| The Story of Oroi. | The Story of Oroi. | |
| Te taína o Hotu Matu'a Ko Hoga, Ko Te Kena, Ko Oroi. | Hotu Matu'a's brothers were Honga, Te Kena, and Oroi. | |
| I-piko-nó-mai A'Oroi iruga i te miro, i-oho-mai-ai, ina kai tikea. | Oroi had come hidden in the boat, without being seen. | |
| Peíra-ana i-tomo-ró-ai kiuta. I-tomo-era, i te raá ra'e he-tere Oroi ki te aro era. | Thus he came to this land. Once arrived, on the first day, Oroi ran to the other side (of the island). | |
| Etahi poki hâgai a Hotu Matu'a, poki tamahahine, Teatea te igoa, he paerega. | Hotu Matu'a had an adopted daughter called Teatea, a girl who had no (other) protection. | |
| He-hakamoe Hotu Matu'a i taana maaga hâgai ki te kenu; i Ma'uga Teatea te hare o te kenu. He-noho ararua ko taana vî'e. | Hotu Matu'a had married off his daughter; the husband's house was in Ma'unga Teatea 50. He 51 lived there with his wife. | |
| He-noho te Ariki i Anakena. Ki tu'u ki te tahi raá, he-topa-tagi te Ariki mo taana poki hagai. | The king lived in Anakena. One day, he remembered his daughter with sadness. | |
| He-oho te Ariki ananake ko te manu, manu tara, manu hâgai, manu ma'a i te vânaga. | He went, accompanied by all his birds, tara birds, birds he had brought up, birds taught to speak 52, | |
| He-oho te Ariki, he-tu'u ki te hare o taana poki hâgai ararua ko taana kenu. He-tu'u, he-tagi, he-hakaaroha. | and he arrived at the home of his daughter and her husband. Once arrived, he wept 53 and greeted them. | |
| He-taha te raá, he-kî te Ariki ki taana poki-hâgai: | As the sun went down, the king said to his daughter: | |
| "Ka-noho korua ko te hunoga! He-oho au, he-hoki a te aro era a te ara. | "Stay with my son-in-law. I will go and return (home) by the road on the other side. | |
| ¡E-û'i-atu korua ko te hunoga ki a au! | Watch me, you and my son-in-law! | |
| Ana û'i-atu korua, ana-hiri-mai te manu iruga i a au, araro au ka-oho nei, aruga te manu. | If you see the birds hover above me, it is sign that I am walking below with the birds above. | |
| Ana vevero te manu, ku-mate-á au. Ana noho-mai te manu iruga, ina au kai mate". | But if the birds drop down, (it means that) I am dead. If the birds stay aloft, I have not died." | |
| He-oho te Ariki a te ara, he-oho-mai mai Poike ki Haganui, ki ma'uga To'ato'a a te ara-á. | The king went along the road, he was going from Poike to Hanganui 54, and (from there) to To'ato'a hill 55. | |
| He-tu'u ki Oroi, he-u'i-atu te Ariki ki a Oroi, ina. | He arrived where Oroi was; the king looked at Oroi, but did not see him. | |
| Ku-poko-á Oroi i te tapa o te ara; koîa iroto i te kavara, ki a Hotu Matu'a mo tiga'i. | Oroi had laid a trap by the side of the road; he was inside a low cave, to kill Hotu Matu'a. | |
| He-haga ki te Ariki moona. | He wanted to be king. | |
| Ku-hakapú-á i te táûra i te ara, ai ka-hakanehunehu-ró i te pú o te táura hai kiri hau o tikea e Hotu Matu'a ki o'o te va'e kiroto. | He had laid a snare on the road, and had covered it with hauhau bark so the Hotu Matu'a would not see it when he put his foot in it. | |
| He-û'i-atu te Ariki O'Hotu Matu'a ko te pú o te táûra. | King Hotu Matu'a saw the snare. | |
| He-oho te Ariki e-moe-ró-á te táûra. | As he went (along the road), (he saw that) a snare was lying there. | |
| He-rei te táûra a te tapa hai potu magamaga, rei hiohio. | He tread on it on the side with the tip of his toes, he tread on it forcefully. | |
| He-u'i-mai Oroi. He-kariti, ku-hiohio-á. He-koa Oroi. | Oroi saw that and he pulled back the string very hard. Oroi was already rejoicing 56 | |
| He-rei hiohio i te táûra e te Ariki Hotu Matu'a. | But King Hotu Matu'a tread hard on the string. | |
| He-totoi, he-hiri te manu. | He pulled it 57 and the birds kept hovering above him. | |
| He-ragi-atu te Ariki Hotu Matu'a ki Oroi: | King Hotu Matu'a shouted at Oroi: | |
| "Ka-mahani-nó-mai koe mai Hiva, mai te kaíga. | "You have come from Hiva, from our homeland, with your same old tricks. | |
| Ku-pae-á te táû'a taína. | You started this quarrel against your brother. | |
| Ina au ekó rava'a e koe. | You will not catch me. | |
| Au e atariki, me'e mana nuinui; ku-avaimai-á te táûa matu'a i te pó mooku o tooku rivariva, o tooku maitaki; | I am the eldest son, I have a great power which our father gave me one night, because I was good and pure 58; | |
| oíra au i-hakaariki-ai e totáûa matu'a mo ro'ou o te mahigo; akoe me'e rakerake". | that is why our father made me king, so that I look after the people; but you are evil." | |
| He-ragi-hakaou te Ariki ki Oroi ki kipakipa: "Taviri taviri, kiraro kiraro, ka-mate ka-mate!". | The king shouted again, cursing 59 Oroi: "Turn, turn, down, down 60, die, die!" | |
| He-mate Oroi. | Oroi died. | |
| E-û'i-no-mai-á he poki hâgai a Hotu Matu'a, ararua ko taana kenu. | Hotu Matu'a's daughter saw it with her husband. | |
| He-kakata, he-kî: "Ku-mate-á Oroi". | They laughed and said: "Oroi is dead." | |
| He-oho-mai te Ariki. He-tu'u ki Anakena. He-noho te Ariki. | The king went, arrived at Anakena and stayed there. |
Note 51 Teatea's husband.
Note 52 Like parrots.
Note 53 tagi means to weep, because it also means any verbal expression of sadness, and, probably, means also "emotion" in general. Perhaps this translation would be better: "Once arrived, he greeted them excited with joy."
Note 54 Hotu Iti beach.
Note 55 the distinctive pointed hillock near Rano Raraku.
Note 56 upon seeing Hotu Matu'a stepping on the string, thinking he was going to catch him.
Note 57 It seems that he dragged the string on the ground, pulling it with his toes, and so dragged Oroi who was holding the other end.
Note 58 Clean-handed, blameless: tagata rima maitaki.
Note 59 Kipakipa is a word unknown to present-day natives, but the context allows to guess that it meant "to curse" or something very similar.
Note 60 Fall to the ground, turning around, and die!