Kawaihae Hula (Water of Wrath) - by Bill Ali`iloa Lincoln


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Ike ia e mākou o Kawaihae
I ke kai nehe ʻōlelo me ka ʻiliili

Kau aku ka manaʻo no Puakaʻilima
I ka nalu haʻi mai la o Kaʻewa

Hōʻike Poliʻahu i ke kapa hau
Hoʻi ana i ka piko o Mauna Kea

Haʻina ʻia mai ana ka puana
I ke kai nehe ʻōlelo me ka ʻiliʻili



We saw Kawaihae
Where the sea whispers over the pebbles

We longed to see Puakaʻilima
Where the surf of Kaʻewa rolls

Poliʻahu displays her mantle of snow
Spread out on the summit of Mauna Kea

This is the end of my song
Of the sea that whispers over the pebbles


Source: "Na Mele Aloha" - Verse 2, stanza 1, Puakaʻilima (the ilima blossom) was an islet off Kawaihae, in the Kona district, where ʻilima was cultivated to make lei for the aliʻi. The tsunami of 1946 destroyed the islet. The surf in the area was also called Puakaʻilima because it resembled theʻ ilima lei. Verse 3, stantza 1, Poliʻahu is the snow goddess. Translated by Mary Pukui, Music clip by Gippy Cooke