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IsaimozhiLyrics · Translation · Meaning

Lyrics & meaning

Mangalyam

From Neenga Nalla Irukkanum · 1992

Lyricist: Vaali
Singer: K. S. Chithra
Music director: M. S. Vishwanathan
Movie name: Neenga Nalla Irukkanum
Movie release year: 1992
Lyrics added on: 20 Oct 2020

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics

↻ English translation

Mangalya pichaikku madiyendhinen

Malai pondra sumai kodi manam thaanginen

Mangalya pichaikku madiyendhinen

Malai pondra sumai kodi manam thaanginen

Naan kaatril alaigira deepam

Thunba kadalil thaaladum odam

Naan kaatril alaigira deepam

Thunba kadalil thaaladum odam

Mangalya pichaikku madiyendhinen

Malai pondra sumai kodi manam thaanginen

{Annaigalae thandhaigalae

Ungalaiyae nambi varum pillai naanae

Kaavalanai kovalanai paarthidavae

Kaanalilae thullum meenae} (2)

Nalladhai naadum ullathai thaedi

Illangal thorum nadappenae

Oorae orangiya bothum en ullam thoongavillaiyae

En vaazhvil endrum andha thunbam

Adhai yaarum kaanavillaiyae

Mangalya pichaikku madiyendhinen

Malai pondra sumai kodi manam thaanginen

Manjaludan kungumamnum mangalamum

Thangidanum illam dhorum

Maadiyilum kooraiyilum thaali illa

Pen manadhil thunbam koodum

Vovvoru paatum ungalai serum

Undiyal podum nenjangalae

Udhavum idhayangal yaavum en vaazhvil

Kaaval deivam thaan

Oli muthaai serum indha vellam

Naan thaedi pogum selvam thaan

Mangalya pichaikku madiyendhinen

Malai pondra sumai kodi manam thaanginen

Naan kaatril alaigira deepam

Thunba kadalil thaaladum odam

Naan kaatril alaigira deepam

Thunba kadalil thaaladum odam

Mangalya pichaikku madiyendhinen

Malai pondra sumai kodi manam thaanginen

I spread out my saree, begging alms to save the sacred marriage thread,

my heart has borne a million burdens as heavy as mountains.

I spread out my saree, begging alms to save the sacred marriage thread,

my heart has borne a million burdens as heavy as mountains.

I am a lamp flickering in the wind,

a small boat tossed upon an ocean of sorrow.

I am a lamp flickering in the wind,

a small boat tossed upon an ocean of sorrow.

I spread out my saree, begging alms to save the sacred marriage thread,

my heart has borne a million burdens as heavy as mountains.

O mothers and fathers,

I am a child who comes placing all my trust in you.

Yearning to protect my husband and guardian,

I am like a fish gasping in a mirage.

In search of noble souls that wish for good,

I shall walk from door to door.

Even when the whole town sleeps, my heart cannot rest.

There is an endless sorrow in my life,

yet no one has ever seen it.

I spread out my saree, begging alms to save the sacred marriage thread,

my heart has borne a million burdens as heavy as mountains.

Auspicious joy, turmeric, and kumkum

must remain forever in every home.

In mansions and thatched huts alike, without the thaali (sacred marriage thread),

grief only deepens in a woman's heart.

Every song of mine will reach you,

O kind souls who drop offerings into the collection box!

Every helping heart in my life

is a guardian deity to me.

This overflow of kindness gathering like bright pearls

is the only treasure I have come searching for.

I spread out my saree, begging alms to save the sacred marriage thread,

my heart has borne a million burdens as heavy as mountains.

I am a lamp flickering in the wind,

a small boat tossed upon an ocean of sorrow.

I am a lamp flickering in the wind,

a small boat tossed upon an ocean of sorrow.

I spread out my saree, begging alms to save the sacred marriage thread,

my heart has borne a million burdens as heavy as mountains.

Female

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Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This song portrays a deeply poignant plea from a distressed woman seeking societal support and goodwill. Expressing her emotional anguish, she compares her fragile life to a lamp flickering in a harsh wind and a boat tossed on an ocean of grief. Carrying a heavy burden of hardship, she appeals to the collective conscience of society to help secure peace and marital dignity for women everywhere. The lyrics also praise charitable and compassionate hearts, viewing kind supporters as guardian deities. She walks from house to house seeking empathy, describing how true wealth lies in the shared benevolence and kindness of humanity that lifts women out of suffering.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Upamai)

“Malai pondra sumai kodi manam thaanginen”

Compares the weight of her grief to a massive mountain using the comparative word 'pondra'.

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

“Thunba kadalil thaaladum odam”

Equates sorrow to a vast ocean in which her life drifts like a boat.

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

“Kaanalilae thullum meenae”

Compares her futile search for support to a fish hopelessly leaping in a mirage.

Second-Letter Rhyme (Edhugai)

“Naan kaatril alaigira deepam / Thunba kadalil thaaladum odam”

The second consonant 'n' (naa / thu) creates subtle Tamil metrical harmony across the paired lines.

Did you know?

Trivia

Neenga Nalla Irukkanum (1992) was a social welfare feature film directed by Visu and produced by the Government of Tamil Nadu to raise awareness against alcohol addiction. The film won the National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues in 1993.

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