Vandha naan mudhal

 Vandha naal mudhal 

indha naal varaai

Vaanam maara villai 

Vaan madhiyum meenum 

kadal kaatrum 

Malarum mannum 

kodiyum solayum 

nadhyium maaravillai 

Mandihan maari vittaan

Madhathil eri vittan 

From the day we came here  (to the earth)

Till today 

The sky hasn’t changed

The moon in the sky, 

the stars, the fish, 

the oceans, the wind 

The flowers, the earth, 

The creepers, the gardens, 

And the rivers

Haven’t changed 

But Man has changed

He has climbed on (tree that is) religion

Nilai maarinaal gunam maaruvan

Poi needhiyum naermayum thaeduvan 

Dhinam jaadhiyum bedhamum kooruvan 

Adhu vedham vidhi endr(u) odhuvan 

Manidhan maari vittan 

Madhathil eri vittan 

When his status (in life) changes,

So will his character

He will search for false justice and honesty,

Every day he will preach 

About caste and (other) differences 

He will say it’s the law of God

(and say) it’s all fate 

Man has (indeed) changed 

He has climbed on (tree that is) religion 

Paravayai kandaan 

Vimaanam padaithaaan 

Paayum meenil

Padaginai kandan 

Edhiroli kettan 

Vaanoli padaithaan 

Edhanai kandan madham thanaipadaithan 

Edhani kandaan panam thanai padaithaan? 

Manidhan maari vittan 

He saw the bird and invented the plane 

He saw the fish and invented the ship 

The echo he heard and he invented radio 

What did he see that made him invent religion?

What did he see that made him invent money? 

Man has changed

[NOTE: In the original lyrics it says ‘madhanthanai’ meaning religion’ but it seems the censor board didn’t want that word so the poet changed it to ‘panandhanai’ meaning money. They sound similar so it doesn’t jar on the ear.]

Inbamum kaadhalaum iyarkayin needhi

Etra thaazhvugal  manidhanin jaadhi 

Paaril iyarkai padaithadhai ellam

Paavi manidhan pirithu vaithane 

Happiness and love are the law of Nature 

Ups and downs are innate in Man  

(poet says ‘jaadhi’ usually meaning caste but in this context it means what you are born with)

All that Nature created on this earth

The sinner, Man, has divided and separated

Man has changed.

Maalai pozhudhin mayakkathilae

 [A wonderful song, beautifully rendered and the last stanza will stay with you for the rest of your life]

Maalai pozhudhin mayakkathile 

Naan kanavu kanden thozhi 

Manadhil irundhum vaarthaigalillai

Kaaranam en thozhi?

Inbam sila naal thunbam sila naal 

Endradhu yaar thozhi 

Inbam kanavil thunbam edhiril

Kanbadhum en ehozhi 

[while ‘mayakkam’ means faint or confused state, it is also applied to times of day. Here the poet says the evening time, twilight more specifically to be in that state. Think of it as when you wake up from a deep afternoon slumber and how you feel when you wake up, it’s sort of pleasant but dizzy. 

The word ‘thozhi’ means girl friend. It dates back to ancient literature when the lady waiting for her lover to come back from his sojourns would lament to her dearest friend.]

In the dizzying twilight of evening

I had a dream girl

No words issued from my heart 

Why is that so, girl? 

Who said pain is for a few days

And pleasure longer, friend? 

Please (I find) in dreams,

And pain in front (of me, as reality)

Why does it seem like that, girl?

Manamudithavar pol 

arugunile oru vadivu kanden thozhi 

Mangay en kayil kungumam thandhaar 

maalyittar thozhi 

Vazhimarandheno vandhavar nenjil saayndhu vitten thozhi 

Avar maraven maraven endrar udane 

marandhu vittar thozhi 

Parandhuvittar thozhi

I saw someone next to me

Who liked like my husband 

He put kumkum (vermillion) in my hand

Put garland (around my neck)

Did I forget my way (where I was going or coming)?  (also could mean  did I forget my manners of being a lady?)

I rested on the chest (of the man who came)

‘Never will I forget you’, said he

But immediately forgot 

And flew away! 

Kanavinil vandhavar yaarena kaeten 

Kanavar endrar thozhi 

Kanavar endral avar kanavu mudindhadhum 

Pirindhadhu En thozhi?

Ilamai ellam verum kanavu mayam 

Adhil maraindhadhu sila kaalam 

Thelivum ariyadhu mudivum theriyadhu

Mayangadhu edhir kaalam

The one who came in my dream

I asked who he was, girl

He said he was my husband

But if he was, then why did he leave

once the dream was over, friend?

Youth is just an empty, vacuous dreamy state, 

In  disappears part of our time (on earth),

Without knowing clarity 

and without knowing (where and how it will all) end 

Swoons the future. 

Manidhanai ninaipadhundu

 Manidhan  ninaipadhundu 

(I’m translating the first two stanzas that have excellent meaning)

Manidhan ninaipadhundu

Vaazhvu nilaikkum endru

Iraivan ninaipadhundu 

Paavam manidhan endru 

Man might think Life will go on (forever )

God might think ‘poor man’ (as in he doesn’t know what’s going to hit him)

Thandhai tahavaru seidhaan 

Thaayum idam koduthaal 

Vandhu pirandhu vittom 

Verum bandham valarthu vittom 

Manadhu thudikindradhu 

Mayakkam varugindradhu 

Azhudhu laabam enna 

Avan aatchi nadakindradhu 

Father made a mistake 

Mother gave room for it 

We were born as a result

And nurtured empty, meaningless bonds  

(My) heart is beating fast

(I) feel faint

What’s the point of crying now

His (God’s) rule is reigning 

Year andha nilavu

A favourite of mine. This song is about a man who marries a blind girl who is waiting for the friend of the hero and hasn’t seen or heard him in ages. Due to some twist of fate, the friend is not able to make it back home and the hero is forced to meet her and she thinks it’s the friend, and he married her out of compulsion. 

Yaar andha nilavu

Yaen indha kanavu

Yaaro solla yaaro endru 

Yaaro vandha uravu 

Kaalam seiydha kolam 

Ingu naan vandha varavu

[It is customary for poets to equate women with the moon]

Who’s that moon (girl)?

Why this dream? 

Hearing (someone say it’s one person)

Seeing it’s someone else

Someone else (totally different, this new relationship) came (into my life)

It‘s the design (workings) of Time (ie: fate)

This, my being, here. 

Maalayum manjalum maariyadhe oru sodhanai 

Manjam nenjam maaruvadhe oru vedhnai 

Deiyvame yaaridam yaarai Nee thandhthayo? 

Un koil deepam maaruvadhai Nee ariyayo? 

[maalai refers to exchange of garlands at weddings, manjal is turmeric but refers to the ‘thali’ (a yellow thread with a traditional ornament) a woman wears at wedding that pronounces she is married]

The way the garland and turmeric changed was (cause for great) sorrow,

The change in the bed and the heart was (cause for) lamentation

Oh God, who did you give to whom? 

Don’t you know that the lamps in your temple have changed?

{Here the poet is using lamps in temple for people in a wedded life]

Aadiya naadagam mudiyavillai oru naalile

Angum ingum shanthi illai silar vaazhvile 

Deiyvame, yaaridam maedail nee nindrayo?

Indru yaarai yaaraai nerinile nee kandayo?

The play (we took part in) didn’t end in a day 

Here or there, there’s no peace in life for some (souls)

Oh God, whom did you stand next to on the stage (at the wedding?) 

Now who are you seeing in place of whom? 

Buddhi ulla manidharellam

Buddhi ulla manidhnellam vetri nkanbadhillai 

Vetri petra manidharellam buddhisali illai 

Intelligent people don’t always become successful

All those who succeed are not necessarily intelligent 

Panamirukkum manidharidam manam iruppadhillai 

Manam irukkum manidharidam panam iruppadhillai 

Panamirukkum veetinela vandhadhellam sondham 

Panamilladha veetinile sondham ellam thunbam

Those with money, they don’t have the heart (to give) 

Those with heart (that’s generous), they don’t have the money

A rich man’s house is full of relatives 

In a poor man’s house, every relative is (a cause for pain and ) sorrow

Kanavu kaanum manidhanuku 

Kanbadhellam kanavu 

Avan kaanuginra kanavinile 

Varuvadhellam uravu 

Avan kanavil aval varuval avanai paarthu sirppal

Aval kanavil yaar varuvar yaarai paarthu azhaippar?

For a day-dreamer (fantasiser)

Everything he sees is a dream (fantasy)

In the dream that he dreams

There is only relationships 

(uravu is relationships, also can be taken to mean sexual relationship)

In his dream, she will come and smile at him

In her dream, who’ll come, And beckon whom?

Yaarai nambi naan porandhaen

Yaarai nambi naan pirandhen 

Pongada ponga 

En kaalam vellum 

Vendra pinne 

Vaangada vaanga 

Whom did I trust in when I was born? 

Get lost  (all of you who turned your back on me)

 My time will come when I’ll be victorious (successful) 

Then you all will come to me 

Kolathilae thanniyille

Kokkum ille meanum ille

Pettiyile panam ille

Petha pull sondham ille

There’s no water in the lake (kulam is actually a public tank)

No birds no fish

There’s no money in the box

The son you begot son isn’t yours anymore 

Thennaiya petha ila neeru 

Pillaiye petha kanneeru

Pethavanan maname pithamma 

Pillayin maname kallamma 

Paanayile sorirundha poonaigalum sonndhamada

Vedhanaye pangu vacha Sondhamille bandhamille 

If you plant coconut sapling, you get coconut water 

If you beget (plant seed for children), you only get tears 

Parents’ heart is mad (crazy for kids) 

The children’s heart is (cold like) stone 

When there is food in the pot 

Even cats are your relatives 

When you want to share your sorrow

There is no relative, not bonds.

Nenjamirukku thunivaaga 

Neramirukkku therlivaga 

Ninathal mudippen sariyaaga 

Nee yaar naan yaar poda po 

Aadiyile kaathadicha aipasiyil mazhai varum

Thedi varum kaalam vandha 

sondham ellam odi varum 

My heart is strong and brave,

My time is clear,

I’ll finish what I set out to do 

Who are you and who am I? 

Get lost (Meaning we’ll see  who wins in the end, sort of a challenge) 

If the wind blows in the month of Adi it will rain in Aipasi (Natural course of events like, if winter is there can spring be far behind type of sentiment)

When (good luck) comes looking for me 

All the relatives will come to looking for me (Fair weather people) 

Mayakkama kalakkama

 Mayakkama Mayakkama kalakkama 

Manadhile kuzhappama 

Vaazhkayil nadukkama?

 

(Are you) Confused? (Islife making you)Dizzy?

(Is there) indecision in your mind? 

(And) trembling in life? ( Meaning is there fear?) 

Vaazhkai endral aayiram irukkum 

Vaasal thorum vedhanai irukkum 

Vandha thunbam edhuvendraalum 

Vaadi nindral oduvadhillai

Edhayum thaangum idhayam irundhal 

Irudhi varaikkum amaidhi nilakkum 

There are thousands of things in life (that’s life) 

At every door step there will be worries 

Whatever problems that may come to you 

They won’t go away of you sit there wilting (in hoplessness) 

If you have a strong heart 

There will be peace till the end 

Ezhai manadhai maaligai aaki 

Iravum pagalum kaaaviyam padi 

Naalai pozhudhai iravanukku alithu 

Nadakkum vaazhvil amadhiyai thedu 

Unakkum keezhe ullavar kodi 

Ninaithu paarhu nimmadhi naadu 

Transform your poor heart 

Into a huge mansion 

Sing epic songs every day 

Leave tomorrow to God 

And seek peace in the present 

There are millions of people  below (worse off than) you 

Think about it and be at peace