At the entrance to this land-locked harbor of Kou a pretty sight met their eyes: a moving picture of men and women in the various attitudes of lying, kneeling or standing on boards, riding the waves that chased each other toward the sandy beach. The scene made such an appeal to Hiiaka’s imagination that she opened her heart in song:
Ke iho la ka makani
Halihali pua o Nu’uanu, e-e;
Aia i kai na lehua.
Ke naná la o Hilo;
Ke ka ia ho’i ka aukai, e-e;
Na lehua i ka wai o Hilo,
O Hilo ho’i, e-e!
TRANSLATION
Down rushes the wind and sweeps along