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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Ponnana Pottapulla

From Kozhipannai Chelladurai · 2024

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singers
Anand Aravindakshan, Saindhavi
Music director
N. R. Raghunanthan
Details
Kozhipannai Chelladurai2024

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Hoo oo oo hoo oo oooHoo oo oo hoo oo ooo
Hoo oo oo hoo oo oooHoo oo oo hoo oo ooo
Male
Ponnana pottapullaMy golden girl,
Pothi pothi valatha pullaThe girl raised with tender care and protection,
Oora vitu pogaiyila usur muttutheAs you leave the village, my life force chokes within me.
Kan mulucha naal muthalaFrom the day my eyes first opened,
Kan ethukka iruntha pullaThe girl who was always right before my eyes,
Kanna vittu pogaiyila kanneer mututheAs you leave my sight, tears choke my eyes.
Male
Keechu kozhi unna thaviraExcept for you, my little bird,
Pechu thunai yaarum illaThere is no companion left to talk to,
Veetukulla veruchodutheThe house feels completely deserted and empty.
Ini thankachi ennaiki varuvaWhen will my younger sister return now?
Oru thagaval theriyalaThere is no word or news.
Nalla sagunam keka ponaWhen I went to seek a good omen,
Entha balliyum pesalaEven the lizard did not chirp.
Male
Ponnana pottapullaMy golden girl,
Pothi pothi valatha pullaThe girl raised with tender care and protection,
Oora vitu pogaiyila usur muttutheAs you leave the village, my life force chokes within me.
Kan mulucha naal muthalaFrom the day my eyes first opened,
Kan ethukka iruntha pullaThe girl who was always right before my eyes,
Kanna vittu pogaiyila kanneer mututheAs you leave my sight, tears choke my eyes.
Female
Oh thagapana nenachathillaiOh, I never missed having a father,
Thaai anbu inichathillaiA mother's love was never felt lacking,
Thaayoda thagapanuma nee than ennaiYou were both a mother and a father to me.
Ee erumbu kadikaama eera kaathu adikaamaWithout letting flies or ants bite, without letting chilly winds touch me,
Ithachakkil potha valatha nee than ennaYou raised me wrapped safely in a warm cloth.
Female
Ipa namba polapu enna kadhi aachuNow, what state has our life come to?
Thaniyila nenanjen ninda uppu kal aachuSoaked in water, I became a lump of salt that dissolved.
Nee undaayo ungalayo onnum thonalaWhether you ate or did not, I have no idea,
Ketka nammooru kaakaayum onum kaangalaEven our village crow hasn't cawed to give news.
Male
Ponnana pottapullaMy golden girl,
Pothi pothi valatha pullaThe girl raised with tender care and protection,
Oora vitu pogaiyila usur muttutheAs you leave the village, my life force chokes within me.
Kan mulucha naal muthalaFrom the day my eyes first opened,
Kan ethukka iruntha pullaThe girl who was always right before my eyes,
Kanna vittu pogaiyila kanneer mututheAs you leave my sight, tears choke my eyes.
Male
Kozhusoli pogaiyila kola saami pogirucheAs the sound of your anklets fades, the family deity seems to leave.
Koodathula maada kuzhi irulaa pocheThe hallway and the wall niche have turned dark.
Potta poonai adupukulla kutti pottu paduthurucheThe female cat has birthed kittens inside the unlit hearth and lies there.
Pacha arisi neram maari ella pocheThe color of raw rice has changed and spoiled.
Male
Bandham oru kayiruKinship is one rope,
Paasam oru kayiruAffection is another rope,
Rendu kayiru irukaWhen these two ropes pull tight,
Idhu pogatho usuruWon't this life force depart?
Nan ooru vittu ooru vanthuEven as I cross towns to come and see you,
Unna kaanum munneBefore I can meet you,
En kanneeru aaraaga unna theendumeMy tears will reach and touch you like a river.
Female
Un ponnana ponnumaniYour golden darling child,
Pothi pothi valartha kaniThe precious fruit raised with tender care,
Oora vitu pogaiyila usur muttutheAs you leave the village, my life force chokes within me.
Kan mulucha naal muthalaFrom the day my eyes first opened,
Kan ethire iruntha porapuThe soul that lived right before my eyes,
Kanna vittu pogaiyila kanneer mututheAs you leave my sight, tears choke my eyes.
keechu kozhi unna thaviraExcept for you, my little bird,
Female
Keechu kozhi unna thaviraExcept for you, my little bird,
Pechu thunai yaarum illaThere is no companion left to talk to,
Veetukulla veruchodutheThe house feels completely deserted and empty.
En annan ennaiki varuvaanoWhen will my elder brother come?
Oru thagaval theriyalaThere is no word or news.
Naan vakka patta oorukullaIn this town where I have been married into,
Endha dhesaiyum puriyalaI cannot figure out any direction.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This emotional track from Seenu Ramasamy's movie 'Kozhipannai Chelladurai' captures the deep bond between a brother and sister. Through rich imagery of rural life, the brother laments the painful void left behind after his sister gets married and leaves her childhood home. He describes how she was his companion and how the entire house feels desolate and darkened without her presence. In response, the sister expresses her profound gratitude to her brother, who raised her with the warmth and care of both a mother and a father. She conveys her feeling of displacement in her new marital home, illustrating the universal emotional weight of separation, familial love, and rural nostalgia.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uvamai / Uruvagathal)

Ponnana pottapulla

Comparing the girl to 'Ponnana pottapulla' (Golden girl) and 'valartha kani' (nurtured fruit) highlights her precious worth to the family.

Hyperbole (Adukkuthodar & Sembulapeyalneer style exaggeration)

En kanneeru aaraaga unna theendume

Comparing tears to a river ('kanneeru aaraaga') that reaches the loved one before the person physically arrives.

Edhai (Second letter rhyming)

Ponnana pottapulla / Pothi pothi valatha pulla

The second letters 'n' in 'Ponnana' and 'Pothi' (or 'n' in 'Kan' / 'Kan') create a rhythmic harmony in Tamil poetry.

Visual Imagery (Katchi Bimbam)

Potta poonai adupukulla kutti pottu paduthuruche

Depicting a cat giving birth inside an unlit stove ('adupukulla') visually communicates how cold and unused the kitchen has become since she left.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Kozhipannai Chelladurai' (2024) is directed by renowned filmmaker Seenu Ramasamy, known for his grounded, realistic rural dramas such as 'Dharmadurai' and 'Thenmerku Paruvakaatru'. The film features music composed by N. R. Raghunanthan, reuniting him with Seenu Ramasamy after successful collaborations like 'Neerparavai'.

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