Ah, these are my words to you, my wanderer, the words of the old Matapo, the oldest of his people, and his eyes are closed and they cannot see you; but they are opened again towards his heart, and what they see your eyes cannot perceive, for upon those who dwell in the womb of night rest his eyes. Listen.
The beginning was J-o, the great atua, the god-power, and the world was filled by Te-po-nui, the Great Darkness—ah!—Te-po-nui filled all the space, from the first space to the hundredth, to the thousandth space.
Ha, my listener, then was it that the Atua commenced his great song of creation, and out of the Darkness sprang forth Life!
And out of the Darkness sprang forth Hine-nui-te-po!
And out of the Darkness sprang forth Te Ao, the Light!
Ha, my listener, Te-Ao—ha!—Te-Ao gave birth to Rangi! Rangi-nui, the great Heaven.
And again sang the atua his great song of creation, and out of Te-po-nui sprang forth Tangaroa, the God of the Oceans!
And out of Te-po-nui sprang forth Papa-tu-a-nuku, the far-stretching Earth.—
Ha, the Earth was created! The Earth, and Rangi, the Heaven.