E ô e Lili`u ko inoa
Nani Haili po i ka lehua
Noho ia `ala i ke onaona
Honi ke kupa i`ala
Hui:
Waihou no i ka poli o ka ipo hinano
Nana aku he nani wale no ka nahele
Ilihia `oko`a i ka maika`i o ka pua
I kui au a ho`olewa i ko aloha
E ô e Lili`u i ko inoa
Nani Kilauea pa`a i ka noe
Po luna o Uwêkahuna i ke `ala
Nalo aku la na Lehua ne`e i ka papa
Hui:
`Ike `ole au i na hala o Hala aniani
I ke alai ia mai eka uanahunahu
E ake au e ho`i mai ka Pu`ulena e pili
E moe aloha maua no ka moani
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Answer O Lili`u to your name song
Beautiful Haili, dense with lehua blossoms
Place that is filled with their fragrance
All who go there know their sweetness
Chorus:
You, I have left in the bosom of the beloved
hinano
You look and see nothing but beauty in the forest
Thrilled with the beauty of the flower
The flowers I picked and strung with love for you
Answer, O Lili`u to your name song
Beautiful is Kilauea screened by the mist
Heavy with fragrance is the top of Uwêkahuna
And the lehua bushes that creep on the lava bed
Are hidden out of sight
Chorus:
I did not see the big grove of Hala aniani
For it was hidden out of sight by the pelting rain
I was eager to have the Pu`ulena breeze return again
That I may lovingly sleep in the moani breeze
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| Source: Hopkin's Aloha Collection - This mele
was composed for Queen Lili`uokalani. Haili was the name of a forest
near Hilo, where birds gathered. 1st chorus, stanza 1, hinano is the white
flower of the hala tree and the words mean
the
queen
is
enjoying
the peace and calm of her white husband, John Dominis. 2nd verse, stanza
3, Uwêkahuna is a bluff and cliff at Kilauea named to commemmorate one
of Kahawali's priests. This priest challenged Pele after Kahawali's defeat
in the holua sledding race. 2nd chorus, stanza 1, pu`ulena (yellow heap)
is a cold breeze at Kilauea and
a nuance
of
sadness; stanza 4, moani is a gentle breeze associated with fragrance.
Translation by Mary
Pukui |