EiiRnsoN] UNWRITTEN LITERATURE OP HAWAII 85 



His accuser points to the beaten down hina-hina grass as evidence 

 against him. At this the brazen-faced culprit parries the stroke with 

 a humorous euphemistic description, in which he plays on the word 

 Am«, to fall. Such verbal tilting in ancient Hawaii Avas practically a 

 defense against a charge of moral obliquity as decisive and legiti- 

 mate as was an appeal to arms in the times of chivalry. He euphe- 

 mistically speaks of the beaten herbage as the result of his having 

 tripped and fallen, at which, says he, the woman smiled, that is she 

 fell in with his proposals. He gives himself awaj^; but that doesn't 

 matter. 



It requires some study to make out who is the speaker in the tit- 

 for-tat of the dialogue. 



Mele 



(Ai-ha'a) 



He Ilia i ka Hikina, 

 Uu eua e Pele; 

 Ke liaoloolo e la ke ao, 

 Ke lele la i-luna, i-lalo; 

 5 Kawewe ka 0-6 i-lalo i akea ; 

 A ninau o Wakea, 

 Owai nei akua e eli nei? 

 Owau no, o Pele, 

 Nana i eli aku ka lua i Niihau a a. 



10 He lua i Niihau, ua ena e Pele. 



Ke liaoloolo e la ke ao, 



Ke lele la i-luna, i-lalo ; 



Kawewe ka 0-6 i-lalo i akea ; 



A ninau o Wakea, 

 15 ' Owai nei akua e eli nei? 



Owau no, o Pele, 



Nana i eli aku ka lua i Kauai a a. 



He lua i Kauai ua ena e Pele. 



Ke haoloolo e la ke ao, 

 20 Ke lele la i-luna, i-lalo ; 



Kawewe ka 0-6 i-lalo i akea; 



Ninau o Wakea, 



Owai nei akua e eli nei? 



Owau no, o Pele, 

 25 Nana i eli ka lua i Oahu a a. 



He lua i Oahu, ua ena e Pele. 

 Ke haoloolo e la ke ao, 

 Ke lele la i-luna, i-lalo ; 

 Kawewe ka 0-6 i-lalo i akea ; 

 30 A ninau o Wakea, 



Owai nei akua e eli nei? 



Owau no, o Pele, 



Nana i eli ka lua i Molokai a a. 



