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The
task is complex. The law of correspondences has been used, I
think, to assemble a multitude of meanings to the crucial moment
when 'the staff is broken'.
| "he ata pe hiva he
hati te kohe i te vae" (Manuscript E according to
Barthel 2) |
"The dream soul was
careless (?) and broke the kohe plant with her
feet." (Barthel 2) |
The
proper translation is important and we must move forward slowly and with
caution. To begin with he ata it is fairly obvious
that he here is a definite article ('the'):
| He
He, article,
also verbal prefix. Hé, where? I hé,
where; ki hé, whereto; mai hé, wherefrom.
Vanaga.
Article. P Mgv., Mq.: e, the.
Sa.: se, id. Churchill. |
Ata is (as we have seen at ariki) possible to interpret
as 'shadow':
| ...
Whatever a in ariki means it is certain
that ariki means king. It would not surprise me,
though, if this suffix means 'son of', i.e. a-riki
= 'son to a regent' (cfr a in e.g. Hotu A
Matua). In Polynesia the eldest son of a king is
predestined to become a king in due time.
Ata-riki, can possibly be understood as the king of
the shadows (ata). But a shadow cannot exist in
utter darkness ...
The
meaning of ata is close to what we have learnt
about moe glyphs - they are located inside the
'threshold' to the 'room' of the new light. Although the
new luminant still is below the horizon its light can be
perceived, and therefore also shadows ... |
He
ata will then define the time of the event as early 'dawn'. When
the old 'staff, canoe' is breaking the new king must be on his way.
As to
he
hati te kohe i te vae we can - as a first reading - accept what
is suggested by Barthel: The breaking (he hati) of the
'bamboo' (te kohe) is caused (i) by the foot (te
vae) [of the kuhane]. Though both i and vae
have several interesting possibilities. I have redmarked a few
below:
| I
1. Preposition
denoting the accusative: o te hanau eepe i-hoa
i te pureva mai Poike ki tai, the hanau eepe
threw the stones of Poike into the sea. Te rua muraki
era i a Hotu Matu'a. the grave where they buried
Hotu Matu'a. 2. Preposition: for,
because of, by action of, for reason of...,
ku-rari-á te henua i te ûa the ground is soaked by
the rain; i te matu'a-ana te hakaúru i te kai mo
taana poki huru hare, the mother herself carries
(lit.: by the mother herself the taking...) the food for
her son secluded in the house. 3. Preposition:
in, on, at (space): i te
kaiga nei, on this island. 4. Preposition:
in, on
(time): i mu'a, before; i agataiahi,
yesterday; i agapó, tonight; i te poá, in
the morning. 5. Preposition: in
the power of: i a îa te ao, the command
was in his power. 6. Adverb of place: here. i au nei,
I am here (also: i au i , here I am, here).
Vanaga.
Î. Full;
ku-î-á te kete i te kumara, the bag is full of
sweet potatoes. 2. To abound, to
be plentiful; ki î te îka i uta, as there
are lots of fish on the beach. 3.
To start crying (of a baby): i-ûi-era te
ma-tu'a ku-î-á te poki mo tagi, he-ma'u kihaho, when
a mother saw that her baby was starting to cry she would
take it outside. Vanaga.
Toward; i muri oo na, to
accompany. Churchill.
Ii, to
deteriorate, to go bad. Churchill. |
|
Vae
Va'e: Foot, leg; te va'e
mata'u, te va'e maúi, right foot, left foot.
Va'e ruga, va'e raro, quick and light, without
detour (lit.: foot up, foot down). Ka-oho koe ki
a nua era va'e ruga va'e raro, ina ekó hipa-hipa,
hurry straight to your mother, do not make any
detours. Va'e pau, misshapen foot, clubfoot.
Vae, to choose. Vaega, middle, centre;
i vaega o, in the middle of. Vanaga.
1. Foot, paw, leg, limb; vae no
roto, drawers; karikari vae, ankle. P
Pau.: vaevae, foot, leg. Mgv.: vaevae,
id. Mq.: vae, id. Ta.: vaevae, avae,
id. 2. Pupil. 3. To choose,
elect, prefer, promote, vote; vavae,
to destine, to choose; vaea (vae 2),
pupil. Vaeahatu
(vae 1 - ahatu): moe vaeahatu,
to sleep sprawling with legs extended. Vaega,
center, middle, within, half; o vaega,
younger; ki vaega, among, between,
intermediate. P Pau.: vaega, the middle.
Mgv.: vaega, center, middle. Mq.: vaena,
vavena, vaveha, id. Ta.: vaehaa,
half. Vaehakaroa (vae 1 - roa):
moe vaehakaroa, to sleep with legs stretched
out. Vaehau (vae 1 - hau 3),
pantaloons, trousers. Vaeherehere (vae
1 - here 1), to attach by the paw. Vaerere
(vae 1 - rere 1), to run. Churchill.
Ta.: 1.
Timbers of a boat. Ha.: wae, knees,
side timbers of a boat. 2. To share out. Sa.: vae,
to divide, to share. Ma.: wawae,
to divide. Churchill. |
Presumably more than one meaning is expected to be understood by the
reader. On the personal plane the crying of a firstborn new baby
could be a reason for the old king to take a vacation,
to choose (vae) to leave his duties.
The
queen will similarly choose (vae) to give all her attention
to the 'pupil' (vae), the future king, the new 'timbers' (vae)
soon to be a great 'ship'. The queen will promote (vae) him.
The time is here divided (wawae) into a past (old king) and a
future (newborn child). The queen prefers the newborn and 'tramples'
on the old one.
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