Kowhiti19, kei hea tōu mārie?
Covid 19, where is your calm?
E te momo kaitangata, kei hea tōu āiotanga?
O human-eating species, where is your serenity?
Ngaua i runga, ngaua i raro.
Devouring from above, devouring from below
Ngaua i tata, ngaua i mamao.
Consuming from close by, consuming from afar
Pōkaihia tōu takapau hei waha i tō mate hei hoa mōu.
Wrap your ceremonial mat of death as your friend to accompany you,
Waiho mai mātou hei apakura ki ērā kua kāhakihia e koe,
Leave us to lament those whom you have snatched away
hei manawawera i a koe me te riha whakaharahara
As we denounce you and the deadly virus
nāu i tuku mai ki te ao.
You released upon the world.
Nā, Professor Poia Rewi
Translation by Ruānuku Ngahuia Te Awekotuku
