Pokarekare Ana
Pokarekare Ana is a traditional New Zealand love song. It emanated North of Auckland and was popularised by Māori soldiers who were training near Auckland before embarking for the war in Europe.
The Māori are the indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand.
Portrait of a young maori woman with moko by Louis John Steele (1891) Image source Read more about Ta moko |
Māori originated with settlers from eastern Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several waves of waka (canoe) voyages between roughly 1320 and 1350. Over several centuries in isolation, these settlers developed their own distinctive culture, whose language, mythology, crafts and performing arts evolved independently from those of other eastern Polynesian cultures.
Polynesia is generally defined as the islands within the Polynesian triangle Image source |
We've put together a few different versions of this beautiful song:
TEXT:
Māori | English |
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For some further listening, here is Hine E Hine (Girl oh Girl), a Māori lullaby written by Princess Te Rangi Pai:
The text translates as follows:
You are weeping,
Little girl, darling girl,
you are weary,
Little girl, darling girl.
Be sad no longer,
There is love for you
in the heart of the Father,
Little girl, darling girl.
You lie there,
girl oh girl
Fall asleep now,
girl oh girl.
As for myself,
I'll care for you
Therefore enter dreamland,
girl oh girl.
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