E Koro Ma I Tamoana - He Tangi

This waiata tangi was composed by Hia-tangata. It is a lament for an ancestor who drowned in Lake Wairarapa. It is most suitable for use at a tangihanga.
1
E koro mā, i Tamoana rā ē ī,
Ko wai tō tātau, ē?
Ko tō tātau teina pāpā rā, ē,
Ko te Whare-kete rā;
Mō ngā taumata rā ia, e ī,
Mō tirotiro te whetu, e,
Mō ngā whana rere
Ki Tukuwahine rā, ē ī
2
Taku mokopuna, e kainga mai rā
E te wai, ē
Te wai marutuna;
Te wai rākau, ē!
He ware nō tāua, e hika, i konā;
Nō te mea ia rā ko ngā tauranga
Ki roto o Pakitara, ē,
Na ō kau i waiho, ē ī.
O SIRES ALL AT TAMOANA - A LAMENT
1
O sires all, at Tamoana yonder,
Who is it now from amongst us all?
Tis our junior uncle,
Tis Te Whare-kete;
He was of the summit,
He was the star-gazer,
He of the out-thrust limbs
Now lies at Tukuwahine yonder
2
My grandson over yonder was a victim
Of the waters, alas
Of the dangerous waters
Of the forest waters!
We two, dear one, failed sadly there;
All because of the landing places
In the vale of Pakitara,
Deserted by your elders, alas.