Mannil indha kaadhal andri from "Keladi Kanmani"

Song: Mannil indha kaadhal andri
Movie: Keladi Kanmani (1990)
Lyrics: ??
Music: Ilayaraja
Singer: S P Balasubrahmanyam
Actors: S P Balasubrahmanyam, Radhika

search keywords: "tamil song Mannil indha from movie Keladi Kanmani"
youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6DKlaUul1I

Mannil indha kaadhal andri, yaarum vaazhthal koodumo

Is it possible to live on this earth, without love?

literal: On earth (soil), without this love, can anyone live?

ennam kanni paavai indri, yezhu swaram thaan paadumo

Will the seven notes (of music) sing, without the thought of the maiden girl?

literal: Without the virgin girl's thought, will the 7 notes sing?

He says music goes mute if it's not for the thought of the girl. (7 swaram are the 'sa re ga.. ' notes in music)

penmai indri mannil, inbam yedhada?

Where is the pleasure on this earth, without woman?

literal: Without the feminine, on this earth, where is the pleasure?

kannai moodi kanavil vaazhum maanida

(tell me how...you) man who is living with eyes closed in a dream

I guess the poet wants to convey man is living asleep.. unaware falsely believing that he can find happiness without woman/love.

So more than dreaming, the man is asleep/unconscious.

In the next stanza, he sings how the materialistic world with all its beauty is useless and will fail to give pleasure without the girl's company.

vennilavum, ponni nadhiyum, kanniyin thunai indri

enna sugam ingu padaikum, penmayin sugam andri

What pleasure can the white-moon and river cauvery give, without the company of the maiden, without her pleasure?

literal: white-moon, ponni river (the sacred cauvery river), without the virgin's company

what pleasure can they serve? in the absence of feminine pleasure.

sandhanamum, sanga thamizhum, pongidum vasanthamum

sandal (as in sandal wood) and sanga tamil (sangam=a golden age in tamil literature) and raising/overflowing spring (as in season)

sindhi varum pongum amutham thangidum kumudhamum

A lotus filled with overflowing and spilling amudham (a heavenly food/delicacy)

literal: .. spilling and overflowing (it comes) amudham which comes and stays inside a lotus.. and that lotus (..below will fail to give pleasure ..)

kanni magal arugil irundhaal suvaikum

(all these) will taste sweet, if the maiden is next to me

literal: if the virgin girl is close by, they will taste (good/sweet)

kanni thunai izhandhaal muzhudhum kasakkum

If the maiden's company is lost, they fully taste bitter.

literal: On losing the virgin's company, completely (they) taste bitter

vizhiyinil mozhiyinil nadaiyinil udaiyinil

In her eyes, in her talks, in her walk, in her dress

literal: In eye, in language, in walk, in garment

adhisaya sugam tharum anangu ival pirappu ithu thaan

She is the goddess that serves wondrous bliss

literal: that which gives wondrous pleasure, is this goddess/angel (which was created by her birth)

<mannil indha..>

In the next stanza, he praises each of the body parts of the girl.. about her lips, eyes, hips, fingers...

muthu mani rathinangalum, kattiya pavazhamum,

kothu malar arputhangalum kuvintha adharamum,

A heap made of wondrous bouquet of red flowers, pearl like beads of rubies and solid pavazham (another red precious stone)... are your lips.

literal: pearl like beads of rubies and solid pavazham (a red color opaque precious stone)

bouquet of red flowers .. (all these) wonders... (came to make a heap).. heap .. (are your) lips.

kothu malar: I assume it's a flower size of a large rose, with many small red flowers bunched together.. I guess they are called 'idly poo'.

adharam is a poetic word for lips

sitridaiyum, sinna viralum, villenum puruvamum,

the slender hip, slender fingers, bow like eyebrows

sutrivara seiyum vizhiyum, sundara mozhigalum

The eyes that attract, the beautiful voice

literal: the eyes that make one go around (her)

Seems her eyes are so attractive/magnetic that one will be made to keep coming towards her

yennivida maranthaal yedharkor piravi?

If one forgets (these), what's the use of taking birth?

literal: If forgetting to remember, what's the use of (this/one) birth?

ithanaiyum izhandhaal avan thaan thuravi

Only he is a true renouncer, if he loses all these

literal: lose all these.. only that man is a renouncer/sadhu

mudi mudhal adi varai muzhuvathum sugam tharum

Completely from the top to bottom (from head to toe), (you) giving pleasure

virundhugal padaithidum arangamum aval allava?

Isn't she(her body) the stage(/a dining hall) that delivers such a feast

literal: (such a) feast delivering stage, isn't she (or her body as going by previous lines)

Notes:

The guy sings in praise of the glory of woman and love. He sings in praise of the general woman unlike most romantic songs where the lover addresses his specific beloved.

He sings how the natural beauties (like moon, river) are useless and loses their ability to give pleasure in the absence of woman. The other stanza praises the beauty of her body - each of the parts like eyes, lips, hips. SPB sings in a single breath each of the two main stanzas of the song.

I wonder at the rich poetic tamil used in this song; such high density and depth of meanings using so few a words. Specifically the line that extols her lips. I love best the lines:

'penmai indri mannil inbam yedhada?' (where is the pleasure on this earth, without woman?) and

'...yennivida maranthaal yedharkor piravi?' ( what's the use of taking birth, if you forget to remember (her beauty))

Dictionary:

mann=soil (earth), andri/indri=without, ennam=thoughts, kanni=virgin, paavai=girl, penmai=feminine/woman-hood, inbam=pleasure/happiness, maanidam=mankind, kanavu=dream,

venn/venmai=white, nila=moon, nathi=river, ponni-nathi=cauvery, thunai=company, sugam=pleasure,vasandham=spring season, ponguthal=to raise/overflow (as a boiling pot), sindhuthal=spilling (like a overlowing bucket), thanguthal=to stay/contain, kumudham=lotus, kasappu=bitter (taste), vizhi=eye, mozhi=language/voice, nadai=walk, udai=dress/garment, adhisayam=wonder, anangu=god like woman, goddess, angel --- this is a poetic literary word, pirappu=birth, muthu=pearl, mani=bead, rathinam=ruby, katti=solid, pavazham=a red opaque precious stone.. usually used big in jewellery like rings, kothu-malar=a flower size of a very big rose which has lots (100s) of small red flowers inside, kuvindha/kuvippu=heap (like a heap of grains), adharam=lips (this is poetic usage), villu=bow (as in bow and arrow), puruvam=eye-brows, suttri-vara=to make one go and come around (as you do around a temple..circum.(??locate?)), marandhal=to forget, edharku=why, piravi=birth, thuravi=renouncer/saint/sadhu, mudi=top (like mountain summit, here head), adi=bottom (here ..feet/toes), muzhuvathum=fully/completely, virundhu=feast (as a wedding food), arangam=stage/auditorium ..where a performace (like dance/concert) takes place

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