EMERSON] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 21 



5 Reside in the wild-twining maile 

 And the goddess-enwreathing ti. 

 Ah, the joyful pulses 

 Of the woman Ha'i-ka-manawa ! 

 Thou art Lalia, 

 10 The god of this altar ; 



Return, return, abide in thy shrine! 



The praj^ers which the hula folk of old times chanted while gather- 

 ing the material in the woods or while weaving it into shape in the 

 halau for the construction of a shrine did not form a rigid liturgy; 

 they formed rather a repertory as elastic as the sighing of the breeze, 

 or the songs of the birds whose notes embroidered the pure mountain 

 air. There were many altar-prayers, so that if a prayer came to an 

 end before the work was done the priest had but to begin the recita- 

 tion of another prayer, or, if the spirit of the occasion so moved him, 

 he would take up again a prayer already repeated, for until the work 

 was entirely accomplished the voice of prayer must continue to be 

 heard. 



The pule now to be given seems to be specially suited to that portion 

 of the service which took place in the woods at the gathering of the 

 poles and greenery. It was designed specially for the placating of 

 the little god-folk who from their number were addressed as Kini o 

 he Ahua^ the multitude of the little gods, and who were the counter- 

 parts in old Hawaii of our brownies, elfins, sprites, kobolds, gnomes, 

 and other woodland imps. These creatures, though dwarfish and 

 insignificant in person, were in such numbers — four thousand, fort}^ 

 thousand, four hundred thousand — and were so impatient of any 

 invasion of their territory, so jealous of their prerogatives, so spiteful 

 and revengeful when injured, that it was policy always to keep on the 

 right side of them. 



Pule Kuahu 



E hooulu ana i Kini " o Ive Aliua, 

 Ka lehu o lie Akua, 

 Ka mano o lie Akua, 

 I ka pu-ku'i o ke Akua, 

 5 I ka lalani Akua, 

 la ulu mai o Kane, 

 Ulu Kanaloa ; 

 Ulu ka ohia, lau ka ie-ie; 

 Ulu ke Akua, noho i ke kahua, 

 10 A a'ea'e, a ulu, a uoho kou kuahu. 

 Eia ka pule la, he pule ola. 



Chorus: 

 E ola ana oe ! 



" Kini o ke Akua. See note d, p. 24. 



