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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Theipirai

From Jagame Thandhiram · 2020

Lyricist
Madurai Babaraj
Singer
Meenakshi Elayaraja
Music director
Santhosh Narayanan
Details
Jagame Thandhiram2020

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Chorus
Ho ho oh ho ho oh hoHo ho oh ho ho oh ho
Female
Theipiraiya petheduthaeI gave birth to a waning moon
Kann pola kaathirunthenI protected you like my own eye
Kaththimuna soozhnilaiyilIn this critical knife-edge situation
Kaapaatha vazhiyumillaThere is no way to save you
Kaapaatha vazhiyumillaThere is no way to save you
Female
Ennavittu poriyaAre you leaving me behind?
En uyir thuliyae uravinamaeOh drop of my life, my kin
Kannedhirae kalanguriyaeYou are tearing up right before my eyes
Kadhari thaan nikkuriyaeYou are standing there wailing
Female
Kai irundhum udhavavillaDespite having hands, I could not help
Kannala paathirundhenI merely watched helplessly with my eyes
Entha naadu poreegaloWhich country are you going to?
Eppadi poreegaloHow are you going to go?
Eppadi poreegaloHow are you going to go?
Female
Andha naadu eppadiyoHow will that country be?
Andha makka eppadiyoHow will those people be?
Varavetru yerpaaroWill they welcome and accept you?
Mugamjulichi veruppaaro..Or will they cringe and detest you?
Mugamjulichi veruppaaro..Or will they cringe and detest you?
Mugamjulichi veruppaaro…Or will they cringe and detest you?
Female
Eppo naama seruvamoWhen will we unite again?
Eppadi than seruvamoHow will we ever unite?
Allaadum en usurumWill my struggling soul
Adhuvaraiyum thaangidumoEndure until then?
Female
Eppo naama seruvamoWhen will we unite again?
Eppadi than seruvamoHow will we ever unite?
Allaadum en usurumWill my struggling soul
Adhuvaraiyum thaangidumoEndure until then?
Female
Thayirukka pillaigalaChildren, while your mother is still alive
Porakalamum sedharadikkaThe battlefield blows everything to pieces
Kaipesanji thaayum nikkaWith wringing hands the mother stands
Pillai ippo yethilliaamThe child is now left helpless
Female
Dhesam engum alangolamChaos and destruction everywhere in the land
Thaai manasu kalanguthaiyaThe mother's heart grieves bitterly, oh lord
Poo mazhaiya paatha boomiThe land that once witnessed a shower of flowers
Gundu mazha paakkuthaiyaIs now witnessing a rain of bombs, oh lord
Female
Theipiraiya petheduthaeI gave birth to a waning moon
Kann pola kaathirunthenI protected you like my own eye
Kaththimuna soozhnilaiyilIn this critical knife-edge situation
Kaapaatha vazhiyumillaThere is no way to save you
Kaapaatha vazhiyumillaThere is no way to save you
Female
Ennavittu poriyaAre you leaving me behind?
En uyir thuliyae uravinamaeOh drop of my life, my kin
Kannedhirae kalanguriyaeYou are tearing up right before my eyes
Kadhari thaan nikkuriyae…aa….You are standing there wailing...
Female
Kolamellaam naala maari pogum aiyaaThe state of things will change for the better, my dear
Kaalam varum nambikkaiya poyi vaangaThe right time will come, go with hope
Kolamellaam naala maari pogum aiyaaThe state of things will change for the better, my dear
Kaalam varum nambikkaiya poyi vaangaThe right time will come, go with hope
Female
Meendu vandhu vaaznthidalamWe shall live together again
Poyi vaangaGo with hope
Thaainaadum kaathirukku poyi vaangaOur motherland is also waiting, go with hope
Oru kadhavu mooduchinna maru kadhavirukkuIf one door closes, another door will open
En pulla vaazha indha bhoomiyilae …idamirukkuThere is space on this Earth for my child to live
Chorus
Theipiraiya petheduthae…(6)I gave birth to a waning moon...

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Theipiraiya is a deeply emotional lament from the film Jagame Thandhiram that encapsulates the grief, helplessness, and enduring hope of refugees fleeing war. Sung from the perspective of a mother, the song details her agonizing plight as she watches her beloved child forced into exile. Having raised her child with utmost tenderness, she now finds herself utterly helpless amidst destruction and conflict, fearful of how foreign lands and strangers will treat her fleeing offspring.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor

Theipiraiya petheduthae

Comparing the child to a 'waning moon' (Theipirai) to symbolize a life born into declining fortune, vulnerability, and sorrow.

Simile

Kann pola kaathirunthen

Using 'Kann pola' (like an eye) to express how dearly and protectively the mother raised her child.

Contrast / Antithesis

Poo mazhaiya paatha boomi / Gundu mazha paakkuthaiya

Contrasting 'Poo mazhai' (shower of flowers representing peace and beauty) with 'Gundu mazha' (rain of bombs representing war) to highlight devastating destruction.

Proverbial Metaphor

Oru kadhavu mooduchinna maru kadhavirukku

Using the classic idiom 'if one door closes, another opens' to instill hope for survival in exile.

Did you know?

Trivia

Theipiraiya serves as a pivotal emotional anchor in Karthik Subbaraj's Jagame Thandhiram, highlighting the tragic plight of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees. Musician Santhosh Narayanan brought authentic folk emotional depth by featuring singer Meenakshi Ilayaraja, whose haunting voice underscores the universal theme of displacement and maternal sacrifice.

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