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A lament by a grieving mother for her daughter who is separated from her.
| He wawata
i ngā rangi nei I nga pō roroa nei Kia kite a i a koe E taku tumanako E rere rā e ngā kapua Whaia te tau kei (w)hea E kore rawa e mutu te aroha i ahau e. Ngā pūrei kohu e mamao nei I waho o Maketu1 Mōhou rā e hine. Kei (w)hea rā koe? Mā wai rā koe E whakahoki mai? Mā ngā tai e haruru nei I waho o Rangiuru. He moemoeā, he wawata Me kite wairua |
A
yearning these days and through these long nights that I may see you my desire. I wish to fly on the clouds pursue my loved one to wherever she is For never will it be ended the love that is within me. The distant patches of cloud far beyond Maketu are for you girl. Where are you? Who will bring you back here? Let the raging tides do so outside Rangiuru. A dream, a yearning to see you in spirit form. |
1.
Maketu is the bay where the Arawa people came ashore from Hawaiki.
... This indicates that the daughter has returned to these ancestors. In other words, she is dead.He Wawata was first recorded by Ana Hato in the 1950s, and about a dozen times since. It has a rather complex tune, with no verses repeated. It is an artist's song, not a folk tune.
It is on Jade Eru's 2001 CD "The Maori Heart." Lyrics of some of this CD's other songs can be found by clicking below.
This CD's song titles are usually written as E Pari Ra, Po Atarau and Pokarekare Ana.
Hoki Hoki
I Pare Ra (sic)
Hine e Hine
Po Ata Rau (sic)
Po Karekare Ana (sic)
Matangi
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