EMERSON] UNWEITTEN LITEKATUEE OE HAWAII 67 



His answer was, " The gods composed the mele ; men did not com- 

 pose it." 



Like an old-time geologist, he solved the puzzle of a novel phe- 

 nomenon by ascribing it to God. 



MAHELE III 



(Ai-ha'a) 



A Koa'e-kea,'^ i Pueo-hulu-nui,* 



Neeu a'e la ka makahiapo o ka pali; 



A a'e, a a'e, a'e * la iluna 



Kaholo-kua-iwa, ka pali o Ha'i.'' 

 5 Ha'i a'e la ka pali ; 



Ha-iiu'u ka pali ; 



Hala e Malu-6 ; 



Hala a'e la Ka-maha-la'a-wili, 



Ke kaupoku hale a ka ua. 

 10 Me he niea i uvvae'na a'e la ka pali ; 



Me he hale pi'o ka lei na ka mauawa o ka pali Halehale-o-ti ; 



Me he aho i hilo 'a la ka wai o Wai-hi-lau; 



Me he uahi pulehu-iiiann la ke kai o ka auwala hula aua. 



All aua Maka'u-kiu <^ iloko o ke kai ; 

 15 Pohaku lele *' o Lau-uui, Lau-pahoehoe. 



Ka eku'na a ke kai i ka ala o Ka-wai-kapu — 



Eku ana, me he pua'a la, ka lae Makani-lele, 



Koho-la-lele. 



[Translation] 



CANTO III 



(Bombastic style) 



Hauut of white tropic-bird aud big ruffled owl. 

 Up rises the first-born child of the pali. 

 He climbs, he climbs, he climbs up aloft, 

 Kaholo-ku'-iwa, the pali of Ha'i. 

 5 -Accomplished now is the steep. 

 The ladder-like series of steps. 

 Malu-6 is left far below. 



'^ Koa'e-kea, Pueo hulu-nui. Steep' declivities, pali, on the side of Waipio valley, Ha- 

 waii. Instead of inserting these names, which would be meaningless without an expla- 

 nation, the author has given a literal translation of the names themselves, thus getting 

 a closer insight into the Hawaiian thought. 



''A'e. The precipices rise one above another like the steps of a stairway, climbing, 

 climbing up, though the probable intent of the poet is to represent some one as climbing 

 the ascent. 



" Ha'i. Short for Ha'ina-Jiolo : a woman about whom there is a story of tragic adven- 

 ture. Through eating when famished of some berries in an unceremonious way she 

 became distraught and wandered about for many months until discovered by the per- 

 sistent efforts of her husband. The pali which she climbed was named after her. 



* Maka'u-kiu. The name of a famous huge shark that was regarded with reverential 

 fear. 



« Pohaku lele. In order to determine whether a shark was present, it was the custom, 

 before going into the clear water of some of these coves, to throw rocks into the water 

 in order to disturb the monster and make his presence known. 



