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lyrics

This is a whakaaraara-pa, or night sentinel chant of the famous Rauparaha's Ngati-Toa warriors, a song composed on the west coast of the North Island, and bearing in its ringing words memories of the surf-beaten coasts of Mokau and the lofty cliffs of South Kawhia:—

Whakaarahia!
Whakaarahia!
E tenei pa!
E tera pa!
Kei apitia koe ki te toto.
Whakapuru tonu,
Whakapuru tonu
Te tai ki Harihari.
Ka tangi tiere
Te tai ki Mokau.
Kaore ko au
E kimi ana,
E hahau ana,
I nga pari ra
Piri nga hakoakoa,
E kau oma tera.
Ka toa atu tera
Ki tua.
E-l-a ha-ha!
Ka ao mai te ra
Ki tua.
E—i—a ha-ha!

(Translation.)
Arise, arise,
O soldiers of the fort!
Of this pa and of that,
Lest ye go down to death.
High up, high up, the thundering surf
On Harihari's cliffs resounds,
And loud the wailing sea
Beats on the Mokau coast.
And here am I, on guard,
Seeking, searching, peering,
As on those rocky crags
The sea-hawk sits
And watches for his prey,
Oh! dauntless be.
Soon will the sun
Rise flaming o'er the world!

credits

from A Trilogy of Random Thoughts & Considerations, track released June 1, 2009

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