Vaazha ninaithaal vaazhalam

 Vaazha ninaithaal – (I like the first stanza of this song, so I’m skipping the second stanza) 

Vaazha ninaithaal vaazhalam 

Vazhiya illai boomiyil 

Aazha kadalum solai aagum

Aasai irundhal neendhi vaa 

If you want to live, you can 

Aren’t there ways on earth?

Even oceans will be like a garden

If you have the passion, swim and come.

Paarka therindhal paadhai theiryum 

Paarthu nadandhal payanum thodarum

Payanam thodarndhaal kadhavu thirakkum 

Kadhavu thirandhal kaatchi kidaikkum

Kaatchi kidaithaal kavalai theerum

Kavalai theerndhal vaazhalam 

If you know how to see, the path will become clear  (to walk)

If you walk carefully, the journey will continue 

If the journey continues, the door will open, 

When the door opens, what you seek will be there, 

When you find what you seek, worries will disappear 

When worries disappear, you can live.

Yaarada manidhan ange 

Yaarada manidhan ange 

Kootivaa avanai inge

Iraivan padaippil kurangu thaan meedhi inge 

Where is (the real) Man 

Bring him here

All that remains in God’s creation

Is the monkey

 Manidharil naaygal undu 

Manadhinil narigal undu 

Paarvaiyil puligal undu 

Pazhakkathil paambu undu 

Nayum, nariyum puliyum paambum 

Ulavum ulagathile 

Maanam, panbuu, nyayam konda 

Manidhanaikaanavillai 

In men, there are dogs, In hearts, there are foxes In eyes, there are tigers In

behaviour (relationships), there are snakes In a world of dogs, fox, tigers and

snakes. 

In all these there is no man with (qualities such as) (sense of) honour, justice, culture.

Sirippinil manidhanillai 

Azhgayil manidhan illai 

Ullathil mandihan illai

Urakkathil mandihan undu 

Vaazhum mirugam thoongum dheivam

Idaie manidhanada

 Engo avanum irundhal 

Ulagam vanagumada 

In laughter, Man isn’t

In tears, Man isn’t In

his heart, Man isn’t (surprise, you’d think otherwise here but that’s the twist)

In sleep, Man is. 

Living beast sleeping Divinity,

 In between is Man 

If he is to be found to be anywhere 

The world will worship him. 

Kannadasan's gems

I grew up with the comforting, encouraging, optimistic, uplifting,

inspirational, empathetic, humourous (among other adjectives) lyrics of

Kannadasan, the genius poet of the Tamil silver screen. Nothing was perfect for

a lift in the spirits like Mayakkama Kalakkama or Ninaipadhellam nadandhu vitaal

emanating from a teakadai radio, especially when you are coming back from a low

score in math. Or whatever was getting one down. Many a night at dinner, my

family members would sit around discussing the various aspects of his lyrics,

long after the dinner was despatched, (with hands almost drying, you didn’t want

to get up to something as pedestrian as washing hands lest you should miss out

on something). Here I’m attempting to translate some his songs that affected me

deeply (and still do), because I think his songs should reach even those who

don’t understand Tamil. While I’m aware of the limitations of translation as an

exercise, and the fact that it seldom does justice to the original, I hope to do

the best I can in presenting some of my favourite songs and their meanings. To

my limited knowledge, no body combined simplicity and profundity with such ease

and beauty. Kaviarasu, (meaning King of Poets), will always be that. Period. So

here goes.