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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Nallathor Veenai

From Marupadiyum · 1993

Lyricist
Ravi Bharathi
Singer
S. Janaki
Music director
Ilayaraja
Movie name
Marupadiyum
Movie release year
1993
Lyrics added on
25 Nov 2017

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Nallathor veenai seithae
Adhai nalangeda puzhuthiyil erivathundo
Nallathor veenai seithae
Adhai nalangeda puzhuthiyil erivathundo
Solladi sivasakthi
Sudar migum arivudan
Ennai padaithaai
Solladi sivasakthi sudarmigum arivudan
Ennai padaithaai nee
Nallathor veenai seithae
Adhai nalangeda puzhuthiyil erivathundo
Poo maalai orr thozhil thaan
Poda ninaithaal pen
Pottaalum poo maalaikkor
Porulum illaiyae
Naal oru thozhinil
Maalaiyai maatridum
Aan kooda pen vaazhvatha
Adhai naamum panbenbatha
Idhu nyaayama
Nallathor veenai seithae
Adhai nalangeda puzhuthiyil erivathundo
Aanandha neerodaiyil
Aada ninaithen naan
Naan paartha gothavari
Kaanal variyaa…
Thaai manai agandrathum
Thalaivanai adainthathum
Naan seidha theermaanam thaan
Adharkintha sanmaanam thaan
Avamaanam thaan
Nallathor veenai seithae
Adhai nalangeda puzhuthiyil erivathundo
Solladi sivasakthi sudarmigum arivudan
Ennai padaithaai nee
Nallathor veenai seithae
Adhai nalangeda puzhuthiyil erivathundo
After crafting a fine veena,
would anyone throw it into the dust to ruin it?
After crafting a fine veena,
would anyone throw it into the dust to ruin it?
Tell me, O Shiva-Shakti (divine cosmic power),
with a bright and shining mind,
you created me.
Tell me, O Shiva-Shakti, with a bright and shining mind,
you created me.
After crafting a fine veena,
would anyone throw it into the dust to ruin it?
On just one man's shoulders,
a woman wished to place her garland.
Yet even after placing it, for that flower garland,
there is no meaning left at all.
Moving his garland
to a different shoulder every single day—
should a woman live with such a man?
Can we even call that decent conduct?
Is this fair?
After crafting a fine veena,
would anyone throw it into the dust to ruin it?
In a stream of happiness,
I longed to immerse myself.
Was the Godavari river I saw
merely a mirage?
Leaving my mother's home,
and choosing my husband,
were decisions I made on my own.
Is this my reward for that?
Nothing but humiliation!
After crafting a fine veena,
would anyone throw it into the dust to ruin it?
Tell me, O Shiva-Shakti, with a bright and shining mind,
you created me.
After crafting a fine veena,
would anyone throw it into the dust to ruin it?
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This song expresses deep emotional anguish, betrayal, and a woman's struggle against societal injustice in marriage. Drawing inspiration from Mahakavi Subramania Bharati's famous lines, the female protagonist questions the divine force (Sivasakthi) on why she was blessed with intellect, beauty, and emotional depth only to be cast into the dust of heartbreak and dishonor by an unfaithful partner. She questions the traditional virtues that bind a faithful woman to a man who treats relationships casually, comparing her cherished hopes to a river that turned out to be a mere mirage. Reflecting on her conscious decision to leave her maternal home for her husband, she laments that her choice resulted in humiliation rather than the loving union she envisioned.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uvameya / Rupakam)

“Nallathor veenai seithae adhai nalangeda puzhuthiyil erivathundo”

Compares the human spirit and intellect to a finely crafted musical instrument (Veena) that deserves to be cherished rather than wasted in dirt.

Rhetorical Question (Prashna)

“Adhai nalangeda puzhuthiyil erivathundo”

The speaker asks divine powers if it makes sense to create something beautiful only to destroy it, emphasizing helplessness and frustration.

Metaphor

“Naan paartha gothavari kaanal variyaa”

Compares expectation of marital happiness to the Godavari river and its harsh reality to a illusionary mirage (Kaanal vari).

Ethirai (Second-letter Rhyme)

“Poo maalai orr thozhil thaan / Poda ninaithaal pen”

The second consonant sound matches across lines, creating rhythmic symmetry (Poo / Po; Naal / Maalai).

Did you know?

Trivia

The opening refrain of this song directly adopts the iconic lines from Mahakavi Subramania Bharati's poem 'Nallathor Veenai Seithae'. In Balu Mahendra's 1993 film 'Marupadiyum', the song was composed by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja and sung by S. Janaki, capturing the central protagonist's pain upon discovering her husband's infidelity.

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