PAOA COMES BEFORE PELE
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
Emerson, Nathaniel Bright
Opa’ipa’i wale ka Mauna;
Pipili ka lani, pa’a iä moku.
Nalo Hawaii i ka uahi a ka Wahine,
I ka lili a ke Akua.
Oliliku ka ua mai ka lani;
Lili ana ho’i i kana ahi;
Lili ana ho’i Pele
Hama-hamau ka leo, mai pane!
Eia Pele, ko’u Akua!
Ke lauwili nei ka makani;
Hoanoano mai ana na eho lapa uwila;
Hekili wawahi ka lani;
Ku loloku ka ua i uka;
Ku’i ka hekili, nei ke ola’i;
Lele kapu i kai.4
Hiki lele ai i lalo o Kane-lu-honua.
O Kane-pua-hiöhiö, wili,—
Wili ia i uka, wili ia i kai;
Wili ia i luna, wili ia i lalo;
Wili ia i ka uä,
I ka hoöle akua, hoöle mana—5
Ka ho’o-malau,6 e, ka ho’o-maloka;7
Ke A-papa-nu’u,8 ke A-papa-lani.9
O Mano-ka-lani-po,10 o ke aka lei-hulu—
Hulu o manu kiü, o manu ahiahi;
O manu aha’i lono:—
Ha’ina a’e ana ka mana o ko’u Akua
Iwaho nei la, e; ha’ina ho’i!
Kukulu ka pahu kapu a ka leo:11
He ala12 hele, he ala muku,
No Kane, laua o Kanaloa;
He ki13 ho’iho’i kanawai;
He kai14 oki’a kanawai;
He kua15 a kanawai —
No Pele, no ko’u Akua, la!
TRANSLATION
There’s turmoil and heaving of strata
In the land She claimed for her own.
Kahiki was land at the dawn of time,
A land by Haumea mixed and tempered;