A Famous Oriori from Tauranga Mr Mervyn McLean's transcription of the music of this song is published on pages 36–40. A famous song belonging to the Turanga (Gisborne) district, ‘Po! Po!’ is said to have been composed by Enoka Te Pakaru of Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki tribe. Its main theme is the mythical origin of the kumara. ‘Po! Po!’ is an oriori. Oriori are chants, composed for children of noble birth, which contain many complex references to history and mythology. The text is published here with acknowledgment to ‘Nga Moteatea’ Part Two, edited by Apirana Ngata and Pei Te Hurinui, where it appears as song no. 145. The translation given here, and the notes which follow the song, are also based on those in ‘Nga Moteatea’. But because of the complexity and difficulty of the material, our brief notes can serve only as an in introduction to the song. Readers interested in the mythological allusions should consult the valuable notes provided by Apirana Ngata and Pei te Hurinui in ‘Nga Moteatea’ Part Two. There are a few small differences between this text and the one recorded in Mr McLean's transcription. Po! Po! Pō! Pō! E tangi ana tama ki te kai māna! Waiho, me tiki ake ki te Pou-a-hao-kai, Hei ā mai te pakake ki uta rā, Hei waiū mō tama; Kia hōmai e tō tupuna e Uenuku. Whakarongo! Ko te kūmara ko Pari-nui-te-ra. Ka hikimata te tapuae o Tangaroa, Ka whaimata te tapuae o Tangaroa, Tangaroa! Ka haruru! Ka noho Uru ka noho i a Ngangana; Puta mai ki waho rā ko Te Aotu, Ko Te Aohore, ko Hinetuahoanga Ko Tangaroa! Ko te Whatu o Poutini, e! Kei te Kukunetanga mai I Hawaiki ko te āhua ia, Ko Māui-wharekino ka noho i a Pani, Ka kawea ki te wai o Monariki Mā Onehunga, mā Onerere, Mā te piere, mā te matata Te pia tangi wharau, ka hoake Ki runga rā, te Pīpī-wharauroa, Nā Whena koe, e Waho e! Tuatahi, e Waho e! Tuarua, ka topea i reira Ko te Whatanui, ko te Whataroa, ko te tī Po! Po! Po! Po! My son is crying for food! Wait until it is brought from the pillars-of-netted-seafood, And the whale is driven to the shore To give you milk, my son. It will be given by your ancestor Uenuku. Listen! The kumara is from the Great Cliffs of the Sun. Tangaroa is striding there, Tangaroa is striding there, Tangaroa! Listen to the roar! It was Uru who dwelt with Ngangana; Their offspring were Te Aotu, Te Aohore, Hinetuahoanga, Tangaroa, and the Stone of Poutini. The beginning, the primal pregnancy, Was at Hawaiki, When Maui-whare-kino was married to Pani, She who was taken to the waters of Monariki For Onehunga, for Onerere, For the piere, for the matata, The ‘first whimper from the shelter’. Giving birth to Pipiwharauroa. You are of Whena, O Waho! Thus the first part, O Waho!