Waiata 34: He mea whakamāori, nā ngā Waiata a Wiremu Hākipia
A translation into Māori of William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 34
He aha koe i taurangi mai ai i te paki o Hewa,
Kia whanatu atu au, kāore taku korowai,
Kia rokohanga atu au e ngā ao pōrukuruku,
E huna ana i tō aho ki tō rātou auahi rihariha?
He kūrapa noa iho tō kōpure mai
Kia maroke te maringi o taku kanohi,
Nā, kāore he kupu pai mō taua rongoā
Ka whakamahu tū, hāunga ko te whakamā:
Kāore hoki he rongoā-pōuri nā tō whakamā;
Ahakoa tō tīpenetā, he ruihi tonu tōku:
He oranga iti tā te kaihara pōuri ki a ia
E waha nei i te taumaha nui o te hara.
Otirā! He peara aua roimata ka rutua e tō aroha,
Ā, he māpuna hei utu i ngā hara katoa.
Why didst thou promise such a beauteous day,
And make me travel forth without my cloak,
To let base clouds o’ertake me in my way,
Hiding thy bravery in their rotten smoke?
’Tis not enough that through the cloud thou break,
To dry the rain on my storm-beaten face,
For no man well of such a salve can speak,
That heals the wound, and cures not the disgrace:
Nor can thy shame give physic to my grief;
Though thou repent, yet I have still the loss:
The offender’s sorrow lends but weak relief
To him that bears the strong offence’s cross.
Ah! But those tears are pearl which thy love sheds,
And they are rich and ransom all ill deeds.
Image: Sunlight through Clouds, 1920s, Wellington, by A. J. Wales. Purchased 1999. Te Papa. Catalogue entry here.