CHAP. II.] LANGUAGE OF NEW ZEALAND. 307 



foundation of the different dialects which we now 

 find dispersed over so great a space, or it was the 

 language of the priests. Of this class is the pike, 

 or celebrated funeral ode, already communicated, of 

 which I can indeed translate many words and phrases, 

 yet its meaning is at parts all but unintelligible. It 

 embodies, no doubt, a portion of the mysterious 

 creed of Maui, and of a legislation, the traces of 

 which are found spread over so many of the Poly- 

 nesian islands, and of which we can give so little 

 account. The religious idea, an opposition of life 

 and death, and of this and another world, seems 

 evident. In other songs the aphoristical and un- 

 connected character, the occurrence of names and 

 local allusions, the entirely novel mode of expres- 

 sion, present obstacles to their translation. A mere 

 superficial knowledge of the language is here in- 

 sufficient : we must enter deeply into the native's 

 way of thinking, must associate with him during 

 many years, and must comprehend his feelings and 

 emotions by participating in them, in order to obtain 

 from a collection of poetry a history of the Indian 

 mind. I will here, however, give one or two speci- 

 mens in confirmation of my view. 



To begin with their proverbs, which afford a fair 

 specimen of the difficulty attending the translation 

 of New Zealand compositions into our language, 

 and their figurative manner of expression. I sub- 

 join a literal translation under each word : 



1. No te uri o te Arawa koe. 

 Of the family of the Arawa thou. 



x 2 



