Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Nikkira Pozhuduthan Pogapothey

From Kazhuvethi Moorkkan · 2023

Lyricist
Yugabharathi
Singer
J. P. Veeramani
Music director
D. Imman
Details
Kazhuvethi Moorkkan2023

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Nikkira poluthu thaan poga pothaeThe remaining time of life is passing away,
Male
Nikkira poluthu thaan poga pothaeThe remaining time of life is passing away,
Un ponnu theru thaan saaya pothaeYour golden chariot is about to lean and fall.
Male
Nikkira poluthu thaan poga pothaeThe remaining time of life is passing away,
Enna petha aiyaaOh father who gave birth to me,
Un ponnu theru thaan saaya pothaeYour golden chariot is about to lean and fall.
Male
Aiyaa unakku sadangu nadakka pothaeOh father, the final rituals are about to take place for you,
Sadangu nadakka pothaeThe rituals are about to take place.
Enna petha paasakkara aiyaaOh loving father who gave birth to me,
Un thanga theru thaan saaya pothaeYour golden chariot is about to lean and fall.
Male
Aiyaa unakku vella vilakkeriyumOh father, a white lamp will burn for you,
vella vilakkeriyumA white lamp will burn.
Enna petha paasakkara aiyaaOh loving father who gave birth to me,
Unna sumakka meloru kappal varumA celestial ship will arrive to carry you away.
Melooru kappal yeriBoarding that heavenly ship,
Nee vegu dhoorama povadhennaWhy are you departing so far away?
Male
Unna kallula kappal senjaeWe fashioned a ship out of stone for you,
Unna kallula kappal senjaeWe fashioned a ship out of stone for you,
Enna petha paasakkara aiyaaOh loving father who gave birth to me,
Unna kadalula than vittom nangaWe set you afloat into the ocean.
Male
Unna kallula kappal senjaeWe fashioned a ship out of stone for you,
Unna kadalula than vittom nangaWe set you afloat into the ocean.
Kadalula vitta kappalThe ship that was cast out into the sea,
Karaiya vandhu servadheppomWhen will it ever return back to the shore?
Male
Nikkum marathula kappal senjaeWe made a ship out of a standing tree,
Nikkum marathula kappal senjaeWe made a ship out of a standing tree,
Enna petha aiyaaOh father who gave birth to me,
Unna naduvula vittom nangaWe left you in the middle of the waters.
Unna naduvula vitta kappalThe ship left stranded in the middle of the waters...
Male
Ettadha kovilukkae ettadh kovilukkaeFor the unreachable temple, for the unreachable temple,
Yaeni vechithaan deepam ittomWe placed a ladder and lit a sacred lamp.
Andha ettula oru deivamYet not a single deity among those eight
Unakku edhira vandhu nikkaliyaeCame forward to stand before you and save you.
Male
Pathaadha kovilukkuFor the unapproachable temple,
Padi vechi deepam ittomWe built steps and lit a sacred lamp.
Andha pathula oru deivamYet not a single deity among those ten
Unakku pakka thunai nikkaliyaeCame to stand beside you as a supporting guide.
Male
Kaagam sarinjirundha kaagam sarinjirundhaIf a single crow falls down, if a crow falls down,
Kaagamellaam koochal idumAll the other crows will cry aloud in grief.
Enga sana thalaivan sarinja pinnaeNow that our people's beloved leader has fallen,
Yaar idathae solli azhaTo whom can we go and weep for solace?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This song is a deeply moving Tamil 'Oppari' (folk funeral elegy) expressing raw grief over the loss of a revered father and community leader. The singer laments the passing of time and the arrival of the final rites, using metaphors like a leaning golden chariot and a ship set adrift in deep waters to represent the journey of the soul into the afterlife and the permanence of death.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor

Un ponnu theru thaan saaya pothae

Compares the noble and dignified body/life of the departed father to a grand golden temple chariot ('ponnu theru') leaning over as death takes over.

Allegory / Extended Metaphor

Kadalula vitta kappal karaiya vandhu servadheppom

Compares the departed soul to a stone/wooden ship set adrift in the vast ocean, posing the heartbreaking question of when it will ever return to the shore (life).

Ethugai (Second-letter Rhyme)

Ettadha kovilukkae / Pathaadha kovilukku

Rhyming of the second letter ('t' in Ettadha and 't' / 'th' sound patterns in Pathaadha) across consecutive lyrical stanzas.

Analogy / Uvamai

Kaagam sarinjirundha... Kaagamellaam koochal idum

Draws an analogy to nature: when a single crow falls, the entire flock gathers to cry out, contrasting it with the humans left helpless and leaderless with nowhere to turn.

Did you know?

Trivia

This song belongs to the 2023 Tamil political action drama 'Kazhuvethi Moorkkan', starring Arulnithi. Composed by D. Imman with lyrics by Yuga Bharathi, the track is rendered by folk singer J. P. Veeramani in the traditional Oppari genre, capturing rural mourning practices, traditional metaphors, and grief rituals authentic to Tamil Nadu's cultural heritage.

Keep listening

More from Kazhuvethi Moorkkan