I was researching about this line from the song “Theendai mei Theendai” in “En Swasa Katre”; it has this pa at the very beginning of the song (to an erotic sounding orgasmic woman moaning in the background)
Kandrum unnadhu kalathinum padathu
nallal theempal nilatthuliluk anga
enakkum aagathu enaikkum uthavathu
pasalai uniyar alkulen
thithalai en maamai kavine
In Tamil:
கன்றும் உண்ணாது கலத்திலும் படாது
நல்லாள் தீம்பால் நிலத்திலுக் காங்க
எனக்கும் ஆகாது என்னைக்கும் உதவாது
பசலை உணியர் அல்குளேன்
திதலை என் மாமைக்கவினே
Meaning:
கன்றும் உண்ணாது கலத்திலும் படாது
நல்லாள் தீம்பால் நிலத்திலுக் காங்க
Like a good cow’s sweet milk that neither gets to the calf nor to the milk-vessel but gets wasted falling on the ground,
எனக்கும் ஆகாது என்னைக்கும் உதவாது
பசலை உணியர் அல்குளேன்
திதலை என் மாமைக்கவினே
The dark beauty of my feminity has become food for a skin affliction, which is not good for me nor my man.
As usual, the English translation makes it sound like she’s complaining of a skin disorder, but actually, she is complaining of her separation from her lover - that without him, her privates are getting neglected (corny as it sounds :P) and becoming food for a disease, just like wasted milk. Some word translations are in order:
பசலை - skin disease
உணியர் - food
அல்குளேன் - the fold of skin between the upper thigh and hip, or otherwise, privates.
மாமைக்கவினே - Dark beauty (kavin is beauty, maamai is darkness)
What amazes me is the fact that these classical poets have been able to talk about something this sensuous and this explicit, and yet have been able to keep vulgarity completely out of the picture. Talk about the right balance.
On the other hand, the song in which this pa is featured is one 5-minute erotica… Looks like we’ve devolved from sanga-kaalam 
April 24th, 2009 at 6:13 am
Maplai,
I chanced upon your blog after an arbit google search. Found that you are from Chennai. Studied atIITM & now in Texas (studying PG).
I too am from Chennai, studied at IITM & live in Texas. albeit about half a generation before you.
Found your blog interesting enough to comment on.
Joots.
April 25th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
Thanks Maamu.. Where in Texas are you? And aare you in Chennai right now?