Na ka Mauna Kea la i kono mai aʻu
E naue i ka ʻāina malihini
ʻĀina kaulana o Hilo Hanakahi
ʻĀina hoʻohie a ka malihini
He aloha Mokuola a e kū nei
I ka uluwehi ka lau o ka nui
E kīlohi i ka nani o Waiakea
Me ke one ʻanapa i Waiolama
Mālama ke aloha waiho i loko
Kau nui aku nei kahi manaʻo
E ʻike iā Waiānuenue
I laila hoʻi hope na malihini
E ʻike i ka nani aʻo ka Wahine
Ko mai ke ʻala aʻo ka maile
Na kāhiko ʻia a ʻoia uka
He nahele ia puīa me ka lehua
Lei hoʻohihi hoi a ka malihini
`Ike i ka nani a`o Halema`uma`u
Me ke ahi kaulana a ka Wahine
Pehea mai `oe Uwekahuna
Me ka pali kapu o Kamohoali`i
He ali`i nui `oe na ka malihini
O nei `âina pahoehoe
Aloha ia uka me ka onaona
O wili lei rose lei `ohelo
Mana`o a`e au e ho`i i ka home
Ika uluwehiwehi o Kapâlama
Ke huli ho`i nei ka Mauna Kea
E `ike i ka nani a o ka kaona
Ha`ina `ia mai ana ka puana
Lei `ohu`ohu i ka lei Pa`i Niu
Ha`ina hou `ia mai ana ka puana
Ku`u lei mokihana poina `ole
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The invitation came from the Mauna Kea
To go and see the beauties of the strange land
A famous land is Hilo Hanakahi
A land admired by visitors
Beloved is Mokuola, standing near
Adorned with the leaves of the coco palms
A glance at the beauty of Waiakea
And the sparkling sands of Waiolama
Leaving this ship that has taken care of us
The mind is set on seeing
Waiānuenue Falls
From there the visitors turn back
To see the beauty of the goddess (Pele)
The fragrance of the maile is wafted hither
The adornment of that upland
Filled with the fragrance of lehua
Lei much liked by visitors
To see the beauty of Halema`uma`u
And the famous fire of the goddess
How fare you, O Uwekahuna
And the sacred cliff of Kamohoali`i
A chief are you to the visitors
Of this lava covered land
Beloved is the upland and its fragrance
There is combined a lei of roses and `ôhelo berries
I think of going home
To the lovely grove of Kapâlama
The Mauna Kea is on its homeward way
To see the beauty of the town
This ends my song
Adorned with the lei of Pa`i Niu
Again my song ends
For my unforgettable mokihana lei
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| Source: King's Hawaiian Melodies - This Mauna
Kea is the inter-island steamship. Verse 2. Hanakahi was a beloved ancient
chief of
Hilo and this area has since been called Hilo of Hanakahi. Verse 3, Mokuola
(island of healing) is the Hawaiian name of Coconut Island in Hilo Bay.
Under the flat table rock called Papa-a-Hina (stratum of Hina) is where
umbilical cords of babies were hidden. Verse 4, the sands of Waiolama,
between Hilo and Waiakea, used to sparkle because of the olivine mixed
in the sand. This is no longer true.Waiānuenue is Rainbow Falls and
Uwēkahuna
is the bluff above Kīlauea Crater. Verse 11, Kamohoaliʻi was the older
brother of Pele who led the migration to Hawaiʻi in the Pele narratives.
Verse 13, the lei was entwined with ʻōhelo berries and small pink
roses that grow only at the volcano. Verse 16, Paʻi Niu is a native Hawaiian
lily that grows in clumps. The silver or tan leaves are long and narrow
and the upper part of the leaf is peeled off revealing white strips like
cellophane that are made into lei. This lei was proof that one had visited
Kīlauea. Verse 1 translation from King's Hawaiian Melodies.
Verse
2-17 translated
by Mary Pukui. Copyright
1916, 43 Charles E. King |