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| Aia i Waipi`o Pâka`alana e Paepae kapu `ia o Lïloa e He aloha ka wahine pi`i i ka pali Pû`ili ana i ka hua `ûlei I ka `ai mo`a i ka lau lâ`au Ho`ola`au mai o Kawelowelo **Ua pe`e pâ Kaiâulu o Waimea E ola o Kukeolo`ewa e ** stanza not included in King's arrangement |
There at Waipi`o is Pâka`alana And the sacred platform of Lïloa Beloved is the woman who ascended the hill With armfulls of `ûlei boughs Her food cooked with the branches of the trees She for whom Kawelowelo always longed **Hidden from the stinging Kaiâulu of Waimea And long may Kukeolo`ewa still live |
Source: King's Hawaiian Melodies, Unwritten Literature of Hawai`i Copyright 1916, 1943, Charles E. King- This ancient chant, set to music by Charles E. King, may have been a mele inoa for Kamehameha Nui. Waipi`o is a valley on the windward side of the big island, the seat of government of Liloa, ancient king of Hawai`i, the father of Umi. Paka`alana was the temple and residence of King Liloa. Verse 1, stanza 2, paepae was the doorsill of the temple, held in high esteem, for it represented all of the building. Verse 2, wahine pi`i ka pali is from the legend of Haina-kolo, a Hawaiian chiefess who married her cousin, a king of Kukulu-o-Kahiki, was deserted by him, swam back to Hawai`i with her small child and arrived at Waipi`o in a famished state. She climbed the cliffs and ate of the `ûlei berries without offering the local deity a sacrifice; a great offense. As punishment she became distraught and wandered away into the wilderness. Her husband repented and found her after a long search. With kind treatment, she regained her reason and the family was happily re-united. Verse 4. Kai-a-ulu is a fierce rain squall that arises suddenly in the uplands of Waimea. For protecton, one crouches (pe`e) behind grass or hastily builds a shelter. Kukeolo`ewa was an evil demon. Translator unknown | |