He Tai Pari (Upoko Tuawhitu / Chapter Seven)
Illustrations By Jenny Cooper and Translation By Kaharau Keogh
Feb 24 ● 9 min read ●
“E Ari, e taunga ana tā tāua mōhio ki ngā wai nei. Ka tae te wā, me peke koe i te taha, hikina o waewae kia māpuna tō mānū i te wai, e hoa. Kei muri tata ahau i a koe. Me noho tahi tāua, ka tika. Whakamahia te au o te moana kia ū tāua ki uta. Kaua e taukumekume i te wai. Whakapono mai, e Ari, ā, whakapono ki a koe anō.” te kōrero o Pāpā.
Ka whakaae a Ari, ā, ka motea tōna hā.
“E PEKE!”
Ka paratī a Ari ki roto i te wai. Ka karapotia a Ari e te wai mātaratara. Ka hikina ōna pona me tōna ūpoko, ā, ka kauhoe.
Te horohoro hoki o te wai, tēnā i tōna titiro i a rāua e noho ana i te poti. E kakati kau ana i ngā karu a Ari. Ka rongo ia i te paratī o Pāpā i muri i a ia, engari kīhai a Ari i kite i a ia.
Ka ūmere a Ari “ E Paaaaaa!”
Ka kī pai tōna waha i te wai tai, kātahi ka timata tōna mauri rere. Ka tāwhaiwhai, ka taukumekume a Ari i te wai kia mānū tonu tōna ūpoko.
“E Paaaaaa!” Te tīoro a Ari.
Ka tere mai te poti, ka hipa i a Ari, ā, ka rere whakawaho atu ki runga i te ia e puta atu ana ki tua. Ka kau mai a Pāpā, ā, ka mau ki a Ari me te pei i a ia kia mānū ia ki tōna tuarā.
“Kāti tō taukumekume, e tama.” te whiu o Pāpā.
Ka pūmau tonu tō Pāpā mau ki a Ari mai muri. I hikina te tinana a Ari e te pona o Pāpā, ā, ka tāwhaiwhai te ringa e wātea ana. Ko Ari terā e kauhoe ana, e tāwhanawhana hoki ana i te paenga o te wai. Ka kau tahi rāua ki te waha o te moana, ā, ka pātata atu tā rāua māpuna ki tātahi, nā … ka tau ngā waewae ki te whenua.
I tika tō Pāpā mō te taenga mai o te pō. E kitea ana ngā manomano ngaru hukahuka. Te mōrearea, te harakore hoki ōna. E kakati mārika ana i a rāua karu, e rehurehu ana i te tawhiti o uta.
Ka wairangi a Ari ki te kite i te tawhiti tonu o te whenua, i te mea, ko ngā pae rākau i tonu i te whenua, ināianei nā, e noho ana ki roto i te wai.
Ki te whātoro ā rāua waewae ki te oneone, ka kore pea e tau, ka mau rānei ki te one.
Kātahi a Ari ka rongo i tōna ingoa e karangahia ana.
Nā tōna hemo pea e ngāueue ai ana ōna whakaaro.
Ka rongo anō i a rāua ingoa e karangahia ana.
He pōhēhē noa iho pea.
Ka pōturi ake tō Pāpā kauhoe, me te mea nei e tirotiro haere ana ia. E rongo hoki ana a Pāpā i a rāua ingoa, ehara noa iho i te pōhēhē.
Ka pāorooro mai ētahi atu reo. Ka muramura mai ngā rama waka i te pari. Ka rongo a Ari i ngā kurī e au au ana.
“Tukuna ia, e Riki. Kua mau i a au!” Te tohutohu mai a tētahi.
Nā te tangata rā a Ari i hari ki uta, me te kaha hoki o tōna kauhoe. Ka mutu, kua takoto tīraha a Ari ki tātahi, ā, ka timata tōna kūwiriwiri. Ka ngana ia ki te noho tika me te kimi i tōna pāpā. Engari, nā te nui o ngā rama me ngā raiti e kā mai ana, tē taea te kimi. Ka whakatakotoria anōtia a Ari, ā, ka uhia ki te paraikete.
Nā tētahi a Ari i whakatū, ka atawhaingia ia e tōna Pāpā.
Ka awhiawhi rāua ko Pāpā. Kihi tonu atu a Pāpā i te rae o Ari, me tana tangi. Kua ora rāua! Ka rere hoki ngā roimata a Ari, kāore tonu ia i te whakapono e haumaru ana rāua.
“Me whai wāhi kōrua ki te whakamaroke, ki te whakamahana i a kōrua anō, e Riki.” te kōrero a tētahi. Ka whakaae a Riki, engari ka atawhaitia tonutia a Ari e ia.
Kātahi ka hoki kaha mai te mamae ki ōna rekereke, ā, ka taka ia ki ōna pona.
“Auē, kia tirohia hokihia taua waewae,” te kōrero anō ā te tangata rā. “Tēnā, e hoa, māku koe e awhi. Kua pokea ngā waka tūroro e ngā āhuatanga o te waipuke nei. Heoi, māku koe e hari ki te hohipera.”
Ka kuhu a Ari ki te waka o te tangata nei. Ka kuhu mai te tangata ki te waka, kātahi nā te mākū ōna. Ka awhinatia a Pāpā e tētahi atu kia pai tana uru ki te waka.
“He aha tāu, e Ari,” te pātai o te tangata nā. “Me tere rānei tātou tae ki te hohipera?” Ka whātoro tōna ringa, ka whakakā i te tangi whakatūpato.
Ka pukukata atu a Ari. Ka kore ōna hoa e whakapono ki tēnei! Ka whakaaro ia mō a rātou kawekawe kōrero i tana hokinga ki te kura.
Kua panoni rawa atu ināianei te āhua o te hohipera, tēnā i tōna āhua inanahi. He nāhi, he tākuta, he kaimahi e patiko haere ana i te takiwā. E ngunguru ana te tangata i te wharau ki tā rāua ko Pāpā taha. He āhua whakamīharo, whakatūmeke anō hoki. Ka kuhu mai te tākuta ki te wharau o Pāpā. “Ka mutu ana aku mahi i tērā taha, kātahi au ka wātea kia koe, e hoa. Arohamai, tokomaha ngā tangata kua
whara i tae mai i mua i a koe.” Ka hoatungia e ia he papatuhi ki a Riki me te tohutohu atu ki a ia ki te āta pānui atu me te whakatika, whakakī rānei i ngā taipitonga kōrero e tika ana kia pērā. Ka āta mātai atu ia i te papa nā. Ka mātakina e Ari. Ka whakaata mai te kanohi o Pāpā, he kare ā-roto e mōhiotia ana e Ari. Engari rā, he aha hoki?
Ka mau i a Ari te wairua i whakaputaina e Pāpā, i te mea, kua pērā anō a Ari. E hangarau ana ia, kāre e taea e ia te pepa te pānui.
Ka kaumingomingo ngā huatau a Ari, me te whakaaro: “Korekore rawa …”
“Aku tama toa! Ka pahū mai a Māmā ki roto, ka whakamāhanahana i te wharau. Ka tāwharautia e ia ōna toa. “Ōku ipo! Ōku tau!”
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