Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Paritha Kannai

From Thanga Padhumai · 1959

Lyricist
Pattukkottai Kalyanasundram
Singer
P. Leela
Music director
Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy
Details
Thanga Padhumai1959

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Paritha kannaiThe snatched eyes,
Padhithu vitten pathiniyaeI have placed at your feet, O virtuous woman!
Nee endhan kanavan kannaiThe eyes of my husband,
Edutha kaiyaal koduthu viduGive them back with the very hands that took them!
Ezhaikku vaazhvu koduGive a life to this helpless poor woman!
Female
Idhaya koyil aduthavalae..yeO deity who dwells in the temple of the heart!
Arul maniyaeO jewel of grace!
Arangaatha tamizh magalae amma un maelO unblemished Tamil daughter, upon you,
Aanaiyittu ketkkirenI swear and plead!
Anbirundhaal panbirundhaal kann kodammaaIf you possess love and virtue, grant him his eyes, O Mother!
Female
Ezhaikku un arul ettadha sigaramooIs your grace an unreachable peak to a poor soul like me?
Innamum kangal kurudooAre your eyes still blind to my agony?
Iru seviyum mandhamooAre both your ears deaf to my cries?
Naan azhudha kural konjamooIs the sound of my weeping too faint?
Idhayamum kallaanadhooHas your heart turned into solid stone?
Irakkam pirakkavillaiyoo…Has compassion still not blossomed in you?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This emotionally charged song from the 1959 Tamil film 'Thanga Padhumai' represents a desperate and righteous prayer by a devoted wife pleading for her husband's lost eyesight. She addresses the deity and personification of virtuous womanhood, demanding justice with a blend of reverence and intense distress. She questions whether the divine heart has turned to stone or if her tears and suffering remain unheard. The powerful lyricism of Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram combined with P. Leela's soulful rendition emphasizes themes of marital devotion, divine justice, and moral outrage.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Rhetorical Questions (Vinaa Ani)

Innamum kangal kurudoo / Iru seviyum mandhamoo / Naan azhudha kural konjamoo

Lines 11 through 16 employ a continuous sequence of rhetorical questions ending in the suffix '-oo' to dramatize the heroine's anguish and challenge the deity's silence.

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Idhaya koyil aduthavalae..ye / Arul maniyae

'Idhaya koyil' compares the heart to a sacred temple where the divine resides, while 'Arul maniyae' metaphorically refers to grace as a precious jewel.

Rhyme / Monai and Ethukai

Anbirundhaal panbirundhaal kann kodammaa

Internal and end rhymes like 'Anbirundhaal / Panbirundhaal' create a rhythmic harmony in the emotional plea.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Thanga Padhumai' (1959) stars Sivaji Ganesan and Padmini. The song showcases Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram's exceptional ability to write dramatic classical-style lyrics tailored for intense screen performance, set to dynamic musical composition by the duo Viswanathan-Ramamoorthy and powerfully sung by classical maestro P. Leela.

Keep listening

More from Thanga Padhumai