Hāna Noho I Ka Mālie
Na Kahakulielehua
Written to commemorate a visit to Hāna by me and my sister, Kawehilani, in 1995. Famous places in Hāna are recalled like Ka‘uiki hill, where many chiefs were born. Hema was a chief born at Kuauli-Hāna, Maui. It was Hema who voyaged to Kahiki to fetch the ‘ape‘ula, a wreath of red feathers. It is from Hema that one of Mauiʻs chiefly genealogies descend. Kaihalulu is the name of a beach at the base of Ka‘uiki. The Naka is a type of landshell once found there. Wai‘ānapanapa is where Pōpō‘alea, who was married to the cruel chief Ka‘akea, fled and concealed herself in a cave. They were betrayed by the shadow of a kāhili, which was being waved by an attendant. Ka‘akea found them and killed them both. It is said that on the night of Kū, the water in the pool turns red like blood. ‘Alau is the name of the islet situated off the coast of Hāmoa beach.
Ha‘aheo ‘o Hāna noho i ka mālie,
I ke kapa i ka uluwehiwehi
I lalo i ka ua lanipili ē,
He lei ho‘ōla i kēia ‘āina ‘ea lā, ‘ea lā, eā...
La‘ikū i ka pu‘u o Ka‘uiki,
‘Āina o Hema-a-‘Aikanaka,
Ka Naka kani pū i ka hau ‘anu,
‘Ānu‘unu‘u ana i ke Kaihalulu ‘ea lā, ‘ea lā, eā...
Aia i hema Wai‘ānapanapa,
‘Ana‘ana ‘ia ka wahine pe‘e pao,
Ua paoke‘e na ka huaka,
‘Ula‘ula ka wai ma ka pō Kū ‘ea lā, ‘ea lā, eā...
‘Ano‘ai ‘Alau kūkulu o ka lani,
Ani pe‘ahi ka lau o ka māhana,
Hanahana ke kai pō‘ai nēia moku,
Pū loku i ke kai o Hāmoa ē ‘ea lā, ‘ea lā, eā...
Ha‘ina ‘ia mai ana ka puana
Ha‘aheo ‘o Hāna noho i ka mālie
I lalo i ka ua lanipili ē,
He lei ho‘ōla i kēia ‘aina ‘ea lā, ‘ea lā, eā...
Eō Hāna, noho i ka mālie!
Proud is Hāna dwelling in tranquility,
Covered in verdant splendor
Beneath the low hanging rain clouds,
A life giving lei to this land…
Standing calmly is Ka‘uiki hill,
Land of Hema, son of chief ‘Aikanaka,
The Naka trills in the cool mist,
Trilling down to Kaihalulu (the roaring sea)…
There off to the left is Wai‘ānapanapa,
The woman trembles concealed in the cave,
Betrayed by the shadow (of a kāhili),
The waters run red on the night of Kū…
Greetings to ‘Alau, nestled below the horizon,
The hands of the twins beckons,
Vehement is the sea encircling this island,
Sparkling sea of Hāmoa…
This is the end of my praise
Of Hāna dwelling in tranquility
Below the low hanging rain clouds,
A life giving lei to thei land…
Answer o Hāna, dwelling in tranquility!
