[edit] Mafeleto’s Philosophy

Come round me, kinsmen, let the white man go,
What knows he of our soul, to heathen us,
Who drink the virgin forest sap? We know
This much - enough. he is a knowing cuss.
 Are there no shadows 'neath his native sky
No children starving by his forest tent
As from the Royal King's come the roystering cry
Of festive song, no souls, no heart's grief rent?

Let him shout on, pass me the full nut-bowl,
I'm old, would I trust to his wretched creed?
I, with my fifty gods, that soothe my soul,
Must fail them all-trust to one god - indeed!
Look you - I'm wise, a dead white man is dead
Should he offend his Heav'n while 'neath the sun -
And we - well, at the worst, when our soul's fled,
If fifty fail, we've still his Mighty One!

He'd steal our souls, curse him, his lying race
Claimed my blue seas and this my ancient isle!
Remember well do I that first white face
That blessed my head, with hand t'wards heaven did smile.
Pah! I believed that grin! - had I known then
Those eyes gazed from the spirit heart of hell
I 'd slain him! -faith, 'tis true these strange white men
One virtue have when cooked-yes, do eat well!

Pass me the bowl, time 'tis to grieve, at most,
When in sick dying eyes the last stars sleep.
We've won our battles too, enjoyed the roast
Of what sweet foes! 'tis. even so we reap
Sweet vengeance! They, those prating white men skunks,
Our wives defiled, our land made one vile hell;
Cursed missionaries, and traders on night-drunks -
Ah! I've a tale, when dead, their God to tell!

The poem ‘Mafeleto’s Philosophy’ which is included in both books^[1][2] as the poem might well be the precursor to ‘O Le Langi’ the pagan poet of the travel books. It did, however, occur to me, that Middleton came to resemble O Le Langi in that, as the century progressed, he too began to preach an outworn creed.

MAFELETO'S PHlLOSOPHY

An old South Sea Islander's real opinion of the white man's trek with his creed into his primæval provinces, and interesting, inasmuch as it gives one an insight into his view of thinking and seeing things as they are.