He Mele No Ka‘ala
Hikiki‘ika ‘ohu i ka piko o Ka‘ala,
Ka ‘a‘ala kolopua o ka nae o uka,
Luluhe ka palai I ka nolu ‘ehu,
Ehuehu ka liliko o ke alaula.
Miliani a kani kapake ka lapalapa,
I ka welelau makani ko aheahe,
A he palihi ka leo o ka manu,
I ke alo o na kama hele.
Kau mai ke kapa ano o ka polehu,
Mahe a‘e ka mali ‘o no‘u,
‘Uhe kaua, ma‘e‘ele I ka po,
Ka punohu mahea o ka lani.
Pukuku‘I ka makane konahau,
Hau‘oki ninipo kaua,
Hi‘ipoli ‘ia I ka wehi o Ka‘ala,
He nani kamaha‘o e hi‘olani nei.
Mist reclines at Ka‘ala's summit,
The sweet flower-laden perfume of the uplands
Velvety soft ferns droop, awash witih dew,
The fading rays of daylight are misty and obscure.
The pitter-patter of the lapalapa is a soft caress,
In the fringes of the gently blowing breeze,
And the song of the birds a light touch,
On the face of the travelers.
Twilight's cloak of stillness descends,
As the last glimmers of the fragrant dusk dissipate,
You and I are chilled, numb in the cold of the evening,
In the misty moonlight of the heavens.
Nestling together against the icy nip of the breeze,
The two of us are drowsy and chilled,
Embraced in the bosom of Ka‘ala,
An indescribable beauty reclining before us.
Reference Cited
State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). 2003. Wao Akua: Sacred Source of Life. Division of Forestry & Wildlife. Honolulu, HI.
