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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Saamikaley Saamikaley

From En Purushanthaan Enakku Mattumthaan · 1989

Lyricist
Muthulingam
Singer
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
Music director
Ilayaraja
Details
En Purushanthaan Enakku Mattumthaan1989

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Saamigalae saamigalae sontha kadha kelungaO respected elders/gods, listen to my personal story.
Needhigalai niyaayangalai kettuttu sollidungaListen to it and tell me the principles of justice and fairness.
Saamigalae saamigalae sontha kadha kelungaO respected elders/gods, listen to my personal story.
Needhigalai niyaayangalai kettuttu sollidungaListen to it and tell me the principles of justice and fairness.
Male
Ullatha sonnaa kuththamillaThere is no fault in speaking the truth.
Ullaththil ingae kallam illaThere is no deceit inside this heart.
Male
Vazhakka theeththu vaiyiSettle this dispute for me,
Oru vilakka yaeththi vaiyiLight a lamp of clarity.
Intha vazhakka theeththu vaiyiSettle this dispute for me,
Oru vilakka yaeththi vaiyiLight a lamp of clarity.
Male
Saamigalae saamigalae sontha kadha kelungaO respected elders/gods, listen to my personal story.
Needhigalai niyaayangalai kettuttu sollidungaListen to it and tell me the principles of justice and fairness.
Male
Kannaadi maaligaiyaa naan iruntahen ingaeI used to live here like a grand palace of glass.
Kalleduththu veesi puttaa maalai itta mangaiThe woman I married threw a stone at it.
Thol meedhu oonjal katti naan valarththa thangaiThe younger sister whom I raised lovingly on my shoulders,
Sollaalae thee eriya ponguthammaa gangaiHer words set fire, making the river Ganges overflow in sorrow.
Male
Adi patta panthaaga aai vittaen ippothuI have now become like a ball that has been struck.
Midhi patta poonjolai idi vizha thaangaathuA trampled flower garden cannot withstand a lightning strike.
Male
Sontham enbathu poiyadaaKith and kin are mere illusions, my friend.
Pantham enbathu poiyadaaEmotional bonds are mere illusions, my friend.
Paasam enpathu noyadaaAffection is a disease, my friend.
Vaada vaikkira theeyadaaIt is a fire that makes you wither away, my friend.
Ondru pattathu sendru vttathuWhat was once united has gone away,
Rendu pattathu vaazhveLife itself has split into two.
Male
Saamigalae saamigalae sontha kadha kelungaO respected elders/gods, listen to my personal story.
Needhigalai niyaayangalai kettuttu sollidungaListen to it and tell me the principles of justice and fairness.
Male
Nilavinil kalangam endru sonnavanga yaaruWho said there is a blemish on the moon?
Sonnavanga vaarththaiyila unmai undaa kooruTell me, is there any truth in the words of those who said it?
Chndhiranum thaeivathendru sonnavanga yaaruWho said that the moon diminishes?
Thaei piraiyum valar piraiyum chandhiranil yaedhuWhere is the waning moon or waxing moon truly in the moon itself?
Male
Thannikkullae ennaalum thamarai poo nindraalumEven if a lotus flower stands in water every day,
Thanni adhil ottaathu unmai endrum poikkaathuWater does not stick to it; truth never becomes a lie.
Veen pazhigal sollavae aal irunthaa pothumaeIt only takes people to cast false accusations,
Paththiniyaana pothilum paavam vanthu saerumaeEven if one is virtuous, sin and blame will reach them.
Kaalam engira dhevan kaiyilae aadum pambaram naamaeWe are spinning tops playing in the hands of the deity called Time.
Male
Saamigalae saamigalae sontha kadha kelungaO respected elders/gods, listen to my personal story.
Needhigalai niyaayangalai kettuttu sollidungaListen to it and tell me the principles of justice and fairness.
Male
Ullatha sonnaa kuththamillaThere is no fault in speaking the truth.
Ullaththil inae kallam illaThere is no deceit inside this heart.
Male
Vazhakka theeththu vaiyiSettle this dispute for me,
Oru vilakka yaeththi vaiyiLight a lamp of clarity.
Intha vazhakka theeththu vaiyiSettle this dispute for me,
Oru vilakka yaeththi vaiyiLight a lamp of clarity.
Male
Saamigalae saamigalae sontha kadha kelungaO respected elders/gods, listen to my personal story.
Needhigalai niyaayangalai kettuttu sollidunga….Listen to it and tell me the principles of justice and fairness.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This emotional song expresses the deep pain of a man who feels betrayed by those he cherished most—his wife and the younger sister he raised with love. Describing his once-happy life as a fragile glass palace shattered by false accusations and family conflict, he pleads to the elders or divine forces ('Saamigalae') to hear his story and deliver justice. He laments the transience and deceptive nature of human relationships, viewing love as a burning affliction and humans as mere spinning tops manipulated by Time.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagaimai)

Kannaadi maaligaiyaa naan iruntahen ingae

Life and fragile domestic happiness are compared to a palace made of glass ('Kannaadi maaligaiyaa').

Simile (Uvamai)

Adi patta panthaaga aai vittaen ippothu

The protagonist compares his battered emotional state to a ball that has been struck repeatedly ('Adi patta panthaaga').

Rhyme / Monai (Initial Assonance)

Sontham enbathu poiyadaa / Pantham enbathu poiyadaa / Paasam enpathu noyadaa

Alliteration of the initial letters across lines ('Sontham', 'Pantham', 'Paasam').

Analogy / Traditional Philosophical Imagery

Thannikkullae ennaalum thamarai poo nindraalum

Uses the classical metaphor of a lotus in water ('Thamarai poo') to describe purity unaffected by worldly taint or false blame.

Did you know?

Trivia

The song comes from the 1989 Tamil film 'En Purushanthaan Enakku Mattumthaan', starring Vijayakanth, Suhasini, and Rekha. The soundtrack was composed by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja, with poignant lyrics penned by Muthulingam, highlighting the emotional turmoil of familial misunderstandings.

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