summoning souls of myriads

of names above hundreds

of waka names.

And you waka, who have seen heaven,

the guts of the ocean, brought terror

and pleasure, who have exhausted

your crews of home thoughts

who have lifted songs above

the waves of the greatest and deepest ocean,

rise – rise into the air – rise to the breath –

rise above valleys into light and recognition –

rise where all who have risen

sing your names.

And you, Urizen, Jupiter, Io Matua Kore,

holder of the compasses –

wind compass, solar compass,

compass encompassing known

currents, breather of the first breath

in every breathing creature,

guide the waka between islands,

between years and eyes of the Pacific

out of mythologies to consciousness.

And you stars, the ancestors,

nuclear orbs, red giants, white dwarves,

burn brilliantly, burn on the waka down there,

burn on waka riding valleys,

burn on waka on mountain summits,

burn on waka in the night,

burn on waka past the end of the light.

Also by Robert Sullivan

Jazz Waiata (AUP, 1990)

Pike Ake! (AUP, 1993)

Maui: legends of the outcast (illustrated by Chris Slane, Godwit, 1996)

Manoa: homelands (editor, with Reina Whaitiri, Hawai‘i, 1997)

Copyright

Some of the poems in this book have appeared in the following publications: Growing up Maori (Tandem Press, 1998), JAAM, Landfall, Nga Tai Puhoro, Quadrant, Rampike, Riding the Meridian (www.heelstone.com/meridian), Trout (www.auckland.ac.nz/lbr/trout/trout.htm), Wasafiri (London), Windsor Literary Review (Ontario).

The author is grateful to the English Department at the University of Auckland, and Creative New Zealand, for a literary fellowship in 1998 which enabled him to complete this book.

First published 1999
Reprinted 2000, 2003, 2011
This ebook edition 2012

Auckland University Press
University of Auckland
Private Bag 92019
Auckland
New Zealand
www.press.auckland.ac.nz

© Robert Sullivan

eISBN 978 186940 567 0

Publication is assisted by

This book is copyright. Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without the prior permission of the publisher.

Front cover illustration: ‘Boats of the Friendly Isles’, in George W. Anderson, A New, Authentic, and Complete Collection of Captain Cook’s First, Second, Third and Last Voyages, 1768–1780, London, 1784.