Suttum Vizhi Chudar
சுட்டும் விழிச்சுடர்
Suttum Vizhi Chudar, 'the light of your shining eyes', is a love song from Subramania Bharati's Kannan Pattu in which the poet sees the whole universe in his beloved Kannamma. Its imagery of sun, moon, night sky and sea has made it one of his most romantic poems.
- Written by
- Subramania Bharati (died 1921)
- Music
- Subramania Bharati
- Raga
- Chenchurutti
- In the video
- Hariharan
- Context
- Kannan Pattu: Kannamma, My Beloved - 1 (Kaatchi Viyappu)
- Year
- 1910s
- Language
- Tamil
Suttum Vizhi Chudar lyrics with English translation
Bharati's full original poem (3 stanzas) as given on Tamil Wikisource; stanza numbers omitted. The film Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000) used lines from this poem in a new musical setting; that film version is not reproduced here.
சுட்டும் விழிச்சுடர் தான், - கண்ணம்மா! சூரிய சந்திர ரோ? வட்டக் கரிய விழி, - கண்ணம்மா! வானக் கருமை கொல்லோ? பட்டுக் கருநீலப் - புடவை பதித்த நல் வயிரம் நட்ட நடு நிசியில் - தெரியும் நக்ஷத் திரங்க ளடீ!
Suttum vizhichchudar thaan, - kannamma! Sooriya chanthira ro? Vattak kariya vizhi, - kannamma! Vaanak karumai kollo? Pattuk karuneelap - pudavai Pathiththa nal vayiram Natta nadu nisiyil - theriyum Nakshath thiranga ladi!
The bright light of your shining eyes, Kannamma, is it the sun and the moon? Your round dark eyes, Kannamma, are they the darkness of the sky? The fine diamonds set in your dark-blue silk sari are the stars that shine in the deep of midnight!
சோலை மல ரொளியோ - உனது சுந்தரப் புன்னகை தான் நீலக் கடலலையே - உனது நெஞ்சி லலைக ளடீ! கோலக் குயி லோசை - உனது குரலி னிமை யடீ! வாலைக் குமரி யடீ, - கண்ணம்மா! மருவக் காதல் கொண்டேன்.
Solai mala roliyo - unathu Sundharap punnagai thaan Neelak kadalalaiye - unathu Nenji lalaiga ladi! Kolak kuyi losai - unathu Kurali nimai yadi! Vaalaik kumari yadi, - kannamma! Maruvak kaathal konden.
Is the glow of garden flowers your lovely smile? The waves of the blue sea are the waves in your heart! The song of the graceful cuckoo is the sweetness of your voice! You are a young maiden, Kannamma! I long to hold you in love.
சாத்திரம் பேசுகிறாய், - கண்ணம்மா! சாத்திர மேதுக் கடீ! ஆத்திரங் கொண்டவர்க்கே, - கண்ணம்மா! சாத்திர முண்டோ டீ! மூத்தவர் சம்மதியில் - வதுவை முறைகள் பின்பு செய்வோம்; காத்திருப் பேனோ டீ? - இதுபார், கன்னத்து முத்த மொன்று!
Saaththiram pesugiraai, - kannamma! Saaththira methuk kadi! Aaththirang kondavarkke, - kannamma! Saaththira mundo di! Mooththavar sammathiyil - vathuvai Muraigal pinbu seivom; Kaaththirup peno di? - ithupaar, Kannaththu muththa mondru!
You talk of rules and scriptures, Kannamma! What use are scriptures, dear? For those burning with longing, Kannamma, are there any rules? The wedding rites, with the elders' consent, we will perform later; am I to keep on waiting? Look here - a kiss upon your cheek!
Translation: Lyriccs (original translation). Transliteration: Lyriccs.
The story behind Suttum Vizhi Chudar
In Kannan Pattu, Bharati addresses the divine in many human roles. This poem is the first of six titled Kannamma, My Beloved, and carries the subtitle Kaatchi Viyappu, wonder at the sight. Bharati marked it for raga Chenchurutti and Eka tala, and noted its moods as love and wonder.
The poem reached a new generation in 2000, when A. R. Rahman set lines from it for the Tamil film Kandukondain Kandukondain, sung by Hariharan. That film version is a separate modern arrangement; the text on this page is Bharati's original poem only.
What Suttum Vizhi Chudar means
The first stanza turns the beloved into a cosmos: her shining eyes are the sun and moon, her dark eyes the night sky, and the diamonds on her dark-blue silk sari are the stars at midnight. The second continues the comparisons with garden flowers for her smile, the waves of the blue sea for the stirrings of her heart and the cuckoo's song for her voice.
The third stanza changes tone with gentle humour. Kannamma quotes rules and scripture, and the poet asks what rules mean to someone overcome with love. He agrees that the wedding rites, with the elders' blessing, can come later, but refuses to wait - and the poem ends with a kiss on the cheek. Read within Kannan Pattu, the beloved is also an image of the divine, so the poem can be heard as both a love song and a mystic's delight.
Quick facts
- Part of Subramania Bharati's song cycle Kannan Pattu.
- Bharati marked it for raga Chenchurutti and Eka tala.
- Its subtitle Kaatchi Viyappu means wonder at the sight.
- Lines from it were used in the 2000 film Kandukondain Kandukondain.