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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Pallaakku Vaanga Ponen

From Panakkara Kudumbam · 1964

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singer
T. M. Soundararajan
Music director
Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy
Details
Panakkara Kudumbam1964

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Pallaakku vaanga ponenI went to buy a palanquin
Oorvalam pogaTo go on a grand procession
Naan paadhiyilae thirumbi vandhenI returned halfway through
Thani maramaagaLike a lonely tree
Male
Pallaakku vaanga ponenI went to buy a palanquin
Oorvalam pogaTo go on a grand procession
Naan paadhiyilae thirumbi vandhenI returned halfway through
Thani maramaagaLike a lonely tree
Male
Malligai poo vaangi vandhenI brought jasmine flowers
Pennukku choodaTo adorn the woman's hair
Malligai poo vaangi vandhenI brought jasmine flowers
Pennukku choodaTo adorn the woman's hair
Adhai man meedhu pottu vittaenI threw them onto the bare soil
Veiyilil vaada veiyilil vaadaTo wither away in the heat, to wither in the heat
Male
Pallaakku vaanga ponenI went to buy a palanquin
Oorvalam pogaTo go on a grand procession
Naan paadhiyilae thirumbi vandhenI returned halfway through
Thani maramaagaLike a lonely tree
Male
Mana maedai poda sonnaenI asked to set up a wedding stage
Mangalam illaiThere was no auspiciousness
Manamagalai kaana vandhenI came to see the bride
Kungumam illaiThere was no vermilion on her forehead
Male
Mana maedai poda sonnaenI asked to set up a wedding stage
Mangalam illaiThere was no auspiciousness
Manamagalai kaana vandhenI came to see the bride
Kungumam illaiThere was no vermilion on her forehead
Kaadhalukkae vaazhndhirundhenI lived solely for love
Karpanai illaiIt was not mere imagination
Kalyaanam kolvadhu mattumOnly the act of getting married
En vasamillai en vasamillaiWas not in my control, was not in my control
Male
Pallaakku vaanga ponenI went to buy a palanquin
Oorvalam pogaTo go on a grand procession
Naan paadhiyilae thirumbi vandhenI returned halfway through
Thani maramaagaLike a lonely tree
Male
Kannaalae pennai andruSeeing the woman with my eyes that day
Kandadhu paavamWas my tragic fate
Kanda udan kaadhal nenjilFalling in love in my heart the moment I saw her
Kondadhu paavamWas my tragic fate
Male
Kannaalae pennai andruSeeing the woman with my eyes that day
Kandadhu paavamWas my tragic fate
Kanda udan kaadhal nenjilFalling in love in my heart the moment I saw her
Kondadhu paavamWas my tragic fate
Konda pinnae pirivai cholliAnnouncing separation after falling in love
Vandhadhu paavamWas a sorrowful misfortune
Verum koodaaga boomiyil innumRemaining on this earth as a mere empty shell
Vaazhvadhu paavam vaazhvadhu paavamIs a painful sin to go on living, a sin to go on living
Male
Pallaakku vaanga ponenI went to buy a palanquin
Oorvalam pogaTo go on a grand procession
Naan paadhiyilae thirumbi vandhenI returned halfway through
Thani maramaagaLike a lonely tree
Male
Pallaakku vaanga ponenI went to buy a palanquin
Oorvalam pogaTo go on a grand procession
Naan paadhiyilae thirumbi vandhenI returned halfway through
Thani maramaagaLike a lonely tree

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

The song 'Pallaakku vaanga ponen' expresses intense grief over lost love and unfulfilled marital aspirations. The narrator sets out filled with hope, intending to arrange a royal palanquin and bring flowers for his bride, only for fate to crush his dreams midway. Left abandoned, he compares himself to a lonely tree standing isolated in the desert and jasmine flowers left to wither in scorching heat.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Uvamaani)

Naan paadhiyilae thirumbi vandhen / Thani maramaaga

Compares the protagonist's emotional isolation after heartbreak to a single standing tree ('Thani maramaaga').

Metaphor (Uvagam)

Verum koodaaga boomiyil innum

Compares the protagonist's lifeless, spiritless physical body to a hollow shell ('Verum koodu').

Epiphora / Rhyme (Eiybu)

Kandadhu paavam ... Kondadhu paavam ... Vandhadhu paavam

The repetitive ending with 'paavam' emphasizes the theme of suffering and fateful misfortune across successive lines.

Did you know?

Trivia

Featured in the 1964 M. G. Ramachandran starrer 'Panakkara Kudumbam', this classic track was composed by the duo Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy, penned by Kannadasan, and sung by T. M. Soundararajan.

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