Manu ʻŌʻō (Black Honey-eater) - Traditional
ʻO ka manu ʻōʻō i Mālama A he nani kou hulu ke lei ʻia Mūkīkī ana ʻoe i ka pua lehua Kāhea ana ʻoe i ka nui manu Hui: Hō mai ʻoni mai Ko aloha ma nēia kīhene lehua No Hilo ē ka ua Kanilehua Popohe lehua a i Hanakahi Hoʻokahi aʻu mea nui aia ʻoe ʻO kou aloha ka i hiki mai	The black honey-eater is at Mālama Your beautiful and soft feathers are worn as a lei You sip the nectar of lehua blossoms And beckon to the flocks of birds Chorus: Share with me, come to me Pour your love on the lehua cluster The Kanilehua rain of Hilo Decorative lehua of Hanakahi One greatest thing I love is you For you love has come here to me
Source: Lyrics from He Mele Aloha - The bird that sips lehua honey and the rain that pelts the lehua leaves are linked romantically. The girl is the Manu ʻōʻō, the nearly extinct black honey-eater whose yellow feathers were used for featherwork. The lover likens himself to the lehua blossoms. In the last stanza, the girl is likened to the lehua-sounding rain of Hilo, a symbol of chatter and gossip. The man still loves her no matter what people say and is the lehua of Hanakahi, a place on the Hamakua side of Hilo noted for profound peace.