Te Kohoperoa.

Korimako, Issue 34, 15 November 1884, Page 9

Te Kohoperoa.

FOR THE MAORI YOUTHS WHO UNDERSTAND THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. Lin es on the Long-tailed Cuckoo, called by the Maoris "Te Koekoea." or "Te Kohoperoa." - t0 tr;l »sform itself into a iizaid, that state being acceptable to it, in the „< 1)r? - F . in l° h and Hartlaub inforrn us that this species is found in Fiji, Samoa, the - laiquesas, and other tropical countries. 0 bird of rave instinct! oft winging thy way, 0 ei the vast waste of waters, day after day; Eight eager to traverse our mountains awhile, And bask in the sun of our beautiful isle; Ah ! does the bleak aspect of some distant shore Impel thee to visit us, Kohoperoa ? Whence cometh thy knowledge of islands and seas? What time thou shalt travel, or nestle at ease ? What time thou shalt speed on the clouds of the sky, With nought for thy compass but stars, and thine eye;— Nor resting thy pinions till safe on our shore, To sing in our twilight, sweet Kohoperoa ? "Thou art,'' say the Maoris, "a lizard in form, Throughout the cold season of snow, sleet, and storm; And then as a songster careering through bowers, When the sun opes the petals of prized woodland flowers;" Strange legend, recounted by chieftains of yore, For they knew not thy Maker, 0 Kohoperoa ! Say, hast thou a conscience?—Ah, no! yet thy way Is based on the law of obedience, alway ; And when thy wild music from bloom-scented trees Is floated, in praises, on clouds, or the breeze, To Him, whose arm guides thee, in love, to each shore, What lessons thou teachest me, Kohoperoa ! Brave bird of the forest! that sweeps o'er the sea, For ever in quest of the Spring, in thy glee ; Come, come, in thy dark-mottled plumage to rest, On the branch of the Miro, or RatcCs red crest; Oh come, —for our spirits must ever adore Thy Maker, and ours, loved Kohoperoa. C. O. Davis. Ohinemutu, January, 1879.