Maui and Irawaru

The Sun is setting, and our canoe is gliding slowly up the river with the tide.gliding, slowly, with the tide, up the river. Hupene sits in the prow, the front of the canoe, staring west and muttering quietly to himself.Hupene, sitting in the prow, is staring to the west, and mutters lowly to himself;Explanation: The prow is the front of a boat. Ngawai plays lazily with the paddle and listens to the old man’s mutteringNgawai plays lazily with the paddle, and is listening to what the old man is muttering, while the sandhills slowly pass by.

Hupene is staring into the Sun’s broad reflection over the sea, but he has to close his eyes. He bends his head and beginsbroad reflexion of the Sun over the sea, but he has to close his eyes; and, bending his head, he commences a low-toned chant. Of Maui he sings, yes, of Maui, the hero of his people.

He sings how Maui and Irawaru once went out together to catch fish: Maui could not catch any, buttogether out to catch fish, and how Maui could not catch any, and Irawaru caught many.

The Sun sinks lower while Hupene murmurs. TheLower sinks the Sun whilst Hupene is murmuring, and the mighty spectacle of the sunset illustrates his chant. There is Maui, the Sun God,the Sun God Maui ready to steer his Sun-canoe into the Lower Worlds again, singing his song of farewell to his sister Hinauri, the earth.

Irawaru, Hinauri’s husband, had followed Maui out to sea that morning to catch fish. Irawaru is the sun’s reflection over the sea, setting outthe husband of Hinauri, had followed Maui in the morning upon the sea, to catch fish—Irawaru is the reflexion of the sun over the sea, wandering forth with the sun in the mornings to catch fish—what else could a man do on the sea?

Maui’s fishing lines are the rays shining through and between the clouds. His sharp-pointed lines may reach deep into the sea among the fish. But they have no barbs, the backward-facing points that keep fish on a hook, so they cannot hold the fish and bring them intofish-lines are the rays, shining through and between the clouds, and his sharp-pointed fish-lines may enter deep into the sea among the fish, but, having no barbs, they are not able to hold and land the fish inExplanation: A barb is a backward-facing point that keeps a hook from slipping out. his canoe. But Irawaru’s fishing lines have many barbs, which you can see in the rippling water. You can also see the fish caught and playing among his fishing lines.fishing-lines have many barbs, which you may see in the ripple of the water, and you may see too, the fish caught, and playing among Irawaru’s fish-lines.

“Ah,” sings Hupene, “Irawaru caught many fish, a great many. Maui had not caught a single one, so he became very angry. In his anger, he tangled the fishing lines!“Ah” (sings Hupene) “Irawaru caught many fish, a great many, and therefore Maui, who had not caught a single one became very angry, and in his wrath he entangled the fish-lines! Irawaru’s line had caught a fish, and Maui, feeling the fish tugit tear and try to free itself, hauled up the lines with all his might. Ha, now he lifts the fish out of the water and sees that Irawaru has caught it. He also sees the secret of the barbs on Irawaru’s fishhook.when he lifts the fish now out of the water, he sees that it is caught by Irawaru, but he also sees the secret of the barbs on Irawaru’s fish-hook.”

The Sun is nearly touching the sea. Hupene smiles cunningly to himself, and the canoe glides silently in the Sun’s broad reflection.sea; Hupene is smiling cunningly to himself, and the canoe is gliding noiseless in the broad Reflexion of the Sun.

“Yes, Maui wanted to kill Irawaru, because he had deceived him with his barbs. His face becomes red with rage. He asks Irawaru to help him land his Sun-canoe onrage, and he asks Irawaru to help him land his Sun-canoe upon the shores of the Lower World, for he had reached Mahiku-rangi, the End of Heaven. Maui is cunning. Irawaru, unaware of Maui’s anger, crawls under the Sun-canoe to help him lift it onto the shores of the Lower World. Then Maui began to jump in the canoe with all his mighty strength, pressing it downcunning, and Irawaru, not knowing Maui’s wrath, crawls under the Sun-canoe to help him lift it upon the shores of the Lower World, when Maui, with all his mighty strength, began to jump in the canoe, pressing it down, and nearly killing Irawaru. Then he sprang out of his canoe and cruelly trampled Irawaru. Irawaru’s body grew longer and longer and took the form of a tail. With magic words,Then, springing out of his canoe, he jumped and danced upon Irawaru till his body grew longer and longer and took the form of a tail; and then with incantationsExplanation: Exceptional softening for children: the cruelty and bodily transformation remain, but the repeated jumping and dancing on Irawaru are stated less explicitly. The original is retained. Maui changed Irawaru into a dog.”

So sings Hupene. The blood-red Sun seems to tremble and dance before he sinks below the sea. He changes Irawaru into a dog, now running as the last shade of light upon the mountains while the Sun entersdance, before he sinks below the sea: he changes Irawaru into a dog which is now running as the last shade of light upon the mountains, whilst the Sun is entering the Lower World.

Our canoe is coming ashore to leave Hupene behind, but his sing-song is not over yet. He stands on the shore against the golden evening sky and finishes his song. Ngawai listens and translates from the canoe as it glides silently on:putting ashore to leave Hupene behind; but his sing-song is not ended yet, and he is standing on the shore before the golden evening-sky, and finishes his song, which Ngawai in the noiselessly on-gliding canoe is listening to and translating:

“As Maui was leaving, Hinauri asked what he had done to her husband, for she did not see Irawaru returning with him.Hinauri asked the parting Maui what he had done to her husband, for she did not see him coming back with him, and Maui answered that Irawaru had crawled among the bushes on the mountain. She; that she must go and call out to him: mo-i-mo-i, Irawaru, mo-i-mo-i. Hinauri did as she was told and called and called. At last a dog came running towards her. Shetold, and called and called, till at last a dog came running towards her, and she knew it was Irawaru, her husband, whom Maui had so cruelly changed into a dog. She began to cry out in grief, and at last she took her own life.broke out in a great lament, and at last she cast herself into the sea.Explanation: Hinauri’s suicide remains in the story. Its method is omitted exceptionally to make the passage less upsetting for children. The original is retained.”

The earth follows the parting sun into the darkness.