Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Mann Meedhu

From Kann Thiranthadhu · 1959

Lyricist
P. Hanumandha Rao
Singer
P. Susheela
Music director
T. R. Rajagopal
Details
Kann Thiranthadhu1959

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Mann meedhu paayum maanadhi yaavumAre all the great rivers flowing upon this earth
Pengalin kanneerooThe tears of women?
Paedhai pengalin kanneerooThe tears of innocent women?
Female
Mann meedhu paayum maanadhi yaavumAre all the great rivers flowing upon this earth
Pengalin kanneerooThe tears of women?
Paedhai pengalin kanneerooThe tears of innocent women?
Female
Alaiyadhan melae thurumbhai polaeLike a piece of straw floating atop a wave
Nilaithadumaari kalangidalaanenWhy have I lost my balance and become distressed?
Female
Alaiyadhan melae thurumbhai polaeLike a piece of straw floating atop a wave
Nilaithadumaari kalangidalaanenWhy have I lost my balance and become distressed?
Vaazhvidhu veenoo vazhi kaanbaenooIs this life futile, or will I find a way?
Paarilae ennaalumae vedhanai thaanooIs there only eternal pain in this world?
Female
Mann meedhu paayum maanadhi yaavumAre all the great rivers flowing upon this earth
Pengalin kanneerooThe tears of women?
Paedhai pengalin kanneerooThe tears of innocent women?
Female
Thoondilil veezhndha meen pol naanaeLike a fish caught on a fishing hook, I am
Soozhndhidum thuyaraal thudithalaanenWrithing in agony from the surrounding sorrow
Female
Thoondilil veezhndha meen pol naanaeLike a fish caught on a fishing hook, I am
Soozhndhidum thuyaraal thudithalaanenWrithing in agony from the surrounding sorrow
Sodhanai yeno thunbamae thaanoWhy this ordeal? Is it only suffering?
Kaar irul neengidum kaalam vaaradhooWill the time when dark night dissipates not come?
Female
Mann meedhu paayum maanadhi yaavumAre all the great rivers flowing upon this earth
Pengalin kanneerooThe tears of women?
Paedhai pengalin kanneerooThe tears of innocent women?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This song is a poignant lamentation reflecting the deep grief and helplessness experienced by women. The singer metaphorically questions if all the great rivers flowing across the earth are formed from the endless tears shed by innocent women. She describes her unstable emotional state using vivid imagery—first comparing herself to a tiny straw helplessly tossed on ocean waves, and then to a fish caught on a hook writhing in inescapable anguish. Throughout the song, she questions the purpose of her suffering, asking whether her life is destined only for pain or if a bright morning will eventually break through the surrounding darkness.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Hyperbole / Metaphor (Uyarnavarchi / Uruvagam)

Mann meedhu paayum maanadhi yaavum / Pengalin kanneeroo

Compares all the great rivers flowing on the earth to the endless tears shed by innocent women, exaggerating the depth of grief.

Simile (Upamai)

Alaiyadhan melae thurumbhai polae

Uses 'polae' (like) to compare her helpless, adrift condition to a piece of straw tossed on ocean waves.

Simile (Upamai)

Thoondilil veezhndha meen pol naanae

Uses 'pol' (like) to compare her writhing agony in sorrow to a fish caught helplessly on a fishing hook.

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Kaar irul neengidum kaalam vaaradhoo

Refers to deep despair as 'kaar irul' (dense dark darkness) that needs to be removed.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Kann Thiranthadhu' (1959) features music by T. R. Rajagopal with lyrics penned by P. Hanumandha Rao. Sung with immense pathos by P. Susheela, this song is considered a fine example of late 1950s Tamil cinema melancholy solos, showcasing powerful visual metaphors for grief.

Keep listening

More from Kann Thiranthadhu