 | Ranolf and Amohia |  |
III.
Then off she skims in circuit wide,
Resolved another plan to try,
Again with paddles swiftly plied,
Again across the lake they fly;
And as her little bark he nears,
A new defiance Ranolf hears:
Resolved another plan to try,
Again with paddles swiftly plied,
101
And as her little bark he nears,
A new defiance Ranolf hears:
“I'm Wákatau, he—
That Child of the Sea!
And my dearest delight
Is flying my kite.
Down beneath, on the sand,
With the string in my hand,
Under water I stand;
Or the kite in the air,
Like the day-moon up there,
Like an albatross strong,
Draws me swiftly along
As I float to and fro
On the green sea below.—
Apakúra, my mother,
Can catch me, none other;
From the quickest alive,
Down—down—would I dive!—
Whoever you be—
Though fonder, though dearer,
You, you are not she,
Apakúra, O no!—
So if you come nearer,
See—down I must go!”
That Child of the Sea!
And my dearest delight
Is flying my kite.
Down beneath, on the sand,
With the string in my hand,
Under water I stand;
Or the kite in the air,
Like the day-moon up there,
Like an albatross strong,
Draws me swiftly along
As I float to and fro
On the green sea below.—
Apakúra, my mother,
Can catch me, none other;
From the quickest alive,
Down—down—would I dive!—
Whoever you be—
Though fonder, though dearer,
You, you are not she,
Apakúra, O no!—
So if you come nearer,
See—down I must go!”
| Ranolf and Amohia | |