| 1 |
he pā whakaruru hau |
a shelter from the storm |
| 2 |
he rau ringa e oti ai |
many hands make light work |
| 3 |
he waka eke noa |
a shared resource |
| 4 |
ko te kai rapu ko ia te kite |
those who seek will find |
| 5 |
nā te waewae i kimi |
those who seek will find |
| 6 |
he pai rangi tahi |
the beauty of a single day |
| 7 |
ka mate koe i te kai hikareti |
smoking kills you |
| 8 |
he ihu kurī, he tangata haere |
as a dog follows a scent, a wayfarer looks for an open door |
| 9 |
te amorangi ki mua, te hāpai ō ki muri |
the priest leads while the food carrier follows |
| 10 |
waikato taniwha rau: he piko, he taniwha, he piko he taniwha |
waikato of a hundred taniwhaa |
| 11 |
waikato horo pounamu |
waikato that swallows greenstone |
| 12 |
e kore te pātiki e hoki ki tōna puehu |
the flounder does not go back to the mud it has stirred |
| 13 |
he urunga tangata he urunga pāhekeheke, he urunga oneone, mau tonu |
to rest on human support is unreliable, to rest on terra-firma is sure |
| 14 |
he wāhine, he whenua, ka ngaro te tangata |
for a woman and land, men perish |
| 15 |
he kokonga whare e kitea, he kokonga ngākau e kore e kitea |
you may detect a flaw in a house, you cannot a flaw in the human heart |
| 16 |
totohu ahiahi, whakarere harata |
beastful in the evening, reticent in the morning |
| 17 |
he kai kei aku ringa |
there’s plenty with my hands |
| 18 |
ma whero, ma pango, ka oti te mahi |
by red and black a job is finished |
| 19 |
ka mate kāinga tahi ka ora kāinga rua |
when one home fails, have another to go to |
| 20 |
kua āta haere, muri tata kino |
to start early is leisurely, but to race against time is desperate |
| 21 |
e mua kaikai, e muri kai huare |
early arrivals have the pick, but late comers may only get spittal |
| 22 |
ngaro atu he tētēkura, whakaeke mai he tētēkura |
when one chief disappears another is ready to appear |
| 23 |
moe ana te mata hī tuna, ara ana te kitaua |
eel catchers may sleep but sentries do not |
| 24 |
te ai he ata kē |
not a morning passes but he appears |
| 25 |
he pai aha to te tutua? |
can any good be expected from the low-born |
| 26 |
he kai tangata he kai titonga kaki; |
deep at eating but shallow at work |
| 27 |
hōhonu kaki, pāpaku nana |
deep at eating but shallow at work |
| 28 |
he kōrero ahiahi na tiketikeirangi |
it’s an overnight boast off blow-hard |
| 29 |
he kai iti ma tangata kotahi e kai kia rangona ai te reka |
if there is little of food, let one eat it so that it can be enjoyed |
| 30 |
he tangata takahi manuhiri, he marae puehu |
the marae is disreputable when guests are not respected |
| 31 |
te kaihoki i waiaua rā |
here we starve when there is abundance at waiaua |
| 32 |
haere maha mahue maha |
mutually satisfied |
| 33 |
e tama, tangata i akona i te whare, te tūranga ki te marae tau ana |
because you were taught at home, you shape well in public |
| 34 |
e, kaua e ako marae |
don’t begin to learn in public |
| 35 |
te anga karaka, te anga koura, kei kitea ki te marae |
don’t leave about your place, shells of karaka berries and of crayfish |
| 36 |
ka ngaro te reo tangata, kiiki o manu |
human voices are silent except the twittering of birds |
| 37 |
he kai titowera rawa hoki nāu te wai? |
is it much trouble to prepare a drink of water? |
| 38 |
he huahua te kai? a, he wai te kai |
are preserved pigeons the chief food? no, its water |
| 39 |
he iti hōpua wai ka hē te manawa |
it may be a shallow pool, yet it may drown |
| 40 |
toitū he kāinga, whatu ngarongaro he tangata |
while the land remains the inhabitants are gone |
| 41 |
he manako te koura i kore ai |
crayfish are scarce when they are expected |
| 42 |
he aha ta te rora? |
what can be expected from a common person? |
| 43 |
he mahi ta te āta noho, e kii ana wheke |
to sit still is to do something, so says wheke |
| 44 |
waiho ma te tangata e mihi, kia tau ai |
it would be better to let others praise |
| 45 |
he harore rangi tahi |
it’s like a mushroom that lives but a day |
| 46 |
tāu kai te rangatira he kōrero, ta te ware he muhukai |
the rangatira relishes talk while the nobody is inattentive |
| 47 |
he taonga tonu te wareware |
forgetfulness is to be reckoned with always |
| 48 |
he maroro kokati ihu waka |
the flying-fish that cuts across the bow of the canoe |
| 49 |
he ngaro tangata ora |
it’s the absence of one livingnot one dead |
| 50 |
he tāne māu hei te ringa raupo |
marry a man with blistered handsa worker |
| 51 |
he tangi to te tamariki, he whakamā to te pakeke |
when the impudent child cries, the elder blushes |
| 52 |
kia mate ururoa, kei mate wheke |
fight like a shark, don’t give in like an octopus |
| 53 |
ruia taitea kia tū ko taikaka anake |
cast off the sap, leave only the heart |
| 54 |
kia āta akiaki i au, he kai ka mate kai te hara o te kaki |
don’t hurry me, there is something that tickles my palate |
| 55 |
take kōanga, whakapiri ngahuru |
aloof at planting time, friendly at harvest |
| 56 |
ngahuru, kai hāngai, kōanga kai anga kē |
at harvest time one eats openly, at spring time one eats in a corner |
| 57 |
tukuna mai ki a au ki hikurangi, ki te maunga e tauria ana e te huka |
let him come to me, to hikurangi, the mountain covered with snow |
| 58 |
he au kei uta e taea te karo, he au kei te moana e kore e taea |
you may dodge smoke on land, but you cannot dodge current at sea |
| 59 |
ka kō nga kopara a rongomaitapui |
the bell-birds of rongomaitapui do chirp |
| 60 |
nga paniwhaniwha ngau pūraho a te aotauru |
te aotautu’s biting snappers |
| 61 |
arā te rongo kōrero e pihi rā i tawhiti a pawa, takoto noa waimahuru |
while tidings go over tawhiti a pawa, waimahuru remains solitary |
| 62 |
patua i tahatu o te rangi, waiho tangata haere wā, kia haere na, kia rongo ai i te kōrero |
strike at distance, leave alone the casual way-farer so that you may hear news |
| 63 |
ngāti nua hiku potakataka |
ngāti nua of the plump tail |
| 64 |
ngai tāne ngau pūtahi |
ngai tāne heart-eating |
| 65 |
hei ahau tonu koe waru ai? |
a nuisance |
| 66 |
he oma a tawhata i ora ai |
discretion is the better part of valour |
| 67 |
ka pū te ruha, ka hao te rangatahi |
the old net is cast aside, while the new net goes a-catching |
| 68 |
titiro ki opou, ki te pā o kaitoa |
look at opou where kaitoa lives |
| 69 |
werohia ki te poho o huatare |
appeal to huatore’s stomach |
| 70 |
ka whanga te kai ki tua o toka 0rurunga |
why wait for food beyond tokararangi? |
| 71 |
haere tāua ki waiapu, ki tatara e maru ana |
let us go to waiapu, the sheltering cape |
| 72 |
puraho māku, kei ngaure o mahi |
to catch fish you must place your basket in the water |
| 73 |
e mate ana i a au, e ora ana i a te waranga |
though i perish,te waranga lives |
| 74 |
e tū, e tū, te rangona hoki te reka o te kai |
how can i taste the sweetness of your food? |