NGONGOTAHA

Te Tuahu o te Atua—
the altar of the God is silent—
the fairy people gather no more
on the mighty mountain.
Ihenga has fled, smeared in ochre
and shark oil,
his feet singing fear down
Ngongotaha's slopes.

I shall sing little songs
for Tongakohu; for the fairy people
banished from the forest air;
songs as light as the flight.
of Piwakawaka,
a singing, sad
as the first bird-note of Koromako
in the mist-shaped dawn.

In the silence,
at Ngongotaha's feet,
I shall place a white stone,
a red stone, bright as the evening star,
a blue orchid from the forest floor.
On all sides of the mountain
there is silence–
for Tongakohu and the fairy people
are no more.

—Susi Robinson Collins

ADVERTISER'S ANNOUNCEMENT

“God's purpose in sending His Prophets unto men is two-fold. The first to liberate the children of men from the darkness of ignorance, and guide them to the light of true understanding. The second is to ensure the peace and tranquillity of mankind, and provide all the means by which they can be established.”

“Ko ta te Atua i tono ai i ana poropiti ki te tangata, ko enei take e rua. Tuatahi, hei arahi ake i nga uri o te tangata i roto i te po o te kuwaretanga, hei arataki hoki i a ratou ki te maramatanga o te tino matauranga. Tuarua, kia tau te rangimarie ki runga i te tangata, a, hei whakatakoto i nga kaupapa katoa e mau ai enei taonga.”

—Baha'u'llah.

BAHA'I FAITH

P.O. BOX 1906 AUCKLAND