‘MAUI'S FAREWELL’

Te Ao Hou, July 1973, Page 58

‘MAUI'S FAREWELL’ by Dora Somerville; spoken by Inia Te Wiata Kiwi Stereo/Mono SLD-15 33⅓ rpm 12in LP ‘Maui's Farewell’ features Inia Te Wiata in a ‘dramatic verse monologue’ by the Wellington writer, Dora Somerville. Mrs Somerville is coyly reticent about her curriculum vitae because she feels that biographical details are ‘irrelevant to an understanding of her work’—which similarly appears to be a somewhat irrelevant reason for not including such details on the record cover! ‘Maui's Farewell’ was first published as a hand-set limited edition of 150 copies in 1966. Reviewing the publication in the New Zealand Listener, James K. Baxter, the late reigning guru of local writers, said, somewhat obscurely, that ‘The effect is not one of pastiche or macaronics but something like a rendering from an unknown Maori text. It is always her wit that saves her: a wit close to that of the Maori spirit itself, robust, ironic, and in the final origin, metaphysical.’ This is good stuff in the great tradition of New Zealand literary criticism which holds that it is less important to consider the work per se than to dazzle the reader with the critic's own wit and brilliance and to impress with his own erudition. Baxter was correct, however, when he likened a portion of the work to a Maori text. The story is told with typically Maori humour and Maui's exploits are embroidered by Dora Somerville's imagination in a wholly convincing way so that it is difficult to know where the Maui of traditional legend stops and the Maui of Dora Somerville begins. Maui as a true Maori hero is thus brought to life much more vividly than has been the case in published accounts to date of the Maui myth. ‘Maui's Farewell’ gains much more as a dramatic production than as a mere text to be read. However, there are also disadvant-

ages inherent in being able to savour the work only with the ears. Mrs Somerville has made many allusions to Maori legend and mythology and there is much use of Maori terminology which will be unfamiliar to the majority of listeners. Without the text it is therefore difficult to carry out the study and research necessary for a full understanding and appreciation of this remarkable reconstruction of the Maui myth. It is a pity that an annotated copy of the text could not have been included with the record. As a dramatic production, the record is good. It was produced by William Austin of NZBC fame. According to the cover, Mr Austin is ‘a firm advocate of the premise that radio drama is a unique art form, and that a maze of complex devices is less likely to arouse the imagination of the listener than “placement” of the solo actor and employment of a variety of voice textures ….’ Translated this means that Austin has dispensed with frills and let the soloist do the work. He has succeeded well and he is ideally served by his soloist, Inia te Wiata. Te Wiata is superb. The rich and varied cadences of his voice sustain the drama from start to finish and make the conception of the hero Maui reciting his own exploits entirely credible. He is a master at evoking the atmosphere appropriate to the varying moods of the drama. So much for dramatic production. As pure drama, however, ‘Maui's Farewell’ is less successful. Rightly or wrongly most listeners will have a mental illusion of how the speech of a pre-European Maori would translate into English. We expect rolling phrases and a certain majesty, perhaps even pedantry, of expression. Thus such phrases as ‘elbow grease’, ‘This was something big’, and ‘Now I am going to opt out’ are grating to the ear. They offend our sense of convention and jolt one from the world of the ancient Maori into the 20th Century of IBM etc., where people talk of opting out and ‘getting the message’ and ‘Let's get the facts straight’ (more of Mrs Somerville's phrases). Again some of the imagery almost verges on the incongruous. Maui speaks of putting ‘a spoke in the wheel of the sun god’. The wheel was of course unknown to the ancient Maori and this evokes a sense of the ridiculous. So much of the language is rich and appropriate that it is a pity that the odd apparently careless turn of phrase mars the total effect. It may be that Mrs Somerville has made a deliberate attempt by the use of modern colloquialisms to bridge the gap of time and to link her tale of days gone by with the world of modern technology. However, if such is her intention, it does not come off. Although we willingly suspend belief to hear ‘Maui's’ words on the modern all-electric talking-type gramophone (as Spike Milligan would say), most listeners will baulk when ‘Maui’ comes out with some of the phrases quoted above. Nevertheless, the overall effect of Maui's Farewell as recited by Inia Te Wiata is rich, satisfying and full of interest. Inia Te Wiata and Dora Somerville together have brought Maui and his legendary world of long ago to life.