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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Palootta Thaayillaiya

From Athaimadi Methaiyadi · 1989

Lyricist
Pulamaipithan
Singer
Vani Jairam
Music director
S. R. Vasu
Details
Athaimadi Methaiyadi1989

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Aaraaro aariraro nee yaaro thaai yaaroLullaby chant... Who are you, and who is your mother?
Idhil unmaiyai yaar arivaaroWho knows the truth in this?
Female
Paalootta thaayillaiyaaIs there no mother to feed you milk?
Un thaai pola naan illaiyaaAm I not like your own mother?
Paalootta thaayillaiyaaIs there no mother to feed you milk?
Un thaai pola naan illaiyaaAm I not like your own mother?
Female
Nenjil idam maari vilaiyaadum thendralaeOh gentle breeze that changes place and plays in my heart,
Thaei pirai yaedhum ariyaatha thingalaeOh moon that knows no waning phase,
Female
Anbu paalootta thaayillaiyaaIs there no mother to feed you milk out of love?
Un thaai pola naan illaiyaaAm I not like your own mother?
Female
Eerainthu maadhanal thaangi madi thaangiBearing for ten months, holding you in the lap,
Idai noga mel mochchu vaangi dhinam vaanggiPanting heavily every day as the waist aches,
Oru thaaikku magalaaga vanthaaiYou were born as a daughter to one mother,
Inga maru thaaikku magalaagi nindraaiHere, you stand as a daughter to a second mother.
Ingu maru thaaikku magalaagi nindraaiHere, you stand as a daughter to a second mother.
Female
Unakku paalootta thaayillaiyaaIs there no mother to feed you milk?
Un thaai pola naan illaiyaaAm I not like your own mother?
Female
Oru naaikkum thaaiyaagum ullam anbu vellamA heart that becomes a mother even to a dog, a flood of love,
Karunaikku porul enna sollum ival illamHer home explains the true meaning of compassion.
Thaaimaikku kidaiyaathu bedhamMotherhood knows no discrimination or difference,
Endrum adhuthaanae tharamaana vedhamThat alone is forever the highest sacred truth.
Endrum adhuthaanae tharamaana vedhamThat alone is forever the highest sacred truth.
Female
Unakku paalootta thaayillaiyaaIs there no mother to feed you milk?
Un thaai pola naan illaiyaaAm I not like your own mother?
Female
Oru peru nee petra peru arum peruA rare fortune you have received, a blessed fortune,
Un thaai thanthai ivarendru kooru veru yaaruDeclare that these are your parents, who else could it be?
Eduththaalum valarththaalum thaaithaanWhether giving birth or raising up, a mother is a mother,
Nee endrendrum ivalanbu saeithaanYou are forever the child of her loving care.
Nee endrendrum ivalanbu saeithaanYou are forever the child of her loving care.
Female
Unakku paalootta thaayillaiyaaIs there no mother to feed you milk?
Un thaai pola naan illaiyaaAm I not like your own mother?
Female
Nenjil idam maari vilaiyaadum thendralaeOh gentle breeze that changes place and plays in my heart,
Thaeipirai yaedhum ariyaatha thingalaeOh moon that knows no waning phase,
Female
Anbu paalootta thaayillaiyaaIs there no mother to feed you milk out of love?
Un thaai pola naan illaiyaa…..Am I not like your own mother?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This poignant song is a lullaby reflecting on the universal and divine nature of motherhood, emphasizing that maternal love transcends biological birth. The singer reassures an infant that even if her birth mother is absent, a loving surrogate or adoptive mother is equally capable of offering true maternal affection, care, and milk.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uvamaani)

Thaei pirai yaedhum ariyaatha thingalae

Compares the child to a moon that never experiences a waning phase (a constant source of joy).

Metaphor

Nenjil idam maari vilaiyaadum thendralae

Compares the child to a soft playing breeze in the singer's heart.

Etukai (Second-letter Rhyme)

Oru thaaikku magalaaga vanthaai / Inga maru thaaikku magalaagi nindraai

Rhyming of the second letter ('ru') across consecutive lines to build musical flow.

Refrain / Anaphora

Unakku paalootta thaayillaiyaa / Un thaai pola naan illaiyaa

Repetition of key lines throughout the song to reinforce the central theme of adoptive maternal affection.

Did you know?

Trivia

Written by renowned lyricist Pulamaipithan, the song explores the emotional core of adoptive motherhood, stressing the Tamil cultural philosophy that raising a child with love holds equal or greater sanctity than giving birth.

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