[Kannathil Muthamittal] vidai kodu engal naade …

The past week saw much commotion about war crimes in Srilanka.  I don’t care about all the politics around who is right and who is wrong about the war in Srilanka, Guess every one is 🙁 .  My Heart goes out to the countless native civilian people who lost their mother land and whose lives are now shattered, may you all return back and live in harmony and peace. The following song makes me cry every time I listen to it, dedicated to humanity and brotherhood. Hats off to Vairamuthu for penning such wonderful lyrics, the music composer A.R Rahman, and the soulful rendition of the artists.

Movie: Kannathil Muthamittal
Poet: Vairamuthu
Music Director: A.R Rahman
Singers: M. S. Viswanathan, Balram, Febi, A. R. Reihana,Manikka Vinayagam
Song Sequence: (1)-(2)-(1)-(2)-(3)-(3)-(4)-(5)-(5)-(6)-(1)-(2)-(7)-(7)-(8)-(9)-(1)-(2)

(1)விடை கொடு எங்கள் நாடே
கடல் வாசல் தெளிக்கும் வீடே
பனை மர காடே, பறவைகள் கூடே
மறுமுறை ஒரு முறை பார்போமா?

vidai kodu engal naade,
kadal vaasal thelikkum veede,
panai mara kaade, paravaigal koode,
marumurai oru murai paarpoma?

grant us permission to leave, oh our motherland!
our home, where the ocean dwells at our doorstep,
oh! the forests filled with palm trees, the nests of birds,
will we see each other again?

(2)உதட்டில் புன்னகை புதைத்தோம்
உயிரை உடம்புக்குள் புதைத்தோம்
வெறும் கூடுகள் மட்டும் ஊர்வலம் போகின்றோம் 

udhattil punnagai pudhaithom,
uyirai udambukkul pudhaithom,
verum koodugal mattum oorvalam pogindrom,

we buried our laughter in our lips,
we buried our soul (life) in our bodies,
all we are is this body of flesh (with no life/soul), in a journey(procession),

(3)கந்தல் ஆனாலும் தாய் மடி போல்
ஒரு சுகம் வருமா? 

kandhal aanaalum thaai madi pol,
oru sugam varumaa?

even if we are down to rags, totally devastated,
is there any place more comforting than the lap of your mother?

(4)சொர்க்கம் சென்றாலும் சொந்த ஊர் போல்
 சுதந்திரம் வருமா? 

sorgam sendralum sondha oor pol
sudhandhiram varuma?

even if we went to the heavens,
is there any place with more freedom than your own motherland?

(5)கண் திறந்த தேசம் அங்கே
கண் மூடும் தேசம் எங்கே?

kan thirandha desam ange
kan moodum desam enge?

there is the country we opened our eyes in (were born in),
but where is the country where these eyes will shutdown? (will die in)

(6)பிரிவோம் நதிகளே பிழைத்தால் வருகிறோம்
மீண்டும் தாயகம் அழைத்தால் வருகிறோம்
கண்ணீர் திரையில் பிறந்த மண்ணை
கடைசியாக பார்க்கின்றோம்

pirivom nadhighale pizhaithaal varugirom,
meendum thaayagam azhaithaal varugirom,
kanneer thiraiyil pirandha mannai,
kadaisiyaaga paarkindrom,

we bid you adieu, oh rivers! if we survive this ordeal , we will come back,
if the motherland calls us back again, we will return,
with our eyes filled with tears, 
we see our birth-land for one last time,

(7)எங்கள் சங்கீதம் பிள்ளையின் அழுகையிலே தொலைத்தோம்
(8)எங்கள் இளம் திங்கள் வெடி குண்டு புதையிலே புதைத்தோம்
முன் இரவில் மலரில் கிடந்தோம் பின் இரவில் முள்ளில் கிடந்தோம் 

engal sangeedham pillaiyin azhugaiyile tholaithom,
engal ilam thingal vedigundu pugaiyile pudhaithom,
mun nilavil malaril kidandhom, pin iravil mullil kizhindhom,

we lost our music in the cries of our children,
we buried (lost) our good days in the smoke of bombs,
before we used to bask in moonlight and lie down on the flower beds, now we are constantly getting torn in the night due to the thorns,

(9)கடல் நீர் பறவையாய் இருந்தால் சந்திப்போம்
வனமே, மலர்களே வாழ்ந்தால் சந்திப்போம்
தலையில் கொஞ்சம், நெஞ்சில் அதிகம்
சுமைகள் சுமந்து போகின்றோம்.

kadal neer paravai dhaan irundhaal sandhippom,
vaname malaigale vaazhndhaal sandhippom,
thalaiyil konjam nenjil adhigam,
sumaigal sumandhu pogindrom,

oh sea gulls! if we ever survive, we will meet,
oh forests! oh mighty mountains! if we live, we will meet,
carrying some burden on the head, and most of the burden in the heart,
we leave……

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Gururajan

Gururajan

My 2 cents – I believe the translation for the words “kanneer thiraiyil pirandha mannai,
kadaisiyaaga paarkindrom,” should have been “we see the motherland with tearful eyes, for one last time”. The poet indicates that they have tearful eyes through which they say their homeland not that the land was born in tears. – Pls update if you agree.. Great job u r doing..

Tamil Rasigan

Tamil Rasigan

Hi Gururajan,
Although what you say is right , My interpretation of the verse was that , Srilanka is a “kanner thirayil pirandha man” i.e the poet beautifully describes the water around the island nation as being that of the people’s tears (i.e for so long they have been oppressed and humiliated ) , so the relation between the geography of the land to the woes of the people was fantastic. May be my interpretation was a bit too far-fetched. do you agree with my point of view?

Gururajan

Gururajan

Hi mate,
I am trying to understand that point – but think may be this is not what the poet meant – though you will make a very good poet with your line of thinking.:)

I think the way MSV sang or ARR tune might have confused .. I think he means “kanneer thiraiyil” ( screen which views the scene is blurred by tears) pirandha mannai ( homeland)
kadaisiyaaga paarkindrom ( seeing it one last time).. he was tearful because he is leaving the homeland..

do u agree with this??

Tamil Rasigan

Tamil Rasigan

HI Gururajan,
I agree, now I see the point, you are right. Thanks for pointing it out. Will change the same.

Gururajan

Gururajan

Thanks mate for agreeing.. i will read other songs and let u know if i feel anything different from what you have translated – u r doing a great job. 🙂

Tamil Rasigan

Tamil Rasigan

Thanks Gururajan, I am sure there are many such glaring mistakes 🙂 … mixed up “thirai ” and “tharai”.. haha .. grrr…. :S

Gururajan

Gururajan

it happens when u work alone and no one reviews – need a second eye to avoid this.. i hope u get many more feedbacks to make this as close as to original as possible. 🙂

Prem

Prem

Those lines mean to me like ‘The land which we saw first through the tearful eyes during birth, is seen last now’

Martin

Martin

Vairamuthu has given the exact feeling of the tamil enam in Srilanka. Just Cried by reading each and every line with Meaning.

Stalin S.

Stalin S.

I have heard this song in the movie.But I was only following the story line of Madhavan and Simran attempting the locate the mother of the girl.
I watched the song in a video clipping of Super Singer and started crying.
When I was looking for a translation, got this.
Thanks.