Hopa 41
1 E taea ranei a Rewiatana te kukume mai e koe ki te matau? te pehi ranei i tona arero ki te aho?
“[Think also about] (crocodiles/great sea dragons). Can you catch them with a fishhook or fasten their jaws with a rope?
2 E whakanohoia ranei e koe he aho ki tona ihu? E pokaia ranei e koe tona kauae ki te matau?
Can you put ropes through their noses [to control them] or thrust hooks through their jaws?
3 E maha ranei ana inoi ki a koe? E korero ngawari ranei ia ki a koe?
Will they plead with you to act mercifully toward them or (use sweet talk/speak to you nicely) [in order that you will not harm them]?
4 E whakarite kawenata ranei ia ki a koe? e riro ai ia i a koe hei pononga oti tonu mai?
Will they make an agreement with you to work for you, to be your slaves as long as they live?
5 Ka rite ranei ia ki te manu hei mea takaro mau? E herea ranei ia e koe hei mea ma au kotiro?
Can you cause them to become pets like you cause birds to become your pets? Can you put a leash/rope around their [necks] so that your servant girls [can play with them]?
6 E waiho ranei ia hei taonga hokohoko ma nga ropu tangata hi ika? E wehewehea atu ranei ma nga kaihokohoko?
Will merchants try to buy them [in the market]? Will they cut them up into pieces and sell the meat?
7 E kapi ranei tona kiri i o tao? tona pane i nga wero ika?
Can you pierce their skins by throwing fishing spears at them? Can you pierce their heads with a harpoon?
8 Kia pa tou ringa ki a ia; maharatia te whawhai, a kei pena a mua.
If you grab one of them with your hands, it will fight you in a way that you will never forget, and you will never try to do it again!
9 Nana, he hori kau te manako ki a ia: e kore ranei tetahi e hinga noa ki te kite kau atu i a ia?
It is useless to try to subdue them. Anyone who tries to subdue one of them will lose his courage.
10 Kahore he tangata e maia rawa hei whakaoho i a ia: na ko wai e tu ki toku aroaro?
No one dares/tries to (arouse them/cause them to be angry). So, [since I am much more powerful than they are, ] (who would dare to cause me to be angry?/no one would dare to cause me to be angry!) [RHQ]
11 Ko wai te tangata nana te mea kua takoto wawe ki ahau, e whakautu ai ahau ki a ia? Ahakoa he aha te mea i raro i nga rangi, puta noa, naku katoa.
Also, everything on the earth is mine. Therefore, no one [RHQ] is able to give anything to me and require me to pay [money] for it!
12 E kore e huna e ahau te korero mo ona wahi, mo tona kaha, mo te ataahua hoki o tona hanganga.
I will tell you about [how strong] crocodiles' legs [are] and how strong their well-formed bodies are.
13 Ma wai e tihore a waho o tona kakahu? Ko wai e tae ki tana paraire rererua?
(Can anyone strip off their hides?/No one is able to strip off their hides.) [RHQ] (Can anyone try to put bridles on them?/No one can try to put bridles on them.) [RHQ] (OR, Can anyone pierce their very thick hides?)
14 Ma wai e whakatuwhera nga tatau o tona mata? He wehi kei ona niho a taka noa.
(Can anyone pry open their jaws, which have terrible teeth in them?/No one can pry open their jaws, which have terrible teeth in them!) [RHQ]
15 Ko tana e whakamanamana ai ko ona unahi pakari; tutaki rawa pera i te hiri piri tonu.
They have rows of scales on their back which are as hard as a rock (OR, tightly fastened together).
16 Na, i te tata tonu o tetahi ki tetahi, e kore te hau e puta i waenga.
The scales are very close together, with the result that not even air can get between them.
17 Piri tonu ratou ki a ratou ano; mau tonu, e kore ano e taea te wehe.
The scales are joined very closely to each other, and they cannot be separated.
18 Ka tihe ia, ka kowha mai te marama; a ko te rite i ona kanohi kei nga kamo o te ata.
When crocodiles sneeze, [the tiny drops of water that come out of their noses] sparkle in the sunlight. Their eyes are red like the rising sun.
19 E puta ana mai i tona mangai he rama mura, mokowhiti ana nga koraahi.
[It is as though] sparks of fire pour out of their mouths [DOU].
20 Puta ana te paowa i ona pongaponga, me te mea no te kohua e koropupu ana, no te otaota e kaia ana.
Smoke pours out of their nostrils/noses like steam comes out of a pot that is put over a fire made from dry reeds.
21 Ngiha ana nga waro i tona ha, rere atu ana te mura i tona mangai.
Their breath can cause coals to blaze, and flames shoot out from their mouths.
22 Kei tona kaki te kaha e noho ana, e tuapa ana te pawera i tona aroaro.
Their necks are very strong; wherever they go, they cause people to be very afraid.
23 Ko ona kikokiko tawerewere piri tonu: maro tonu ki runga ki a ia; e kore e taea te whakakorikori.
The folds in their flesh are very close together and are very hard/firm.
24 Pakari tonu tona ngakau ano he kamaka; ae ra, maro tonu ano ko to raro kohatu huri.
[They are fearless, because] the inner parts of their bodies are as hard as a rock, as hard as the lower millstone [on which grain is ground].
25 Ka whakarewa ia i a ia ki runga, ka wehi nga tangata nunui: na te pororaru ka porangi noa iho ratou.
When they rise up, they cause [even] very strong people to be terrified. As a result, people (fall back/run away) when crocodiles thrash around.
26 Ki te whai tetahi i a ia ki te hoari, e kore e taea; ahakoa e te tao, e te pere, e te koikoi ranei.
[People] [PRS] cannot injure them with swords, and spears or darts or javelins cannot injure them, either.
27 Ki tona whakaaro he kakau witi te rino, he rakau popopopo te parahi.
They [certainly are not afraid of weapons made of] straw or rotten wood, but [they are not even afraid of weapons made of] iron or bronze!
28 E kore ia e tahuti i te pere: ki a ia ka meinga noatia nga kohatu o te kotaha hei papapa.
[Shooting] arrows [at them] does not cause them to run away. [Hurling] stones at them from a sling is like [hurling] bits of chaff at them.
29 Kiia ake e ia nga patu hei papapa: e kataina ana e ia te huhu o te tao.
They are not afraid of clubs [any more than they would be afraid of men throwing] bits of straw [at them], and they laugh when they hear the whirl/sound of javelins [being thrown at them].
30 Ko raro ona e rite ana ki te kohatu koikoi: e wharikitia ana e ia a runga o te paru ano he patunga witi.
Their bellies are covered with scales that are as sharp as broken pieces of pottery. When they drag themselves through the mud, their bellies tear up the ground like a plow.
31 E meinga ana e ia te rire kia koropupu ano he kohua, me te moana kia rite ki te hinu.
They stir up the water and cause it to foam [as they churn/swim through it].
32 E hangaia ana e ia he huarahi kia marama i muri i a ia; tera e maharatia he hina te moana.
As they go through the water, the (wakes/trails in the water behind them) glisten. People [who see it] would think that the foam in those wakes had become white hair.
33 I te whenua nei kahore he mea hei rite mona, he mea i hanga nei kahore ona wehi.
There are no creatures on earth that are as fearless as crocodiles.
34 E titiro ana ia ki nga mea tiketike katoa: he kingi ia mo nga tama katoa a te whakapehapeha.
They are the proudest of all the creatures; [it is as though] they [rule like] kings over all the other wild animals.”
