¹Canst thou draw out leviathan with a fishhook? Or press down his tongue with a cord?

¹¶ E taea ranei a Rewiatana te kukume mai e koe ki te matau? te pehi ranei i tona arero ki te aho?

²Canst thou put a rope into his nose? Or pierce his jaw through with a hook?

²E whakanohoia ranei e koe he aho ki tona ihu? E pokaia ranei e koe tona kauae ki te matau?

³Will he make many supplications unto thee? Or will he speak soft words unto thee?

³E maha ranei ana inoi ki a koe? E korero ngawari ranei ia ki a koe?

⁴Will he make a covenant with thee, That thou shouldest take him for a servant for ever?

⁴E whakarite kawenata ranei ia ki a koe? e riro ai ia i a koe hei pononga oti tonu mai?

⁵Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? Or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?

⁵Ka rite ranei ia ki te manu hei mea takaro mau? E herea ranei ia e koe hei mea ma au kotiro?

⁶Will the bands [of fishermen] make traffic of him? Will they part him among the merchants?

⁶E waiho ranei ia hei taonga hokohoko ma nga ropu tangata hi ika? E wehewehea atu ranei ma nga kaihokohoko?

⁷Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons, Or his head with fish-spears?

⁷E kapi ranei tona kiri i o tao? tona pane i nga wero ika?

⁸Lay thy hand upon him; Remember the battle, and do so no more.

⁸Kia pa tou ringa ki a ia; maharatia te whawhai, a kei pena a mua.

⁹Behold, the hope of him is in vain: Will not one be cast down even at the sight of him?

⁹Nana, he hori kau te manako ki a ia: e kore ranei tetahi e hinga noa ki te kite kau atu i a ia?

¹⁰None is so fierce that he dare stir him up; Who then is he that can stand before me?

¹⁰Kahore he tangata e maia rawa hei whakaoho i a ia: na ko wai e tu ki toku aroaro?

¹¹Who hath first given unto me, that I should repay him? [Whatsoever is] under the whole heaven is mine.

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.

¹²I will not keep silence concerning his limbs, Nor his mighty strength, nor his goodly frame.

¹²E kore e huna e ahau te korero mo ona wahi, mo tona kaha, mo te ataahua hoki o tona hanganga.

¹³Who can strip off his outer garment? Who shall come within his jaws?

¹³Ma wai e tihore a waho o tona kakahu? Ko wai e tae ki tana paraire rererua?

¹⁴Who can open the doors of his face? Round about his teeth is terror.

¹⁴Ma wai e whakatuwhera nga tatau o tona mata? He wehi kei ona niho a taka noa.

¹⁵[His] strong scales are [his] pride, Shut up together [as with] a close seal.

¹⁵Ko tana e whakamanamana ai ko ona unahi pakari; tutaki rawa pera i te hiri piri tonu.

¹⁶One is so near to another, That no air can come between them.

¹⁶Na, i te tata tonu o tetahi ki tetahi, e kore te hau e puta i waenga.

¹⁷They are joined one to another; They stick together, so that they cannot be sundered.

¹⁷Piri tonu ratou ki a ratou ano; mau tonu, e kore ano e taea te wehe.

¹⁸His sneezings flash forth light, And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.

¹⁸Ka tihe ia, ka kowha mai te marama; a ko te rite i ona kanohi kei nga kamo o te ata.

¹⁹Out of his mouth go burning torches, And sparks of fire leap forth.

¹⁹E puta ana mai i tona mangai he rama mura, mokowhiti ana nga koraahi.

²⁰Out of his nostrils a smoke goeth, As of a boiling pot and [burning] rushes.

²⁰Puta ana te paowa i ona pongaponga, me te mea no te kohua e koropupu ana, no te otaota e kaia ana.

²¹His breath kindleth coals, And a flame goeth forth from his mouth.

²¹Ngiha ana nga waro i tona ha, rere atu ana te mura i tona mangai.

²²In his neck abideth strength, And terror danceth before him.

²²Kei tona kaki te kaha e noho ana, e tuapa ana te pawera i tona aroaro.

²³The flakes of his flesh are joined together: They are firm upon him; they cannot be moved.

²³Ko ona kikokiko tawerewere piri tonu: maro tonu ki runga ki a ia; e kore e taea te whakakorikori.

²⁴His heart is as firm as a stone; Yea, firm as the nether millstone.

²⁴Pakari tonu tona ngakau ano he kamaka; ae ra, maro tonu ano ko to raro kohatu huri..

²⁵When he raiseth himself up, the mighty are afraid: By reason of consternation they are beside themselves.

²⁵Ka whakarewa ia i a ia ki runga, ka wehi nga tangata nunui: na te pororaru ka porangi noa iho ratou.

²⁶If one lay at him with the sword, it cannot avail; Nor the spear, the dart, nor the pointed shaft.

²⁶Ki te whai tetahi i a ia ki te hoari, e kore e taea; ahakoa e te tao, e te pere, e te koikoi ranei.

²⁷He counteth iron as straw, [And] brass as rotten wood.

²⁷Ki tona whakaaro he kakau witi te rino, he rakau popopopo te parahi.

²⁸The arrow cannot make him flee: Sling-stones are turned with him into stubble.

²⁸E kore ia e tahuti i te pere: ki a ia ka meinga noatia nga kohatu o te kotaha hei papapa.

²⁹Clubs are counted as stubble: He laugheth at the rushing of the javelin.

²⁹Kiia ake e ia nga patu hei papapa: e kataina ana e ia te huhu o te tao.

³⁰His underparts are [like] sharp potsherds: He spreadeth [as it were] a threshing-wain upon the mire.

³⁰Ko raro ona e rite ana ki te kohatu koikoi: e wharikitia ana e ia a runga o te paru ano he patunga witi.

³¹He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: He maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.

³¹E meinga ana e ia te rire kia koropupu ano he kohua, me te moana kia rite ki te hinu.

³²He maketh a path to shine after him; One would think the deep to be hoary.

³²E hangaia ana e ia he huarahi kia marama i muri i a ia; tera e maharatia he hina te moana.

³³Upon earth there is not his like, That is made without fear.

³³I te whenua nei kahore he mea hei rite mona, he mea i hanga nei kahore ona wehi.

³⁴He beholdeth everything that is high: He is king over all the sons of pride.

³⁴E titiro ana ia ki nga mea tiketike katoa: he kingi ia mo nga tama katoa a te whakapehapeha.