Lion 44 - As It Happens

Lion 44:

Kauri.

Artist behind the lion:

Sun-Ran Kwon (Korean painter).

Adoptive Writer:

Chief Biscuit at As it Happens.

Blog Description:

This site has become compulsory reading for many bloggers, with a strong focus on poetry, nature and life in New Zealand. Chief Biscuit, based in Otago, is a published poet who has recently added stunning photography to her site. The poetry is of the kind that leaves you speechless and the big takes on small things are addictive. There are regular posts and CB's wit and humour make this site a nice place to hang around.

Poem or piece of prose inspired by the lion:

kauri

From darkened depths
you lift your heavy head to gather
what grassland-sun can be found
where trees lift branches
to granite mountains.
Silver water crashes.
You merge into the land
as if you never were.
Listen to the wind.
Hear the kauri roar.


* kauri - native tree of New Zealand

And a longer version :


Traces of pounamu* green
stain your legs. Lion, you are here
among the rimu and totara.**
Greedy for the insects your paws disturb,
piwakawaka*** flit and cheep
above your burnished back
as long as a valley.

From the darkened depths
of forest fern and moss,
you lift your heavy head to gather
what grassland-sun can be found
up where trees lift branches
to granite mountains
and sapphire sky.

A silver waterfall crashes,
a river growls. You shake
your mane, the colour of polished wood.
As you merge into the land
it is as if you never were.
In the wind
we hear the kauri roar.


(* A green river stone (known in English as Greenstone) which is sacred to the Maori and used in their jewellery and for tools such as adzes. It is regarded as a protected national treasure and is not permitted to be taken without permission from Kai Tahu - the South Island Maori tribe.
** rimu and kahikatea are native New Zealand trees
** piwakawaka is the Maori name for the small bird known in English as 'fantail'.)

About the lion's name:

Chief Biscuit says:

"I named my lion Kauri (pronounced 'cowree'... with the 'r' almost making an 'l' sound.) Kauri's colour and burnish reminds me very much of the polished wood of the native kauri tree of New Zealand."