BMEESON] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OF HAWAII 65 



MAHELE-HELE 11 



Hru-o-laui," kii ka ua o Hilo ^ i ka laiii; 

 Ke hookiikii uiai la ke ao o Pna-Iani;'' 

 O maliele aua,*^ pulu Hilo i ka ua — 



Hilo Hana-kabi/' 



5 Ha"i ka naln, wai kaka lepo o Pii-lani; 

 Hai'na ka iwi o Hilo, 



1 ke ku ia e ka wai. 



Oni'o lele a ka ua o Hilo i ka laui. 



Ke hookiikii mai la ke ao o Pua-lani, 

 10 Ke boluholu a'e la e puka, 



Puka 6 uana ke kiki a ka ua, 



Ka nouolio a ka ua i ka hale o Hilo. 



Like Hilo me Puna ke ku a mauna-ole,'' 

 He ole ke ku a niauna Hilo nie I'uiia. 

 15 He kowa Puna mawaena Hilo me Ka-ii ; 

 Ke pili wale la i ke kua i mauna-ole; 

 Pill hoohaha i ke kua o Mauna-loa. 



He kuahiwi Ka-ii e pa ka makaui. 

 Ke alai ia a'e la Ka-u e ke A'e; s 

 20 Ka-u ku ke ehu lepo ke A'e; 



Ku ke ehu-lepo mai la Ka-u i ka makani. 

 Makani Kawa hu'a-lepo Ka-ti 1 ke A'-e. 



" Hi'u-o-lani. A very blind plirnse. Hawaiians disagree as to its meaning. In the 

 author's opinion, it is a word referring to the conjurer's art. 



"■ Ua Hilo. Hilo is a very rainy country. The name Illlo seems to be used here as 

 almost a synonym of violent rain. It calls to mind the use of the word Hilo to signify 

 a strong wind : 



I'a mai, i)a mai, • 

 Ka makani a Hilo !♦ 

 Walho ka ipu Iki, 

 Homal ka ipu nui ! 



[Translation] 



Blow, blow, thou wind of Hilo ! 



Leave the little calabash, ^ 



Bring on the big one ! 



"■ Pua-lnni. The name of a deity who took the form of the rosy clouds of morning. 



'' Maliele una. Literally the dividing ; an allusion to the fact, it is said, that in Hilo 

 a rain-cloud, or rain-squall, as it came up would often divide and a part of It turn off 

 toward I'una at the cape named Lele-lwi, one-half watering, in the direction of the 

 present town, the land known as Hana-kahl. 



"■ Huna-kuhi. Look at note f, p. 60. 



f Mauna olc. According to one authority this should be Mauna-Hilo. Verses 13, 14, 

 Ifi, and 17 are difficult of translation. The play on the words ku a, standing at, or 

 standing by, and kua, the back; also on the word kowa, a gulf or strait; and the 

 repetition of the word mauna, mountain — all this is carried to such an extent as to be 

 quite unintelligible to the Anglo-Saxon mind, though full of significance to a Hawaiian. 



"A'e. A strong wind that prevails in Ka-u. The same word also means to step on, 

 to climb. This double-meaning gives the poet opportunity for a euphuistlc word-play 

 that was much enjoyed by the Hawaiians. The Hawaiians of the present day are not 

 quite up to this sort of logomachy. 



* HUo, or Whiro, as in the Maori, was a great navigator. 

 25352— Bull. 38—09 5 



