DowNES. — Early History of Rangitikei. 109 



There Avas a song, a sort of lullaby, composed by two old men named 

 Te Kowa-knra and Taku-te-rangi about tlie event, a translation of which 

 we have endea 70m'ed to render into rhyme : — 



Kaati e tama te noho i to wliare, 



E puta ki walio ra ka haere taua, 



Nga parae ka tokoto ki waho o Whaka-ari* 



He Ilia mai koe kowai to ingoa, 



Mau e ki atu, ko te Raro-o-te-rangi, 



Kai ki mai te wareware. 



Ka pau te whakanoa c te tini e te mano, 



Nakii ia nei ua te Kahue-pepe.f te Roa-wai-rerewaJ 



Kai wiiea o Tupuna hei whakawehi mai i muri ano Whaka-tati-potiki,§ 



Nana tokotoko te rangi runga nei, 



Ka pnta koe ki te whaiao ki te aomarama 



Hikaka te haere ki mnga Taikoria,|| 



Pukana o karu, ki roto Mana\va-tu, 



Kei o mattia e tu mai ra i te one o te riri ka ngaro te tangata, 



Aronui te haere ki roto o Horo-whenua, 



Kia Powhiri mai koia e whaea, 



E rail a te waka kia paua to rangi, 



Te ran o te huia e noa te tinana tera to piki te hokio runga, 



Nga manu hunahuna, kaore i kitea, 



E te tini e te mano 



Kia takaro koe nga takutai e takato i waho Wai-wiri,^ 



I roto o Wai-kawa** 



Ka eke koe ki runga o Puke-hou,** 



Ka whakamau e tama ki waho Rau-kawaf f 



Ko nga nioana ra e whakawhana noa ra o Tipuna i te kakau o te hoe 



Ngaro rawa tu ki Hawaiki. 



[Tbanslatiox.] 



Ai'ise, my son, and leave thy home ; 

 O'er Whaka-ari's plains let 's roam. 

 If common folk inquire of thee 

 Regarding name and ancestry. 

 Then proudly thou shalt make reply, 

 " The Rib of Heaven abovo am I, 

 S])rung from line of warriors bold, 

 Descended from ancestor old, 

 Name known in mythology, 

 Whaka-tau-potiki." 

 He upraised to the sky 

 Up from earth the heaven high, 

 Thereby making all things bright. 

 For thee creating world of light. 

 Hasten, hasten, let us wend, 

 And Mount Taikovia ascend ; 

 There wi'athful gaze on Manawa-tu 

 Where thy sires with courage true 

 Bravely fought ; and, sad to tell. 

 Upon its sands there many fell : 

 Ah ! for their fall to payment gain 

 Let not their spirits call in vain. 

 To Horo-whenua, far awa5\ 

 Let us go without delay. 



* Wliaka-ari — The Saudou district. 



+ Kahui-pepe — The family of the Pepe (Pepe-mua, Pepe-ioto, &c.), who were actow in the drama 

 of Apa-kura in far Hawaiki. 



t Roa-wai-rerewa — All tall men, like the offspring of Wai-rerewa, also connected with Apa-kura. 



§ Whaka-tau-potiki — Apa-kura's son. 



li Taikoria — -A hill at Carnarvon, overlooking Manawa-tu. 



11 Wai-wiri — The lake usually known as Pa-pai-toiiga. Pa-pai-tonga is the island in the lake. 

 ** Wai-kawa and Puke-hou — Both at Otaki. 

 tt Rau-kawa — Cook Strait. 



See Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. xxv, p. 427. 



