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Isaimozhi
Maalaiyitta Mangai album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Sendhamizh Thenmozhiyaal Sad

From Maalaiyitta Mangai · 1958

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singer
K. Jamunarani
Music director
Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy
Movie name
Maalaiyitta Mangai
Movie release year
1958
Lyrics added on
22 Mar 2019

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Sill endru pootha
Siru nerunchi kaattinilae..ae….
Nill endru koori niruthi vazhi ponadhen
Nindradhu pol nindren
Nedum dhooram parandhadhen
Nirkkumo ooo aavi
Nilaikkumo nenjam
Manam perumo vaazhvae
Senthamizh thaen mozhiyaal
Nilaavena sirikkum malarkodiyaaal
Nilaavena sirikkum malarkodiyaaal
Paingani idhazhil pazharasam tharuvaal
Parugida thalai kunivaal
Senthamizh thaen mozhiyaal
Nilaavena sirikkum malarkodiyaaal
Nilaavena sirikkum malarkodiyaaal
Paingani idhazhil pazharasam tharuvaal
Parugida thalai kunivaal
Kaattril pirandhavalo
Pudhidhaai karppanai vadithavalo
Saettril malarndha senthaamaraiyo
Sevvandhi poocharamo
Saettril malarndha senthaamaraiyo
Sevvandhi poocharamo
Aval senthamizh thaen mozhiyaal
Nilaavena sirikkum malarkodiyaaal
Nilaavena sirikkum malarkodiyaaal
Paingani idhazhil pazharasam tharuvaal
Parugida thalai kunivaal
Kaattinil erikkum nilavaanaal
Perum kadalinil peidha mazhaiyaanaal
Yettinil ezhudhaa kavidhaiyai polae
Illadha porulpol thaniyaanaal
Yettinil ezhudhaa kavidhaiyai polae
Illadha porulpol thaniyaanaal
Aval senthamizh thaen mozhiyaal
Nilaavena sirikkum malarkodiyaaal
Nilaavena sirikkum malarkodiyaaal
Paingani idhazhil pazharasam tharuvaal
Parugida thalai kunivaal
In the cool, blooming
wilderness of wild thorns...
Why did you tell me to stop, and then walk away?
I stayed still just as you said,
so why did you fly so far away?
Will my life-breath hold on?
Will my heart survive this?
Will my soul ever find life again?
She speaks words as sweet as pure Tamil honey,
a flowering vine smiling like the moon.
A flowering vine smiling like the moon.
Her fruit-soft lips offer sweet nectar,
and she bows her head shyly as I drink.
She speaks words as sweet as pure Tamil honey,
a flowering vine smiling like the moon.
A flowering vine smiling like the moon.
Her fruit-soft lips offer sweet nectar,
and she bows her head shyly as I drink.
Was she born from the gentle breeze?
Or shaped from a fresh imagination?
Is she a red lotus blooming in the mud?
Or a garland of yellow chrysanthemums?
Is she a red lotus blooming in the mud?
Or a garland of yellow chrysanthemums?
She speaks words as sweet as pure Tamil honey,
a flowering vine smiling like the moon.
A flowering vine smiling like the moon.
Her fruit-soft lips offer sweet nectar,
and she bows her head shyly as I drink.
She became like moonlight shining in an empty forest,
like rain falling upon the vast ocean.
Like a poem left unwritten on a page,
she was left all alone, as if she never existed.
Like a poem left unwritten on a page,
she was left all alone, as if she never existed.
She speaks words as sweet as pure Tamil honey,
a flowering vine smiling like the moon.
A flowering vine smiling like the moon.
Her fruit-soft lips offer sweet nectar,
and she bows her head shyly as I drink.
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

Senthamizh Thaen Mozhiyaal is a celebrated romantic Tamil song from the film Maalaiyitta Mangai (1958). The song expresses a lover's profound fascination and deep adoration for his beloved's grace, comparing her sweet speech to the nectar of pure Tamil and her tender expression to a flowering vine bathed in moonlight. Through rich lyrical imagery, he wonders whether she is a dream born of the wind or a rare flower blooming in solitude. The composition takes a melancholic turn towards the end, pondering her isolation by likening her to unwritten poetry, moonlight in a uninhabited forest, and rain over the ocean. It captures both the sweet ecstasy of love and the tragic beauty of emotional distance.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

“Senthamizh thaen mozhiyaal”

Compares her voice directly to honeyed Tamil ('Senthamizh thaen mozhiyaal') and her lips to sweet fruit ('Paingani idhazhil').

Simile (Upamai)

“Nilaavena sirikkum malarkodiyaaal”

Compares her bright smile to the gentle glow of the moon ('Nilaavena sirikkum').

Rhetorical Question (Vinaa Ani)

“Kaattril pirandhavalo Pudhidhaai karppanai vadithavalo”

Uses poetic questioning to express wonder regarding her origin.

Analogy / Metaphorical Imagery

“Kaattinil erikkum nilavaanaal Perum kadalinil peidha mazhaiyaanaal”

Uses rich imagery of wasted beauty—moonlight in a forest and rain falling in the sea—to highlight tragic isolation.

Did you know?

Trivia

This timeless song was rendered by T. R. Mahalingam and composed by Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy with lyrics by Kannadasan. Set primarily in Raga Kapi, it is widely considered one of the finest classical-based melodies in Tamil cinema history, famous for celebrating the sweet linguistic heritage of Tamil alongside romantic themes.

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