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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Merku Thodarchi Malai

From Naatpadu Theral · 2021

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
Anthony Daasan
Music director
Anthony Daasan
Movie name
Naatpadu Theral
Movie release year
2021
Lyrics added on
10 Apr 2021

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
{Merku thodarchi malai
Ilaichu pogum
Andha megaathu melmoochu
Vaangi pogum …} (2)
{Maasam oruvaatti
Naan vadugapatti pogaatti
Valadhu kai neetti
Naan malaiyoda pesaatti …} (2)
Merku thodarchi malai
Ilaichu pogum
Andha megaathu melmoochu
Vaangi pogum …
Vaigai nadhimela en
Valadhu kai nanaikkaama
Vaigaiyila velayaadum
Vaalameenu thoongaadhu
Poomarathu keezhae naan
Pudhuppaattu ezhuthaama
Poomarathil koodukattum
Puraa irai kollaadhu
Kathaalangaadu
Engaalsoodu kaangaama
Kathaalam pudharoda
Kaadai muttai podaadhu
Manjalaaru anaiyil naan
Malaikaathu vaangaama
Manjalaathu moolaiyilae
Manikurivi meyaadhu
{Malaiyai konjam kadichukittae
Koozh kudicha boomiyadaa
Mannum malaiyum enga
Paramabaraikkae saamiyadaa} (2)
Merku thodarchi malai
Ilaichu pogum
Andha megaathu melmoochu
Vaangi pogum …
Kumabakarai saalaiyilae
Komiya vaasam pudikkama
Mandaikkulla mallukatti
Malliapoo pookkaadhu
Kedaiyaattu mandhaiyila
Kedaa koothu kaangaama
Kaanjupona pozhappukulla
Karpanaiyae kelambaadhu
Saathisanam pesum
Mozhi sangeetham kelaama
Idhigaasa ezhuthukku
Sagavaasam irukkaadhu
Suttameen kavuchi
Vandhu surrunnu yeraama
Enseer viruthathil
Ezhaancheeru vaaraadhu
{Malaiyai konjam kadichukittae
Koozh kudicha boomiyadaa
Mannum malaiyum enga
Paramabaraikkae saamiyadaa} (2)
Merku thodarchi malai
Ilaichu pogum
Andha megaathu melmoochu
Vaangi pogum …
Maasam oruvaatti
Naan vadugapatti pogaatti
Valadhu kai neetti
Naan malaiyoda pesaatti …
Merku thodarchi malai
Ilaichu pogum
Andha megaathu melmoochu
Vaangi pogum …
The Western Ghats
will grow frail and thin,
and that western breeze
will gasp for breath...
If once a month,
I do not go to Vadugapatti,
and reaching out my right hand,
I do not talk to the mountain...
The Western Ghats
will grow frail and thin,
and that western breeze
will gasp for breath...
Without reaching over the Vaigai
to wet my right hand in its river,
the swordfish playing in the Vaigai
will not go to sleep.
Without me writing a new song
beneath the flowering tree,
the dove nesting in that flowering tree
will not feed on its grains.
Without the cactus woods
feeling the warmth of my footsteps,
beside the thorny cactus bushes,
the quail will not lay its eggs.
At the Manjalaru dam, without me
soaking in the mountain breeze,
in a quiet corner of Manjalaru,
the little bird will not feed.
Taking a bite of the mountain as a side dish,
this is the land where we drank our porridge, friend!
This soil and this mountain
are gods to our entire lineage!
The Western Ghats
will grow frail and thin,
and that western breeze
will gasp for breath...
Along the road to Kumbakarai,
without catching the earthy scent of cattle,
wrestling inside the mind,
the jasmine of poetry will not bloom.
In the pen where sheep are gathered,
without watching the lively ram fight,
within this dry and parched life,
no imagination will ever spark.
Without hearing the musical speech
of my native people,
the words of epic poetry
will have no true companion.
Without the sharp scent of roasted fish
rushing to strike the senses,
in an eight-foot classical verse,
the seventh poetic beat will not arrive.
Taking a bite of the mountain as a side dish,
this is the land where we drank our porridge, friend!
This soil and this mountain
are gods to our entire lineage!
The Western Ghats
will grow frail and thin,
and that western breeze
will gasp for breath...
If once a month,
I do not go to Vadugapatti,
and reaching out my right hand,
I do not talk to the mountain...
The Western Ghats
will grow frail and thin,
and that western breeze
will gasp for breath...
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Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

Written by lyricist Vairamuthu for his independent album 'Naatpadu Theral', 'Merku Thodarchi Malai' is an emotional ode to Vadugapatti, his native village in the Theni district nestled at the foothills of the Western Ghats. The song explores the unbreakable bond between native soil and artistic creation. Through poetic hyperboles, the narrator asserts that if he fails to visit his roots monthly, nature itself loses its vitality—the rivers, mountains, birds, and flora mourn his absence, and his literary muse falls silent.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Uyarvu Navortchi Ani (Hyperbole)

“Merku thodarchi malai ilaichu pogum”

Exaggerating that the vast Western Ghats mountain range will physically wither away if the poet does not visit his village.

Tharchorpetra Ani (Personification)

“Andha megaathu melmoochu vaangi pogum”

Attributing human actions and breathlessness to clouds in the sky.

Edhugai (Second-letter Rhyming)

“Malaiyai konjam kadichukittae / Mannum malaiyum enga”

The placement of matching consonants in the second syllable of consecutive lines (e.g., 'Malaiyai' and 'Mannum').

Metaphor

“Mannum malaiyum enga paramabaraikkae saamiyadaa”

Vivid imagery equating native soil and mountains to ancestral deities and sources of nourishment.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Naatpadu Theral' is an ambitious independent musical project conceived by lyricist Vairamuthu consisting of 100 non-film songs composed by various music directors. Vadugapatti, featured prominently in this song, is Vairamuthu's actual birthplace in Theni district, Tamil Nadu.

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