Now let us deal with the love songs—waiata aroha as they are called. This is an extensive group. It will be always recognised that love is the chief source of the emotions of the human heart. There are many ways in which this sentiment can be expressed. In these songs, the love of the woman for the man forms the most frequent theme, or the separation of the woman from the man as in the case of Puhiwahine separated by her brothers from Toko Mahutu, or desertion for another, or being left at home while the husband is away to war, or being supplanted by another, or the love of a maiden for a secret lover. In this group of songs, therefore, will be found the language of love, however simple may be the words. Take a few verses to illustrate this style of poetry:— Ko taku hoa moenga, ka riro ke Ka maunu ke atu, he pae ke Ko te whakawerawera o taku poho Kaitahi tonu au ka matao. My love has forsaken me He has been carried away by a new fancy It was he who kept my bosom warm Now indeed do I feel chilled. E kui ma, e heoti tou te manako. Ko koe nei te tane ki roto ki te ngakau, e He aha te inaina, e kohi ai te mahara He aha te ao pango, e kapo ai te aroha. Oh! my friends, only one thought fills me You are the only one who dwells in my heart Whatever breath of news comes from the seat of war Whatever black cloud floats by, my love grasps at it. Here is Topeora the gifted singer of Ngati Toa and Ngati Raukawa, daughter of Rangihaeata, relative of Te Rauparaha, sighing for an absent lover:— He manu aute au E taea te whakahoro Ki te aho tamairo E hira hoki au I aku tumanako E kai nei te aroha, i. Oh, would I were a kite That, with the letting out of the twisted string I might soar to lofty heights Whence I might look down upon my heart's desire With love of whom I am consumed. And finally this one from Rev. Taylor's book:— E to, e te ra, rehu kit te rua Ringiringi a wai, te roimata i oku kamo He mea mahue au, te hikoinga wae Nou, e Taratiu, whakangaro atu ana. Sink, o sun, sink into thy cavern In showers like rain, the tears gush from my eyes. I am left all lonely since thou hast departed O Taratiu, now hidden from my sight. There are many similar fine passages which appeal to one from their wisdom and their sweetness. For the purpose of Maori oratory there is nothing better than the language of these songs. Therein are to be found the words suitable for every occasion, for every mood of the Maori mind. They show, too, that the heart under the brown skin throbs to the same impulses as that under the white. This, then, is a brief outline of the character of Maori poetry. Life to the Maori was one continuous struggle for existence. He had little time for quiet contemplation of the beauties of Nature—his songs deal instead with war and love, birth and death. But from the examples I have been permitted to present to you, I am sure that you will realise that the Maori composers, savages though they were, had in their nature the true poetic instinct, and that their songs are well worth a high place in the literature of primitive tribes. In conclusion, let me remind you that these poems were not written down; they were chanted and sung from memory. Moreover, the music of the chant is peculiar to each poem and cannot be applied to other poems. Finally, the metre of the poem depends entirely on the song, the singer varying his syllables to suit his music or his music to suit his syllables. It is thus impossible for a pakeha to render the poem as a Maori would chant it. The only way to achieve this is to have the waiata sung by a group of Maoris who are familiar with the song to be recorded, and New Zealand is the only country in the world where records of the primitive Polynesian music can still be secured. Are they not worth securing?