Tahitinui

Te Ao Hou, December 1962, Page 19

In this poem Rangi Harrison writes of the Pacific Islands he has visited, and expresses his feelings in thinking of their long and sometimes tragic history. Tahitinui na Rangi J. Harrison 1 Tu ana ra i te tihi o Orowhena. Te maunga tikitiki o, Tahitinui i te Waiurirau, Te rau te oto o te manu e. 2 Ka tiro tiro whakararo ra, Ki te whenua papatairite atu ki te moana, Ko Waikite, Te puna wairere iho, Ko te marae o Pomare, Kiingi whakamutunga, O Taihitinui e. 3 To raru e Mare, I nga ture whakahouhou, A tauiwi, Kai horowhenua e. 4 Hei aha koia ra, Me waiho ma to tama ma, Teriinawahoroaitetuahauwiri Te Tuanuimaruaiterangiaroroa I Temanawaatutepau pea, E whakaea to mate e. 5 Ka piu nga mata ki Paea, Ko te arahurahu kei uta ra, Kei te tahatai moana, Te kurae whenua, Ko te maha i atea, A Ruatapu e. 6 Papara e, Papara e, Te whenua i rewa ai a Tainui waka, I kauria ai te moananui a Kiwa Ko Aotearoa e. 7 Ka huri taku kanohi, Ki Tahiti iti e, Ko Tautira motu e, Te kainga e rari noa te kai, Nga tohunga tarai waka e. 8 E whiti e te ra, Kirunga o Mauoro, Ko te whetumarama, Ko te ra tiaho mai irunga ra; Nawai nga ringa i whakairoiro, Ki te kamaka ra. 9 Pupuhi mai te matangi tokerau, Papaki kau ana te ngaru, Ki uta ra Kihai i toremi, Te here a umere A Turi e. 10 Whakarongo ra, whakarongo ra, Ki te pahu i Waiote, He tohu, Whakamene i te iwi e. 11 E whai i te ara ki Apoho, Te waahi pupuha mai te moana, Na roto i te toka e. 12 Ka tu ahau te puke, I Matawai, Te waahi tairi atu ki Arue, Arue whenua, Arue marae, Arue nohanga ariki e. 13 E piki ra, e kake ra, Ki Wharerauape, Ki te maraetuatahi, Ki Waihiria, Nga marae tawhitowhito, O nehe mai e.

14 Heke iho ra, heke iho ra, Ma whautaua taheke, Te kainga o te namu, O te naeroa, Kai tangata e. 15 Haere mai e hoa, Ka kau taua i te awa, Hei matakitaki, Ma te tini ma te mano I, a, ha ha. 16 Kia uia mai, Kowai kourua? Whakahua atu, He uri taua no Ranginui irunga ra, No Papatuanuku, E takoto nei, I, e, he he.