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Legends of the Maori

Though Slowly Sinks the Sun

page 235

Though Slowly Sinks the Sun

Ee to e te ra, kia ata tuku atu,
Ko koe hei arahi mo taku tau kahurangi,
Ko te iti o te tama i nuia e te ngakau
Toro mai to ringa kia awhiawhi taua
E tokotokoa ana e hauhauaitu
Te moenga ki te po, taututetute ana mai,
Te awhenga i Paerau, ko wai e kite atu?
Nau mai, e Maraea, ka haere taua
Ki to Kai-whakaora mei ora mai hoki koe,
Nau te ki nei kei te Atua te tikanga.
Me aha i te ngakau e kukume ke ana,
Te putanga ki waho ra kai awherangi taua,
He aroha kai kino no roto i te ngakau e e e!

[Translation]

Though slowly sinks the sun beyond my ken
It still will guide my cherished one
Like to the youngest, best loved child of all.
Stretch hither thy hand
And in spirit we’ll embrace,
E’en though some dire evil haunts me,
When at night I feel thee
Press ’gainst me so trustingly.
Ah me! Thou hast passed beyond Paerau,
Who can follow thee there?
Welcome Maraea, had’st thou lived
We would together go to thy Maker
Thou said’st it rests with him.
But still the heart repines uncomforted,
Some grief distracts the mind,
The outcome of a wounded soul.