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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Senthamarai Malar

From Vazhi Piranthathu · 1964

Lyricist
A. Maruthakasi
Singer
T. M. Soundararajan
Music director
T. Chalapathi Rao
Movie name
Vazhi Piranthathu
Movie release year
1964
Lyrics added on
14 Jan 2025

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Senthamarai malar pol
Sekka sivandha mugam
Adhil saelthaano vel thaano
Ennum iru vizhigal
Kandoor manangavarum
Kovvai kani idhazhgal
Kaatril asaindhadum
Poongodi pol chinna idai
Senthamarai malar pol
Sekka sivandha mugam
Adhil saelthaano vel thaano
Ennum iru vizhigal
Anna nadaiyudaiyal
Azhagin uruvamaval
Kannal mozhiyudaiyal
Kanni paruva mayil
Vanna kiliyavalai
Varnithu kondirundhaal
Vayirum pasikkaadhu
Neram povadhum theriyadhu
Senthamarai malar pol
Sekka sivandha mugam
Adhil saelthaano vel thaano
Ennum iru vizhigal
Like a red lotus flower,
a bright and rosy face,
"Are they fish or are they spears?"
two eyes that make one wonder.
Captivating the hearts of all who see,
lips red like ripe kovai fruit,
swaying gently in the breeze,
a slender waist like a flowering vine.
Like a red lotus flower,
a bright and rosy face,
"Are they fish or are they spears?"
two eyes that make one wonder.
She walks with the grace of a swan,
she is the very image of beauty.
Her words are as sweet as sugarcane,
a young girl graceful as a peacock.
That colorful parrot of a woman,
if I just keep describing her,
I will never feel hungry,
nor realize how time flies by.
Like a red lotus flower,
a bright and rosy face,
"Are they fish or are they spears?"
two eyes that make one wonder.
Male
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This song is a classic romantic portrait penned by lyricist A. Maruthakasi, praising the mesmerizing beauty and grace of a young woman. Using traditional Tamil literary imagery, her face is likened to a blooming red lotus, her eyes to sharp spears or darting carp fish, her lips to ripe red gourd fruits, her waist to a delicate flowering vine, and her gait to that of a majestic swan. The speaker expresses such deep enchantment that admiring her beauty makes him forget basic human needs like hunger and renders him completely unaware of the passage of time.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Upamai (Simile)

“Senthamarai malar pol / Poongodi pol chinna idai”

Explicit comparison using 'pol' (like) comparing her glowing face to a red lotus flower and her waist to a slender flowering vine.

Uruvagam (Metaphor)

“Kovvai kani idhazhgal / Kannal mozhiyudaiyal”

Directly metaphorizing her lips as ripe scarlet gourd fruit and her speech as sugarcane sweetness.

Monai (Initial Alliteration)

“Vanna kiliyavalai / Varnithu kondirundhaal / Vayirum pasikkaadhu”

Repetition of initial consonants/vowel sounds in consecutive words such as 'Vanna', 'Varnithu', and 'Vayirum'.

Edhukai (Second Letter Rhyme)

“Anna nadaiyudaiyal / Kannal mozhiyudaiyal / Vanna kiliyavalai”

Matching second consonants across lines: 'An-na', 'Kan-nal', and 'Van-na'.

Did you know?

Trivia

Vazhi Piranthathu (1964) features music composed by T. Chalapathi Rao with lyrics by the legendary A. Maruthakasi. Sung by T. M. Soundararajan, the track showcases classical Sangam-inspired literary imagery adapted seamlessly into mid-20th-century Tamil cinema romance.

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