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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Unakku Naan Paadum

From Mudhal Udhayam · 1995

Lyricist
Piraisoodan
Singer
K. J. Yesudas
Music director
Shankar Ganesh
Movie name
Mudhal Udhayam
Movie release year
1995
Lyrics added on
30 Mar 2022

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Unakku naan paadum paattu
Odi vaa kadhil kettu
Udalo ennodu uyiro unnodu
Idhuthaan paasa dheepam
Ooo idhuthaan paasa dheepam
Unakku naan paadum paattu
Odi vaa kadhil kettu
Udalo ennodu uyiro unnodu
Idhuthaan paasa dheepam
Ooo idhuthaan paasa dheepam
Paalukkaaga naanum yaengi
Thavikkum pothilae
Amutham ootti neeyum kaaththaai
Thaayai polavae
Uruguthae ullam unnaalae
Peruguthae kanneer thannaalae
Naan vaazha neeyum vendum
Varuvaayo vaazhvil meendum
Unakku naan paadum paattu
Odi vaa kadhil kettu
Udalo ennodu uyiro unnodu
Idhuthaan paasa dheepam
Ooo idhuthaan paasa dheepam
Maraththai pola nizhalai thanthu
Maraintha dheivamae
Vizhuthu ondru unnai enni
Vaadum kaalamae
Mazhaiththuli illaa kulam polae
Mara nizhal illaa vanam polae
Thuyaraalae oonjal aadi
Thudikkindraen naalum vaadi
This is the song I sing for you,
hear it and come running to me!
My body remains with me, but my soul is with you;
this is the flame of pure love.
Oh, this is the flame of pure love.
This is the song I sing for you,
hear it and come running to me!
My body remains with me, but my soul is with you;
this is the flame of pure love.
Oh, this is the flame of pure love.
When I yearned for milk
and suffered in distress,
you fed me nectar and protected me,
just like a mother.
My heart melts because of you,
and tears overflow on their own.
I need you if I am to live;
will you come back into my life again?
This is the song I sing for you,
hear it and come running to me!
My body remains with me, but my soul is with you;
this is the flame of pure love.
Oh, this is the flame of pure love.
You gave me shade like a sheltering tree
and then vanished, my living god!
Like an aerial root longing for its tree,
I wither away in this time of grief.
Like a pond without a drop of rain,
like a forest without the shade of trees,
swinging on a swing of sorrow,
I suffer and fade away each day.
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
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Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This poignant song expresses profound grief, gratitude, and yearning for a motherly figure or benefactor who provided tender care and protection. The singer laments that while their physical shell remains, their soul is inextricably linked with the beloved person who has now departed. They reminisce about how this guardian nurtured them like a mother during moments of distress and sheltered them like a massive shade-giving tree. Left in complete desolation—compared to a rainless pond and a shade-less forest—the singer suffers immensely in solitude. The composition acts as an emotional plea calling out for their return to light up their life once again with love and affection.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Upamai (Simile)

Thaayai polavae

Compares the guardian's care to that of a mother using 'polavae' (like/as).

Upamai (Simile)

Maraththai pola nizhalai thanthu

Compares the guardian's comforting and protective presence to a shade-giving tree.

Upamai (Simile)

Mazhaiththuli illaa kulam polae

Uses 'polae' to compare despair to a dry, rainless pond and a treeless forest.

Urvagam (Metaphor)

Idhuthaan paasa dheepam

Metaphorically refers to affection as a glowing lamp ('paasa dheepam').

Anaphora / Monai (Initial Alliteration)

Udalo ennodu uyiro unnodu

Repetition of the initial vowel 'U' sound in 'Udalo' and 'uyiro' creating rhythmic harmony.

Did you know?

Trivia

Composed by the legendary duo Shankar-Ganesh and rendered in the soulful voice of K. J. Yesudas, this song from Mudhal Udhayam (1995) features emotionally evocative lyrics by Piraisoodan, capturing deep filial or protective affection.

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