Ko ngā pukapuka katoa ka hokona mā tēnei hononga ka āwhina i a mātou ki te arotake i ētahi atu pukapuka nō Aotearoa - ngā mihi ki a koe mōu i tautoko i ngā pukapuka me ngā kaituhi o Aotearoa.

Nā William Shakespeare i tuhi. Nā Te Haumihiata Mason i whakamāori

An English language translation is included below this review.

Mā tēnei whakaputanga reo Māori hirahira o te mahi rongonui a Wīremu Hakipea mō ētahi tau aroha hoariri, kua tākina e hia miriona wā, ki ngā apataki e hia miriona,  e whakapūmau tāna noho ki whata pukapuka hou i ngā kāinga, i ngā kura me ngā wāhi kāore he nōhanga i mua. Ko Te Haumihiata tērā e huaki tonu nei i ngā tatau ki ērā e kimi nei kia rongo i te pārekareka o ngā mahi rongonui a Rurutao mā roto mai i te kupu whakanikoniko, te reo whakanakonako o ō tātou tīpuna. 

Pērā i ētahi tokomaha nei, ānō nei ngā mahi a Rurutao he taiapa me eke e puta ai te ihu i te kura. I mua i taku pānui i te pukapuka nei, i rongo ahau i te pupūnga ake anō o tērā mānatunatu. I mahara rā ahau mā te pakeke haere e mārama ake ai ahau ki te reo Pākehā tawhito i whakamahia rā ki te pūrākau i te kōrero aroha o te rautau 14 Weroniana. Ko taku ohorere hoki, ehara i te mea i mārama ake ahau ki te reo Pākehā tēnā i te wā whakamutunga i whakatuwheratia ai e au te uhi o Rōmeo rāua ko Hurieta, engari nā te reo Māori - he rite tonu te hōhonu -  i whakamahia ai ki te whakapuaki i ngā mahi a Rurutao, arā, nā ngā kupu whakarite i whakawhiti mai ki te reo i tino pīrangitia ai nōku e tai ana. Nāwai i whakahōhā, kua pārekareka kē, me te aha, mau katoa ana te aro.

Ko te āhua o te kapohia o te reka me te pokea hoki o te aroha pūhou, te ngau a te riri me te kiwa o te maikiroa i kapohia ki te reo Māori i tipu ai te hīkaka ki ahau mō te hunga ka pānui mai i tēnei pukapuka haere ake nei.

Ka whānui kē atu tō puna kupu reo Māori, ahakoa tō taumata reo. Nā tēnei pukapuka i whakamahara mai anō te wairua toikupu o te reo Māori, i kitea rā i ngā rerenga kōrero pēnei i ‘te kuku o taku manawa’ me ‘te tau a taku ate’ kua whītikina ki te arero, engari i ahau ka huritao, ka rangona ko taua hohonu tonu rā o te whakaaro, o te aroha anō rā ka tīkina ake e ngā kaitito tautōhito o te ao.

Ko te whakamahinga o ētahi atu rerenga kōrero kua roa e tāmoe ana engari i kapohia ake e te taringa tamariki i ngā tau kua riro, e mingo ai ngā pāpāringa, e noho mai ai hoki hei anakiwa mō ngā whakareanga o āpōpō.

Ko ia kupu, ia rerenga kua āta whakaarohia, kua āta tohua e whānui ake ai te tirohanga, e kitea ai hoki te tirohanga Māori me tōna whakatinanatanga mai. Ko te whakamahinga o te kupu ‘mata kōkako’ hei tohu i te awe māpara ka mau a Rōmeo me ētahi atu i te Capulet Ball e whakamiha ana i te āhua o te manu taketake, o te kōkako me ōna huru kerekere kei ōna whatu, otirā ia te moenga pūmau ōna i tōna hoa.

‘Kua kite koe he moa kē tāu e mea nā he kōtuku –And I will make thee think thy swan a crow’ 

I titoa mai tēnei whakaari i te wā i ora nui tonu rā te Moa, i takahi tonu rā ia i te mata o te whenua, ā, ahakoa i te kōrerotia rā e Benvolio te crow, kei te rite tonu te whakaaro. He manu rangatira tonu te kōtuku ki te Māori, ka mutu, ka rite tonu te whakanuia e te Māori mō tōna ahurei me tōna ātaahua, ā, ka taunga te hunga kaipānui ki ngā whakataukī e whakapūmau ana i tōna hirahira. Ka kitea hoki ētahi whakapuakanga mō ngā tipu Māori o Aotearoa i āta āpitihia atu ki te pukapuka. Ko tā te kaiwhakawhiti whakamāori mai i ngā ingoa o ngā atua o rāwāhi pēnei i a Aurora, atua Rōmana o te ata kia ‘Hineata’, i a Dian, atua o te urutapu kia ‘wahine mātau’ me tō Cupid taiohi, kakama hoki kia ‘Tama remurere’ ka mārama, otirā, ka whakatakoto hoki i tētahi tūāpapa mō te hunga pānui hei a raurangi.

Kua hou kē ngā rongo o Te Haumihiata mō ōna pūkenga reo, tana kaha whakatairanga i te reo Māori e ū tonu ai te nohonga o te ao Māori hei tūāpapa mō te reo Māori i tēnei pukapuka, ā, me whakanui ka tika. Ko te paki mō te aroha aukati me ngā whānau hoariri nō mai iho, engari ko te whakapuaki me te whakaahua i te wairua o tēnei whakaari ki te reo Māori ki tōna tino taumata e e titikaha ai ki te ngākau tangata, he tino ekenga tēra.

Ka kī ngā whata pukapuka i te paki, i ngā ringa me ngā hinengaro o te iwi mō te hia nei rau tau e haere ake nei.

Nā Racheal McGarvey i arotake

This stellar te reo Māori translation of the renowned work of William Shakespeare has ensured that this tragic story of star crossed lovers, told a million times to a million audiences, shall go on to find its place on new shelves in kāinga, in kura and on stages which previously did not have space. Te Haumihiata continues to open doors for those who seek to revel in the celebrated works of Shakespare through the figurative, poetic language of our own forebears.

Like many, I viewed Shakespeare as a daunting hurdle, something that was necessary to get through for school. Before opening this book I felt that unease well up again. I expected that with age the old English used to convey the tragic love story of 14th century Verona would be clearer. To my astonishment it was, but not because I understood English any better than I did when I last opened the cover of Romeo and Juliet but because the te reo Māori used to articulate Shakespeare’s work, while equal in its depth, usage of metaphor and simile, provided the translator that the younger me so desperately needed. I found myself engrossed in what had once seemed to be a chore, but I now understood to be a page turner.

The way the ecstasy and overwhelming nature of young love, the heat of conflict and the guilt and sorrow of tragedy, is captured in te reo Māori gave me a sense of excitement for the future readers of this book. 

Expect to broaden your te reo Māori vocabulary regardless of your proficiency. This book served as a reminder of the inherent poetic nature of te reo Māori, phrases like ‘te kuku o taku manawa’ and ‘te tau a taku ate’ have become common place, but on reflection convey the same depth of thought and affection associated with works of distinguished authors, playwrights and poets.

Phrases long fallen out of common usage, but nostalgic for those fortunate enough to have heard with younger ears, will bring a smile to those readers’ faces and insight for generations to come.

Each word and phrase has been considered and specifically choosen to broaden understanding and reflect Māori ways of thinking and expression. The usage of ‘mata kōkako’ for masks worn by Romeo and others at the Capulet Ball pays tribute to the appearance of the indigenous kōkako and the black feathers that shroud its eyes but also its nature as kōkako mate for life.

‘Kua kite koe he moa kē tāu e mea nā he kōtuku –And I will make thee think thy swan a crow’

This play was penned at a time when moa were numerous, common and walked the land, and while Benvolio speaks of the crow, the message here is the same. The kōtuku continues to be revered by Māori for its rarity and splendor and readers will be familiar with whakatauki that reinforce its significance. References to indigenous flora of Aotearoa are thoughtfully included throughout the text. The way in which the translator has approached references to foreign deities — like Aurora the roman goddess of the dawn interpreted as ‘Hineata’, the acknowledgement of Dian goddess of virginity as ‘wahine mātau’ and Cupid’s youth and impulsiveness as ‘Tama remurere’ — will resonate and again provide understanding to future readers.

Te Haumihiata is highly regarded for her knowledge of te reo Māori, and her commitment to ensuring te ao Māori is the foundation of the te reo Māori used in this book should be celebrated. A tale of forbidden love and feuding families is as old as time but to articulate and illustrate the messages of this play in te reo Māori in a way that, in my opinion, resonates with te ao Māori is a feat.

This book will fill the shelves, hands and minds of our people for another hundred years.

Reviewed by Racheal McGarvey