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| Kaulana mai nei ʻo Hilo ʻeā Ka ua Kanilehua ʻeā Ka ua hoʻopulu ʻili ʻeā Ka ʻili o ka malihini ʻeā Nani wale hoʻi ka ʻikena ʻeā Ka nani o Waiākea ʻeā Ka wai o Waiolama ʻeā Mālamalama Hawaiʻi ʻeā Kaulana hoʻi Mokuola ʻeā He moku au i ke kai ʻeā E hoʻopulu ʻili nei ʻeā Ka hunehune kai ʻeā Lei ana i ka lei nani ʻeā Ka pua o ka lehua ʻeā Haʻina mai ka puana ʻeā No ka ua Kanilehua ʻeā | Famous is Hilo And it's rain called Kanilehua Rain that wets one's skin Especially those of the newcomers Lovely is the scenery And beauty of Waiākea The water of Waiolama Brightens Hawaiʻi (the island) Situated here is Mokuola An island set apart in the sea Drenching the skin The mist of the sea Wear the lei of loveliness The blossom of the red lehua Tell the refrain The rain called Kanilehua |
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Source: Kanilehua is the misty rain of Hilo that gives drink to the lehua blossoms. Verse #2, Waiākea or broad waters, was the home of ʻUlu, a legendary man who died of starvation and was buried near a spring. The next morning, an ʻulu (breadfruit) tree, laden with fruit, marked his grave and put an end to the famine. Verse #3. Mokuola was the son of ʻUlu and the name of an island in Hilo bay. There was a spring on the island with water that had healing qualities. The old Hawaiians would swim to the island and hide the umbilical cords of infants in the crevices of a flat stone called Papa o Hina. Many Hawaiians today honor this tradition of hiding umbilical cords from rodents, believing it saves the child from becoming a thief. Translated by Mary Pukui | |