| Last Labours and Death of Hotu Matu'a | ||
| He-noho te Ariki tamaaroa Ko Hotu Matu'a i Akahaga, ananake te mahigo e-aga i te vai. | King Hotu Matu'a was staying in Akahaga 66, with all his people, digging wells67. | |
| Te poki ra'e a Hotu Matu'a Ko Tu'u Maheke, te rua poki Ko Miru te Matanui, te toru poki Ko Tu'u te Matanui, te há poki Ko Hotu Iti te Mataiti. | The first son of Hotu Matu'a was Tu'u Maheke, the second was Miru te Matanui, the third was Tu'u te Matanui, the fourth was Hotu Iti te Mataiti. | |
| Ku-korohua-á te Ariki, he-iri ki te rano, he-noho i te rano. Te igoa o te hare "Ko Te Vare Te Reigataki". | The King had grown old, he climbed the volcano, he stayed at the volcano. The name of [his] house was "Ko Te Vare Te Reinataki". | |
| He-to'o-mai i te ma'ea hahati, he-hono i te ma'ea hahati, he-kî te Ariki: "Ko te ma'ea hono a Hotu Matu'a". | He took a broken stone, he mended the broken stone, the King said: "The mended stone of Hotu Matu'a"68. | |
| Aga maúga. He-mamae te Ariki. He-oho-mai te mahigo, ka-rau, ka-rau, ka-piere, ka-piere. | [That was his] last work. The King became ill. The people came to him, a hundred, a hundred, a thousand, a thousand [i.e. they came to him in great numbers]. | |
| He-kî te Ariki ki taana ga poki: "Ka-oho-mai korua ananake, he-mate au". | The King said to his children: "Come here, all of you, I am dying." | |
| He-oho-mai te ga poki, he-tu'u ki a Hotu Matu'a, he-aroha. | The children came, [they] came to Hotu Matu'a, [they] saluted [him]. | |
| He-kî te Ariki: "Koai koe?". He-kî te poki atariki: "Koau nei, Ko Tu'u Maheke". He-kî te Ariki: "Ina koe ekó rava'a, e te atariki ê! One nui i Anakena, i toou kaíga, koúra nui i to'ou kaíga". | The King said [to one]: "Who are you?". The first-born said: "This is me, Tu'u Maheke." The King said "Good luck to you69, first-born! [There is] much sand in Anakena, in your land, and many insects in your land."70 | |
| He-ea te poki atariki kihaho, he-uru te rua poki, Ko Miru te Matanui, he-aroha. He-kî te Ariki: "Ina koe ekó rava'a, mo ro'ou o toou mahigo". He-ea kihaho te rua poki. | The first-born left for outside, the second child, Miru te Matanui, entered [and] saluted. The King said: "Good luck to you, in order to take care of your people." The second child went outside. | |
| He-uru te toru poki, Ko Tu'u te Matanui, he-aroha. He-kî te Ariki: "Koai koe?" He-kî : "Koau nei, Ko Tu'u te Matanui a Hotu Matu'a". He-kî -mai te Ariki: "Ina koe ekó rava'a, kikiri nui i Haga Tepau, pipi nui i Te Hue". He-ea te poki. | Entered the third child, Tu'u te Matanui, [and he] saluted. The King said: "Who are you?" [The third child] said: "This is me, Tu'u te Matanui [son] of Hotu Matu'a." The King said: "Good luck to you, there are many stones in Haga Tepau, many snails in Te Hue."71 The child went out. | |
| He-uru te hagupotu Ko Hotu Iti te Mataiti, he-aroha. He-û'i-mai te Ariki: "Koai koe?". He-kî -atu: "Koau, Ko Hotu Iti te Mataiti a Hotu Matu'a". He-teki, he-hogi i te kukumu, ararua paíga. He-agiagi e te Ariki poki rivariva, poki hiohio. He-kî te Ariki: "Ina koe ekó rava'a e Hotu Iti ê, et te Mataiti a Hotu Matu'a ê! He niuhi tapaka'i i Motu Toremo Hiva i to'u kaíga". | Entered the last-born, Hotu Iti te Mataiti, [and he] saluted. The King said: "Who are you?" [The child] answered: "This is me, Hotu Iti te Mataiti [son] of Hotu Matu'a." [The King] embraced [him and] kissed [him] on the cheeks, on both sides. The King knew [he was] a good child, a strong child. The King said: "Good luck to you, Hotu Iti, Mataiti [son] of Hotu Matu'a! There are hammerheads in Motu Toremo in Hiva, in your land." 72 | |
| He-kî te Ariki: "Ka-nonoho-mai korua taaku ga poki, i tooku puoko, i tooku va'e, i te kaokao". | The King said: "Stay near, you my children, by my head, by my feet, by my sides." | |
| He-nonoho. He-kî te Ariki ki taana maaga hagai tamaaroa: "Ka-oho koe ki Huareva ki te vai mouga maaku mo unu. Ana unu au i te vai era, he-mate au". | [They] stayed. The King said to his adoptive son: "Go to Huareva73, to fetch me a last drink [lit.: for the last water, my drink (maaku) to drink (mo unu)]. When I drink that water I'll die." | |
| He-oho, he-to'o i te vai, he-uutu i te vai, he-ma'u, he-oho kiroto ki te hare, he-hakarere i te vai. | [The child] went, [he] fetched the water, [he] drew the water, [he] took [it], [he] entered the house, [he] left the water [there]. | |
| He-kî te Ariki O'Hotu Matu'a: "Ka-hakaúnu-mai! ". | King Hotu Matu'a said: "Make me drink!" | |
| I hakaunu-era, he-horo i te vai kiroto ki te manava. He-kî -hakaou te Ariki: "Ka-hakarogo-mai tokorua tariga ki taaku vânaga mouga; he-ragi au ki Hiva, ki te kaíga, ki te Ariki". | When [he was] made to drink, [he] swallowed the water down into [his] belly. The King said again: "Make your two ears listen to my last words; I cry out to Hiva, to [our] land, to [its] king." | |
| He-kî te ga poki ki te mahigo ananake. | The children repeated it to all the people. | |
| He-ragi te Ariki ki Hiva: "E Kuihi, e Kuaha! Ka-hakao'oa-itiiti-mai koe i te reo o te moa o Ariage!". | The King sang out to Hiva: "E Kuihi, e Kuaha! Make the voice of the rooster of Ariange crow a little while for us!"74 | |
| He-o'oa-mai te moa, mai Hiva, ka-tu'u-ró-mai te reo o te moa ki te kaíga nei: "o'oa take heuheu". | The rooster crowed from Hiva, the voice of the rooster arrived to this [our] land: "O'oa take heuheu." 75 | |
| He-mate te Ariki. | The King died. | |
| Vânaga mouga o te Ariki O'Hotu Matu'a. | [Those were the] last words of King Hotu Matu'a. | |
Note 67 Lit.: to work water.
Note 68 These stones can still be seen near Rano Kau, piled up one on top of another.
Note 69 Lit.: do not come across [bad things].
Note 70 The meaning is probably "let your offpspring be many, like the grains of sand of Anakena beach, like the insects in your land."
Note 71 The stones and the snails symbolize the many offspring Hotu Matu'a wishes his son Tu'u te Matanui (see note 70).
Note 72 Niuhi is the hammerhead shark, to which Hotu Matu'a compares his son for his courage. The meaning of tapaka'i is unknown. Toremo is the name of an islet in Hiva, after which was named a cape behind Poike.
Note 73 The place between Vaihú and Akahanga where Hotu Matu'a had ordered wells to be dug.
Note 74 Kuihi and Kuaha are the names of ghosts (akuaku) of Hiva. According to K. Routledge's version (The Mystery of Easter Island, p.280) Hotu Matu'a "called to four aku-aku in his old home across the sea, "Kuihi, Kuaha, Tongau, Opakako, make the cock crow for me," and the cock crew in Marae Renga, and he heard it across the sea; that was his death signal".
Note 75 Englert comments: "Thus the crowing of the cock of Hiva." The meaning is obscure.