at her husband's holy feet!
Ae….ae……ae……Ae... ae... ae...
Kottravanin padiyaeri vazhakuraitha pathiniyaeOh chaste wife who climbed the king's steps and pleaded her case!
Nin thooya madiyaeri kann parikkumWho climbs onto your pure lap and catches the eye,
Kulamagalai mannippayaeForgive this noble daughter!
Kulamagalai mannippayaeForgive this noble daughter!
Kulamagalai mannippayaeForgive this noble daughter!
Female
Nin seyalgal ovvondrum kanavarkkaeIf it is true that every single act of yours was for your husband,
Enbathellam unmaiyaanalIf all that is true,
En seyalum kanavarkkaeMy act too is for my husband!
Ingu naan vanthathum kanavarukkaeMy coming here is also for my husband!
Ingu naan vanthathum kanavarukkaeMy coming here is also for my husband!
Ae…..ae……..Ae... ae...
Minnimaikkum nin thanga padhumaiyilaeIn your glittering golden statue,
Un magal naan thunivu konduI, your daughter, taking courage,
Kannimaiyai nerungugindrenApproach your eyelids.
Mannithu kann koduthu kaappaaiiForgive me, grant me vision, and protect me!
Kann koduthu kaappaaiiGrant me vision and protect me!
Kann koduthu kaappaaiiiGrant me vision and protect me!

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This emotional prayer from the movie 'Thanga Padhumai' (1959) is addressed to Kannagi, the legendary Tamil heroine from the epic Silappatikaram who burned the city of Madurai in righteous anger when her innocent husband was unjustly executed. The protagonist appeals to Kannagi as a mother figure and an exemplar of marital devotion, explaining that her husband too has been wrongly imprisoned by evil conspirators. The heroine draws a parallel between Kannagi's ultimate devotion to her husband and her own efforts to save her partner. She asks for forgiveness, strength, and divine mercy from the golden idol of the goddess, begging her to grant vision and protection in her hour of extreme plight.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Apostrophe

Kottravan mathurai moothoor Kothithezhundheritha thaayae

Direct poetic address to an absent or divine personage (Kannagi / the goddess of chastity).

Edhugai (Second-letter Rhyme)

Kottravan mathurai moothoor / Kuttramillatha indha kulamagal

Matching of the second consonant sound ('ttra') across initial lines.

Anaphora / Repetition

Kann koduthu kaappaaii

Repeated pleading phrases ('Kulamagalai mannippayae', 'Kann koduthu kaappaaii') to intensify dramatic supplication.

Alliteration (Monaai)

Vadivathaal sinthanaiyaal vaakinaal

Matching starting consonant sounds across words in a line ('Vadivathaal', 'vaakinaal').

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Trivia

This lyric by Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram draws heavily from the classic Tamil literary epic 'Silappatikaram'. In the film 'Thanga Padhumai' (1959), starring Sivaji Ganesan and Padmini, the song forms a crucial dramatic turning point where the female protagonist seeks divine power before a golden idol to restore her husband.

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