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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Thatti Parithaar

From Ratha Kanneer · 1954

Lyricist
Udumalai Narayanakavi
Singer
T. S. Bhagavathy
Music director
C. S. Jayaraman
Details
Ratha Kanneer1954

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Thatti pariththaar en vaazhvaiThey snatched away my life
Sanjalam kolla vaiththaaraeThey left me in deep sorrow
Thatti pariththaar en vaazhvaiThey snatched away my life
Sanjalam kolla vaiththaaraeThey left me in deep sorrow
Female
Vetti muriththu vittaaraeThey chopped and severed me
Verodu saaiththu vittaaraeThey uprooted me entirely
Vetti muriththu vittaaraeThey chopped and severed me
Verodu saaiththu vittaaraeThey uprooted me entirely
Female
Thatti pariththaar en vaazhvaiThey snatched away my life
Sanjalam kolla vaiththaaraeThey left me in deep sorrow
Female
Aadik kidantha theanaattrilIn the flowing river of honey
Alli karaiththaarae nanjaiThey scooped up and dissolved poison
Vaadi azhuthidalaanaenI withered and began to weep
Intha vanjiyai thaettruvaarillaiThere is no one to comfort this woman
Vaadi azhuthidalaanaenI withered and began to weep
Intha vanjiyai thaettruvaarillaiThere is no one to comfort this woman
Female
Thatti pariththaar en vaazhvaiThey snatched away my life
Sanjalam kolla vaiththaaraeThey left me in deep sorrow
Female
Veettu vilakkai thalli miththaaraeThey pushed away and trampled the household lamp
Oru minmini poochchiyai mathithaaraeThey respected a mere firefly instead
Veettu vilakkai thalli miththaaraeThey pushed away and trampled the household lamp
Oru minmini poochchiyai mathithaaraeThey respected a mere firefly instead
Female
Koottu kilaiyai kondraaraeThey destroyed the branch that held the nest
Kulla nariyai nambi sendraaraeThey trusted a cunning jackal and went away
Female
Thatti pariththaar en vaazhvaiThey snatched away my life
Sanjalam kolla vaiththaaraeThey left me in deep sorrow
Female
Neruppil thudikkum puzhu aanaenI became a worm writhing in fire
Neerai pirintha meen aanaenI became a fish separated from water
Neruppil thudikkum puzhu aanaenI became a worm writhing in fire
Neerai pirintha meen aanaenI became a fish separated from water
Female
Uruppada vazhi ondrum illaiyaeThere is no way left for me to prosper or survive
En uyir poe tholaiyavum illaiyaeYet my soul refuses to leave my body and end it all
Uruppada vazhi ondrum illaiyaeThere is no way left for me to prosper or survive
En uyir poe tholaiyavum illaiyaeYet my soul refuses to leave my body and end it all
Female
Thatti pariththaar en vaazhvaiThey snatched away my life
Sanjalam kolla vaiththaaraeThey left me in deep sorrow

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This poignant song expresses the intense grief and plight of a devoted wife whose life and home have been ruined by her husband's foolish decisions and betrayal. She laments how her peaceful family life—metaphorically described as a river of honey—was poisoned, and how she was discarded like a household lamp in favor of a mere firefly.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor

Veettu vilakkai thalli miththaarae / Oru minmini poochchiyai mathithaarae

Compares the devoted wife to a household lamp (Veettu vilakku) and the temporary, deceptive external allure to a firefly (Minmini poochchi).

Simile / Visual Imagery

Neruppil thudikkum puzhu aanaen / Neerai pirintha meen aanaen

Vividly illustrates extreme emotional pain by comparing the singer's state to a worm burning in fire and a fish stranded out of water.

Edukai (Second-letter rhyme)

Veettu vilakkai thalli miththaarae / Koottu kilaiyai kondraarae

A traditional Tamil prosodic device where the second character of consecutive lines rhyme, such as 'e' in Veettu and Koottu.

Did you know?

Trivia

Ratha Kanneer (1954) was a groundbreaking socio-political Tamil film starring M. R. Radha, adapted from his famous stage play of the same name. The song's lyrics by Udumalai Narayanakavi highlight social realism and moral critique, which were hallmarks of the reformist cinema movement of that era.

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