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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Sindhaikkinbame

From Maruthanad Elavarasee · 1950

Lyricist
K. P. Kamatchisundaram
Singer
M. M. Mariyappa
Music director
M. S. Gnanamani
Details
Maruthanad Elavarasee1950

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Sinthakkinbamae thanthaIs not the sweet parrot that brought delight to my thoughts
Painkili jeevanallavothe very spark of my life?
Sinthakkinbamae thanthaIs not the sweet parrot that brought delight to my thoughts
Painkili jeevanallavothe very spark of my life?
Male
Gangai pondra vaazhvinilae…aa..aa…In a life flowing pure like the River Ganges... aa... aa...
Kaama devathaa rathi polLike Rati, the goddess of love and beauty,
Gangai pondra vaazhvinilae…In a life flowing pure like the River Ganges...
Kaama devathaa rathi polLike Rati, the goddess of love and beauty,
Kaanalaanathor maniyaiA priceless gem meant to be cherished,
Kaattu paathai mel izhanthaenI have lost on a dark forest path.
Kaanalaanathor maniyaiA priceless gem meant to be cherished,
Kaattu paathai mel izhanthaenI have lost on a dark forest path.
Male
Sinthakkinbamae thanthaIs not the sweet parrot that brought delight to my thoughts
Painkili jeevanallavothe very spark of my life?
Male
Kaar mazhaiyaar soozhumSurrounded by heavy, dark rain clouds,
Puyal kaattril panjaanaenI became scattered like cotton in a gale-force storm.
Karunaaga kaadhagaraalBy venomous, black-snake-like villains,
Kaana vaaniyai pirinthaenI was separated from my forest melody, my love.
Karunaaga kaadhagaraalBy venomous, black-snake-like villains,
Kaana vaaniyai pirinthaenI was separated from my forest melody, my love.
Male
Kaanuveno naan puvimaelWill I ever behold her again on this earth?
Kadhalindrael saathal nandraeIf there is no love, death is far better.
Kaanuveno naan puvimaelWill I ever behold her again on this earth?
Kadhalindrael saathal nandraeIf there is no love, death is far better.
Male
Sinthakkinbamae thanthaIs not the sweet parrot that brought delight to my thoughts
Painkili jeevanallavothe very spark of my life?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This classic lamentation song captures the profound grief of a protagonist separated from his beloved. He compares his lover to a precious green parrot that brought joy to his mind and formed the essence of his life. Once serene and sacred like the river Ganges, his life was elevated by her beauty—which rivaled that of the goddess Rati. However, like losing a rare gem in a dark forest, he lost her due to the evil actions of ruthless villains, whom he compares to lethal black cobras.\n\nSwept away like light cotton in a ferocious storm, the protagonist feels utterly helpless and lost. He despairs over whether he will ever see his love again on this earth, ultimately declaring that living without love is unbearable and that death would be a far better fate.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagamm)

Painkili jeevanallavo

Compares the beloved to a green parrot ('Painkili') that embodies the narrator's life energy.

Simile (Upamai)

Gangai pondra vaazhvinilae…aa..aa…

Compares the narrator's pure life to the holy River Ganges ('Gangai pondra vaazhvinilae').

Simile (Upamai)

Kaama devathaa rathi pol

Compares the beauty of the beloved to Goddess Rati ('Kaama devathaa rathi pol').

Metaphor (Uruvagamm)

Kaanalaanathor maniyai

Refers to the beloved as a priceless, rare jewel ('Kaanalaanathor maniyai') lost on a forest path.

Metaphor (Uruvagamm)

Karunaaga kaadhagaraal

Compares the antagonist villains to treacherous black cobras ('Karunaaga kaadhagaraal').

Simile / Hyperbole

Puyal kaattril panjaanaen

Expresses helpless distress by describing oneself as cotton blown away by a storm ('Puyal kaattril panjaanaen').

Did you know?

Trivia

'Maruthanad Elavarasee' (1950) was an early Tamil historical drama starring M. G. Ramachandran (MGR) and V. N. Janaki, directed by A. Kasilingam. The soundtrack was composed by M. S. Gnanamani, and the lyrics penned by K. P. Kamatchisundaram reflect traditional, literary Tamil poetic tropes popular in 1950s cinema.

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