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Their mother, however, answered: '`Tis of no use, you cannot hide yourselves there.'
All this time Tawhaki sat quite silent; but Karihi said: 'We will hide ourselves here, for we know
incantations which will render us invisible to all.'
On hearing this, their mother consented to their remaining, and attempting to avenge their
father's death. So they climbed up to the ridge-pole of the house, upon the outside of the roof,
and made holes in the thick layers of reeds which formed the thatch of the roof, and crept into
them and covered themselves up; and their mother called to them, saying: 'When it draws near
dawn, come down again and stop up every chink in the house, so that no single ray of light may
shine in.'
At length the day closed, and the sun sank below the horizon, and the whole of that strange tribe
left the water in a body, and ascended to the dry land; and, according to their custom from time
immemorial, they sent one of their number in front of them, that he might carefully examine the
road, and see that there were no hidden foes lying in wait for them either on the way or in their
house. As soon as this scout arrived at the threshold of the house, he perceived the scent of
Tawhaki and Karihi; so be lifted up his nose and turned sniffing all round the inside of the house.
As he turned about, he was on the point of discovering that strangers were hidden there, when
the rest of the tribe (whom long security had made careless) came hurrying on, and crowding
into the house in thousands, so that from the denseness of the crowd the scent of the strange men
was quite lost. The Ponaturi then stowed themselves away in the house until it was entirely filled
up with them, and by degrees they arranged themselves In convenient places, and at length all
fell fast asleep.
At midnight Tawhaki and Karihi stole down from the roof of the house, and found that their
mother had crept out of the door to meet them, so they sat at the doorway whispering together.
Karihi then asked his mother: 'Which is the best way for us to destroy these people who are
sleeping here? And their mother answered: 'You had better let the sun kill them, its rays will
destroy them.'
Having said this, Tatau crept into the house again; presently an old man of the Ponaturi called
out to her: 'Ho, Tatau, Tatau, there; is it dawn yet? And she answered: 'No, no, it is deep night-it
is lasting night; `tis still night; sleep soundly, sleep on.'
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POLYNESIAN MYTHOLOGY
30
When it was very near dawn, Tatau whispered to her children, who were still sitting just outside
the door of the house: 'See that every chink in the doorway and window is stopped, so that not a
ray of light can penetrate here.'
Presently another old man of the Ponaturi called out again: 'Ho, Tatau there, is not it near dawn
yet? And she answered: 'No, no, it is night; it is lasting night; `tis still night; sleep Soundly, sleep
on.'
This was the second time that Tatau had thus called out to them.
At last dawn had broken-at last the sun had shone brightly upon the earth, and rose high in the
heavens; and the old man again called out: 'Ho, Tatau there; is not it dawn yet? And she
answered: 'Yes.' And then she called out to her children: 'Be quick, pull out the things with
which you have stopped up the window and the door.'
So they pulled them out, and the bright rays of the sun came streaming into the house, and the
whole of the Ponaturi perished before the light; they perished not by the hand of man, but
withered before the sun's rays.[1]
When the Ponaturi had been all destroyed, Tawhaki and Karilil carefully took down their father's
bones from the roof of the house, and burnt them with fire, and together with the bodies of all
those who were in the house, who had perished, scorched by the bright rays of the sun; they then
returned again to their own country, taking with them their mother, and carefully carrying the
bones of their father.
The fame of Tawhaki's courage in thus destroying the race of Ponaturi, and a report also of his
manly beauty, chanced to reach the ears of a young maiden of the heavenly race who live above
in the skies; so one night she descended from the heavens to visit Tawhaki, and to judge for
herself, whether these reports were true. She found him lying sound asleep, and after gazing on
him for some time, she stole to his side and laid herself down by him. He, when disturbed by her,
thought that it was only some female of this lower world, and slept again; but before dawn the
young girl stole away again from his side, and ascended once more to the heavens. In the early
morning Tawhaki awoke and felt all over his sleeping place with both his hands, but in vain, he
could nowhere find the young girl.
[1. The Maoris say that the kanae, [or mullet,] had come on shore with the Ponaturi, and escaped
out of the house by its power of leaping, gaining the water again by successive springs.]
From that time Tangotango,[1] the girl of the heavenly race, stole every night to the side of
Tawhaki, and lo, in the morning she was gone, until she found that she had conceived a child,
who was afterwards named Arahuta; then full of love for Tawhaki, she disclosed herself fully to
him and lived constantly in this world with him, deserting, for his sake, her friends above; and he
discovered that she who had so loved him belonged to the race whose home is in the heavens.
Whilst thus living with him, this girl of the heavenly race, his second wife, said to him: 'Oh,
Tawhaki, if our baby so shortly now to be born, should prove a son, I will wash the little thing
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POLYNESIAN MYTHOLOGY
31
before it is baptized; but if it should be a little girl then you shall wash it.' When the time came
Tangotango had a little girl, and before it was baptized Tawhaki took it to a spring to wash it,
and afterwards held it away from him as if it smelt badly, and said: Faugh, how badly the little
thing smells.' Then Tangotango, when she heard this said of her own dear little baby, began to
sob and cry bitterly, and at last rose up from her place with her child, and began to take flight
towards the sky, but she paused for one minute with one foot resting upon the carved figure at
the end of the ridge-pole of the house above the door. Then Tawhaki rushed forward, and [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl chiara76.opx.pl
Their mother, however, answered: '`Tis of no use, you cannot hide yourselves there.'
All this time Tawhaki sat quite silent; but Karihi said: 'We will hide ourselves here, for we know
incantations which will render us invisible to all.'
On hearing this, their mother consented to their remaining, and attempting to avenge their
father's death. So they climbed up to the ridge-pole of the house, upon the outside of the roof,
and made holes in the thick layers of reeds which formed the thatch of the roof, and crept into
them and covered themselves up; and their mother called to them, saying: 'When it draws near
dawn, come down again and stop up every chink in the house, so that no single ray of light may
shine in.'
At length the day closed, and the sun sank below the horizon, and the whole of that strange tribe
left the water in a body, and ascended to the dry land; and, according to their custom from time
immemorial, they sent one of their number in front of them, that he might carefully examine the
road, and see that there were no hidden foes lying in wait for them either on the way or in their
house. As soon as this scout arrived at the threshold of the house, he perceived the scent of
Tawhaki and Karihi; so be lifted up his nose and turned sniffing all round the inside of the house.
As he turned about, he was on the point of discovering that strangers were hidden there, when
the rest of the tribe (whom long security had made careless) came hurrying on, and crowding
into the house in thousands, so that from the denseness of the crowd the scent of the strange men
was quite lost. The Ponaturi then stowed themselves away in the house until it was entirely filled
up with them, and by degrees they arranged themselves In convenient places, and at length all
fell fast asleep.
At midnight Tawhaki and Karihi stole down from the roof of the house, and found that their
mother had crept out of the door to meet them, so they sat at the doorway whispering together.
Karihi then asked his mother: 'Which is the best way for us to destroy these people who are
sleeping here? And their mother answered: 'You had better let the sun kill them, its rays will
destroy them.'
Having said this, Tatau crept into the house again; presently an old man of the Ponaturi called
out to her: 'Ho, Tatau, Tatau, there; is it dawn yet? And she answered: 'No, no, it is deep night-it
is lasting night; `tis still night; sleep soundly, sleep on.'
Get any book for free on: www.Abika.com
POLYNESIAN MYTHOLOGY
30
When it was very near dawn, Tatau whispered to her children, who were still sitting just outside
the door of the house: 'See that every chink in the doorway and window is stopped, so that not a
ray of light can penetrate here.'
Presently another old man of the Ponaturi called out again: 'Ho, Tatau there, is not it near dawn
yet? And she answered: 'No, no, it is night; it is lasting night; `tis still night; sleep Soundly, sleep
on.'
This was the second time that Tatau had thus called out to them.
At last dawn had broken-at last the sun had shone brightly upon the earth, and rose high in the
heavens; and the old man again called out: 'Ho, Tatau there; is not it dawn yet? And she
answered: 'Yes.' And then she called out to her children: 'Be quick, pull out the things with
which you have stopped up the window and the door.'
So they pulled them out, and the bright rays of the sun came streaming into the house, and the
whole of the Ponaturi perished before the light; they perished not by the hand of man, but
withered before the sun's rays.[1]
When the Ponaturi had been all destroyed, Tawhaki and Karilil carefully took down their father's
bones from the roof of the house, and burnt them with fire, and together with the bodies of all
those who were in the house, who had perished, scorched by the bright rays of the sun; they then
returned again to their own country, taking with them their mother, and carefully carrying the
bones of their father.
The fame of Tawhaki's courage in thus destroying the race of Ponaturi, and a report also of his
manly beauty, chanced to reach the ears of a young maiden of the heavenly race who live above
in the skies; so one night she descended from the heavens to visit Tawhaki, and to judge for
herself, whether these reports were true. She found him lying sound asleep, and after gazing on
him for some time, she stole to his side and laid herself down by him. He, when disturbed by her,
thought that it was only some female of this lower world, and slept again; but before dawn the
young girl stole away again from his side, and ascended once more to the heavens. In the early
morning Tawhaki awoke and felt all over his sleeping place with both his hands, but in vain, he
could nowhere find the young girl.
[1. The Maoris say that the kanae, [or mullet,] had come on shore with the Ponaturi, and escaped
out of the house by its power of leaping, gaining the water again by successive springs.]
From that time Tangotango,[1] the girl of the heavenly race, stole every night to the side of
Tawhaki, and lo, in the morning she was gone, until she found that she had conceived a child,
who was afterwards named Arahuta; then full of love for Tawhaki, she disclosed herself fully to
him and lived constantly in this world with him, deserting, for his sake, her friends above; and he
discovered that she who had so loved him belonged to the race whose home is in the heavens.
Whilst thus living with him, this girl of the heavenly race, his second wife, said to him: 'Oh,
Tawhaki, if our baby so shortly now to be born, should prove a son, I will wash the little thing
Get any book for free on: www.Abika.com
POLYNESIAN MYTHOLOGY
31
before it is baptized; but if it should be a little girl then you shall wash it.' When the time came
Tangotango had a little girl, and before it was baptized Tawhaki took it to a spring to wash it,
and afterwards held it away from him as if it smelt badly, and said: Faugh, how badly the little
thing smells.' Then Tangotango, when she heard this said of her own dear little baby, began to
sob and cry bitterly, and at last rose up from her place with her child, and began to take flight
towards the sky, but she paused for one minute with one foot resting upon the carved figure at
the end of the ridge-pole of the house above the door. Then Tawhaki rushed forward, and [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]