No Ka Moku Kiakahi Ke Aloha - by Kealiʻi Reichel

No ka Moku Kiakahi ke aloha, lā
Ka ʻeleu holo i ka moana.

Luʻu a iho aʻe, piʻi i luna ka hope,
E paʻa lima pono i ka palekai!
 
Oʻolopū nā peʻa kapalili i ka maka,
Popohe i ka makani.

ʻOʻoleʻa ke kia, kuhi aʻe i ka lani,
Pou nemonemo i ka ʻehu kai.
 
uī, ʻeʻeʻina ka ʻoneki o lalo
Walawala ka pumi ma hope.

Pakīpakī ka maka ihu i ka huleilua,
A kuli i ka ʻāpohopoho.
 
Haʻina ʻia mai ka puana, lā
No ka Moku Kiakahi ke aloha.

Haʻina hou ʻia mai ka puana, lā,
Ka ʻeleu holo i ka moana
For the one-masted ship is my affection
For the lively one who sails the sea.

The prow dips down and sideways, the stern lifts,
Hold on fast to the railings!
 
The sails billlow and flutter ibefore me,
Filled and swelling in the the wind.

The mast stands rigid, pointing heavenward,
A pillar slick with the sheen of seaspray.
 
The deck below me is squeaking and creaking,
The boom careens backwards.

The bowsprit sprays in the pitch and toss
And the clamor of the sea against the hull is deafening
 
Let the story be known througthe tellliing
Of my love for the one-masted ship.

Told and told is the tale
The lively one who sails the sea.

Source: Kealiʻi Reichel album "Melelana" © 1999 Punahele, Inc.