Footnoting poems etc: what do you think?

[Tiger the Lion]

Mercedes, as a Kiwi, threw in a lot of Maori words in her poetry and you could make out what they meant from the context....most of the time.

I loved Mercedes poetry. If you haven't heard her read, trust me it's a treat. But I do wonder if that Kiwi thing can be quite an advantage when cleverly exploited. An example from Mercedes...

"Now she’s buried, wrapped
in a pink silk chemise of mine,
under the pohutukawa near the tui’s nest
and a blackbird is singing
her tangihanga."

This struggling Westerner might have wrote...


Now she’s buried, wrapped
in a pink silk chemise of mine,
under the red maple near the blue jay’s nest
and a blackbird is singing
her funeral song.

Not quite as sexy, is it??

Now, having said that, Mercedes is a thoughtful poet. Each aboriginal word delivered metaphor or symbolism and rarely stood as mere decoration.

It's funny because in my part of the world a similar approach would be hailed as cultural appropriation and quickly cancelled. The natives have their own poetry and it's lovely.

Sorry if I got sidetracked. Carry on.