[Translation.]
Song
To Kauai, lifted in ether,
A floating flower at sea off Wailua—
That way Pele turns her gaze,
She’s bidding adieu to Oahu,
Loved land of new wine of the palm.
There comes a perfumed waft—mokihana—
The bath of the maid Hiiaka.
Scene it was once of Pele’s contention,
Put by for future attention.
Her foot now spurns the long-backed wave;
The phosphor burns like Pele’s eye,
Or a meteor-flash in the sky.
Finished the prayer, enter, possess!
Footnote 332:[ (return) ] Olewa. Said to be the name of a wooded region high up on the mountain of Kauai. It is here treated as if it meant the heavens or the blue ether. Its origin is the same with the word lewa, the upper regions of the air.
Footnote 333:[ (return) ] O Ahu. In this instance the article still finds itself disunited from its substantive. To-day we have Oahu and Ola’a.
Footnote 334:[ (return) ] Kau, The summer; time of warm weather; the growing season.
The incidents and allusions in this mele belong to the story of Pele’s journey in search of Lohiau, the lover she met in her dreams, and describe her as about to take flight from Oahu to Kauai (verse 4).
Hiiaka’s bath, Wai auau o Hiiaka (verse 7), which was the subject of Pele’s contention (verse 8), was a spring of water which Pele had planted at Huleia on her arrival from Kahiki. The ones with whom Pele had the contention were Kukui-lau-manienie and Kukui-lauhanahana, the daughters of Lima-loa, the god of the mirage. These two women lived at Huleia near the spring. Kamapua’a, the swinegod, their accepted lover, had taken the liberty to remove the spring from the rocky bed where Pele had planted it to a neighboring hill. Pele was offended and demanded of the two women:
“Where is my spring of water?”
“Where, indeed, is your spring? You belong to Hawaii. What have you to do with any spring on Kauai?” was their answer.
“I planted a clean spring here on this rock,” said Pele.
“You have no water here,” they insisted; “your springs are on Hawaii.”
“If I were not going in search of my husband Lohiau,” said Pele, “I would set that spring back again in its old place.”
“You haven’t the power to do that,” said they. “The son of Kahiki-ula (Kama-puaa) moved it over there, and you can’t undo his action.”
The eye of Pele, He onohi no Pele (verse 11), is the phosphorescence which Pele’s footfall stirs to activity in the ocean.
The formal ending of this mele, Elieli, kau mai, is often found at the close of a mele in the hula Pele, and marks it as to all intents and purposes a prayer.
E waiho aku ana, o Ahu (verse 4). This is an instance of the separation of the article o from the substantive Ahu, to which it becomes joined to form the proper name of the island now called Oahu.
Mele
Ke amo la ke ko’i ke akua la i-uka;
Haki nu’a-nu’a mai ka nalu mai Kahiki,
Po-po’i aku la i ke alo o Kilauea. [335]
Kanaka hea i ka lakou puaa kanu;
He wahine kui lei lehua i uka o Olaa,
Ku’u moku lehua i ke alo o He-eia.
O Kuku-ena [336] wahine,
Komo i ka lau-ki,
A’e-a’e a noho.
Eia makou, kou lau kaula la.
Eli-eli, kau mai!
Footnote 335:[ (return) ] The figure in the second and third verses, of waves from Kahiki (nalu mai Kahiki) beating against the front of Kilauea (Po-po’i aku la i ke alo o Kilauea), seems to picture the trampling of the multitude splashing the mire as if it were, waves of ocean.
Footnote 336:[ (return) ] Kukuena. There is some uncertainty as to who this character was; probably the same as Haumea, the mother of Pele.