Word of Te Whiti - Barry Mitcalfe
'He whenua te waiu whakatupu nga tamariki'
Land is the sustenance of the children.
All flesh is grass
And the price of this land is blood
But the land has not the value of one person
Guns and powder are no protection
For with guns and powder the pakeha
Would make us pay the price
There was a time for action
But this day is the day of the spirit
The spirit will live and the action die
If anyone thinks of horse and gun
By horse and gun will he perish
And those who flee will fall
The canoe which will save us all
Is forbearance. No matter to us what happens
Now is the glory and peace upon the land
Let us abide by the land
Let the booted feet come
The land shall stay firm forever.
(2007). D. O'Meara (Ed.), Voices of the Pacific: A poetry resource Auckland: Pearson Education.
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