by Неизвестный
Mōhio pai ana ki tēnei tū hipi, inā hoki i a au e mahi ana hai kaiwhakakīkī pēne, he mahi nui ia kia āia noa ēnei ki roto i ngā pēne, ā, me tūpato anō hoki kei kotahi atu ki ō waewae me ōna hāona.
Ka huri ahau ki taku pāpā ka mea e hia ngā rēme i oti i a au i te wāhanga tuatahi me te wāhanga tuarua. Ka huri ōna whakaaro ka mea ai, ‘Ka pai, mēnā rānei ki ō whakaaro ka pēnā anō koe āpōpō ka tukuna koe hai kaikuti tonu ki reira. Ki te kore koe e eke, me noho tonu koutou ki reira kia oti rā anō te mahi.’
Ka whakakoikoihia āku heru, ā, mutu ana taku kai ka kotahi atu au ki taku moenga, moe ai. Taua āhua anō, ka matika moata, ka nui taku parakuihi heoi anō aku whakaaro kei te koi hoki rā. He tino wera nō te rā ka whakarite ai au i taku mīhini hau hai tāwhiriwhiri nōku i a au e kuti ana.
E rua miniti ki te whitu karaka ka whakakāngia taku mīhini kuti ka kuhu ai au ki te pēne. Puta atu ana, kotahi atu ki te mahi. Panaia ai au taku rēme ki te putanga rua ka mātai atu au ki taku wati, kātahi anō ka huri ki te whitu karaka, tau ana! Ka whakaaro ake ki te pēnā taku haere, tētahi i ia rua miniti ka toru tekau mō te hāora kotahi te kaute, ā, e ono tekau te mutunga iho.
Kai ai me te kapu tī, ka paku tīraha me te whātorotoro anō hoki i tōku tuarā, ka haere anō ngā mahi. Ahakoa e tangi tarawē ana taku tuarā ki a au me koke.
Nā te wera hoki o te rā, ahakoa ko te ata tonu, ka pau katoa ōku wai te inumia.
Ka tae ki te mutunga o te wāhanga tuarua e toru tekau mā waru anake ngā rēme kua kutia e au.
‘E tama, tō koretake hoki,’ te kōrero mai a taku taina ki a au.
Ehara ehara, koira anō hoki ōku whakaaro kai roto i taku hinengaro.
Heoi anō, kai anō ai me te āhua roa ake o te tīraha iho ka whai kaha ake anō mō te wāhanga tuatoru. Me rima tekau mā rua neke atu rānei te whāinga, me nui ake i tērā tā te mea ka mutu moata me ngā rēme kia whakaoti anō ai i ngā tāriana.
Whāwhai ana taku kuhu ki rō pēne i ia mutunga rēme, ā, ka tae ake ki te mutunga o te hāora tuatahi, e toru tekau i kuti i a au engari ko tōna tuahuru te āhua. Mea ake, ka rongo au ki te tangi a te tīkera e whiowhio tangi ana me taku mōhio anō ko te rēme e kuti ana au ināia tonu nei tāku whakamutunga i tēnei wāhanga.
Ka mataitia e au ki taku kaikaute, e ono tekau mā rima te otinga iho. E kotahi rau, ono tekau mā toru katoa, nā reira e toru tekau mā whitu anake kai te toe. Māna ia, ākuni kua mutu katoa ngā rēme i roto pea i te hawhe hāora nā reira ka kore au e eke ki te rua rau anō i tēnei rā. Ka āta kautehia ngā toenga rēme me te aha, e rima tekau mā rima mā te katoa, tāpirihia ngā tāriana. Heoi anō, ina tāpirihia e taku taina ngā tatau ka kite iho a ia ka taea e au mēnā kai te whakaae ngā pakeke māku ngā rēme e whakaoti, mā te tokowhā e tīmata ki ngā tāriana. Ka whakaaehia.
Kuhu atu puta mai ka pau tētahi hāora, ā, e toru tekau mā tahi kua oti i a au te kutikuti. E ono kai te toe mai, ka mutu, ko te pae tata e pūkana mai ana ki a au, waihoki e pērā anō ngā rēme kai te toi mai – taku waimaria hoki!
Ahakoa kua roa taku tuarā e mamae ana, kātahi nei ka tino ū ngā niho o mamae, ka totitoti ai rawa atu nei taku haere. Anō he mutunga kore engari ka tae rawa ake au ki taku rēme whakamutunga me taku pōturi hoki. Ina hoki kua oti kē i ērā atu kaikuti ngā tāriana, kai ōku tahi rātau e tautoko mai ana. Ka whiu whakamuri te rēme ki raro ki te putanga rua, ā, taku tūtanga ake ka hōmai e taku taina he patara pia hai whakaoti atu māku.
Mai i tēnei rangi ka āhua uaua ake te eke ki te rua rau hipi anō, engari taro kau iho ka māmā engari anō taku toru rau … he rā anō kei tua.
Te Reo o te Kuia
Vincent Olsen-Reeder1
Oho ake ana a Kui i te tangi mai o tana waea.
‘E Kui!’
‘Aīi, ko koe tēnā, e Tana? Kei te pēhea koe e moko?’
‘Pai ana, Nan. Kaua e wareware ki te mātaki i te tīwī hei te rima. Kei te kōrerotia koutou te hunga i whai wāhi atu ki tā koutou kerēme.’
‘Āna, kua hīkaka katoa ki te mātakitaki i ahau anō i te tīwī! Hehehe! Ko Marilyn Monroe taku rite!’
Ka kata te mokopuna, ka kī, ‘Kei te pai koe i konā, Marilyn? He parāoa, he miraka, he aha rānei māu?’
‘Pai katoa au e moko. Hei te pō nei tāua kitekite ai, nē rā?’
‘Āe, mō muri i taku rugby practice.’
‘Ōkei moko, hei konā.’
Ka weto te waea, ka titiro a Kuia ki te karaka e whanga rā i te kokonga tawhiti rawa o te rūma noho. Kua tata te rima. Ka whakatika, ka whakamau i ōna hiripa taika, ka puta atu ki te kīhini, ko ia me ana taika, mahi kapu tī ai.
I a ia e tatari ana kia hū tana tīkera, ka titiro atu a Kui ki te māra kai kei waho o te whare, ka rau ngā mahara ki tana taitamarikitanga. I pakeke mai ia i te whare nei, i ngā rekereke o ōna kaumātua. He mahi i ngā wā katoa – he whakatō kākano, he ngakingaki haere i te māra i te rā. I te pō, kua hoki ki roto i te whare, whatu kākahu ai. Ahakoa te uaua o te mahi, he ngahau tonu. Me uaua kē ka rangona te amuamu, he nui te katakata. āe, me te pai hoki ki a Kui te mahi māra me ana whanaunga. ‘Mai i te kātene ki te pereti’ – pēnei tonu ai te kōrero a tōna kuia ake ki ana mokopuna i tōna wā. ā, nā Kui anō ki ana mokopuna i tēnei wā. He roa tonu te kanohi e pao ana, kātahi ka hū mai te tīkera, ka hoki mai a Kui ki te ao mārama, me tana kapu tī e tatari ana ki a ia.
Tau ana anō ki tōna tino tūru, ka toutou a Kui i te tīpēke ki te wai, kia kaha ai te pango o te tī. Ka tirotiro haere a Kui i ngā pikitia e iriiri ana i te pakitara o te rūma noho, i runga o te tīwī. Ko ana tauira o mua ērā i te kura, kua taiohi rawa ināianei, kua pakeke rawa anō ētahi, kua whai tamariki. Ka tae anō te titiro ki ana mokopuna. Āe, te tau hoki o ana mokopuna! Tokotoru rātou, he kōtiro katoa: ko Tana (ko ia te mātāmua, he taki tohutohu i ana tēina i ngā wā katoa), rātou ko Maka (ko ia te tamaiti tuarua, he noho puku, he āta haere, he ngākau māhaki), ko Pānia (ko ia te pōtiki, he haututū katoa).
Ahakoa kua mutu nei te whakaako ōkawa i te kura, he pai tonu ki a Kui te whāngai haere i ana moko ki ngā kōrero hou hei ako mā rātou. Ko Maka te taringa rahirahi o te katoa. He pai hoki a Tana, he whiuwhiu pātai i ngā wā katoa, ka mutu ko ia te mea kaha ki te toro mai ki tana kuia. Engari a Pānia, he mea peita ngā taringa! Ahakoa he aha, e kore e aro ki a wai. Ka tōtika atu ki te mahi, mea rawa ake – kua taka, kua whara te waewae, kua mamae rānei te mahunga i te korenga ōna e whakarongo ki ngā tūpato a te kuia. Engari anō, he upoko mārō ia, e kore e tangimeme ki te aha. He māia! Āe, nāna anō ngā uri nei, he hekenga whakapapa māreikura nō mai anō.
Ka rima karaka tonu, ka tau te titiro ki te tīwī. Kua roa ia e tatari ana ki ngā karere o te wā. Ko tana kapu tī kei tana taha mauī, kei te tēpu kawhe, e noho pātata ana ki te rimōta.
Ka tīmata te hōtaka, ka tīkina atu te rimōta, ka whakakaha i te reo kia tino mārama ai te rongo i ngā kupu:
‘E te iwi, ki tā tātou kōrero matua i te rangi nei, he ikapahitanga kua ūngutungutu atu ki te marae o Waingōhia kia whakatauria te uakoau kua tau mai i te whenua kōkēi o …’
Aīi! Tē aro i a Kui ngā kupu nei. Ka mate ki te whakatika, me te haere ki te tiki papakupu. Ka tae ki tērā taha o te rūma noho, ka whāwhā haere i ngā tuarā o ngā pukapuka. Ka kitea te papakupu, ka hoki atu anō ki tōna tūru, ka tīmata te wherawhera haere i tana Wīremu kia tae ki te wāhanga ‘i.’ I te whārangi 76 kitea ai ko tāna e rapu ana, arā, te ‘ikapahitanga’:
Ikapahi, v.i. Assemble. I to tatou ikapahitanga (When we were assembled). || ika (iv).
‘Auē,’ tā Kui ki a ia anō, ‘he aha rātou i kore ai e “hui” mai?’
Ka haere tonu te kuia, e wherawera ana i te papakupu kia tae ki te wāhanga ‘u.’ Ka kitea i te whārangi 468 te ‘ūngutungutu’:
Ūngutu, ūngutungutu. 1. v.t. Place with the ends touching or converging. Ungutungutua nga motumotu. – Ka pa he ahi wahine he nui nga motumotu hei ungutungutu, katahi ka nui te muranga.
‘Hmmm …’ tā te kuia. ‘Ehara tēnei tikanga i tōku e pīrangi nei
.’ Ka haere tonu te pānui:
2. v.i. Meet together, converge. Taria koe e oho kia kitea mai nga waka o teo hoariri ka ungutu nga ihu ki te take o te pa (W. Iv, 137).
‘Āe, koia pea. Ikapahi, ūngutu. Sheesh, i hui ētahi ki te marae o Waingōhia, koinā noa iho? He aha e mate nei rātou ki te homai kupu whitu mita te roa, mō te ‘hui’ noa iho? Ki te hiahia hui atu au ki ngā ika i runga i te pahi, kua haere tōtika au ki te whai pahi – me te hī ika! Hei, e te kaiwhakapāho, kei hea tō fishing rod?’ Ka pukukata a Kui ki a ia anō.
Mutu rawa ake te kata, kua mahue katoa i a ia te pūrongo. ‘Hei aha,’ tana whakaaro. ‘Kia haere tonu taku whakarongo.’
‘Ā, ki Te Whanganui-a-Tara ināianei kei reira tā tātou kairīpoata kei te Taraipiunara o Waitangi …’
Hīkaka katoa a Kui, i tana tino mōhio koinei tana kerēme. Mai i te tīmatanga o te kerēme nei, ko ia tētahi e kōkiri ana i te kerēme nei kia whakahokia mai te whenua o tōna iwi ki te iwi tonu māna hei whakahaere. I tōna wā, ko ia tērā me ana tini whanaunga e huri haere ana i tana rohe ki ngā momo hui ki te whakawhiti whakaaro, ka mutu, ko ia anō tērā e taetae ana ki Pōneke ki te whakatakoto i ngā kōrero ki mua i te Taraipiunara. Kua rua tekau tau te kerēme e haere ana, me te aha, e tū tonu ana! I ēnei rā ia o te mahunga hina, kua mutu tana huri haere i te motu ki ngā hui rā. Ināianei, ko ngā pūrongo pēnei tana whai wāhi atu ki taua kerēme.
‘Kei konei au kei Pōneke e rongo ana ki te kokoraho matua a WAI3958 kua neke atu i te rua tekau tau e tohea ana …’
Tino pukukata katoa a Kui i te rongo i te kōrero nei. ‘Koko raho?’ Kāore kau i mārama ki a ia he aha te ‘koko raho’, engari te pikitia i peitahia i te hinengaro, auē!
‘Āe e tika ana kāore pea he Māori kotahi e noho kūware ana ki tēnei kokoraho, ko te ngare i konei e taringa rahirahi ana ki tā te Kāwanatanga e whakapae ana. Ko te raru ia, ko te mahi a te kokoraho e kore e mōhiotia ko wai ka whakaihuwaka, ka pīwai rānei …’
I te kata tonu a Kui i a ia e wherawhera ana i te papakupu e kitea ai te kupu kokoraho:
Kokoraho, ‘take or claim for oneself’
‘Take i te aha? Claim i te aha?’ tā te kuia. ‘Pēnei tonu au ko te mahi a te Taraipiunara he whakahoki whenua ki te iwi tonu, kaua ki te tangata! Oh well, at least kāore rātou i te koko i ō rātou raho!’
Ka haere tonu me te rapu i te ‘ngare’: Send? Urge? Quarrell? Tē aro i a Kui!
Auē, he ika, he pahi, he raho? He moumou wā te mātakitaki atu i ngā pūrongo nei me he kupu kei roto e pēnei ana te roa. Mēnā kāore i te mārama ngā kupu, he aha ka pahawa i te pūrongo? Ko wai ka noho ki te āta wetewete i ia kupu, mō te mārama noa iho?
Ka rongo a Kui i te omaoma haere mai o tētahi. Ko Tana tērā e kuhu mai ana i te kūaha matua, ā, ki te rūma noho e tūngāngā ana. Ka hopuhopu hau, kātahi ka pauta ake:
‘Nan, i kite rānei koe i ngā kōrero? Kua mahue rānei i ahau?’
‘I kitea, āe, kāore i paku whai i ngā kōrero, he uaua nō te reo! I rongo au i ētahi kōrero mō te ika, he ika i runga i te pahi. He ngutu ō rātou. Anyway, i te koko ētahi i ō rātou raho i te Taraipiunara o Waitangi …’
‘Ei?’ te tumeke a Tana, me te tumeke katoa ki ēnei kōrero a tōna kuia.
‘Te kapo raho, e kō!?’ tā te kuia.’
Ka kata tana moko. ‘Nan, ko te kokoraho tāu e kōrero nā. Ko te kokoraho he kerēme, ko WAI3958, tā koutou kerēme. Mōhio au kua roa koe e tatari ana kia tau taua kerēme. Nan, kua tau! Kei te whakahokia mai ō tātou whenua!’
I noho atu a Tana ki tana kuia i te tūru, ka awhi i a ia. Kua harikoa katoa a Kui! Kua tau – āna whakapau kaha katoa, kua whai hua!
Nāwai rā ka kōrero a Tana, ‘Nan?’
‘Āe, e kō?’
‘Kāore koe i mōhio ki ētahi o ngā kupu e putaputa ana i ngā pūrongo, nē rā?’
‘Kāo, moko.’
‘Kāore i whāngaihia ki a koe i a koe e tamariki ana?’
‘Kāo, moko.’
‘He reo hou ērā kupu?’
‘Kāore, e moko. He kupu tawhito kua hahua ake, engari kīhai i kōrerotia ki a mātou. Ināianei, kua kore e aro i ahau he aha te aha me ērā kupu!’
‘Oh.’
‘Ehara i te mea e hē ana te hahu ake i ngā kupu nei. Kei te whakaora tātou i tō tātou reo, me pērā ka tika! Ko te mate kē, kāore anō tātou kia noho ki te kōrero āhea e tika ai te tuku i ērā kupu kia rere, āhea kē e tika ai kia haere ko te reo māmā.’
‘Āe, Nan, mārama au.’
Ka noho puku mō te wā poto. ‘Nan, i puta he kōrero i taku kaiako mō tēnā āhuatanga.’
‘He aha nā, moko?’
‘I mea mai taku kaiako he nui te hunga kūare e whakanonenone ana ki t–’
‘Whakanonenone?’
‘He amuamu … e kaha amuamu ana ki te whakamahia o ēnei kupu i te pouaka whakaata. Engari, ehara koe i te kūare ki te reo Māori, i taketake mai koe i tō reo, ka mutu ki tāna …’ Kāore tana moko e hiahia whakaoti i tana kōrero.
‘He aha, moko?’
‘I mea mai taku kaiako mēnā kāore e pai ki te tangata ngā kupu nei me hoki ia ki te kura ako ai …’
‘Aīii?’
Kua tū ngā pihi o te kuia, kāore ki tana mokopuna, engari ki te hē o te whakaaro, ānō nei kāore ia i āta mōhio ki tōna reo!
‘Te hia pai hoki! Nō hea mai te pōhēhē kāore au e mōhio ana ki taku reo!?’
Ka noho puku mō tētahi wā, e huri taiāwhio ana ngā whakaaro i te hinengaro. Kātahi a Kui ka mea atu:
‘E moko, kia rongo mai koe i tēnei kupu. Kei ahau te mana o tōku reo, kei a koe tōu. Me hoki rawa au ki te kura? Tino kore rawa atu nei! Heoi, kia mōhio tonu koe: competent intercommunicative events are rarely consummated successfully with loquacious references equally expressed via those unadorned.’
‘Umm … What?’ tā Tana, e menemene ana ki te heahea o te reo Pākehā nei.
‘Ana, koia! Hehe! Ehara mā te taki kupu roa noa iho e tika ai te reo. He tāutuutu tēnei mea te whakawhiti kōrero i waenganui i te tangata. Ki te kore e tika tō tuku i te kōrero, kāore e whāia. Ki te kore e whāia, kāti, kua moumou te hau. Koinei tāku e mea nei, e moko, te mārama ki te whiu i te kupu. Koinei te tohu o te matatau. Koinā hoki te pūtake o tēnei mea te whakawhiti kōrero. Mārama?’
‘Āe, e Kui. Kei te mārama tēnā.’
‘C’mon e moko, haere tāua ki te māra kai. Me tiki kai mō te pō nei.’
‘What edible fare is more momentously savoured than that propagated by oneself, eh Nan?’
Ka kata te kuia. ‘Āe, e moko, mai i te kātene ki te pereti!’
1 Kei te mihi au ki te hunga āwhina i taku tuhi i tēnei kōrero. Me kore ake koutou katoa!
In the Space of a Moment
Toni Pivac
It’s not every day your wife returns from the dead. She was looking through a thick book of fairy tales when he spotted her. At first he didn’t trust his eyes, it couldn’t possibly be her. But it had to be, surely. He’d know her anywhere. Yet she looked completely different. Completely different but exactly the same. Suddenly all the noises and colours slowed down and he wasn’t quite sure if he was okay. Maybe he was about to faint.
He looked over at Emmy, mere metres away, but thankfully she was absorbed in a Where’s Wally? hunt. He wondered whether she’d remember her at all. This woman that was once so important to her. It had been close on four years now.
He saw her look up, and felt whatever composure he had drain from his body, but her eyes swept right past him. He was unsure whether he felt anger or relief at the fact that she didn’t recognise him. But then, why would she? He had changed – aged– from everything he’d lost. He’d gone far beyond the point of counting the greys in his beard now.
‘Nathan.’ He came to at the sound of the soft gasp. He hadn’t realised he’d spaced out for a moment. Dammit, of course she had seen him. Why hadn’t he ducked down? Hidden? Was he ready for this scene? He knew the answer to that question and it was a definite and resounding no.
. . .
Patrice couldn’t believe that he was here. Of all the places for him to be, he was here. Miles and oceans away from home, they had been brought together. She grimaced internally at the irony. She had always firmly believed there was no such thing as a coincidence, but this was beyond cruel. The kids. Were they here too? They couldn’t see her, they mustn’t know the truth. She looked around, her heart suddenly pounding like a gong. God, it was so loud, it was going to give her away. She couldn’t see them anywhere though. It was a big store so they could be anywhere, most likely far from the book section. She noticed Nathan’s eyes dart to the left, behind a shelf displaying children’s books. There was a hint of worry in his eyes so she knew that one of her children must be there, but distracted. The older two would have outgrown that shelf by now. It must be Emmy. It took Patrice all of her will power not to race over and steal a glimpse of her little girl.
. . .
Nathan hadn’t moved. He hadn’t blinked. He wasn’t even sure he had breathed recently, so he made a concerted effort to drag in a lungful of air and drew his mind back to those hazy days and months when Patrice had disappeared. That weary time when his world had been tipped on its axis and nothing was ever to be the same.
Everything still seemed to be moving too slowly, and he wondered absently whether he was in shock. He used to dream about this moment. It had always been a happy one in his imagination. Reality didn’t always match up with what you wanted, though. He hadn’t counted on the anger.
When he looked back to the time when his life had shattered, he could never seem to recall it with any clarity. He remembered the flashing lights of police cars, interview rooms with two-way mirrors and video cameras, casseroles from family. He didn’t remember much of what was said, only images. His baby girl curled up on the corner of the couch with her eyes squeezed closed, her thumb plugged into her mouth and her tiny fist clenching her snuggle rug. His son stirring a pot of noodles on the stove with snail tracks of dried tears trailing down his cheeks. The lump in the blankets that was his Janey, hidden away in denial of the entire world.