Maori
songs - Kiwi songs - Home
| In 1879 the Government commissioned John
White to compile pre-European Māori knowledge, history and
tradition, including prayers, myths, songs, genealogies
and proverbs; and the first six bi-lingual volumes of The
Ancient History of the Maori were published between
1887 and 1890. |
| I. NGA
WHARE-KURA Ngai Tahu |
I. THE
WHARE KURA |
| Nga whare tapu hei whare akonga
mo nga tamariki ranga-tira mo To-Haere-roa... |
The sacred school in which the
sons of high priests were taught our mythology and
history... |
Kaore
te aroha e Whai i au, e whanake tonu nei.
Na te pupuke i ahu, ka hua te mahara
Ka hua te Wananga, ko Hou-tupu, ko Hou-ora.
Ka noho i Atea, ka puta ki waho ko te Po....
Ko te
tangi a Tu-roa, mo Te-kotuku.
|
How
great is my love for Whai, ever developing
From germ of life sprang thought
And god's own medium came:
Then bud and bloom; and life in space ...
Lament
of Tu-roa for Te-ko-tuku.
|
|
|
| II. TE
AO Ngai Tahu |
II. CREATION
|
| Ko ta matou
karakia tenei, ko to te tangata maori ... |
This is the belief rehearsed by
the ordinary people... (several
different tribal versions) |
Haere
ra e Mata'i
ma,
Te hanga a te atua, ko Uira i te rangi.
Te tira o Ta-whaki, i noho ra i a Kuku-mawhera
Nana te Torea, i noho ra i a Te-akau...
He tangi
mo nga tupapaku Rangatira
|
Depart!
farewell, ye autumn moons.
The gods give signs by lightnings in the sky
The active hosts of Ta-whaki, with myriad hands,
Resort with sea-birds on the ocean coast. ...
Lament for
the illustrious dead.
|
|
|
| III. KO
REHUA KO TANE Ngai Tahu |
III. TANE
AND REBELLION OF SPIRITS |
| I te horinga atu o Tane ki runga
ki te Rangi, no reira i whaka-aro ai a Tu-mata-uenga... |
When Tane had gone up to heaven,
Tu of the inciting face said... |
Ka
mate Whiro, e Tu-takeke.
Tane i te timu, teina i to tuara
Tane i te tahuri ke, teina i to tua.
Ko tai a mingimingi: koe ngarara tuatara.
He
karakia maunga rongo.
|
The
evil one has fallen—altogether fallen.
Tane was before, the younger brother behind;
Tane would not deign to turn or answer him.
Then
streams dried up, the dreaded lizard
died,
Chanted
at the ratification of peace terms.
|
|
|
| IV. RAKI
KA WEHEAIA PAPA Ngai Tahu |
IV. DIVISION
OF HEAVEN AND EARTH |
| Na konei i piri tonu ai a Raki
ki runga ki a Papa, a na konei a Raki i ki atu ai ki a Tane
ratou ko ona taina... |
Raki still adhered to the top of
Papa; and Raki said to Tane and his younger brothers...
|
Manawa
mai ai te putanga o te Ariki:
Manawa mai ai te putanga o te Tauira....
He karakia
mauri ko tetahi wahi anake
|
Stay, omens, stay. The Chief has come
And signs now tell of his disciples near..
Incantation
chanted over invalids.
|
|
|
| V. WAHIE-ROA
Ngai Tahu |
V. DEATH
OF WAHIE ROA
|
Ka noho a Matoka-rau-tawhiri ia
Wahie-roa, ka hapu te wahine a Matoka-rau-tawhiri, ka haere
a Wahie-roa ki te mea manu...
|
Matoka-rau-tawhiri took as her
husband Wahie-roa, and when she expected to become a mother
she had a desire for some birds...
|
E
tu ra e whare e?
Ka mahue koe
Whaihanga ra e te Tuturi e,
Tarei ra, e te Pepeke; ...
Ko te
tangi a Te Uamairangi mo tona whare.
|
O,
thou my house! How standest thou?
I must depart and leave thee.
Built by the little kneeling gods—
Constructed by the fairies bowing low...
Lament
of Ua-mai-rangi for his house.
|
|
|
| VI. KO
TANE RAUA KO REHUA Nga
Rauru |
VI. RAUA
AND REHUA
|
Ka piki a
Rupe, ka hau, ka porangi ki a Rehua ka tae tera ki te tahi
kainga nei, a ka karanga atu tera “Kahore he tangata i runga
nei?”
|
Rupe ascended to heaven in
search of Rehua, and, having arrived at a settlement, he
asked, “Are there people above here?”
|
Kaore
te mamae, ngau te po,
Ngau te ao, ngau te mata
Ki taku kiri
Kia ruku mai koe
I te wai pouri...
He pouaru nana tenei tangi.
|
How
great the sorrow, biting at night,
Biting at dawn, biting my eyes
To my very soul
So that you dive
Into the dark water...
The lament
of a widow
|
Te hengi
iti, te hengi nui.
Ko te matangi iti, aurutia,
Taka tu o te rangi.
Eke rawa ake ki runga,
Ka whati whati nga paihau o Rupe. ...
Te pupake o Whai-tiri.
|
Blow,
gentle breeze; sweep o'er the face of heaven,
And pinions break in Rupe's wings;
Bedim the glow of red that paints his perch,
That ne'er again, with outstretched wings,
He sail across the sky. ...
Mythological chant about Whaitiri.
|
|
|
| VII. TA-WHAKI
Ngati Hau |
VII. ATTEMPT
TO MURDER TAWHAKI
|
| Na nga rongo o Kai-tangata i
haere mai ai a Whai-tiri i te rangi, hua noa a Whai-tiri he
rongo toa te rongo e kiia ana mo Kai-tangata. |
The great fame of Kai-tangata
was the cause of Whai-tiri leaving heaven. She believed his
reputation to be that of a warrior. |
Te
Ra, e hara mai ra,
Rere kura'rere toro ha, i.
Te Marama, e rere mai ra,
Rere kura rere toro ha, i...
He whai
kanohi me ka pohea.
|
O
thou sun, advancing high,
Beaming red, and blazing forth!
O thou moon, now moving onward,
Sending here thy lesser beams!
Ancient
incantation chanted over the blind.
|
|
|
| VIII. TA-WHAKI
RAUA KO HAPAI Ngai
Tahu |
VIII. TA-WHAKI
ASCENDS TO HEAVEN. |
| HE tangata no konei a Ta-whaki,
ka titiro ake a Hapai ki runga, ki te pai o Ta-whaki, ka
haere iho i te po, rokohanga iho a Ta-whaki e moe ana... |
Ta-whaki was a man of this
earth. Hapai observed his noble appearance, and came
down at night and found him asleep...
|
Piki
ake Ta-whaki
I te rangi tua tahi,
I te rangi tua rua,
He auru rangi:
He karakia
ki a Ta-whaki
|
Climb, ascend, O Ta-whaki!
To the first heaven.
Soar to the second heaven,
Where sacred powers reside,
Incantation
to Ta-whaki.
|
|
|
| IX. TANE
Ngai Tahu |
IX. CREATION
OF WOMAN |
Ka kaumatua a Tane ka auaha te
ure o tane..
|
When Tane became a man he
wished to have offspring... |
Tera
te uira kokirikiri ana,
Ko Rehua kei runga, ko nga wahi tapu.
E moe nei ra taua, i te potutanga nui o Pipiri.
Kapua hokaia na runga i Otu,
Ko koe ko au, kei raro i ...
He tangi
na Rangi-amohia, mo tana tane
|
The darting lightning gleams above,
And Rehua commands where all that sacred is;
But we now sleep where winter rules.
O'er Otu comes the passing cloud,
And you and I are here below....
Lament
of Rangi-amohia for her husband.
|
|
|
| X. TANE
HOKI Ngai Tahu |
X. THE
GOD TANE
|
| NA Tane hoki, na Maunga, ko
Te-Piere, ko To Mata-ta, ko Totoe, ko Te-Kawha. |
TANE took Maunga to wife, by
whom he had Te Piere (called), and Te Matata (carried on a
litter), and Toetoe (split in shreds), and Te Kawha (split |
Me ko hea
te whare
I whaka hakune ai?
... Ko te whare o Rangi. I takina mai ai,
Te kahui whetu. E ngangahu iho nei:
Hei whakamarama, Te riu o te waka.
He waiata
no mua
|
Where, where are now the houses
Where all the twinkling stars were made?
...The house of Rangi, from whence were brought
The multitude of stars now sparkling in the sky
To give thee light, upon thy voyage through life.
A song
for the dead.
|
|
|
| XI. RANGI
RAUA KO PAPA Ngati Hau |
XI.
CREATION
OF MAN AND WOMAN
|
| I takoto a Rangi i runga i a
Papa, a ko nga mea i te takiwa o raua, he Nga-toro, he
Korito, he Tu-pakihi, a he wai whero. |
Earth and Sky were lying
together, and all between them were vines, tender plants,
dried plant, and red water.
|
Kaore
taku raru,
E rau tahuritanga ki te whare.
I whakawarea au, e hika
Ki te tama i ara, na Te Pu-whaka-horo...
He tangi
no mua
|
How
great my problem
with all the cares of home,
Confused with him,
the son of Pu-whaka-horo....
Lament
for the past.
|
|
|
| XII. TE
WAI PUKE NgaI Tahu |
XII.
THE
DELUGE
|
| Tipu-nui-a-uta.— Ko te tangata i
mana tana inoi ki te mana o Tane, a tukua ana e te Raki te
ua... |
Great king of the land — He was
he whose prayer obtained the power of Tane when the heavens
let the rain down....
|
Kaore taku
raru, ki te taua a Tohe-rau
Ka riro atu na, i a Para-whenua-mea
No runga i te hiwi, ki Puke-rau.
E ringa e; e hara i au te parau;
No nehe ra te parau,
He whakataki taku ki te ao...
Na
Nukupewapewa tenei waiata, no te rironga
o tana Hinaki tuna i te waipuke.
|
John White's "translation" has very little association
with the Maori words here, so I have not posted any of it.
Nukupewapewa's
song for the sweeping away
of his eel-weir swept away in the flood.
|
|