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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Yettil Ezhuthi Vaithen

From Vanambadi · 1963

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singers
T. M. Soundararajan, L. R. Eswari
Music director
K. V. Mahadevan
Details
Vanambadi1963

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Ahaa..aaahaaa…Ahaa..aaahaaa…
Ohooo….ooo….ooo….Ohooo….ooo….ooo….
Male
Yettil ezhuthi vaithenI wrote it down in a manuscript,
Ezhuthiyathai solli vaithenI spoke aloud what I had written,
Kettavalai kaanomadaa iraivaaThe woman who listened is missing, O God!
Kooti sendra idam yedhadaaWhere is the place you took her to?
Female
Ohooo…hooo…ooo…oooOhooo…hooo…ooo…ooo
Ooo….hoo…oooo….ahaa…aaaa…..Ooo….hoo…oooo….ahaa…aaaa…..
Male
Yettil ezhuthi vaithenI wrote it down in a manuscript,
Ezhuthiyathai solli vaithenI spoke aloud what I had written,
Yettil ezhuthi vaithenI wrote it down in a manuscript,
Ezhuthiyathai solli vaithenI spoke aloud what I had written,
Kettavalai kaanomadaa iraivaaThe woman who listened is missing, O God!
Kooti sendra idam yedhadaaWhere is the place you took her to?
Female
Aaa..aa..haa…Aaa..aa..haa…
Ha ha haa haaa….aaaa..haa..Ha ha haa haaa….aaaa..haa..
Ahaa ha ha haaa haa haaaAhaa ha ha haaa haa haaa
Aaaa…haa haaa…..Aaaa…haa haaa…..
Male
Thirumbi varum nerathilaeHoping that when I returned,
Arumbi nirpaal kanniyendru..The maiden would stand like a blossoming flower,
Thirumbi varum nerathilaeHoping that when I returned,
Arumbi nirpaal kanniyendru..The maiden would stand like a blossoming flower,
Virumbi naanum vanthenadaa iraivaaI came back with earnest love, O God!
Vinveliyil maraithaaiyadaaYet you hid her away in the celestial skies.
Male
Kaadu vetti thottamittenI cleared the wild forest and laid out a garden,
Kanneeraal kodi valarthenI nurtured a flowering vine with my tears,
Thottathai azhithaaiyadaa iraivaaYou destroyed that very garden, O God!
Aattathai mudithaaiyadaaYou put an abrupt end to the entire game.
Male
Yettil ezhuthi vaithenI wrote it down in a manuscript,
Ezhuthiyathai solli vaithenI spoke aloud what I had written,
Kettavalai kaanomadaa iraivaaThe woman who listened is missing, O God!
Kooti sendra idam yedhadaaWhere is the place you took her to?
Male
Paruvaththai koduthuvittuAfter bestowing youth upon her,
Uruvaththai eduthukkondaai..You snatched away her physical form!
Paruvaththai koduthuvittuAfter bestowing youth upon her,
Uruvaththai eduthukkondaaiYou snatched away her physical form!
Dharmathin thalaivanallavaa iraivaaAren't you supposed to be the champion of righteousness, O God?
Saagasa kalainjanallavaaOr are you just a master artist of deceitful tricks?
Male
Yettil ezhuthi vaithenI wrote it down in a manuscript,
Ezhuthiyathai solli vaithenI spoke aloud what I had written,
Kettavalai kaanomadaa iraivaaThe woman who listened is missing, O God!
Kooti sendra idam yedhadaaWhere is the place you took her to?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This song from 'Vanambadi' (1963) is a deeply tragic lament of a grieving lover questioning God after the death or sudden disappearance of his beloved. He reflects on how he documented his thoughts and love in poetry, sharing them with her, only to have destiny snatch her away. He uses evocative metaphors—comparing his efforts to clearing a wilderness to grow a garden nurtured by tears, only for God to ruthlessly destroy it. The song reaches its emotional peak as the protagonist challenges divine justice. He accuses God of giving youth and beauty to a maiden only to steal away her life, asking if the Almighty is truly a champion of righteousness or merely a trickster playing cruel games with human lives.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Ethugai (Second Letter Rhyme)

Thirumbi varum nerathilae / Arumbi nirpaal kanniyendru..

The second consonant 'ru' (ரு) in 'Thirumbi' and 'Arumbi' creates a soothing poetic rhythm.

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Kaadu vetti thottamitten / Kanneeraal kodi valarthen

Life and romance are metaphorically described as clearing a forest to cultivate a garden and watering a creeper with tears.

Iyaipu (End Rhyme)

Thottathai azhithaaiyadaa iraivaa / Aattathai mudithaaiyadaa

Both lines end with the suffix '-aaiyadaa', producing an empathetic sound scheme that accentuates sorrow.

Ethugai (Second Letter Rhyme)

Paruvaththai koduthuvittu / Uruvaththai eduthukkondaai

The second consonant sound 'ru' (ரு) rhymes across both lines ('Paruvaththai' and 'Uruvaththai').

Did you know?

Trivia

'Yettil Ezhuthi Vaithen' is a famous melancholy track from the 1963 film 'Vanambadi', composed by K. V. Mahadevan and rendered passionately by T. M. Soundararajan (TMS). Written by legendary lyricist Kannadasan, the song is celebrated for its philosophical grief ('irangal') and bold direct questioning of God, a signature motif in Kannadasan's tragic writings.

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