Prayer of Malaehaakoa 



In the Legend of I liiakaikapoliopele. 



Pule o Malaehaakoa 



Mai ke Kaao o Hiiakaikapoliopele. 



Of Pele, her warfare in Kahiki, 

 That was fought with I'unaaikoae, 

 Pele fled hither ti) Hawaii, 

 Fled as her eyeball — 

 As the lightning's flash, 

 Lighting as does the moon, 

 [Let] aw€ possess me. 



( ) kaua a I'ele i haka i Kahiki, 

 1 hakaka ai me Punaaikoae,' 

 Alahuka mai P'ele i Hawaii 

 Alahuka Pele i ona onohi, 

 I na lapa uwila, 

 E lapa i mahina — la 

 Elieli- kau mai. 



For Pele the ocean sleeps. 



For the god a sea hastens toward the • 

 islands, 

 10. It breaks afar at Hanakahi 



Upon the sands of Waiolama, 



And guards the house of your god. 



The axe is being borne to fell the tree 

 above. 



Heavily breaks the surf from Kahiki, 

 15. Cresting- onward in front of Kilauea, 



The sea turned at the front of Papalauahi. 



Alan called that day 



To Puaakanu's lehua-stringing women 



Above at Olaa, my lehua-land, 

 20. In the front of Heeia, Kukuena wijmen 



The companions entered the entanglement 



In the thickets of Puna, irregularly, and 

 dwelt. 



Here we are thy many adherents. 

 [Let] awe possess me. 



He kai moe nei no Pele, 



No ke akua, he kai hoolale i na nioku, 



10. Hai aku ka i Hanakahi,'' 

 I ke one o Waiolama iluna, 

 A koa ka hale o ko akua, 

 Ke amo ala ke koi, ke kua la iuka, 

 Haki nuanua mai ka nalu mai Kahiki, 



15. PojxM aku i ke alo o Kilauea,'' 



Ke kai huli i ke alo o Papalauahi,^ 

 Kanaka hea i ka la, 

 Ko Puaakanu" wahine kui leluia, 

 Ka uka i Olaa, kuu moku lehua,^ 



20. I ke alo o Heeia, o Kukuena wahine" 

 Komo i ka lauwili" na hoalii, 

 I ka nahele^" o Puna ae ae a noho, 

 Eia makou ko lau kaula la, 

 Elieli kau mai. 



25. A spraying sea has Kohalaloa, 



25. He kai ehu" ko Kohalaloa, 



'Some versions of this story name Xamakaokahai as the one who drove Pele hither to Hawaii, an acconnt of 

 which will be found in the legend of Aukelenuiaiku. (See Memoirs Vol. IV, p. 102.) 



''The expression elieli at the close of certain prayers has occasioned much thought and inquiry by students. 

 Taking it as intensive of the root word eli, to dig, we get the impression of frequent, earnest, or vigorous effort, men- 

 tal or physical. It takes a range of definitions according to the character of the petition, wliich all agree includes the 

 ainaina or amen. One veteran said it was used only in sincere prayers to whicli amama only belonged, .'\nother held 

 that it expressed fervency in the petitioner. That it evinces a feeling of awe, as used here, is recognized in the 

 accompanying kau mai, o'rshadow, or possess me. It also means entirely, profoundly. 



"Hanakahi, a name applied to Hilo, as also Waiolama, its sand beach, make this the location of Pele's arrival, 

 whereas tradition and geography point to Kauai as the place of her first landing. 



'Pele's activities at Kilauea began as a cresting surf from Kahiki (.iliroad), which turned in front of Papa- 

 lauahi. 



"Literally, leaf strata [of] fire; a flow of molten lava. 



"Puaakanu wotuen stringing lehua blossoms, a simile freely applied to tlie Puna district. 



'Kuu moku lehua, my lehua forested land, above Olaa. 



'Kukuena wahine, the fiery sweep of wotnen. to which Pele's activities are likened. 



"Lauwdli, literally, leaf-twisting ; the companions, na hoalii, entered the entangling thicket, the nahale. 



"Of Puna. 



"The scene clianges to the sea-coast, represented as controlled and directed by Pele even to the shore of Maui, 

 sea of the chiefess. 



(492) 



