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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Manamae Manamae

From Rojavanam · 1999

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
Srinivas
Music director
Bharathwaj
Details
Rojavanam1999

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Haa…aaa…aaa…Haa...aaa...aaa...
Haa…aaa…aaa…Haa...aaa...aaa...
Male
Manamae manamaeOh mind, oh mind,
Thadumaarum manamaeOh faltering mind,
Ullukkul irundhaeResiding inside me,
Uyir kollum manamaeOh mind that kills my life,
Pennai paarkum pozhudhuWhen seeing a woman,
Nee siragu virikkaadhaeDo not spread your wings.
Pirindhu pona piraguAfter separating from her,
Nee sidhaiyum valarkkaadhaeDo not fuel the funeral pyre.
Male
Manamae nee thoongi vidu…Oh mind, please go to sleep...
Ennai ninaivindri thoonga viduLet me sleep without any consciousness.
Male
Manamae manamaeOh mind, oh mind,
Thadumaarum manamaeOh faltering mind,
Ullukkul irundhaeResiding inside me,
Uyir kollum manamaeOh mind that kills my life,
Male
Kaadhal endra maathiraikkuFor the pill called love,
Eppodhum irandu gunamThere are always two natures.
Pottukondal bodhaiyai kodukkumIf consumed, it gives intoxication,
Poga poga thookathai kedukkumAs time passes, it destroys sleep.
Male
Kaadhal endra yaathiraikkuFor the journey called love,
Eppodhum irandu vazhiThere are always two paths.
Vandha vazhi velichathil jolikkumThe path arrived glimmers in light,
Pogum vazhiyo irulukkul irukkumThe path ahead lies in darkness.
Male
Kanmoodinal thookam illaiIf I close my eyes, there is no sleep,
Kangal thirandhaal paaravaiyum illaiIf I open my eyes, there is no vision either.
Aala virutcham pola valarudhuIt grows like a banyan tree,
Azhagu pennin nenaippuThe memory of the beautiful woman.
Vetti yerindhu paarthenI tried chopping it down,
Marupadi veril enna thulirppuYet look how it sprouts again from the roots!
En nenjamae pagai aanadhae..My own heart has become my enemy...
Uyir vaazhvadhae sumai aanadhaeLiving itself has become a burden.
Male
Manamae nee thoongi vidu…Oh mind, please go to sleep...
Ennai ninaivindri thoonga viduLet me sleep without any consciousness.
Male
Kaadhal thandha ninaivugalaiThe memories given by love,
Kazhatri eriya mudiyavillaiI am unable to cast away.
Alaigal vandhu adippadhinaalaeJust because waves come and crash,
Karaigal ezhundhu oduvadhu illaiThe shores do not run away.
Male
Ennai marakka ninaikkaiyilumEven when trying to forget myself,
Avalai marakka mudiyavillaiI am unable to forget her.
Ulai moodida moodigal unduThere are lids to cover a cooking pot,
Alai kadal moodida moodigal illaiThere are no lids to cover a wavy ocean.
Male
Kaadhalin kaiyil pookkalum unduIn the hands of love, there are flowers,
Kaadhalin kaiyil kathiyum unduIn the hands of love, there is also a knife.
Pookal kondu vandhuWill you bring flowers
Nee vaasam veesuvaayaAnd waft fragrance?
Kathi kondu vandhuOr will you bring a knife
Nee kazhuthil veesuvaayaAnd slash my throat?
En vaazhvilae enna sodhanai…What a test in my life...
Naan vaazhvadhae en vedhanai…My very existence is my agony...
Male
Manamae nee thoongi vidu…Oh mind, please go to sleep...
Ennai ninaivindri thoonga viduLet me sleep without any consciousness.
Male
Manamae manamaeOh mind, oh mind,
Thadumaarum manamaeOh faltering mind,
Ullukkul irundhaeResiding inside me,
Uyir kollum manamaeOh mind that kills my life,
Pennai paarkum pozhudhuWhen seeing a woman,
Nee siragu virikkaadhaeDo not spread your wings.
Pirindhu pona piraguAfter separating from her,
Nee sidhaiyum valarkkaadhaeDo not fuel the funeral pyre.
Male
Manamae nee thoongi vidu…Oh mind, please go to sleep...
Ennai ninaivindri thoonga viduLet me sleep without any consciousness.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This song from the film 'Rojavanam' expresses the intense emotional anguish and turmoil of a broken heart. The protagonist addresses his own mind, pleading with it to stop falling in love and leading him toward torment. He compares love to a dual-natured pill that intoxicates initially but eventually deprives one of sleep, and a journey that begins in light but ends in total darkness. Despite his conscious efforts to chop away her memories, they keep sprouting back like a resilient banyan tree. In the second half, the song highlights the inevitability and permanence of love's impact, drawing powerful metaphors like waves washing over a shore and the impossibility of covering a vast ocean. He questions whether love brings delicate blossoms or a deadly blade, ultimately begging his restless mind to fall asleep so he can escape the agonizing consciousness of his grief.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Uvamaani (Simile)

Aala virutcham pola valarudhu

Compares the growing memory of the woman to a sprawling banyan tree ('Aala virutcham pola valarudhu').

Urvagam (Metaphor)

Kaadhal endra maathiraikku

Metaphorically frames love as a dual-action pill ('Kaadhal endra maathiraikku') and a journey ('Kaadhal endra yaathiraikku').

Edhukai (Second Letter Rhyme)

Ulai moodida moodigal undu / Alai kadal moodida moodigal illai

Matching second consonants across lines ('Pottukondal' / 'Poga poga', 'Ulai' / 'Alai').

Antithesis / Oxymoron

Kaadhalin kaiyil pookkalum undu / Kaadhalin kaiyil kathiyum undu

Juxtaposition of pleasantness and pain in love using flowers ('pookkal') vs. knife ('kathi').

Did you know?

Trivia

The song 'Manamae Manamae' was composed by Bharadwaj and sung by the veteran singer S. P. Balasubrahmanyam for the 1999 Tamil film 'Rojavanam', starring Prashanth and Laila. The lyrics were penned by Vairamuthu, who captured the psychological grief of unrequited love using vivid Tamil poetic imagery.

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