AN ACTION SONG BY PUHIWAHINE

Te Ao Hou, September 1959, Page 14

AN ACTION SONG BY PUHIWAHINE 1 Aue i! ko te tohe a Nepia nei, I wawata mai ki ahau; Ko ‘Ku, ko Pateriki Aku akitiwha mau tonu. Aue a rara! ko Nini, ko Te Arawai, Aku raukura titi tonu. Ko ‘Kiekie, a Tauteka, Taku mahunga i runga ra. Au e! ko Maniapoto tungaane, Hei ariki koe ki ahau, Mokai te ngakau nei. Tera te hoki atu na Ki te puke ra i Tararua; Ko Te Whatanui koe, Ko te ngako a Pakake nei! Engari koe i maka tika tonu Ki au taku mau nawa. Whiti mai nei ki Parewanui, Ko Kawana Te Hakeke; Engari koe i kikini tonu, I raraku ki a ngeau nei. E pa, kei kore mai i a koe Te mea pononga tonu nei. E hori ana koia? Tika tonu tenei! 1 Ah me! a persistent one is Nepia, Who often daydreams about me; But ‘Ku and Pateriki, Like my kerchiefs, are always with me. Here now are Nini and Te Arawai, Like waving plumes, fastened on me. There is ‘Kiekie, son of Tauteka, My head ornament art thou. Ah me! cousin Maniapoto, You are my prince. 10 Who humbleths my slave heart within. Now I am returning. To the hills of Tararua, Where you live Te Whatanui, The fat portion of Pakake'. It was you who wooed me And sought to make me your own. I fled across to Parewanui Where Kawana Te Hakeke lives. But you slyly pinched, 20 And then rudely clawed at me. O sir, you should not belittle me so. This person of mine is a cherished one. This is not lying, is it? No, it is truly spoken.

1 Aue i! reiruatia i te one Ka moe kei Otaki, Ko Tene, ko Tamehana nei. Whakarongo ra, e Tireni! No runga rawa au nei; Na Takamai-te-rangi au, Na Mahutu au, Ko ‘Kiore tooku whaea. He muringa ra a Werawera; Naana ko Te Rauparaha; Taana ko Tamehana nei, Taana ko Waitohi nei; Taana ko Wiria Matene nei. Whakawhitiria i te pooti, Ka u kei Porirua; Ko Rawiri Kiingi nei, He pine koe no taku hooro, Titia iho maka tika tonu. Me ui ki a Te Huka Tuungia, “Kei whea te rori tika tonu?” Ka eke au i e kiiki, Ka taana kei Poneke. Ko Wi koe, a Ngatata nei? Awhi mai nei ki au aku papa; Wawata mai ki au aku tungaane. Kia riterite ki ahau Kia tau ai tangata Te homai mate ki ahau, Te homai natu ki ahau. E hori ana koia? Tika tonu tenei! 2 Ah me! I must hurry along the strand, And rest the night at Otaki With Tene and Tamehana. Now listen to this, New Zealand! From the very highest am I; 30 I am of Takamai-te-rangi, I am of Mãthutu, My mother was ‘Kiore. Werawera was of junior birth; It was he who begat Te Rauparaha— The father of Tamehana And of Waitohi too, From whom Wiria Matene descended. Now I shall cross by boat And make a landing at Porirua; 40 To be greeted by Rawiri Kiingi, You who are the pin of my shawl, Nicely fixed and firmly fastened. I must now ask Te Huka Tuungia, “Where is the direct road?” I will then go aboard the gig, Which will turn towards Poneke. Are you Wi, the son of Ngatata? Come now all my uncles and embrace me; And my cousins, you may daydream about me. 50 Only those of equal rank with me May be the privileged men, Who may dare be bold with me, Or to come near and caress me. This is not lying, is it? No, it is truly spoken. 3 Aue i! ka awheawhe mai te uru; Tino tata a Raukawa. E pa, Taiaroa Waitere, He tauhou tonu au ki konei, Ki te wai ra i tere ai te pounamu; Kia whakakaia ki oku taringa, Kia whakamaua ki tooku kaki, Kia puritia ki oku ringaringa, Aue i! aku taringa tonu tenei E mau ai Tawhirau, E mau mai ra i a Te Taitua; Ko taku kaki tonu tenei E mau ai Nga-pi-rau, E mau mai ra i a Topeora; Ko taku ringa tonu tenei E mau ai Patu-moana, E takoto mai ra i Kapiti, rara. Aue i! nga nui ra o aku mãtua, E kore e taea te korero. 3 Ah me! far off are the western lands; Close by now is the sea of Raukawa. O Taiaroa Waitere! I am quite a stranger here, 60 Where waters flow over the greenstone; Which I'd love to wear on my ear, Or to have suspended from my neck, To hold in my hands. Ah me! these ears of mine Once wore Tawhirau, Now worn by Te Taitua; And from my neck Once hung Nga-pi-rau, Now worn by Topeora. 70 This hand of mine Once held Patu-moana Now lying at Kapiti. Ah! the treasures of my fathers, Whose tale will never be told. 1. Nepia. A chief of the eastern shores of Lake Taupo. 3. ‘Ku. In full, Maraku, Puhiwahine's brother Pateriki. Puhiwahine's cousin, and son of Ngamotu. 4. Kerchiefs. Maorified in Maori text as ‘akitiwha’. 5. Nini and Te Arawai. No information available. 7. ‘Kiekie. In full, Te Herekiekie, a Taupo chief. 9. Maniapoto. A chief of Taupo. 13. Tararua. The mountain range south of Manawatu River. 14. Te Whatanui. The famous leader of the Raukawa tribe of the Manawatu-Horowhenua district. 15. Pakake. In full, Pakake-taiari, a Ngati-Tuwharetoa ancestor. 18. Parewanui. The tribal meeting-place of the Ngati-Apa near Bulls.

19. Kawana Te Hakeke. A chief of the Ngati-Apa. 27. Otaki. The principal meeting-place of the Ngati-Raukawa. 28. Tene. No information available. Tamehana. Te Rauparaha's only son by his wife, Te Akau. 29. New Zealand. Abbreviated in Maori text, in Maorified form, as “Tireni” (Zealand). 31. Takamai-te-rangi. The great-grandfather of Puhiwahine. 32. Maahutu. Grandfather of Puhiwahine. 33. ‘Kiore. In full, Hinekiore. 34. Werawera. Father of Te Rauparaha. 35. Te Rauparaha. The famous war-leader and chief of the Ngati-Toa. 36. Tamehana. See note to Line 28 ante. 37. Waitohi. Elder sister of Te Rauparaha. 38. Wiria Matene. Better known as Matene Te Whiwhi, grandson of Waitohi, by her daughter, Topeora. 39. Boat. Maorified in Maori text as “pooti”. 41. Rawiri Kiingi. Also known as Rawiri Puaha, a nephew of Te Rauparaha. 42. Pin. shawl. Maorified in original text as “pine” and “hooro”. 44. Te Huka Tuungia. No information available. 46. Gig. Maorified in original text as “kiiki”. 47. Poneke. Wellington. Maorified form of Port Nick (Nicholson). 48. Wi Ngatata. Wiremu Ngatata, a chief of the Ati-Awa. 57. Western lands. In Maori text, Uru. Geographical term used for lands from Kawhia northwards. 58. Raukawa. Maori name for Cook Strait. 59. Taiaroa Waitere. Ngai-Tahu chief of the South Island. 66. Tawhirau. A tribal greenstone ear pendant of the Ngati-Toa. 67. Te Ta tua. No information available. 69. Nga-pi-rau. A greenstone heitiki of the Ngati-Toa. 70. Topeora. Daughter of Waitohi, and a famous song composer. See note to line 38. 72. Patu-moana. A greenstone mere, war club, of the Ngati-Toa. 73. Kapiti. Kapiti Island, formerly the island fortress of the Ngati-Toa. (Continued in our next issue)