Tune: Hanover (O worship the king)
Give thanks for Creation: orokohanga
that cosmic explosion—our whakapapa;
for logos and mythos, for spirit and word
give thanks for the ethos through which they are heard.
that cosmic explosion—our whakapapa;
for logos and mythos, for spirit and word
give thanks for the ethos through which they are heard.
*****
Remember nga tūpuna—those gone before
their stars shining on us in Aotearoa
for we are the ashes of stars as they die
niho taniwha1on the cloak of the sky.
their stars shining on us in Aotearoa
for we are the ashes of stars as they die
niho taniwha1on the cloak of the sky.
*****
Give thanks for the speakers: nga kaikōrero2
we hear and we listen—aroā whakarongo3.
With courage, with passion we greet the new day
nga pā harakeke4 of cosmos and clay.
we hear and we listen—aroā whakarongo3.
With courage, with passion we greet the new day
nga pā harakeke4 of cosmos and clay.
1. Niho taniwha: (noun) saw-edged pattern of tukutuku panels and in the tāniko weaving on the hems of cloaks. The principal motif that represents the realm of mythology and a chief’s lineage from the gods. Also symbolises family houses within the tribe.
2. Nga kaikōrero: (noun) speaker, narrator.
3. Aroā whakarongo: (noun) listening comprehension. Aroā: comprehend, comprehension, be aware; whakarongo: hear, listen.
4. Nga pā harakeke: (noun) flax bush, generations – a metaphor used to represent the gene pools inherited by children from their two parents and the passing of attributes down the generations.
Desert Road © bronwyn angela white
words of spirit and faith 