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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Manamuvandha Maaran

From Paithiyakkaran · 1947

Lyricist
Ambikapathi
Singer
T. A. Mathuram
Music directors
C. R. Subbaraman, M. S. Gnanamani
Details
Paithiyakkaran1947

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Manamuvandha maaranWill the groom who delights my heart
Sondham saerumaaBecome my rightful kin?
Manamuvandha maaran sondham saerumaaWill the groom who delights my heart become my rightful kin?
Valuvil enai manandhaThe old man who forcibly married me,
Kizhavan manam maarumaaWill his heart ever change?
Azhagai vizhigal kaanavae naerumaaIs it possible for these eyes to behold true beauty?
Valadhu vizhi kurudanHe who is blind in his right eye,
Pugazhndhidavae naerumaaIs it fitting for him to praise beauty?
Female
Naesamellaam kaanal neer polaeIs all affection merely like a mirage,
Neenilamael maarumaa kaikoodumaaOn this vast earth, will it ever change and come together?
Naesamellaam kaanal neer polaeIs all affection merely like a mirage,
Neenilamael maarumaa kaikoodumaaOn this vast earth, will it ever change and come together?
Female
Kaalam pona kaamuganAn aged lustful man past his prime,
Kalyaanam unmaiyaagumaaCan a marriage with him ever be real and true?
Kaalam pona kaamuganAn aged lustful man past his prime,
Kalyaanam unmaiyaagumaaCan a marriage with him ever be real and true?
Kavalaiyadhu theerumaa kaalam veen pomaaWill this anxiety subside or will time be wasted in vain?
Anukoolam undaamaaWill any favor or good fortune come to pass?
Female
Valuvil enai manandhaThe old man who forcibly married me,
Kizhavan manam maarumaaWill his heart ever change?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This song captures the deep anguish of a young woman who has been forcibly married to an elderly, physically flawed, and lustful man. She yearns for her true beloved, questioning whether her desires will ever be fulfilled or if love in her life is merely an illusion like a mirage. She laments the injustice of her forced marriage and wonders if her sorrow will ever end or if her youth and time will be wasted.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Upamai)

Naesamellaam kaanal neer polae

Compares love to a mirage ('kaanal neer'), emphasizing how deceptive and unreachable affection feels in her situation.

Alliteration (Monaai)

Kaalam pona kaamugan Kalyaanam unmaiyaagumaa

Repetition of the 'Ka' sound across words ('Kaalam', 'kaamugan', 'Kalyaanam') which adds rhythmic emphasis to her lamentation.

Rhetorical Question

Kavalaiyadhu theerumaa kaalam veen pomaa

Repeated use of interrogative suffixes ('-umaa') expressing despair and hopelessness rather than expecting an answer.

Did you know?

Trivia

Paithiyakkaran (1947) was produced by the comedy duo N. S. Krishnan and T. A. Mathuram. The movie was adapted from a popular contemporary stage play and featured early onscreen appearances of M. G. Ramachandran.

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