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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Thanimai En Thunai

From Antharangam Oomaiyanathu · 1980

Lyricist
Gangai Amaran
Singer
T. M. Soundararajan
Music director
K. J. Joy
Details
Antharangam Oomaiyanathu1980

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Thanimai en thunaiSolitude is my companion
Adhai thanthaan iraivanaeGod gave me that
Thanimai en thunaiSolitude is my companion
Adhai thanthaan iraivanaeGod gave me that
Male
Vasantha kaalam malarnatha pothuEven when the spring season bloomed
Naan kandathillaiyaeI have never witnessed it
Thanimai en thunaiSolitude is my companion
Endrum thanimai en thunaiForever solitude is my companion
Male
Thanimai en thunaiSolitude is my companion
Adhai thanthaan iraivanaeGod gave me that
Male
Vasantha kaalam malarantha pothumEven when the spring season bloomed
Naan kandathillaiyaeI have never witnessed it
Thanimai en thunaiSolitude is my companion
Endrum thanimai en thunaiForever solitude is my companion
Male
Vilai nilam ondru velikkul indruA fertile land today trapped within a fence
Palanindri pogum nilai iniyaenWhy has it come to a state of being unproductive?
Uravenum koondil thanimaiyil vaadumWithering in loneliness within the cage named relationship
Paravaiyin ullam thavikkaiyilaeWhen the heart of the bird suffers in agony
Male
Kann moodi thoongum en pola yaarumThere is no one like me who sleeps with closed eyes
Ingillai bhoomiyenumOn this entire earth
Thanimai en thunaiSolitude is my companion
Endrum thanimai en thunaiForever solitude is my companion
Male
Thanimai en thunaiSolitude is my companion
Adhai thanthaan iraivanaeGod gave me that
Male
Vasantha kaalam malarnatha pothuEven when the spring season bloomed
Naan kandathillaiyaeI have never witnessed it
Thanimai en thunaiSolitude is my companion
Endrum thanimai en thunaiForever solitude is my companion
Male
Kadalukkula odum nadhigalin oottamThe surge of rivers running into the deep ocean
Karaiyinil paarththaal therinthidumaaCan it be understood just by looking from the shore?
Idhayaththil aadum yaekkaththin vaattamThe grief of longing that sways inside the heart
Ezhuththinil koora mudinthidumaaCan it ever be expressed in written words?
Male
Ennaalum penmai engindra dheivamAt all times, the divine form known as womanhood
Kollaatha thunbam illaiHas suffered every sorrow imaginable
Thanimai en thunaiSolitude is my companion
Endrum thanimai en thunaiForever solitude is my companion
Male
Thanimai en thunaiSolitude is my companion
Adhai thanthaan iraivanaeGod gave me that
Male
Vasantha kaalam malarnatha pothuEven when the spring season bloomed
Naan kandathillaiyaeI have never witnessed it
Thanimai en thunaiSolitude is my companion
Endrum thanimai en thunaiForever solitude is my companion

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This poignant song expresses deep loneliness, heartbreak, and emotional isolation experienced by a woman. She laments that while spring blooms for others, happiness has never visited her life. She compares her existence to a fertile field enclosed by a fence unable to yield fruit, and a bird trapped within a cage of social/family relationships suffering silently. Furthermore, she reflects on how inner pain is imperceptible to onlookers, drawing a parallel to how the flow of rivers entering the sea cannot be grasped merely from the shore. The lyrics emphasize the plight of womanhood, highlighting how women endure endless silent suffering while embracing solitude as their only constant companion.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uvamaani)

Vilai nilam ondru velikkul indru / Uravenum koondil thanimaiyil vaadum

The speaker compares her trapped, unfulfilled life to 'Vilai nilam ondru velikkul indru palanindri pogum' (a fertile land fenced off without yielding fruit) and 'Uravenum koondil' (the cage of relationships).

Analogy (Uvamai)

Kadalukkula odum nadhigalin oottam karaiyinil paarththaal therinthidumaa

Compares the depth of hidden emotional yearning in the heart to the unseen depth of rivers rushing into the ocean from a riverbank.

Monoreyme / Alliteration (Edhugai)

Kadalukkula odum nadhigalin oottam / Idhayaththil aadum yaekkaththin vaattam

Tamil poetic device where second letters match in consecutive lines, such as 'Kadalukkula' and 'Idhayaththil'.

Rhetorical Question

Ezhuththinil koora mudinthidumaa

The lyricist asks if deep inner sorrow can ever be conveyed through written words, stressing the limits of language.

Did you know?

Trivia

The film 'Antharangam Oomaiyanathu' (1980) featured music composed by the duo Shankar-Ganesh and was directed by G. Premkumar. The lyrics written by Gangai Amaran reflect classic Tamil cinematic melancholic poetry where nature and solitude are juxtaposed against personal distress.

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