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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Ponnaal Idhupole

From Poompuhar · 1964

Lyricist
Udumalai Narayanakavi
Singers
S. Janaki, T. M. Soundararajan
Music director
R. Sudharsanam
Details
Poompuhar1964

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics↻ English translation
Male
Pon naal idhu polae varumaa in melaeWill a golden day like this ever come hereafter?
Female
Hmm mm mm mm mmHmm mm mm mm mm
Male
Pon naal idhu polae varumaa in melaeWill a golden day like this ever come hereafter?
Munnaal vandhadhu ethanaiyo nannaalHow many good days came in the past!
Female
Aa…aa….aa…aa….aa…Aa...aa....aa...aa....aa...
Male
Munnaal vandhadhu ethanaiyo nannaalHow many good days came in the past!
Nalla pon naal idhu polae varumaa in melaeWill a good golden day like this ever come hereafter?
Male
Malar vaazh thiruvil vadivam unadhallavaaIsn't your form that of Lakshmi residing on a flower?
Female
Aa… aa… aa…Aa... aa... aa...
Aa… aa… aa… haa….aa…aa…Aa... aa... aa... haa....aa...aa...
Male
Malar vaazh thiruvil vadivam unadhallavaaIsn't your form that of Lakshmi residing on a flower?
Thamizh marai paesum nirai un nirai melumYour virtue surpasses the virtue spoken of by Tamil scriptures,
Naan sollavaaShall I speak of it?
Female
Mmm…Mmm...
Male
Pakkam mella vaaCome softly by my side.
Female
Aa… aa… aa… haa…aa…aa…aa..Aa... aa... aa... haa...aa...aa...aa..
Male
Kula maadhargal kondaadumCelebrated by women of noble lineage,
Kula maadhargal kondaadum guna maananiyaeO honorable lady of virtuous character, celebrated by noble women!
Pon naal idhu polae varumaa in melaeWill a golden day like this ever come hereafter?
Female
Aa… aa… aa… haa…aa…aa…aa..Aa... aa... aa... haa...aa...aa...aa..
Male
Maasaru ponnae…O flawless gold...
Female
Mmm…Mmm...
Male
Valamburi muthae…O right-whorled pearl...
Female
Chu chu chuChu chu chu
Male
Kaasaru viraiyae…O pure fragrance...
Female
Aa…Aa...
Male
Karumbae…O sugarcane...
Female
Aa…Aa...
Male
Thaenae…O honey...
Female
Aa… aa… aa…Aa... aa... aa...
Male
Maasaru ponnae valamburi muthaeO flawless gold, O right-whorled pearl!
Kaasaru viraiyaeFemale :Mmm…O pure fragrance! Female: Mmm...
Male :KarumbaeFemale :Mmm…Male :ThaenaeMale: O sugarcane! Female: Mmm... Male: O honey!
Maasaru ponnaeO flawless gold...
Female
Aa… aa… aa… haa…aa…aa…aa..Aa... aa... aa... haa...aa...aa...aa..
Male
Malaiyidai piravaa maniyae enbomWe call you a gem not born within mountains,
Malaiyidai piravaa maniyae enbomWe call you a gem not born within mountains,
Alaiyidai piravaa amilthae enbomWe call you nectar not born amidst waves!
Female
Aa…aa…aa…aaa…aa…Aa...aa...aa...aaa...aa...
Male
Kula maadhargal kondaadumCelebrated by women of noble lineage,
Kula maadhargal kondaadumCelebrated by women of noble lineage,
Guna maananiyaeO honorable lady of virtuous character!
Nalla pon naal idhu polae varumaa in melaeWill a good golden day like this ever come hereafter?
Male
Hmm mmm mm mm mmHmm mmm mm mm mm
Female :Aa…aa….aa….aaa….aaa…aa…aa…aa…Female: Aa...aa....aa....aaa....aaa...aa...aa...aa...

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Pon naal idhu polae varumaa is a classic romantic duet from the film Poompuhar (1964) based on the epic Silappatikaram. In this song, Kovalan praises his bride Kannagi's celestial beauty, supreme virtue, and sweet nature, wondering if any future day could ever match the joy of their union. He compares her to Goddess Lakshmi on a lotus and states that her noble character surpasses the teachings of ancient Tamil scriptures. The lyricist Udumalai Narayanakavi seamlessly weaves Ilango Adigal's famous literary lines into the song, where Kovalan addresses Kannagi with terms of endearment like pure gold, right-whorled conch pearl, rich fragrance, sugarcane, honey, mountain-less gem, and ocean-less nectar.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

“Maasaru ponnae valamburi muthae”

Directly compares Kannagi to precious substances such as flawless gold (Maasaru ponnae), a right-whorled pearl (Valamburi muthae), sugarcane (Karumbae), and honey (Thaenae).

Anaphora & Structural Parallelism (Emoni/Edhukai)

“Malaiyidai piravaa maniyae enbom... Alaiyidai piravaa amilthae enbom”

Parallel sentence structures used for poetic rhythm directly adapted from Sangam literature style ('Malaiyidai piravaa maniyae' / 'Alaiyidai piravaa amilthae').

Alliteration (Moni)

“Nalla pon naal idhu polae varumaa in melae”

Repetition of initial consonants like 'N' sound across adjacent words in the verse.

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Trivia

The lines starting from 'Maasaru ponnae valamburi muthae' to 'Alaiyidai piravaa amilthae' are direct verbatim quotes from the ancient Tamil epic 'Silappatikaram' (specifically from 'Kanaathiram Uraitha Kaadhai'), where Kovalan eulogizes Kannagi's divine purity after their wedding. The film Poompuhar (1964) was written by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and features music composed by R. Sudarsanam, sung by T. M. Soundararajan and P. Susheela.

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