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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Pathu Masam Sumanthava

From Selvakku · 1986

Lyricist
M. A. Kaja
Singers
Vidya, Sivarajan
Music director
Chandrabose
Details
Selvakku1986

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Pathu maasam sumanthavaShe who carried him in her womb for ten months
Perum payanam pogiraalIs now departing on her final journey.
Muthu pola porandha maganThe son who was born precious like a pearl
Munnalae illaiyammaIs not standing before her now, oh mother!
Female
Iva uyira koduthuShe gave her very life
Avana indha olagathukkae koduthaTo bring him into this world.
Ava uthirathaiyae paalaakki ootti valarthaShe transformed her own blood into milk to feed and raise him.
Male
Iva paaloootti valarthaShe nurtured him by feeding him milk,
Avan bottle odachu koduthaanIn return, he broke a bottle and gave it back to her.
Iva paaloootti valarthaShe nurtured him by feeding him milk,
Avan bottle odachu koduthaanIn return, he broke a bottle and gave it back to her.
Female
Pathu maasam sumanthavaShe who carried him in her womb for ten months
Perum payanam pogiraalIs now departing on her final journey.
Muthu pola porandha maganThe son who was born precious like a pearl
Munnalae illaiyammaIs not standing before her now, oh mother!
Male
Paayil avan paduthaFearing that if he slept on a simple mat
Ponn maeni nogumunnuHis golden little body would suffer in pain,
Than maeni noga avanaiEnduring pain in her own body,
Thozhil maarbil sumandhaalShe carried him tenderly on her shoulder and chest.
Female
Maganukku noi vandhaWhenever the son fell sick,
Marundhu ava undaaShe swallowed the bitter medicine herself.
Magan padichu periya manushanaagaHoping her son would study well and become a great man,
Manasil aasa valarthaShe nurtured fond dreams in her heart.
Male
Andha magan uzhaippuYet all the hard work of that son
Vizhalukkeracha neeraBecame like water poured onto wild weeds,
Pogudhamma veenaaGoing completely to waste, oh mother,
Pogudhamma veenaGoing completely to waste.
Female
Pathu maasam sumanthavaShe who carried him in her womb for ten months
Perum payanam pogiraalIs now departing on her final journey.
Muthu pola porandha maganThe son who was born precious like a pearl
Munnalae illaiyammaIs not standing before her now, oh mother!
Female
Aaarirooo aariroooLullaby notes... (Aariroo aariroo)
Aaraarooo…..Lullaby notes... (Aaraarooo...)
Female
Alli anicha pullaThe child she once embraced so tightly
Thaaikku kolli veikka illaiIs not present today to light her funeral pyre.
Kalli mulla malaraaEven if he grew like a thorny cactus,
Kannukullae paarthaShe cherished him like a flower in her eye.
Male
Ooru olagam pottraWhile the whole town and world praised motherhood,
Pulla thunai varalaThe child failed to come as her companion.
Ooru paarthu sirikkaWhile the townspeople watched and mocked,
Oorvalathin irunthaanHe stood distant in another procession.
Female
Thaai paasam ellam magan melAll the mother's love was bestowed upon her son,
Ivan kosham ellam avan melWhile all his anger was directed towards her.
Thaai paasam ellam magan melAll the mother's love was bestowed upon her son,
Ivan kosham ellam avan melWhile all his anger was directed towards her.
Male
Pathu maasam sumanthavaShe who carried him in her womb for ten months
Perum payanam pogiraalIs now departing on her final journey.
Muthu pola porandha maganThe son who was born precious like a pearl
Munnalae illaiyammaIs not standing before her now, oh mother!
Female
Iva uyira koduthuShe gave her very life
Avana indha olagathukkae koduthaTo bring him into this world.
Ava uthirathaiyae paalaakki ootti valarthaShe transformed her own blood into milk to feed and raise him.
Male
Iva paaloootti valarthaShe nurtured him by feeding him milk,
Avan bottle odachu koduthaanIn return, he broke a bottle and gave it back to her.
Iva paaloootti valarthaShe nurtured him by feeding him milk,
Avan bottle odachu koduthaanIn return, he broke a bottle and gave it back to her.
Female
Pathu maasam sumanthavaShe who carried him in her womb for ten months
Perum payanam pogiraalIs now departing on her final journey.
Muthu pola porandha maganThe son who was born precious like a pearl
Munnalae illaiyammaIs not standing before her now, oh mother!

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Pathu Maasam Sumanthava from the movie Selvakku (1986) is a sorrowful song portraying the grief of a mother's death and her son's tragic ingratitude. Penned by M.A. Kaja, the lyrics contrast the infinite sacrifices of a mother—turning blood into milk, bearing physical pain for her child's comfort, taking medicine on his behalf, and dreaming of his noble future—with the harsh reality of her final journey where the son fails even to light her funeral pyre.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Uvamai)

Muthu pola porandha magan

Compares the newborn son to a precious pearl ('Muthu pola porandha magan').

Proverb / Idiom (Pazhamozhi)

Vizhalukkeracha neera

Uses the ancient Tamil idiom 'Vizhalukku eracha neer' (pouring water on wild weeds) to symbolize unrequited effort and wasted devotion.

Irony / Contrast (Ethirpadu)

Iva paaloootti valartha / Avan bottle odachu koduthaan

Juxtaposes the mother feeding milk to nurture life against the son breaking liquor/glass bottles in violence or addiction.

Did you know?

Trivia

Lyricist M.A. Kaja was a versatile writer and filmmaker in Tamil cinema known for writing emotionally charged songs rooted in realistic family dramas during the late 1970s and 1980s.

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