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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Sillendra Malare

From En Iniya Pon Nilavae · 2001

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
K. S. Chitra
Music directors
Ilayaraja, M. S. Vishwanathan
Details
En Iniya Pon Nilavae2001

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Sillendra malarae sevvaazhai madalaeCool flower, red banana leaf stalk,
Yaarodu en sogam solla ooWith whom shall I share my sorrow? Oh,
Nee ondrum en annai allaYou are not my mother.
Female
Sillendra malarae sevvaazhai madalaeCool flower, red banana leaf stalk,
Yaarodu en sogam solla ooWith whom shall I share my sorrow? Oh,
Nee ondrum en annai allaYou are not my mother.
Female
Kodi pondra pengalIf tender, vine-like women
Padithaandi vanthaalCross the threshold into marriage,
Kanneeril ulai vaippatho…Will you boil their cooking pot with tears?
Female
Sillendra malarae sevvaazhai madalaeCool flower, red banana leaf stalk,
Yaarodu en sogam solla ooWith whom shall I share my sorrow? Oh,
Nee ondrum en annai allaYou are not my mother.
Female
{Aariraaro aariraaro aariraaro aariraaro{Aariraaro aariraaro aariraaro aariraaro
Aariraaro aariraaro aariraaro aariraaro} (2)Aariraaro aariraaro aariraaro aariraaro} (2)
Female
{Sirakulla annaalil thisai kaanavillai{In those days when I had wings, I could not find a direction,
Kaal pona vazhiyodu ponaenI wandered wherever my feet took me.
Thisaiyulla innaalil sirakondrum illaiNow that I know my direction, I have no wings,
Sirai konda kiliyaaga aanaen} (2)I have become a bird trapped in a cage.} (2)
Female
En poonthottam thaandi poojaikku vanthaenLeaving my flower garden, I came for sacred worship,
Nadaipaadhai poovaaga ponaenI became a flower on the walkway.
En poonthottam thaandi poojaikku vanthaenLeaving my flower garden, I came for sacred worship,
Nadaipaadhai poovaaga ponaenI became a flower on the walkway.
Female
Thalir konda kannaeOh dear one with eyes like tender sprouts,
Tamil kondu vanthuBringing sweet Tamil,
Thaayae thaalaattu naan thoongi naalaanathuOh mother, sing a lullaby, for it has been days since I slept.
Female
Kodi pondra pengalIf tender, vine-like women
Padithaandi vanthaalCross the threshold into marriage,
Kanneeril ulai vaippatho…Will you boil their cooking pot with tears?
Female
Sillendra malarae sevvaazhai madalaeCool flower, red banana leaf stalk,
Yaarodu en sogam solla ooWith whom shall I share my sorrow? Oh,
Nee ondrum en annai allaYou are not my mother.
Female
Thaai thanthai uravendrumParental guidance and bonds
Vilaiyaattu illaiAre not a child's game,
Ippothu naan kandu kondaenThis truth I have now realized.
Seeraana ilvaazhkkai siru keerai illaiA proper domestic life is not an easy task,
Siramangal undendru kandaenI realized it comes with many hardships.
Female
En oru selaithaanaeOnly a single saree of mine
Naan kondu vanthaenDid I bring with me,
Adhu kooda kanneeril niram povathaaIs even that losing its color through my tears?
En oru selaithaanaeOnly a single saree of mine
Naan kondu vanthaenDid I bring with me,
Adhu kooda kanneeril niram povathaaIs even that losing its color through my tears?
Female
Poonthotam vendaamI do not need a garden of flowers,
Sogangal vendaamI do not want sorrows,
Anbai naan kettenI only asked for genuine love,
Nee vaazha naan vaazhgiraenI live only for your life.
Female
Kodi pondra pengalIf tender, vine-like women
Padithaandi vanthaalCross the threshold into marriage,
Kanneeril ulai vaippatho…Will you boil their cooking pot with tears?
Female
Sillendra malarae sevvaazhai madalaeCool flower, red banana leaf stalk,
Yaarodu en sogam solla ooWith whom shall I share my sorrow? Oh,
Nee ondrum en annai alla…..You are not my mother...

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This song is a poignant lament sung by a young bride expressing her deep sorrow, loneliness, and emotional turmoil after entering married life. Addressing nature and elements around her (like cool flowers and banana leaves) in the absence of a compassionate mother, she laments how a young woman who steps across a threshold expecting love and domestic bliss often finds her life boiling in tears. She reflects on her past freedom versus her present confinement, comparing herself to a bird that gained direction only after losing its wings to a cage. Despite having brought almost no material possessions with her other than a single saree—which feels stripped of its color by her continuous tears—she emphasizes that she never sought wealth or gardens of pleasure, but merely genuine affection. The lyrics capture the bittersweet reality of adapting to family bonds and marital obligations, mourning the loss of maternal comfort while enduring domestic hardships.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Uvamaani (Simile)

Kodi pondra pengal

Compares gentle women to delicate vines ('Kodi pondra pengal') and a trapped bride to a caged bird ('Sirai konda kiliyaaga aanaen').

Metaphor (Uruvagham)

Kanneeril ulai vaippatho…

Metaphorically compares suffering and tears to the water used to cook rice in a pot ('Kanneeril ulai vaippatho').

Contrast (Ethir-porul)

Sirakulla annaalil thisai kaanavillai / Thisaiyulla innaalil sirakondrum illai

Contrasts the freedom of youth having wings without direction with the restraint of adulthood having direction without wings.

Monnai (Alliteration)

Seeraana ilvaazhkkai siru keerai illai

Repetition of initial consonants or phonetic sounds across lines ('Sirakulla' / 'Sirai', 'Seeraana' / 'Siramangal').

Did you know?

Trivia

This emotional song features lyrics written by legendary poet Vairamuthu for the movie 'En Iniya Pon Nilave' (2001), composed by Ilaiyaraaja. The chorus uses traditional lullaby refrains ('Aariraaro') to evoke maternal comfort in contrast to the protagonist's sorrow.

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