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| Kaulana mai nei `o Hilo `eâ Ka ua Kanilehua `eâ Ka ua ho`opulu `ili `eâ Ka `ili o ka malihini `eâ Nani wale ho`i ka `ikena `eâ Ka nani o Waiâkea `eâ Ka wai o Waiolama `eâ Mâlamalama Hawai`i `eâ Kaulana ho`i Mokuola `eâ He moku au i ke kai `eâ E ho`opulu `ili nei `eâ Ka hunehune kai `eâ Lei ana i ka lei nani `eâ Ka pua o ka lehua `eâ Ha`ina mai ka puana `eâ No ka ua Kanilehua `eâ | 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 Waiakea The water of Waiolama Brightens Hawai`i (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, Waiâkea or broad waters, was the home of `Ulu, a legendary man who died of starvation and was buried near a spring. The next morning, an `ulu (breadfruit) tree, laden with fruit, marked his grave and put an end to the famine. Verse #3. Mokuola was the son of `Ulu 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. Translator unknown | |