Speak but her name—"Amman"—and she arrives at your door. She whose words are jasmine, whose smile is a strand of pearls, The mother of the maiden with the crescent-moon eyes (Parvati).
Every rendition begins by asking Lord Ganesha to remove obstacles and protect the singer from errors in recitation .
A typical verse pattern (example – approximate): mariamman thalattu english translation
Sooriyan kan uppukka, choodam theendap paarthaal Neerai kudam kodu, neelakkaadu amman
Verse 4: The flower garland adorns your neck The sacred sound (Om) is your mantra You are the embodiment of truth and justice Amma Mariamman, we surrender to you Speak but her name—"Amman"—and she arrives at your door
Thaalelo, thaalelo – on a cradle of cool moonstones. She who wears the bitter neem as her crown, She who rides the white peacock as her steed. Thaalelo, thaalelo – O mother of the rain clouds.
In villages like Samayapuram (Tamil Nadu), the Thalattu is sung at midnight during the Mariamman Thiruvizha . The priest carries a Kumbam (copper pot with a lime and neem leaves). As he walks on fire (Theemithi), the chorus of women sing the Thalattu to prevent the fire from burning them. In English, this translates to: We sing a lullaby to the heat itself, begging it to be cool. A typical verse pattern (example – approximate): Sooriyan
Vembu poo choodiya vellai mayil ereyum Mambazham kaai kodu kaichadi amman.