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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Sendhamizh Thenmozhiyaal

From Maalaiyitta Mangai · 1958

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singer
T. R. Mahalingam
Music director
Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy
Details
Maalaiyitta Mangai1958

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Sill endru poothaIn the coolly blooming
Siru nerunchi kaattinilae..Small forest of caltrop thorns...
Nill endru koori niruthi vazhi ponaalaeShe bade me stop, halted me, and went on her way.
Nindradhu pol nindraalShe seemed to stand still,
Nedum dhooram parandhaalYet flew to a great distance.
Nirkkumo aaviWill my soul endure?
Nilaikkumo nenjamWill my heart remain steadfast?
Manam perumo vaazhvaeWill my life attain fulfillment?
Male
Aah aaaa aaaaa aaaaa aaaaaAah aaaa aaaaa aaaaa aaaaa
Male
Senthamizh thaen mozhiyaalShe speaks with the honey of refined Tamil,
Nilaavena sirikkum malarkkodiyaalShe is a flowering vine that smiles like the moon,
Nilaavena sirikkum malarkkodiyaalShe is a flowering vine that smiles like the moon,
Paingani idhazhil pazha rasam tharuvaalShe offers fruit nectar from her tender fruit-like lips,
Parugida thalai kunivaalAnd shyly bows her head as it is consumed.
Male
Kaatrinil pirandhavaloWas she born out of the wind?
Pudhidhaai karpanai vadithavaloWas she newly sculpted from pure imagination?
Ahaaa aaaaa… aaaa…aaa….aaa….aaa…Ahaaa aaaaa... aaaa...aaa....aaa....aaa...
Kaatrinil pirandhavaloWas she born out of the wind?
Pudhidhaai karpanai vadithavaloWas she newly sculpted from pure imagination?
Saetrinil malarndha senthaamaraiyoIs she a red lotus blooming in the mud?
Sevvanthai poo charamoOr a garland of red chrysanthemums?
Saetrinil malarndha senthaamaraiyoIs she a red lotus blooming in the mud?
Sevvanthai poo charamoOr a garland of red chrysanthemums?
Male
Aval senthamizh thaen mozhiyaalShe speaks with the honey of refined Tamil,
Nilaavena sirikkum malarkkodiyaalShe is a flowering vine that smiles like the moon,
Nilaavena sirikkum malarkkodiyaalShe is a flowering vine that smiles like the moon,
Paingani idhazhil pazha rasam tharuvaalShe offers fruit nectar from her tender fruit-like lips,
Parugida thalai kunivaalAnd shyly bows her head as it is consumed.
Male
Kangalil neelam vilaithavaloDid she cultivate the blue in her eyes?
Adhai kadalinil kondu karaithavaloAnd dissolve the surplus into the ocean?
Kangalil neelam vilaithavaloDid she cultivate the blue in her eyes?
Adhai kadalinil kondu karaithavaloAnd dissolve the surplus into the ocean?
Pennukku pennae peraasai kollumIs she endowed with such grand beauty
Per azhagellaam padaithavaloThat even woman would feel intense desire for woman?
Pennukku pennae peraasai kollumIs she endowed with such grand beauty
Per azhagellaam padaithavaloThat even woman would feel intense desire for woman?
Male
Aval senthamizh thaen mozhiyaalShe speaks with the honey of refined Tamil,
Nilaavena sirikkum malarkkodiyaalShe is a flowering vine that smiles like the moon,
Nilaavena sirikkum malarkkodiyaalShe is a flowering vine that smiles like the moon,
Paingani idhazhil pazha rasam tharuvaalShe offers fruit nectar from her tender fruit-like lips,
Parugida thalai kunivaalAnd shyly bows her head as it is consumed.
Male
Megathai koondhalil mudithavalo..Did she tie the clouds into her hair-braid?
Vin meengalai malaraai aninthavaloDid she adorn herself with heavenly stars as flowers?
Megathai koondhalil mudithavalo..Did she tie the clouds into her hair-braid?
Vin meengalai malaraai aninthavaloDid she adorn herself with heavenly stars as flowers?
Mogathilae indha ulagangal yaavaiyumIs she an enchantress (Mohini) who drowns
Moozhgida seiyum moginiyo..All of these worlds in deep infatuation?
Mogathilae indha ulagangal yaavaiyumIs she an enchantress (Mohini) who drowns
Moozhgida seiyum moginiyo..All of these worlds in deep infatuation?
Male
Aval senthamizh thaen mozhiyaalShe speaks with the honey of refined Tamil,
Nilaavena sirikkum malarkkodiyaalShe is a flowering vine that smiles like the moon,
Nilaavena sirikkum malarkkodiyaalShe is a flowering vine that smiles like the moon,
Paingani idhazhil pazha rasam tharuvaalShe offers fruit nectar from her tender fruit-like lips,
Parugida thalai kunivaalAnd shyly bows her head as it is consumed.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This classic romantic composition captures the profound fascination and poetic exaggeration of a lover describing the divine, incomparable beauty of his beloved. In the prelude, he recalls a fleeting encounter in a thorn forest where her momentary glance immobilized him, leaving his heart and soul yearning. As the song progresses, he praises her sweet Tamil speech, comparing her smile to moonbeams, her lips to succulent fruit, her hair to dark clouds, and her eyes to the source of the ocean's blue.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Uvamaani (Simile)

Nilaavena sirikkum malarkkodiyaal

Compares her bright smile to the moon ('Nilaavena sirikkum') and her lips to tender fruit ('Paingani idhazhil').

Uthprekshai (Hyperbole / Poetic Conceit)

Kangalil neelam vilaithavalo Adhai kadalinil kondu karaithavalo

Extravagant poetic imagery suggesting she cultivated blue in her eyes and dissolved the leftover color into the sea to make it blue.

Monnai (Alliteration)

Mogathilae indha ulagangal yaavaiyum Moozhgida seiyum moginiyo..

Repetition of starting consonantal sounds 'Me' / 'Moo' in 'Megathai', 'Mogathilae', and 'Moozhgida'.

Uruvagaim (Metaphor)

Senthamizh thaen mozhiyaal

Directly identifying her sweet language as the pure honey of classical Tamil ('Senthamizh thaen mozhi').

Did you know?

Trivia

Featured in the 1958 film 'Maalaiyitta Mangai', this iconic track was composed by the legendary duo Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy, written by Kannadasan, and rendered with classical purity by T. R. Mahalingam. Kannadasan produced the film himself, marking a landmark moment in Tamil cinema music where classical Carnatic ragas (primarily Karaharapriya and Kapi) were seamlessly blended with romantic film poetry.

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