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Idhaya Thamarai album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Unnai Yen Sandhithen

From Idhaya Thamarai · 1990

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
P. Susheela
Music director
Sankar Ganesh
Movie name
Idhaya Thamarai
Movie release year
1990
Lyrics added on
26 Jun 2019

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Unnai yen sandhiththaen
Oomai naan sindhiththaen
Unnai yen sandhiththaen
Oomai naan sindhiththaen
Oru theervu illaiyaa
Naanaaga naan maarava
Illai veraaga naan maarava
Unnai yen sandhiththaen
Oomai naan sindhiththaen
Oru theervu illaiyaa
Deivangal paarkaathathu
En thunbam
Seethaavum kaanadhadhu
En raaman yaar endru thaan
Ippodhu en jeevan mandraadudhu
Illadha thaali undaanathu
Ippodhu thaali rendaanathu
En vaazhkkai thalladudhu pinnenna
En saelai mullaanathu
Unnai yen sandhiththaen
Oomai naan sindhiththaen
Oru theervu illaiyaa
Naanaaga naan maarava
Illai veraaga naan maarava
Unnai yen sandhiththaen
Oomai naan sindhiththaen
Oru theervu illaiyaa
Uyiraana kannaalanaa
Pinnaalil uravaana manavazhanaa
Iru thaeril oru dhegama
Penn vaazhvil
Idhu enna pudhu vedhamaa
Oru kannai moodi naan thoongavoo
Edhu needhi endru yaar solvadho
Anbenna poi aagumoo
Uppukkal azhudhaalum thaenaagumaa
Unnai yen sandhiththaen
Oomai naan sindhiththaen
Oru theervu illaiyaa
Naanaaga naan maarava
Illai veraaga naan maarava
Unnai yen sandhiththaen
Oomai naan sindhiththaen
Oru theervu illaiyaa
Why did I meet you?
Speechless and silent, I wonder.
Why did I meet you?
Speechless and silent, I wonder.
Is there no way out?
Should I remain who I am, or
should I change into someone else...?
Why did I meet you?
Speechless and silent, I wonder.
Is there no way out?
Something even the gods have never seen
is my sorrow;
something even Sita never had to face—
is wondering who my true Rama is.
Now my soul cries out in pain.
A wedding knot was tied where none existed,
and now there are two wedding knots.
My life is stumbling, what else is left?
Even my saree feels like thorns...
Why did I meet you?
Speechless and silent, I wonder.
Is there no way out?
Should I remain who I am, or
should I change into someone else...?
Why did I meet you?
Speechless and silent, I wonder.
Is there no way out?
Is he the beloved who is my very life,
or the husband who wed me later?
Can one body ride in two chariots?
In a woman's life,
what kind of new scripture is this?
Can I sleep with only one eye closed?
Who will tell me what is right?
Can true love ever be a lie? Can a piece of salt
ever turn to sweet honey, even if it weeps...?
Why did I meet you?
Speechless and silent, I wonder.
Is there no way out?
Should I remain who I am, or
should I change into someone else...?
Why did I meet you?
Speechless and silent, I wonder.
Is there no way out?
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

The song 'Unnai Yen Sandhiththaen' captures the deep emotional torment and moral dilemma of a woman caught between her past love and her present marital reality. She questions the twist of fate that brought her former lover back into her life, leaving her feeling helpless, mute, and unable to find a clear path forward.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Emoni / Rhyme (Egal / Rhyming Endings)

Unnai yen sandhiththaen / Oomai naan sindhiththaen

Repetition of the sound 'thaen' in 'sandhiththaen' and 'sindhiththaen' creates rhythmic harmony across lines.

Metaphor (Uvamaani)

En saelai mullaanathu

Comparing her comforting saree to a bed of thorns ('saelai mullaanathu') visually and emotionally represents her constant agony.

Rhetorical Question

Uppukkal azhudhaalum thaenaagumaa

The speaker asks whether weeping salt can turn into honey, illustrating the impossibility of altering her tragic reality through grief alone.

Did you know?

Trivia

Composed by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja with poignant lyrics penned by Vairamuthu, this song from the movie Idhaya Thamarai (1990) features a memorable vocal performance by S. Janaki capturing intense sorrow and ethical conflict.

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