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Shenbagamae Shenbagamae album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Saami En Thaali

From Shenbagamae Shenbagamae · 1988

Lyricist
Gangai Amaran
Singer
K. S. Chitra
Music director
Ilayaraja
Movie name
Shenbagamae Shenbagamae
Movie release year
1988
Lyrics added on
31 Dec 2022

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Saami en thaali kodi thangum varam venum
Devi naan ketta varam thedi thara venum
Pottum povum thottu naalum
Katti aalum sogam venum
Pottum povum thottu naalum
Katti aalum sogam venum
Saami en thaali kodi thangum varam venum
Devi naan ketta varam thedi thara venum
Katti vachchum koodi serala kaanaamalae koodi pesala
Kanni manam kanda kanaa koodaamalae odum
Enni enni yaengi thinam thoongaamalae thoongum
Vaazhaamalae vaazhnthu thaeyaamalae thaeinthaenae
Oorum perum pesum adhu unnaal thaanae saami
Saami en thaali kodi thangum varam venum
Devi naan ketta varam thedi thara venum
Kannukkulla neeru pooththathu
Kanni manam maala korththathu
Unna enni poo maalaiya podaamalae pottaen
Kannukkulla kelvi onnu ketkaamalae kettaen
Yaedho oru paaram ennoduthaan munnaerum
Paaram theerum neram nee paaththaa pothu saami….
Saami en thaali kodi thangum varam venum
Devi naan ketta varam thedi thara venum
Pottu poovum thottu naalum
Katti aalum sogam venum
Pottu poovum thottu naalum
Katti aalum sogam venum
Lord, grant me the blessing that my sacred wedding thread lasts.
Goddess, you must grant the boon I have asked for.
Adorned with bindi and flowers each day,
I live with the sorrow that binds and rules me.
Adorned with bindi and flowers each day,
I live with the sorrow that binds and rules me.
Lord, grant me the blessing that my sacred wedding thread lasts.
Goddess, you must grant the boon I have asked for.
Though bound together, we never united; without seeing each other, we never spoke.
The dreams of my young heart slip away unfulfilled.
Yearning with constant thoughts every day, I sleep without truly sleeping.
Without ever truly living, I lived, and wore away to nothing.
The whole town talks about me, and it is all because of you, my Lord.
Lord, grant me the blessing that my sacred wedding thread lasts.
Goddess, you must grant the boon I have asked for.
Tears have welled up in my eyes.
My young heart strung a garland.
Thinking of you, I garlanded you in my heart.
Through my eyes, I asked a question without uttering a word.
Some heavy burden moves along with me.
The moment you look upon me, my Lord, this burden will disappear...
Lord, grant me the blessing that my sacred wedding thread lasts.
Goddess, you must grant the boon I have asked for.
Adorned with bindi and flowers each day,
I live with the sorrow that binds and rules me.
Adorned with bindi and flowers each day,
I live with the sorrow that binds and rules me.
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This song is a deeply emotional and devotional lament of a young bride yearning for marital fulfillment, emotional closeness, and the eternal sanctity of her marriage. She prays earnestly to the Almighty and the Goddess to bless her 'thaali' (sacred mangalsutra) so that her marital status remains intact. Expressing the distress of unfulfilled togetherness, she describes living in a state of emotional paradox—sleeping without rest, living without true life, and bearing a heavy heart that only her husband's loving gaze can heal.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Paradox / Oxymoron

“Vaazhaamalae vaazhnthu thaeyaamalae thaeinthaenae”

Phrases like 'thoongaamalae thoongum' (sleeping without sleeping) and 'Vaazhaamalae vaazhnthu' (living without living) express deep internal emotional torment where physical reality contradicts state of mind.

Metaphor

“Kannukkulla neeru pooththathu”

'Neeru pooththathu' compares tears welling up in eyes to flowers blooming, depicting grief through poetic beauty.

Adukkuthodar (Reduplication)

“Enni enni yaengi thinam thoongaamalae thoongum”

'Enni enni' uses repeated words for emphasis on continuous, anxious contemplation.

Edukai (Second-letter Rhyme)

“Pottum povum thottu naalum”

Rhyming second letters in 'Pottum' and 'Katti' creating rhythm in rural folk rhythm structure.

Did you know?

Trivia

Composed by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja and sung by K. S. Chithra with lyrics by Gangai Amaran, this track from 'Enga Ooru Pattukaran' (1987) is set in the evocative Sindhu Bhairavi raga. It highlights the traditional Tamil cultural sentiment surrounding the mangalsutra (thaali kodi) and rural marital emotional complexities.

Keep listening

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Poothirunthu1973
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