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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Mappillai Vanthan

From Kaveriyin Kanavan · 1959

Lyricist
Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass
Singers
L. R. Eswari, M. S. Rajeswari
Music director
K. V. Mahadevan
Details
Kaveriyin Kanavan1959

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Mappillai vandhaan mappillai vandhaanThe bridegroom came, the bridegroom came,
Maattu vandiyileIn a bullock cart!
Mappillai vandhaan mappillai vandhaanThe bridegroom came, the bridegroom came,
Maattu vandiyileIn a bullock cart!
Female
Ponnu vandha ponnu vandhaThe bride came, the bride came,
Potti vandiyilaeIn a covered box-cart!
Ponnu vandha ponnu vandhaThe bride came, the bride came,
Potti vandiyilaeIn a covered box-cart!
Female
Pullaiya petha amma vandhaaThe mother who gave birth to the boy came,
Motta vandiyilaeIn an open roofless cart!
Pullaiya petha amma vandhaaThe mother who gave birth to the boy came,
Motta vandiyilaeIn an open roofless cart!
Female
Ponna petha appa vandhaanThe father who gave birth to the girl came,
Otta vandiyilaeIn a broken single-wheel cart!
Ponna petha appa vandhaanThe father who gave birth to the girl came,
Otta vandiyilaeIn a broken single-wheel cart!
Female
Mappillai vandhaan mappillai vandhaanThe bridegroom came, the bridegroom came,
Maattu vandiyileIn a bullock cart!
Female :Ponnu vandha ponnu vandhaFemale: The bride came, the bride came,
Potti vandiyilaeIn a covered box-cart!
Female
Kakka kadi kadichu koduthaTaking a tiny nibble,
Kammarkattu muttayiOf the hard jaggery candy,
Sokka vanghi thinnuputtuEating it up spellbound,
Vittaanyaa kottaviHe then let out a big yawn!
Female
Kakka kadi kadichu koduthaTaking a tiny nibble,
Kammarkattu muttayiOf the hard jaggery candy,
Sokka vanghi thinnuputtuEating it up spellbound,
Vittaanyaa kottaviHe then let out a big yawn!
Female
Ottaanj salliya eduthukkittuPicking up a broken pot shard,
Odunaanga maarukattuThey ran to the local market,
Ottaanj salliya eduthukkittuPicking up a broken pot shard,
Odunaanga maarukattuThey ran to the local market,
Oraazhakku arisi vaanghiBuying a small measure of rice,
Olaiyil than pottukittuAnd putting it inside the pot,
Oraazhakku arisi vaanghiBuying a small measure of rice,
Olaiyil than pottukittuAnd putting it inside the pot,
Female
Kottaanchoru aakkikittuCooking toy rice in a coconut shell,
Kummaalamthaan pottukittuAnd making a joyous fuss,
Kottaanchoru aakkikittuCooking toy rice in a coconut shell,
Kummaalamthaan pottukittuAnd making a joyous fuss,
Female
Kuzhavi kallu pullaiya onnaTreating a cylindrical grinding stone as a baby,
Kushiyaaga pethukittuAnd happily pretending to give birth,
Kuzhavi kallu pullaiya onnaTreating a cylindrical grinding stone as a baby,
Kushiyaaga pethukittuAnd happily pretending to give birth!

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This song is a cheerful Tamil folk rhyme that depicts a rural wedding procession with humor and nostalgia. It playfully describes the arrival of different family members in various traditional bullock carts—the groom in a regular bullock cart, the bride in a private box-cart, the groom's mother in an open-top cart, and the bride's father in a rickety cart. The later verses transition into a nostalgic portrayal of childhood games where young girls play-act house and marriage—using broken clay shards as money, cooking rice in coconut shells, and pretending a grinding stone is their newborn baby.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Edhugai (Second-letter Rhyme)

Mappillai vandhaan... / Maattu vandiyile...

Matching second consonants across lines, such as 'Ma-pp-illai' and 'Ma-tt-u', 'Po-nn-u' and 'Po-tt-i', or 'Pu-ll-aiya' and 'Mo-tt-a'.

Monaai (Alliteration)

Kakka kadi kadichu kodutha / Kammarkattu muttayi

Repetition of initial consonant sounds within a phrase, e.g., 'Kakka kadi kadichu' and 'Kammarkattu'.

Anaphora / Repetition

Mappillai vandhaan mappillai vandhaan

Iterative repeating of key phrases like 'Mappillai vandhaan' and 'Ponnu vandha' to establish a rhythmic folk rhythm.

Did you know?

Trivia

This playful track from Kaveriyin Kanavan (1959), set to music by K. V. Mahadevan and written by Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass, evokes traditional Tamil children's folk games (like 'Kottaanchoru' cooking play). The vocal pairing of L. R. Eswari and M. S. Rajeswari highlights the earthy, authentic village folk style popular in Tamil cinema of the 1950s.

Keep listening

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