Hālau Puʻuloa (Mele Oli)
Hālau Puʻuloa he awa lau no ʻEwa |
Expansive is Puʻuloa a harbor for ʻEwa |
He awa lau moana na ke Kēhau |
An extensive harbor belonging to the Kēhau breeze |
He kiʻowai lua he muliwai, no ʻEwa |
An abundant, overflowing estuary for ʻEwa |
No ua ʻāina ka iʻa hāmau leo |
To this ʻāina belongs the iʻa that silences voices |
E hāmau ana ka leo o ke kānaka |
The voices of people will be silenced |
ʻO pānea mai auaneʻi hilahila |
Yet, a response is always given lest there be shame |
Keʻeo ua iʻa la iloko o ke kai |
The aforementioned iʻa fills the sea |
ʻO ke kai puakai ʻula ai ke kai o Kuhia – e |
from the sacred reddish sea to the sea of Kuhia |
He mai, he mai |
Welcome, welcome |
Eia nō mākou nei. |
Here we are. |
Translator’s Note: Though this translation includes diacritical markings, the transcription of this mele imposes no use of diacritical markings and represents the mele as it is inscribed on the original document. The lack of inclusion of diacritical markings in the transcription is also intended to allow for multiple interpretations of this mele that may extend beyond the translation that is offered here.
From the Bishop Museum Archives, MS Case 4 M61 Pages 94 to 95
Attributed to Moekali, Date Unknown
Bibliography