Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Paartha Nyabagam Illayo Sad

From Puthiya Paravai · 1964

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singer
P. Susheela
Music director
Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy
Details
Puthiya Paravai1964

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Aaha aahaaaaaAaha aahaaaaa
Aahaa aaaaaahaAahaa aaaaaaha
Aaha aahaaahaAaha aahaaaha
Female
Partha nyabagam illaiyoDon't you remember seeing me?
Paruva nadagam thollaiyoIs this drama of youth a burden to you?
Female
Partha nyabagam illaiyoDon't you remember seeing me?
Paruva nadagam thollaiyoIs this drama of youth a burden to you?
Vazhntha kalangal konjamoWere the times we lived together so brief?
Maranthathae indha nenjamo..Did your heart completely forget it all?
Female
Partha nyabagam illaiyoDon't you remember seeing me?
Paruva nadagam thollaiyoIs this drama of youth a burden to you?
Andru partha nyabagam illaiyoDon't you remember seeing me back then?
Paruva nadagam thollaiyoIs this drama of youth a burden to you?
Female
Indha iravai kel adhu sollumAsk this night, it will tell you
Andha nilavai kel adhu sollumAsk that moon, it will tell you
Undhan manadhai kel adhu sollumAsk your own heart, it will tell you
Naam vazhntha vaazhkaiyai sollumIt will speak of the life we lived together
Female
Andru partha nyabagam illaiyoDon't you remember seeing me back then?
Paruva nadagam thollaiyoIs this drama of youth a burden to you?
Female
Naan sendradhum marandhai uravaiThe moment I left, you forgot our bond
Indru vandhadhae pudhiya paravaiToday, a new bird has arrived
Indha jenmathilum oru thadavaiOnce again in this very lifetime
Naam sandhipom andha nilavaiWe shall meet that moon together
Female
Andru partha nyabagam illaiyoDon't you remember seeing me back then?
Paruva nadagam thollaiyoIs this drama of youth a burden to you?
Vazhntha kalangal konjamoWere the times we lived together so brief?
Maranthathae indha nenjamo..Did your heart completely forget it all?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This hauntingly romantic and enigmatic song from the psychological thriller 'Puthiya Paravai' expresses the emotional turmoil of a woman confronting her former lover. She plaintively questions whether he has truly forgotten their shared past, the intimate moments, and the love they once nurtured. By invoking nature—the night, the moon, and his own conscience—she urges him to recall their history rather than treat it as a fleeting illusion.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Iyaibu (End Rhyme)

Naan sendradhum marandhai uravai / Indru vandhadhae pudhiya paravai

Matching end syllables in words like 'uravai', 'paravai', 'thadavai', and 'nilavai' create a rhythmic, melodic flow across lines 20-23.

Rhetorical Question

Partha nyabagam illaiyo / Paruva nadagam thollaiyo

The speaker repeatedly questions the lover's memory ('Partha nyabagam illaiyo?'), emphasizing her disbelief and heartbreak over his apparent amnesia.

Anaphora / Parallelism

Indha iravai kel adhu sollum / Andha nilavai kel adhu sollum

Repetition of the phrase structural pattern '...kel adhu sollum' ('ask ..., it will tell') builds emotional intensity and invokes nature as a witness.

Metaphor

Indru vandhadhae pudhiya paravai

'Pudhiya paravai' (new bird) serves as a metaphor for the transformation of identity or the arrival of a new woman in the protagonist's life.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Partha Nyabagam Illaiyo' is an iconic Tamil track composed by the legendary duo Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy and sung by P. Susheela for the 1964 Sivaji Ganesan classic 'Puthiya Paravai'. The song was picturized on Sowcar Janaki in a memorable club dance sequence. The tune drew rhythmic inspiration from the popular Latin/English song 'Sway' (Quien Será).

Keep listening

More from Puthiya Paravai