OF THE SOUTH SEAS 133 



Llewellyn put the words into approximate meaning in 

 English, saying it was as difficult to translate these inti- 

 mate and slang phrases as it would be to put "Yankee 

 Doodle" into French or German. His translation, as 

 he wrote it on a scrap of paper, was : 



Let us sing joyful to-day 



The journey over the sea! 



It is a wonderful and agreeable thing to happen in Moorea, 



Hold on to it! That is just it; 



And because it is just it, 



Why hold on to it! 



Your voice, 0, Love, calls to us. 



O Tahitian cliildren. 



Love to you ! 



Let us all drink beer, 



And wet our throats ! 



And wet them again 



To you, Tahitian Children ! 



The bandsmen were probably all related to Llewellyn, 

 or at least they were of his mother's clan. His own son 

 and nephew by unmarried mothers were among them; 

 so that they were of our party, and yet on a different 

 footing. They were our guests, we paying them noth- 

 ing, but they not paying their scot. They did not 

 mingle with us intimately, although probably all the 

 whites except myself knew them well, and at times were 

 guests at their houses outside Papeete. 



The air to which the himene was sung eluded me for 

 long. It was, "Oh, You Beautiful Doll!" They had 

 changed the tune, so that I had not recognized it. The 

 Tahitians have curious variations of European and 

 American airs, of which they adapt many, carrying the 



