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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Oru Pillai Azhaithadhu

From Kanne Kaniyamudhe · 1986

Lyricist
Tha. Kannan
Singer
Vani Jairam
Music director
M. S. Vishwanathan
Details
Kanne Kaniyamudhe1986

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Kannaa….aaa….aa….aa….Kanna… (Oh Krishna / my dear one…)
Kannaa….aaa….aa….aa….aa…..aaa…a…..Kanna…
Female
Oru pillai azhaiththathu ennaiA child called out to me,
Naan per solla mudiyaatha annaiI am a mother who cannot state her name.
Oru pillai azhaiththathu ennaiA child called out to me,
Naan per solla mudiyaatha annaiI am a mother who cannot state her name.
Naan per solla mudiyaatha annaiI am a mother who cannot state her name.
Female
Yaezhai endraalum engirunthaalumThough poor, wherever you may be,
En gaanam thaalaattum unnaiMy song will lull you to sleep.
Naan per solla mudiyaatha annaiI am a mother who cannot state her name.
Naan per solla mudiyaatha annaiI am a mother who cannot state her name.
Female
Aayiram thottilkal nenju tharumMy heart will offer a thousand cradles,
En aathmaavin raagangal konji varumThe melodies of my soul will come fondling you.
Aayiram thottilkal nenju tharumMy heart will offer a thousand cradles,
En aathmaavin raagangal konji varumThe melodies of my soul will come fondling you.
Female
Malar thanthaalae maramaagi ponaenI became a full tree that bore a flower,
Mannukkum paaramaai aanaenYet I became a burden to the earth.
Madi undu pillaiyae kaanaenI have a lap, yet my child is nowhere to be seen.
Petra maladiyaai ponathu naanaeI became a mother turned barren despite giving birth.
Kannae….ae….kaniyamuthae…..My dear eye… my sweet fruit elixir…
Female
Oru pillai azhaiththathu ennaiA child called out to me,
Naan per solla mudiyaatha annaiI am a mother who cannot state her name.
Naan per solla mudiyaatha annaiI am a mother who cannot state her name.
Female
Thaai mozhi illaamal pattam varumDegrees and titles will arrive without a mother tongue,
Unnai paaraatta kodiyaai suttram varumAnd countless relatives will surround to praise you like a flag.
Udhiraththin geetham oru jeevan paadumA soul sings the song of blood ties,
Ullaththil kaveri odumThe river Cauvery flows in the heart,
Ulagaththin ellaigal thedumSeeking the boundaries of the world.
Endrum oomaiyaai thaai kuyil vaadumForever mute, the mother cuckoo languishes in sorrow.
Kannae….ae….kaniyamuthae…..My dear eye… my sweet fruit elixir…
Female
Oru pillai azhaiththathu ennaiA child called out to me,
Naan per solla mudiyaatha annaiI am a mother who cannot state her name.
Naan per solla mudiyaatha annaiI am a mother who cannot state her name.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This heart-wrenching maternal song expresses the deep pain of a mother forced by circumstances to keep her identity hidden from her child. Though she cannot publicly claim her child or state her name, her love remains boundless, pouring out through soulful songs and lullabies that transcend physical separation and poverty.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor

Aayiram thottilkal nenju tharum

Compares the mother's loving heart to a thousand cradles ready to comfort her child.

Muran (Paradox)

Petra maladiyaai ponathu naanae

A paradox contrasting 'petra' (having given birth) with 'maladi' (a barren woman), highlighting the tragedy of being a mother unable to raise her own child.

Monai (Initial Rhyme / Alliteration)

Malar thanthaalae maramaagi ponaen / Mannukkum paaramaai aanaen

Repetition of the initial sound 'Ma' across consecutive lines.

Personification / Metaphor

Endrum oomaiyaai thaai kuyil vaadum

Compares the mother to a 'thaai kuyil' (mother cuckoo) that has lost its voice and languishes in silent grief.

Did you know?

Trivia

The lyrics were penned by Tha. Kannan for the 1986 Tamil movie 'Kanne Kaniyamudhe'. The song belongs to the classic 1980s Tamil cinema trope of maternal sacrifice, focusing on emotional distress caused by social constraints that keep a mother separated from her child.

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