[Waiata]
[Image of page 162]
LAMENT IN COMMEMORATION OF THE OVERTHROW OF TWO MAORI FORTRESSES AT TAMAKI, NEAR THE CITY OF AUCKLAND.
THE worth of some friends are scarce known,
While others attract at first sight,
Like the bird of Tipa on his throne
Displaying his plumage so bright.
The sun in his gorgeous array
Illumines the surge-beaten strand;
But Hira may ne'er feel its ray,
For the weapon has dropped from his hand.
The waters are motionless now,
And bright is the face of the deep;
But our son is not manning his prow,--
Ah, his is a permanent sleep!
Thou, too, O! our mother, art gone,
Whose counsels were ever revered;
And with thee the valiant, and strong,
And proud, have alas! disappeared.
And who will repel the dread foe,
And raise us to honour again?
For nought but the wild winds of woe
Sweep over Hawaiki's vast plain.
Orei, with its far western steep,
Is unheeded by those who pass by;
While the waters of Tamaki weep --
They weep till the channel is dry.
No longer the loved ones we see
Encompassed by damsels about;
No longer we witness their glee--
Death, sudden, has silenced that shout.
The rainbow is arched o'er the sky--
Its colours ate bright as of old;
But ye in the earth ever lie--
The earth that is lonely and cold.
And should ye rise up from the grave,
Ye appear as the lightning's glare,
Or as a dread ghost, while the brave
Looks bewildered and utters a prayer.
[Image of page 163]
Death did not suffice; ye must needs
The weapon conceal from our sight
Which reminds us of former brave deeds,
Achieved by our fathers in fight.
Lo! solitude, deep, reigns around,
While the widow looks on as she weeps;
But no echo is heard from the ground--
The grave where each warrior sleeps!
They have gone to a far distant land
Where Maui's great company roams;
But return, Oh! return to the band,
Ye have left in their desolate homes.
[Image of page 164]
MO MAUINAINA TENEI TANGI.
TAONGA i huna, taonga i tauakiua;
Ka turama koa, te manu a Tipa.
Te rakau a Hura, ka makere, kei raro
E whiti e te ra! tu noa i runga; --
E hora te marino, hora noa i waho ra!
Kowai ra te tau, hei whakaihi ake?
Haere ra e Kui, mo nga ki o te ao!
Mo nga turanga ki a taua, ka kore te tangata
Mei ora te tama nei, hei hoe te moana.
Tu kau mai ra, Orei i te uru!
Ka hura kei waho te tai o Tamaki!
Ka anuhea koe, te papa i Hawaiki;
Ka unua a rei, e rere ratou;
Huna iho ra, ki roto te kapa wahine.
Te uri a Whaita, ha moe i te hau, e!
Tiwhana kau ana, Uenuku i te rangi.
Patu e haere, ki raro whenua mea;
To putanga ki runga, he uira, he atua.
Te kino o aku hoa te whiu ko te ki
Te whakapakia, kia rongo te nui.
Ki kite te wahine, kei i a Hinekehu;
I whakamoea ai, he iwi ki Tane;
Kia tangihia iho, he whakangaro tangata.
E ta i te mate, hapainga atu ra,
Te ata o Whakatangi, ki te tau nga riri.
Kia noho mai koe, i runga te tira a Maui;
Kia hoki mai ai, to wairua mate na, e!
[Image of page 165]
PAPAHIA, the author of the following Lament, was the principal Chief of the Rarawa, a warlike people inhabiting Whangape, Herekino, and other places on the west coast, and claiming as a portion of their territory an extent of about fifteen miles of the fine river of Hokianga. Papahia was a person of great renown; his poetry alone secured for him the admiration of the tribes. But independently of this, he was a great warrior and orator. As a poet he is deservedly esteemed by all classes of Natives; indeed some of his compositions would put to the blush many of the civilized scribblers of the present day. It is not in our power to furnish another specimen.
LAMENT FOR TE HUHU.
Behold the lightning's glare!
It seems to cut asunder Tuwhare's rugged mountains.
From thy hand the weapon dropped;
And thy spirit disappeared
Beyond the heights of Raukawa.
The sun grows dim and hastes away,
As a woman from the scene of battle.
The tides of the ocean weep as they ebb and flow,
And the mountains of the South melt away;
For the spirit of the Chieftain
Is taking its flight to Rona.
1
Open ye the gates of the heavens!
Enter the first heaven, then enter the second heaven.
And when thou shalt traverse the land of spirits
And they shall say to thee " What meaneth this 1"
Say, the wings of this our world
Have been torn from it, in the death of the brave one--
The leader of our battles.
Atutahi and the stars of the morning
Look down from the sky, --
The earth reels to and fro,
For the great prop of the tribes lies low.
Ah! my friend the dews of Hokianga
[Image of page 166]
Will penetrate thy body.
The waters of the rivers will ebb out,
And the land be desolate.
I see from afar the cloud rising
O'er the head of famed Heke.
Let him be extinguished, for ever
Extinguished, and let the heart
Now sad with grief ne'er think of evil
[Image of page 167]
TE RANGI MO TE HUHU TE TOKO MANGUMANGU NA PAPAHIA.
Tera te uira e hiko i te rangi,
E whawhai rua ana na runga Tawhare,
Kaore ianei, ke te tohu o te mate.
Unuhia noatia te ata o Wharo!
Haere wareware Ko te hoa i au!
Te whakaaro koe ka nui o hara.
Takiri whakarere te patu i tou ringa!
Rongomai hara nui, Ouenuku Wareware.
E uia nau, keihea te Marama--
He Tangaroa mua, he mauri Korekore.
Ka rumaki atu koe ki tua o Raukawa
Ka rere whakawahine te tonga o te ra!
E tangi haere ana nga taio te uru;--
Te Papaowhareana to haerenga.
Tahuhu kau ana nga puke i te Tonga;--
Ka hutia te tohunga ki runga ki a Rona,
2
Ka whakairia nei. e. --
Uakina ake ra te tatau o te rangi!--
Kia piki ake koe i te rangi tuatahi,
Te rangi tuarua. E tae ki raro ra
E uia mai koe "Ko teaha tenei?"
Ko te pakipaki o te ao i maunu mai nei--
Ko te taroi o te riri, e. --
Ko te tai, ko te ata, mahue iho aei.
Whakapirirauiti te whetu o te rangi?
A Atutahi, Marehua, e. --
Ehara e te boa he manga kapu au,
Na rau iwi na rau o tangata
Ka ngaro nga iwi, ka ru te whenua e. --
Ka poua taua nga pou tu noa
I roto Waimako. Ka tokiia tou kiri
E te tomaiwhenua i toto o Hokianga
Ka timu nga tai, ka mokaia hoki, e--
E titiro ana au te puia tu noa
I runga i a Heke. Tineia kia mate, kia mate rawa hoki;
Kei tae hoki ake he mahara ma roto,
Ki te kino taia ka tauwehea nei, e. --
[Image of page 168]
[The following is said to have been sung by a spirit on the housetop, when taking away a child during the temporary absence of its Mother. The object of the singing was to drown the cries of the child, which was weeping bitterly,]
SONG OF THE SPIRIT WHILE NURSING A CHILD.
I am pierced by the wintry blast,
My body is slender and wan;
I weave not--my weaving is past,
And all my warm garments are gone.
Full oft to fair Arikirau
3
All lonely I posted my way
To gather the flax leaf--but now,
My members refuse to obey.
'Twas thoughtless of thee to come here,
4
With nought but thy paddle in hand;
Some power must have silenced that fear
Ever felt in approaching this land.
Ngahue,
5 methinks it was thee
I beheld on the dark distant Isle;
And fain would I hasten to see,
And sit by thy side for awhile.
As the kelp of the sea is uptorn,
By the high swelling tide, from its bed;
So o'er the wide waters I'm borne
And cast on the shore as one dead.
Anon I am lash'd by the surge
That beats on dread Hingara's
6 reef--
So sacred, --but soon I'll emerge
And triumph o'er danger and grief.
O come ye soft airs from the plain,
Where Hinerau
7 fans the fair trees;
And waft my fond spirit again,
To the lov'd ones who're dwelling at ease,
To linger awhile, or to roam,
Where once I was youthful and gay,
Would draw off my heart from its home; --
O then let me hasten away.
Let me hasten to Hiwawe's
8 vales,
Where the hosts of the mighty ones tread;
Where they fly on the sweet scented gales,
Far, far from the tombs of the dead.
Great Rangi,
9 thou contest for me;
Ah; haste thy kind message to tell;
Again my bright home I shall see,
Then mortals and death--Fare ye well.
[Image of page 169]
WAIATA ORIORI O TE WAIRUA I TE HIKIHIKITANGA TAMAITI.
P tawaka koia
Kiwi te hauwu
Raro, ewe ata
Puwupuhi maiwi
Ki takuwu kiri
Mowo kai pakiwi.
Horerawa waiakuwu
Ringa kiwi te rauwu
Kaku kaiwi Arikiwi
Rau ewe; e kore we
Ra ewe, e taeawa
Tu owohirawawa
Mai neiwi, te miwi
Roiewe. Raungawa
Iti awa na
Te tiwi nana
Ewe. Nauwu tonu
Kowo i harawa
Mai howo e wareiwi
Runga owo tepapawa
Tererawa. E aiiwi
Au iwi te rimuwu
Pae kowo nga tokawa
Tapu auwu ki Hinewe
Rau, tewe atakiwi
Tea tewe whaka ewe
Wanga maiwi, no Te Ngawa
Hue iwi nga mowo
Tura ewe. Ma
Henewe rau awa
Aue puwu puhi
Kiwi wawe tewe
Tae kiwi nga tawa
Ne, ko wo i noho wo
Roa howo kiwi tewe
Ao keiwi mana
Kowo mai ewe,
Te nga wa kau
Kowo nga mawa
Hinga owo taku owo
Hinga. Ka wawa
Hokiwi au kiwi
Te Heiwiwi ewe kowo
Kangitiwi toko tewe
Whakariwikanga mawa
Te i awa hau ewe
Tarawauwu tia nei.
[Image of page 170]
SONG OF A NATIVE FEMALE
Who in a paroxism of love, it is said, threw herself headlong from a high cliff upon which she sat and sang this her Funeral Dirge:--
Thou glowing sun, that sinkest in the horizon,
Oh I linger for a while to light my exit hence!
'Twere well to be afflicted by the gods
With some dread malady to hasten death;--
To hasten my departure from the world.
I feel my anger rise against a busy
Multitude, for all the secrets of my breast
The tongue, the evil tongue proclaim.
And am I of more note than Parihi,
Whose fame has reached us from the Southern lands?
They say that Tahetake, too, is beautiful:
But far above them all is heard
The fame of youthful Pokai, who, like
The burning sulphur, mounts aloft,
Defying every effort to suppress it,
While the renowned Moetuara, in the South,
Looks on and listens. And now my
Doom is fixed my sight grows dim;
And lo!--I sink--I die.
[Image of page 171]
HE WAIATA NA TE WAHINE I
Whakamomori, a, whiu ana i a ia ki te papa kohatu i runga i te pari tiketike.
E to e te re, to atu ki te rua!
Tu mai e Rona, taria mai au.
Te hohoro noa nei te kai a te atua,
Ke wawe au te mate, kei noho i te ao.
Whakatakariri ki, ki te tini o te tangata,
Hore he whakaaro i ngaro atu ki roto.
E hira hoki au i a Parihi i runga,
Te homai noa nei, nga rongo tau ake;
Te kite hoki au te pai o Tahetahe;
Na Pokai ra te rongo i hira mai
Pehi ai whakaari, ka kake mai ki runga.
Whakarongo ana ra Moetara i te tonga.
Ka iri au nei, i te ture maro;
Whatu whiwhi raia!--ka turupo au, e.
[Image of page 172]
LAMENT FOR NGAHUIA.
BY HER FRIEND KAIKINO.
The sacred morning dawns on Tangikura's
Heights! Hui! thou sleepest; arise and seat
Thyself as usual: gaze on the distant
Rocks that look like ocean birds, and bend thy
Tiny fingers
10 playfully.
Go forth and Stretch thyself before thy door as thou wert
Wont to do. The moaning of the wind is
Heard, and Tamarereti
11 casts his anchor out,
And moves toward the south:--the beating of the
Surge is heard at Hukanui, and the tides
Flow on to Tangitere, to meet the prow
Of Rongomai --the current sweeps by
Huritu and bears along the great canoe of warriors;--
But she who gave us land, she who brought us
Treasures from the forest pine, has disappeared
For ever! Permit her to go forth, borne
By the waters that lash the shore of Kawerua,
Where the winds are playing round our homes,
And let thine ears attend to words of import
From thy mother, Hamataura. Look again
Upon the darksome cloud that gathers on the
Heights of Torohanga; but all is calm at sea,
Great Chieftainess of Tauhanga! Ah, what
A void is here! Thou takest thy
Departure now to northern skies, but Noho the younger
Will rest thy couch upon his shoulders, and take
Thee to the dwelling of Ngarakehau, and clothe
Thee with the choicest garments.
The tribes will care for them,
12 leave them here;
Leave them to Wharo whose youthful cheek is
Fair to look upon, she will gather in the
Fruits of Maui
13 for the assembled Chiefs,
And place these fruits before that group of birds
14
Left lonely in the world.
[Image of page 173]
HE TANGI MO NGAHUIA.
NA TONA HOA NA KAIKINO.
Ra te ata tapu, hapai ana mai
Te utu ki Tangikura. E Hui, e moe
Ara mai ki runga ra kia tukua
Ki roto te ahi kino; kia tu rangai
Te kohatu tawhiti, kia rauhanga
Mai au ringa mata iti.
E puta ki waho ra kia tapapa
Koe te kopa o te whare. Poupou
Kau ana te matua kaihau
Ka tahuri te rangi te punga
O Tamarereti, ka puehu ki te tonga e.
Whakarangona ra te tai ka huri
Tata raro Hukanui; e hoki nga.
Tai ki waho o Tangitere te puke
O Rongomai. E kaha ana ra
Te ia ki Huritu he au takahi waka.
K ngaro ra taku tohe kainga,
Mana e arataki te kauri i te wao!
Tukua kia haere i te au maro
Kia rokohanga atu nga tai
Ka whati, i runga o Kawerua
1 te hau kainga, e.
Whakarongo te taringa koe kupu
Korero to matua, kei i a Hamataura.
Maku e whakakore, mana
E whakahoe rawa atu, e.
Tirohia ake te po ka tuku iho
I runga Te Torohanga, ko te tohu tai mate e.
Unuhia atu ra te puru o Tauhanga
Tena ka tere ki te au o te tiu
Kei i a Noho potiki, mana e amo te ripa
Ki Aotea, kia noho iho ana te whare a
Ngarakehau, kia uhia mai koe kahu hengihengi, e.
Waiho ki nga nui, ki te ipo maru nui, e noho
I Kotuku, kei ia Wharo mataura; mana
E ahu mai te kura o Maui, hei kai tuku ake,
He rangai nga pahi; rangai kau ana taku
Kahui tara, i waiho i te ao, na, e.
[Image of page 174]
LAMENT FOR PI, A GREAT CHIEF OF HOKIANGA.
BY TAKAHOREA.
High in the heavens, above old Maiki's steep,
A host of stars their nightly watches keep;
But, sire, thou dost in endless slumber lie,
Bound by the charms of great Tumoetai.
The prows were launched upon the stormy wave,
And passed Haunui, where the surges lave;
The splashing of the paddles, too, was seen
By wandering tribes beside Panui's stream;
And when the army met upon the land
The slain were many by Opua's strand;
While the dark bosom of Waikare's tide,
Tumultuous rose as in her ancient pride;
Then Tuakaurinui, heaved a sigh,
And all its sandy shores and shoals grew dry.
Thy ornamental box of feathers rare,
Attendants brought to deck thy waving hair;
That graceful with thy weapon in thine hand,
Thou might'st appear amid the foremost band;
With nimble step the hilly range along,
Thou didst with kindred spirits led the throng;
Some mystic spell possessed and swayed my heart,
And then, alas! I said that we should part:
That by thy voice the storm of war might cease,
And rival tribes together dwell in peace.
As the bird Kawau in its onward flight,
To seize its prey, will suddenly alight,
So Pi, the brave, the bold, with panting breath,
Rushed on the foe, and nobly fell in death.
Now thou art gone, the Hiwi's mirthful songs
Will far resound, for in thy death her wrongs
At Tara are avenged, --Awhe, like thee,
And Ewa too, sent forth to urge this plea
For peace; but they, O, sire! did not escape
The cruel band of foes; nor couldst thou wake
In yonder house from that alluring snare,
For all the train of magic arts were there.
Urgent, like thee, for peace, Whatu and Tai
Hoped that the lightsome cloud would gild the sky--
Hoped that the eyes of many lands would sleep,
And snow-like foam would nestle on the deep.
But how could eyes be closed, and still the heart,
When ye of white man's rum had quaffed your part?
[Image of page 175]
O my canoe! carved, beautiful, and rare!
My famed canoe, adorned with nicest care!
Lo, thou art drifting with the flowing tide,
Where the deep streams of Kerepuru glide.
And who will move Tuihu's mountain great,
Where Pi, the mighty chieftain lies in state?
Ah, Moetarau, and Te Koukou brave,
At Hokianga found a friendly grave;
While Taumarere's waters bubbled by,
And all the springs of Moehau seemed dry.
The Awarua's streamlets ceased to flow,
And famed Kaiwaka's rapid tides grew slow;
Into an heap the waves of yonder sea
15
Were gathered as they felled, our Rata tree.
The western airs that sweep across the main,
Will fill the sails, and ye shall quickly gain
Horake, where M'Donnell's dwelling stands,
And where ye often sat with numerous bands.
Ah! heed not now the white man's cry of woe,
But let Ngapuhi overwhelm the foe.
[Image of page 176]
HE TANGI MO PI.
NA TAKAHOREE.
Te ra ia nga kume o te rangi
Kapokapo tu ana i runga o Maiki.
I whakamoea koe ki te whakamoe, no Tumoetai.
Whakarewa ra ia, he whakarewa taua, ha.
E ruru nga ihu ki roto Te Haumi, e!
Taupatu nga hoe ki runga o Panui.
Ka mahue te parekura whenua ki Opua.
Ka takahi nga roma ki roto Waikare.
Ka tatoe nga mata tahuna i Tuakaurinui, e!
Ka ura ko te ra, wahia to papa, i.
Tiaia to hou, kia pai ai koe ki mua ki te upoko;
E raka nga wae ki runga te taumata;
I pongepongea au, i hauwarea noa;
Tou reo whakaputu nga riri ki te ao.
I ruku kawau tonu Pi ki te mate, e!
Ka hari ra ia, a Te Hiwi, e;
Ka ea tona mate ki roto o Tatara,
Ekore koe e ara, he ara hohou rongo
Na Te Awhe, na Ewa, ka pau te whakamoe,
Ki roto te whare taotao, e.
Ka tungou tou uru ki te whai korero;
Na Tai, na Whetu, te ki hohou rongo;
Orahia ki te paki, e!
Kia moe, ai te kanohi o nuiwhenua;
Mei moe, me aha, ke inu ki te wai rama;
Na te Tupua na i.
Ka ngaro ra e taku waka kai marihi!
Taku waka kai pakapaka tena ka tere
I te tai pari, ki roto Waikerepuru e!
Mawai e kikini te puke i Tuihu?
Waiho ra ma Pi e takoto nui atu ra!
Ka riro mai na Moetarau, ka riro mai Koukou,
Ka riro ki Hokianga, ka toto te puna i Taumarere.
Ka mimiti te puna i Moehau e!
Ka puru nga wai i roto o Awarua;
Hei kona e te tai o Kaiwaka;
Pakipaki tu ai, ka hinga te rata nui!
He kaha te muri waho hei whakaara komaru;
Kai tika atu ai ki roto o te Horake;
Kia mene ki te turu ki te whare patu ta,
Nau e Kapetana, e!
Waiho ki a Huna, nga korero Pakeha,
He riri ka taupoki te riri a Ngapuhi na, e!
[Image of page 177]
The following Lament was composed by Patuwhakairi, an aged Chieftainess of Hokianga, on the occasion of the death of her relative Ngaro, a young woman of great promise, and of considerable personal attractions:--
LAMENT FOR NGARO.
The evening star
16 is waning. It disappears
To rise in brighter skies,
Where thousands wait to greet it.
All that is great and beautiful I heed not now;
Thou wert my only treasure. My daughter.
When the sunbeams played upon the waters,
Or through the waving palm,
We loved to watch thy gambols
On the sandy shores of Awapoka.
Oft at the dawn of day
Thou girdest on thy garments,
And, with the daughters of thy people,
Hurried forth to see the fruits of Maui
17 gathered in.
Whilst the maidens of Tikoro
18
In quest of the rock-sleeping muscle,
Braved the surges, and in turn
Entrapped those stragglers of the finny tribe
That linger near the shores to feast awhile.
And when the tribes assembled
To partake the evening meal,
Thy fond companions gathered round thee,
Each eager to bestow some dainty
And await thy smile.
But where now? where now?
Ye tides, that flow and ebb,
No longer may ye flow and ebb,
Your prop is borne away.
The people still assemble
At their feast of pleasure--
The canoe still cuts the wind in twain,
And scatters the sea foam,--
Still the sea birds, like a cloud,
Darken the sky, hovering o'er the crags, --
But the loved one comes not;
Nor even a lock of thy waving hair
Was left us o'er which to weep.
[Image of page 178]
HE TANGI MO NGARO,
NA PATUWHAKAIRI.
Tera te whetu me ko Rereahiahi,
E torangi atu ana te pae ki a ti rau.
Pai aha ra i au i te ipo ka riro?
E ngia ai a koe ko taku taonga nui
E hine kai tu, e hine kai rere,
E hine kai kapo i te ranga awatea;
I te hihi o te ra, koe ti ka ngaehe.
Roto o Awapoka, o takanga tonu,
Rapea koe he numinga he kopanga,
Kaore ka turewa te ngakau haere, e.
Whitikia tou kahu i te ata ka whanake,
Kia tuku atu ana nga tira o te haere,
Roro o te whenua ka kitea ki runga ra;
Kia tangohia mai koe kura a Maui,
Nga mahi e pupuke i o huanga ra ia.
Me ko hine na rau, mana e rere atu;
Rukuhia iho ra koe kuku moe toka,
Koe ika kato rimu kia piua iho,
Hei kai ruru mai i te puni o te iwi,
I te puni wahine, te nui a Tikoro na, e.
Kei hea hoki ra nga tai o te uru?
Ka ngaro hoki ra taku toko tai pari,
Taku toko tai timu e tu i waho ra.
Turanga hoa i te one taitapa
Whakaputaina ra koe waka tipi hau
Kia rokohanga atu te au e mahora;
E kau i reira he moana wai wai.
Rarangi noa ra te rangai i kuaka,
Kia tauhikohiko he pari tu waiho;
I herea iho koe hei makau rawa atu.
I tapu i teaha tou uru whatiwhati!
Te homai ai hei mi hinga ake
Mo hine i te ao, e.
