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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Mudhal Murai

From Sangamam · 1999

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singers
Srinivas, Sujatha
Music director
A. R. Rahman
Details
Sangamam1999

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Mudhalmurai killi paarthen mudhalmurai kannil verthenFor the first time I pinched myself, for the first time my eyes sweated (teared up).
Endhan thaayin garbbam thaandi marumurai uyir kondenBeyond my mother's womb, I took life once again.
Unnaal irumurai uyir kondenBecause of you, I have taken life twice.
Female
Mudhalmurai killi paarthen mudhalmurai kannil verthenFor the first time I pinched myself, for the first time my eyes sweated (teared up).
Endhan thaayin garbbam thaandi marumurai uyir kondenBeyond my mother's womb, I took life once again.
Unnaal irumurai uyir kondenBecause of you, I have taken life twice.
Female
Mudhalmurai enakku azhudhida thondrum…yennn….For the first time I feel like crying... why?
Kanneerundu sogamillai aamaam mazhaiyundu meghamillaiThere are tears but no sorrow; yes, there is rain without a cloud.
Female
Kaalgalil kidandha salangaiyai thirudiStealing the anklets that lay at my feet,
Anbae en manasukkul kattiyadhennaMy love, why did you tie them inside my heart?
Male :Salangaigal anindhum sathangalai maraithaaiMale: Even wearing anklets, you concealed their sound;
Pennae un ullam thannai olithadhennaOh girl, why did you hide your heart?
Female :Vidhaiondru uyir kolla veppamkattru eeram vendumFemale: For a seed to come to life, it needs warm air and moisture.
Kaadhal vandhu uyir kolla kaalam kooda vendumFor love to come alive, the right time must arrive.
Male :Oru vidhai uyir kondadhu aanaal iru nenjil ver kondadhuMale: A single seed came to life, but it took root in two hearts.
Male
Salangaiyae konjam pesu mounamae paadal paaduOh anklets, speak a little; oh silence, sing a song!
Mozhiyellaam oomaiyaanaal kanneer uraiyaadum adhilWhen all language becomes mute, tears will converse,
Kavidhai arangaerumAnd poetry will take the stage.
Female
Paadhaiyum dhooram naanoru baaramThe path is long, and I am a burden.
Ennai un ellai varai kondu selvaayaaWill you carry me to the edge of your destination?
Male :Udalukkul irukkum uyir oru sumaiyaaMale: Is the life inside a body ever a burden?
Pennae unnai naanum vittu selvenaaOh girl, would I ever leave you and go?
Female :Thandhai thandha uyir thandhen thaai thandha udal thandhenFemale: I gave the life my father gave, I gave the body my mother gave.
Uravugal ellaam serthu unnidam kandenIn you, I found all my relationships combined.
Male :Mothathaiyum nee koduthaai aanaalMale: You gave everything away, but
Muthathukkor naal kurithaaiYou set a future date for a kiss.
Female
Mudhalmurai killi paarthen mudhalmurai kannil verthenFor the first time I pinched myself, for the first time my eyes sweated (teared up).
Endhan thaayin garbbam thaandi marumurai uyir kondenBeyond my mother's womb, I took life once again.
Unnaal irumurai uyir kondenBecause of you, I have taken life twice.
Female
Mudhalmurai enakku azhudhida thondrum…yennn….For the first time I feel like crying... why?
Kanneerundu sogamillai aamaam mazhaiyundu meghamillaiThere are tears but no sorrow; yes, there is rain without a cloud.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

'Mudhalmurai Killi Paarthen' from the film Sangamam (1999) is a soulful classical-pop duet celebrating the spiritual rebirth brought about by true love. The heroine expresses how entering this love feels like being born a second time, beyond her mother's womb. She experiences joyous tears that carry no grief, describing it poetically as rain falling from a sky with no clouds. Through classical motifs of dancing anklets, seeds, and silence, the song delves into the deep emotional bond between the lovers. The male and female protagonists exchange heartfelt vows: she offers her entire identity and existence to him, while he lovingly reassures her that she is not a burden, but the very breath within his body. Lyricist Vairamuthu uses rich Tamil imagery to convey the purity and sanctity of romantic devotion.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Mudhalmurai killi paarthen mudhalmurai kannil verthen

'Kannil verthen' (my eyes sweated) is a striking metaphor describing tears of joy as sweat of the eyes.

Paradox / Oxymoron

Kanneerundu sogamillai aamaam mazhaiyundu meghamillai

'Kanneerundu sogamillai' (there are tears without sorrow) and 'mazhaiyundu meghamillai' (rain without clouds) create a poetic paradox capturing transcendent emotional joy.

Personification

Salangaiyae konjam pesu mounamae paadal paadu

Inanimate concepts and objects like anklets ('salangai') and silence ('mounam') are addressed as living entities asked to speak and sing.

Ethukai (Second-letter Rhyming)

Vidhaiondru uyir kolla veppamkattru eeram vendum / Kaadhal vandhu uyir kolla kaalam kooda vendum

Tamil poetic meter feature where the second letter of consecutive lines match (Vidhaiondru / Kaadhal vandhu).

Did you know?

Trivia

The song 'Mudhalmurai' from the movie Sangamam (1999) was composed by A.R. Rahman, written by Vairamuthu, and sung by Srinivas and Sujatha Mohan. The film's storyline revolves around the clash and ultimate unison of classical Bharatanatyam and Tamil folk dance traditions, which inspired the classical musical arrangements and dancing-anklet ('salangai') imagery throughout the lyrics.

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