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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Nee Theyum Nilavo

From Paruva Mazhai · 1978

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singer
K. J. Yesudas
Music director
Salil Chowdry
Movie name
Paruva Mazhai
Movie release year
1978
Lyrics added on
10 Feb 2024

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Nee thaeyum nilaavo
En aathmaavin kanneero kanneero
Nee thaeyum nilaavo
En aathmaavin kanneero kanneero
Nee anbil vantha aasai ullam
Naan athil vantha kanneer kulam
Maraigindratho en mana mangalm
Thirumanangal sorkaththil
Nichchayikkapadugindrana
Pirivu engae nichayikkapadugindrathu
Adhai yaaridam ketpathu unnidame ketkindraen
Naan kanneeril ketkindraen
Kalyaana deiveegamae pogaathae
Naan kanneeril ketkindraen
Kalyaana deiveegamae pogaathae
Naan thaalaattum thaleer poongodi
Yaen neeraadi karaigindratho
Maraigindratho en mana mangalam
Nee oru vaarththai pesaathathenna
Un vizhi pookkal asaiyaathenna
Maraigindratho en mana mangalam
Maraigindratho en mana mangalam
Nee thaeyum nilaavo
En aathmaavin kanneero kanneero
Nee thaeyum nilaavo
En aathmaavin kanneero kanneero
Are you a waning moon,
Or the tears of my soul, my soul?
Are you a waning moon,
Or the tears of my soul, my soul?
You are a loving heart born of desire,
And I am a pool of tears born from it.
Is the sacred bliss of my marriage fading away?
Marriages in heaven
Are said to be made,
Then where is separation decided?
Whom do I ask? I am asking you.
I am asking through my tears,
O divine bond of marriage, do not leave!
I am asking through my tears,
O divine bond of marriage, do not leave!
The tender flowering vine that I cradle to sleep,
Why is she dissolving as she bathes in tears?
Is the sacred bliss of my marriage fading away?
Why do you not speak a single word?
Why do your flower-like eyes stay still?
Is the sacred bliss of my marriage fading away?
Is the sacred bliss of my marriage fading away?
Are you a waning moon,
Or the tears of my soul, my soul?
Are you a waning moon,
Or the tears of my soul, my soul?
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

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.

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