Wilson and Tregeak. — On the Korotangi. 503 



The following is from Sir George Grey's collection of 

 Maori poems published in 1853, and is entitled " He Tangi, 

 na Rotorua." There is no doubt that it refers to our subject, 

 though the word " Korotau " is used instead of " Korotangi ;" 

 but the copy I have from Rotorua — " Na Ngatipikiao " — 

 calls it Korotangi. Sir George Grey's book was published, 

 it may be noted, some nineteen years before the bird was 

 found. 



The song as given by Sir George Grey, page 235, is as 

 follows : — 



" Kaore te aroha ki taku potiki,* 

 Tuhana tonu ake, i te ahiahi, 

 Ka tomo ki te vvbare, taku ate kau ai : 

 Tirohia iho, e hine, ma ki te parera c tore atu na 

 Ehara tena he manu maori, 



Me titiro ki te liuruhuru whakairoiro mai no tawhiti, 

 Kei whea Korotau, ka ngaro nei ? 

 Tenaka riro, kei te kato kai, 

 Ki te rau pohata, nga whakangaeore;: 

 Tunui me te po, ka oho au ; 

 E waiho ana koe hei tiaki hanga, 

 Hei korero taua, ki tana taumata, 

 He oti te huri atu, ko Kawatapurangi.'' 



Maori poetry, unlike their prose, is often most difficult to 

 understand, the meaning of many of their older poems being 

 only well known to the aged tohuiigas. The difficulty here 

 noted may be gathered from Dr. Maunsell's remarks on Maori 

 poetry, as quoted by Sir George Grey. He writes : " In ob- 

 serving the construction of Maori poetry we shall see that it 

 is not only abrupt and elliptical to an excess not allowed in 

 English poetry, but that it also carries its license so far 

 as to disregard rules of grammar that are strictly observed 

 in prose ; alters words so as to make them sound more 

 poetically, deals more arbitrarily with the length of syl- 

 lables, and sometimes even inverts their order or adds other 

 syllables." 



Knowing Dr. Maunsell to be so exceptional in the ability- 

 to translate Maori poetry, we were particularly anxious to 

 submit the foregoing songs for his criticism. He very kindly- 

 made the following translations, which differ considerably fi'oni 

 those of C. O. Davis, who made the first and second already 

 given : — 



* " Kaore te aroha ki taku potiki." The word potiki or "grandchild " 

 is here used instead of majiic or " bird ; " but potiki is often used for "pet," 

 and manu likewise ioT potiki. A mother lamenting the death of her child 

 would cry, " Kua rere taku manu kiwhea? " — Whither has my bird fled? 

 Even adults for whom great affection is felt may in their songs be desig- 

 nated as manu. We consider in the instance before us that manu and 

 potiki are convertible terms. 



