1924 Ko Niu Tireni haka

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  • 1924 Ko Niu Tireni haka:

A Maori haka, is a traditional ancestral war cry that the New Zealand national rugby team, the "All Blacks", perform before their international matches. The team made a 1924-5 tour of Britain, Ireland, and France (Joyce attended their January 1925 match in Paris), in which they performed this haka (with Maori text to the left, English translation to the right):

Kia whakangawari au i a hau Let us prepare ourselves for the pray
I au-e! Hei! (The sound of being ready)
Ko Niu Tireni e haruru nei! The New Zealand storm is about to break
Au, Au, aue hā! Hei! (The sound of the imminent storm.)
Ko Niu Tireni e haruru nei! The New Zealand storm waxes fiercer
Au, Au, aue hā! Hei! (Sounds of The height of the storm.)
A ha-ha!
Ka tū te ihiihi We shall stand fearless
Ka tū te wanawana We shall stand exalted in spirit
Ki runga ki te rangi, We shall climb to the heavens
E tū iho nei, tū iho nei, hī! We shall attain the zenith the utmost heights.
Au! Au! Au!

The above is the first verse of the haka. A later one (as performed in England) includes the lines, "The strength of England is known throughout the world...let us see what England can do."