70
Pele and Hiiaka—A Myth
TRANSLATION
Rough weather at Hono-kohau;
The Ulu-au blows a gale;
It snaps off the leaves of the awa,
But the sea lies calm at Hono-lua
And the woman can fish along shore,
Pounding her shell-fish, rubbing her moss—
This maiméd girl Kalu-é-a,
The girl that is dead.
The Ulu-au blows a gale;
It snaps off the leaves of the awa,
But the sea lies calm at Hono-lua
And the woman can fish along shore,
Pounding her shell-fish, rubbing her moss—
This maiméd girl Kalu-é-a,
The girl that is dead.
As the wild thing ran from the dash of an incoming wave, by some chance the gourd that held her fish slipped from her and the retreating water carried it beyond her reach, a loss that she lightly touched in her song:
Ha'a ka lau o ka i'a;
Ha'a ka lima i ke po'i;
Ha'a ke olohe[1] i ke awakea:
Kina'i aku la i ke kai, la.
Lilo ka i'a, lilo ka i'a
I ka welelau o ku'u lima,
A lilo, e-e!
Ha'a ka lima i ke po'i;
Ha'a ke olohe[1] i ke awakea:
Kina'i aku la i ke kai, la.
Lilo ka i'a, lilo ka i'a
I ka welelau o ku'u lima,
A lilo, e-e!
TRANSLATION
My fish are adance on the waves:
My hand just danced from the basket:
The skilled [1] one dances at noontide
And deafens the roar of ocean.
Gone are my fish, lost out of hand,
Snatched clean away from my hand-stumps;
They are gone, gone, gone from my hand!
My hand just danced from the basket:
The skilled [1] one dances at noontide
And deafens the roar of ocean.
Gone are my fish, lost out of hand,
Snatched clean away from my hand-stumps;
They are gone, gone, gone from my hand!
There was a shark lurking in the ocean and when Mana-mana-ia-kalu-ea saw it she uttered a little song:
O ka i'a iki maka inoino,
Ihu me'ume'u o ka moana;
Ke a'u lele 'ku o kai,
I ka puo'a o kai uli, e.
Auwé, pau au i ka manó nui, e!!
Ihu me'ume'u o ka moana;
Ke a'u lele 'ku o kai,
I ka puo'a o kai uli, e.
Auwé, pau au i ka manó nui, e!!
