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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Penn Endral Paeyum Manam

From Ivan Avanethan · 1960

Lyricist
M. S. Subramaniyam
Singer
Seerkazhi Govindarajan
Music director
M. Ranga Rao
Details
Ivan Avanethan1960

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Penn endraal peyum manam irangumandroThey say even a ghost's heart melts for a woman, doesn't it?
Bedhai obval naathanin manam irangaathathaenoWhy then does this innocent woman's husband's heart not melt?
Male
Kal nenjamaa ival mel vanjamaaIs his heart made of stone? Is it vengeance against her?
Penn pedhai padum sogamthaan konjamaaIs the sorrow this naive woman endures a small thing?
Antho idhu niyaayamaaAlas, is this justice?
Male
Kal nejamaa ival mel vanjamaaIs his heart made of stone? Is it vengeance against her?
Male
Vadhai seiyyum paavam veen pogumaaWill the sin of tormenting her go in vain?
Thuyaraalae vaadum manam maarumaaWill a heart wilting from sorrow ever change?
Penn anuthinamum kanneer sinthum kalitheerumaaWill the suffering end for this woman who sheds tears daily?
Antho idhu niyaayamaaAlas, is this justice?
Male
Kal nenjamaa ival mel vanjamaaIs his heart made of stone? Is it vengeance against her?
Penn pedhai padum sogamthaan konjamaaIs the sorrow this naive woman endures a small thing?
Antho idhu niyaayamaaAlas, is this justice?
Male
Puvi vaazhvin aanantham puyalaanathHas the joy of worldly life turned into a storm?
Mana aaval yaavum kanavaanathoHave all the desires of the heart turned into a dream?
Nin puvi vaazhvin aanantham puyalaanathHas the joy of your earthly life turned into a storm?
Mana aaval yaavum kanavaanatho….Have all the desires of the heart turned into a dream?
Male
Vithi vilaiyaada iilvaazhvum irulaanathoAs fate plays its game, has family life turned dark?
Ni premai ellaam veen ponathoHas all your love gone to waste?
Pathi sevakku nee kaanum palan thaanithoIs this the reward you get for serving your husband?
Antho idhu niyaayamaaAlas, is this justice?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This classic melancholic song expresses deep anguish over the plight of an innocent woman suffering due to her husband's cruelty and neglect. The lyrics invoke a traditional Tamil adage—that even a ghost would feel pity for a woman—to highlight how unjust and unfeeling her husband's stone-like heart is. The song laments how her domestic happiness has been shattered into a storm of tears, questioning whether her devotion and service deserve such a cruel twist of fate.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Proverb / Cultural Allusion

Penn endraal peyum manam irangumandro

Refers to the popular Tamil saying 'Penn endraal peyum irangum' (Even a ghost's heart melts for a woman) to highlight the severity of the husband's coldness.

Metaphor

Kal nenjamaa ival mel vanjamaa

Compares an unfeeling, cruel heart to hard stone ('Kal nenjamaa').

Rhetorical Question

Antho idhu niyaayamaa

Repeated questioning of 'is this justice?' (Antho idhu niyaayamaa) to emphasize moral outrage and helplessness.

Metaphor

Puvi vaazhvin aanantham puyalaanath

Compares life's joys turning into chaos to a destructive storm ('puyalaanath').

Did you know?

Trivia

The song from 'Ivan Avanethan' (1960) features music composed by M. Ranga Rao and powerful vocal delivery by Seerkazhi Govindarajan, who was celebrated for bringing dramatic theatrical depth and emotional intensity to classical Tamil songs.

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