Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Nee Theyum Nilavo

From Paruva Mazhai · 1978

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singer
K. J. Yesudas
Music director
Salil Chowdry
Details
Paruva Mazhai1978

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Nee thaeyum nilaavoAre you a waning moon?
En aathmaavin kanneero kanneeroOr the tears of my soul, tears of my soul?
Male
Nee thaeyum nilaavoAre you a waning moon?
En aathmaavin kanneero kanneeroOr the tears of my soul, tears of my soul?
Nee anbil vantha aasai ullamYou are a loving heart born out of affection,
Naan athil vantha kanneer kulamI am a pond of tears born from that love.
Maraigindratho en mana mangalmIs the bliss of my heart fading away?
Male
Thirumanangal sorkaththilMarriages in heaven
NichchayikkapadugindranaAre decided and fixed;
Pirivu engae nichayikkapadugindrathuWhere is separation decided?
Adhai yaaridam ketpathu unnidame ketkindraenWhom should I ask that? I ask you yourself!
Male
Naan kanneeril ketkindraenI ask you in tears,
Kalyaana deiveegamae pogaathaeO divine embodiment of wedlock, do not go!
Naan kanneeril ketkindraenI ask you in tears,
Kalyaana deiveegamae pogaathaeO divine embodiment of wedlock, do not go!
Naan thaalaattum thaleer poongodiThe tender flowering creeper I lull to sleep,
Yaen neeraadi karaigindrathoWhy is it melting away after taking a bath?
Maraigindratho en mana mangalamIs the bliss of my heart fading away?
Male
Nee oru vaarththai pesaathathennaWhy do you not speak even a single word?
Un vizhi pookkal asaiyaathennaWhy are the flower-like eyes of yours motionless?
Maraigindratho en mana mangalamIs the bliss of my heart fading away?
Maraigindratho en mana mangalamIs the bliss of my heart fading away?
Male
Nee thaeyum nilaavoAre you a waning moon?
En aathmaavin kanneero kanneeroOr the tears of my soul, tears of my soul?
Nee thaeyum nilaavoAre you a waning moon?
En aathmaavin kanneero kanneeroOr the tears of my soul, tears of my soul?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This song is a deeply emotional and sorrowful lament of a lover facing the tragedy of losing his beloved. He compares her to a waning moon and the painful tears of his soul. Pondering over the fragile nature of their romance, he laments how a love born from pure affection has now turned into a vast pool of sorrow and weeping. He raises profound philosophical questions about destiny, noting that while people say marriages are made in heaven, no one knows where heartbreak and separation are written. He desperately pleads with her motionless, quiet form not to leave him, mourning the sudden loss of happiness and auspiciousness from his life.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uvamai)

Nee thaeyum nilaavo

Compares the beloved's eyes to flowers ('vizhi pookkal') and her physical form to a waning moon ('thaeyum nilaavo').

Rhetorical Question

Pirivu engae nichayikkapadugindrathu

The singer questions destiny about where separations are decided, expressing despair rather than seeking a literal answer.

Refrain / Repetition

Maraigindratho en mana mangalam

The phrase expressing the fading of heart's happiness is repeated across stanzas to emphasize grief.

Contrast / Antithesis

Thirumanangal sorkaththil... Pirivu engae nichayikkapadugindrathu

Contrasts the heavenly decision of marriages with the mysterious, painful origin of tragic separations.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Paruva Mazhai' (1978) is the Tamil dubbed/adapted version of the 1977 Malayalam movie 'Aparadhi'. Maestro Salil Chowdhury brought his signature haunting melody style to this track, which was penned by Kannadasan and rendered with immense pathos by K. J. Yesudas.

Keep listening

More from Paruva Mazhai