EMERSON] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 37 



Let the sun guide the board Halepo, 

 Till Halepo lifts on the swell. 

 It moimts the swell that rolls from Kahiki, 

 10 From Wakea's age onrolling. 



The roller plumes and ruffles its crest. 



Here comes the champion surf -man, 

 While wave-ridden wave beats the island, 

 A fringe of mountain-high waves. 

 15 Spume lashes the Hiki-au altar — 

 A surf this to ride at noontide. 



The coral, horned coral, it sweeps far ashore. 

 We gaze at the surf of Ka-kuhi-hewa. 

 The surf -board snags, is shivered ; 

 20 Maui splits with a crash. 



Trembles, dissolves into slime. 



Glossy the skin of the surf-man ; 

 Undrenched the skin of the expert ; 

 Wave-feathers fan the Wave-rider. 

 25 You've seen the grand surf of Puna, of Hilo. 



*■ * * ^ If Hf it 



This spirited song, while not a full description of a surf-riding 

 scene, gives a vivid picture of that noble 'sport. The last nine verses 

 have been omitted, as they add neither to the action nor to the in- 

 terest. 



It seems surprising that the accident spoken of in line 19 should 

 be mentioned ; for it is in glaring opposition to the canons that Avere 

 usually observed in the composition of a mele-inoa. In the construc- 

 tion of a eulogy the Hawaiians were not only punctiliously careful 

 to avoid mention of anything susceptible of sinister interpretation, 

 but they were superstitiously sensitive to any such unintentional hap- 

 pening. As already mentioned (p. 27), they believed that the fate- 

 compelling power of a word of ill-omen was inevitable. If it did 

 not result in the death of the one eulogized, retributive justice turned 

 the evil influence back on him who uttered it. 



