|
Page Tools
Reference
Tools
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Pōkarekare Ana
Rippling
are the waters...
 This is one of the most famous of Māori songs.
History
It tells of Paraire Tomoana's courtship
of Kuini Raerena.
It is believed to have been arranged by P. H. Tomoana & his concert party
in 1917.
Hear It...
If you have speakers set up on your computer, you can listen to the melody
of Pokarekare Ana right now, by clicking
here (1K MIDI File).
Alternatively you can hear a clip of it being sung, by clicking
here (115K MP3 File, will take a little longer to download and play).
Lyrics
Here are the lyrics:
| Māori |
English
|
Pōkarekare ana
ngā wai o Waiapu,
Whiti atu koe hine
marino ana e.E hine e
hoki mai ra,
Ka mate ahau
I te aroha e.
Tuhituhi raku reta
tuku atu taku rīngi,
Kia kite tō iwi
raru raru ana e. E hine e
hoki mai ra,
Ka mate ahau
I te aroha e.
Whati whati taku pene
ka pau aku pepa,
Ko taku aroha
mau tonu ana e. E hine e
hoki mai ra,
Ka mate ahau
I te aroha e. E kore te aroha
e maroke i te rā,
Mākūkū tonu i
aku roimata e.
E hine e
hoki mai ra,
Ka mate ahau
I te aroha e. |
Rippling are
the waters of Waiapu,
cross over girl
'tis calm.
Oh girl
return here (to me),
For I shall die
because of love (for you).
I have written my letter
I have sent my ring,
So that your people can see
(that I am) troubled.
Oh girl
return here (to me),
For I shall die
because of love (for you).
My pen is shattered,
I have no more paper,
(But) my love
is still steadfast.
Oh girl
return here (to me),
For I shall die
because of love (for you).
(My) love will never
be dried by the sun,
It will be forever moistened
by my tears.
Oh girl
return here (to me),
For I shall die
because of love (for you).
|
Notes
-
The 4/4 timing is modern. It was originally sung in 3/4 time.
-
ngā wai o Wai-apu is historically correct.
ngis a popular variation.
It flows better, and the 'r' and 'o' sounds are pleasant.
-
a-ro-ha e is pronounced "are RAW ha AIR", not "a ROW ha
EH".
-
Whati whati taku pene = shattered
my pen.
Kua whati taku pene = broken, my pen has been
The latter being an alternative.
Often these days, only the first verse and the chorus seems to get sung,
perhaps several times over, with added harmonising in each repetition.
Copyright Notice
Materials on this page have been extracted from material
researched by
John Archer on the Pokarekare Ana page of the New Zealand Folksong website. Many
thanks to him for his most valuable work.
 For superb information
about New Zealand folk songs, take a look at John's site: New
Zealand Folk Song.
For further details about Pokarekare Ana, you can go directly to his
Pokarekare Ana page by clicking
here.
| |
|
World News Headlines: 
