The mountains were still in shadow, but the star of morning was on high and rosy1 fingers in the east heralded3 the approach of day, taming the flare4 of the torches and making them almost a superfluity as the canoe—with Hiiaka occupying the pola, Lohiau in the stern holding the steersman’s paddle and Wahine-oma’o ensconced in the bow—curvetted to the waves and shot out into the blue sea. One paddle-stroke and the craft had cleared the land, another and it had traversed the heaving channel of I?-i?-waena, another and it was beached on the sands of Mokuleia. At this point Hiiaka parted from her two companions, directing them to call for her with the canoe at a designated place.
Hiiaka’s first care was to pay her respects to the aged6 one, her ancestor, Pohaku-o-Kaua’i; after that to her ancestral divinity [157]Kaena, a name in modern times bestowed7 on the western cape8 of Oahu. She turned this point and passed into the sweltering lea where the sun poured its merciless heat and, as she climbed the slope of the Waianae mountain, looking back on the route just accomplished9, according to her custom, she uttered her comments in song:
Kunihi Kaena, holo i ka malie;
Wela i ka La ke alo o ka pali;
Auamo mai i ka La o Kilauea;
Ikiiki i ka La na Ke-awa-ula,
Ola i ka makani Kai-a-ulu Koholá-lele—
He makani ia no lalo.
Ha?a ka La i na Makua;
Lili ka La i Ohiki-lolo;
Ha’a-hula le’a ke La i ke kula,
Ka Ha’a ana o ka La i Makáha;
O? ka niho o ka La i Ku-manomano;
Ola Ka-maile i ka huna na niho;
Mo’a wela ke kula o Walió;
Ola Kua-iwa i ka malama po;
Ola Waianae i ka makani Kai-a-ulu,1
Ke hoá aku la i ka lau o ka niu.
Uwé o Kane-pu-niu2 i ka wela o ka La;
Alaila ku’u ka luhi, ka malo’elo’e,
Auau aku i ka wai i Lua-lua-lei.
Aheahe Kona,3 Aheahe Koolau-wahine,4
Ahe no i ka lau o ka ilima.
Wela, wela i ka La ka pili i ka umauma,
I Pu’u-li’ili’i, i Kalawalawa, i Pahe-lona,
A ka pi’i’na i Wai-ko-ne-né-ne;
Hoomaha aku i Ka-moa-ula;
A ka luna i Poha-kea
Ku au, nana i kai o Hilo: [158]
Ke ho’omoe a’e la i ke kehau
O a’u hale lehua i kai o Puna,
O a’u hale lehua i kai o Ku-ki’i.
TRANSLATION
Kaena’s profile fleets through the calm,
A furnace-heat like Kilauea;
Ke-awa-ula swelters in heat;
Koholá-lele revives in the breeze,
That breath from the sea, Kai-a-ulu.
Fierce glows the sun of Makua;
How it quivers at Ohiki-lele—
’Tis the Sun-god’s dance o’er the plain,
A riot of dance at Makaha.
The sun-tooth is sharp at Kumano;
Kua-iwa revives with the nightfall;
Waianae is consoled by the breeze
Kane-pu-niu’s fearful of sunstroke;5
And feel the kind breeze of Kona,
The cooling breath of the goddess,
As it stirs the leaves of ilima.
While I sidle and slip and climb
Up one steep hill then another;
Thus gain I at last Moa-ula,
The summit of Poha-kea.
There stand I and gaze oversea
To Hilo, where lie my dewy-cool
Forest preserves of lehua
That reach to the sea in Puna—
My lehuas that enroof Kuki’i.
According to another account,—less mythical—Hiiaka, on [159]her departure from Haena, packed off Wahine-oma’o and Lohiau in the canoe, while she herself started on afoot. Before proceeding20 on her way she turned herself about and, as was her wont21, made a farewell address to the precipitous cliffs of Ka-lalau and to the deity22 therein enshrined:
O Ka-lalau, pali a’ala ho’i, e,
Ke ako ia a’e la e ka wahine;
A’ala ka pali i ka laua’e6 e
I Hono-pú, Wai-aloha.
Aloha oe la, e-e!
TRANSLATION
Where the nymphs pluck harvest of wreaths—
Fed by love’s waters at Hono-pú;
Hiiaka now left behind her the wild and precipitous region of Kalalau and, passing through Miloli’i, came into Mana, a region famous for its heat, its sand-hills, and its tantalizing26 mirage27. Mana was also the haunt of a swarm28 of little beings, elfs, brownies and what not, to whom Hiiaka courteously29 offered her salutations:
O Maná, aina a ke Akua,7 e-e,
Aina a ke Akua i ka li’u;
O ka pa’a kolo hele i o, e-e!
E ho’i mai ana ka oe8 i o’u nei, e-e.
TRANSLATION
Maná, thou land of the godling host,
Thou land of that wonder—mirage;
. . . . .
But you’re coming to take me hence!
[160]
According to this version of the narrative31, which is the preferable one, Hiiaka now took passage in the canoe and from Maná the reunited party sailed away for Oahu. By this happy reunion the otherwise dissevered narrative is brought into harmony and conflicting versions no longer pull away from each other like two ill-trained steers5.
The voyage was not without enlivening incident. When the canoe had reached a point where the surges began to roll in the direction of Oahu Hiiaka saw two monster sharks disporting32 themselves in the waves whom she recognized as relatives on the side of her paternal33 grand-father, their names being Kua and Kahole-a-Kane. This was her second encounter with these sea-monsters; the first was on her recent voyage to Kauai, an encounter which had threatened serious results, if not disaster, to Hiiaka’s expedition. As the story goes, when Kua and Kahole had become aware that Hiiaka’s going was for the purpose of bringing Lohiau to the bed of Pele, they were moved to great disapproval34 of her enterprise: “A mere35 man,” said they. “The idea of mating him with Pele is atrocious: and he is a dead man at that.”
After taking counsel with the sea-goddess Moana-nui-ka-lehua, who had her boudoir in the deep waters of I?i?-waena, with her aid they raised a commotion36 in the sea and Hiiaka barely escaped being swamped by a mighty37 water-spout. For her part Hiiaka was quite ready to overlook this rough play of her old kinsfolk and to do the agreeable with them and she accordingly addressed them kindly38: “How lucky for me is this meeting again with you out here in the ocean! It will enable me to relieve my hardships by a smack39 of real comfort.”
The two sea-monsters felt unable to respond to Hiiaka’s advances in a like spirit with her’s. Their consciences pleaded guilty. “Look here,” said Kua to his fellow, “this is our grandchild.”
“Yes,” his companion replied, “and she will put us to death. We’d better hide ourselves, you in your patch of surf, I in mine.”
“What then? Where shall we flee for safety?”
“To the mountains back of Waianae, to be sure,” asserted Kua.
THE DESCENT FROM THE CLIFFS
THE DESCENT FROM THE CLIFFS
This suggestion meeting with the approval of his companion, they hastened to land and, having divested41 themselves of their shark-bodies and resumed human form, they made for the mountains and hid themselves in the palaá fern. Hiiaka was greatly disappointed that these two old people should have so utterly42 misconceived [161]her attitude of mind toward them as to rob her of their interesting company. She expressed her observations in song:
A makani Kai-a-ulu lalo o Waianae,
E wehe aku ana i ka lau o ka niu.
Ha’i ka nalu o Kua a ala i ka po;
I hiki aku, i moe aku iuka ka luhi o ke kai:
Moe no a huli ke alo9 i ka paia.
Hiki ka alele a kou ipo
A koena lau ka ula,10 e:
He ula aloha, e!—
Makani pahele-hala11 o Kamaile-húna,
Ke wahi mai la e nahá lalo o Malamalama-iki.
Ike’a Wai-lua12—ke kino o ka laau,13
Pau pu no me ke kino o ka Lehua14 wehe’a:
Wehe’a iho nei loko o ka moe,
Malamalama oko’a no olalo me he ahi lele la!
He’e, e-e!
TRANSLATION
Lifting the fronds of the coco-palm;
The waves of Kua rise betime
To sleep secure with face to the wall. [162]
Its ear-tingling10 message of love,
As the wind that shakes the hala tree.
Revealing the tricks of the merfolk twain,
For a ray has pierced to their resting place,
As a lightning flash illumines the deep.
You’re caught, my fellows, you’re caught!
Neither Kua nor Kahole-a-Kane were relieved of their guilty fears by Hiiaka’s soft words. They continued their flight along the same path which was soon afterwards followed by Hiiaka in her climb to Poha-kea. The only penalty inflicted51 by Hiiaka, when at last she came up with them and found them penitent52, cowering53 in the brush, was their retirement54 from the ocean: not a light stroke, however, being almost the equivalent of taking away a mariner’s commission, thus separating him from his chosen element, his native air.
1Kai-a-ulu, a sea-breeze that comforted Waianae. ↑
2Kane-pu-niu, a form of god Kane, now an uncarved bowlder; here used in a tropical sense to mean the head. The Hawaiians, impelled55 by the same vein56 of humor as ourselves, often spoke57 of the human head as a coconut58 (pu-niu). ↑
3Kona, here used as a local name for the sea-breeze. ↑
4Koolau-wahine, a wind, stronger, but from the same direction as the Kona. ↑
5 The author begs to remark that sunstroke is unknown in all Hawaii. ↑
6Lau-a’e, a fragrant plant that grows in the woods of Kauai. ↑
7Akua. The word akua was used not alone to designate the gods, it was also applied59 to any superhuman or supernatural being. The reference here is to the little creatures that swarmed60 in the land. ↑
8Oe. This last line is evidently addressed to her traveling companion, Wahine-oma’o, whom she descried61 in the canoe in the offing. ↑
9Huli ke alo i ka paia. To sleep with one’s face turned to the wall was reckoned to indicate a high degree of confidence in one’s safety. ↑
10Ula, a tingling45 in the ears. Tinnitus aurium, a tingling in the ears, or any similar symptom in that organ was regarded as a sure sign that some person was making a communication from a distance. This superstition62, or sentiment, in regard to tinnitus aurium was not peculiar63 to the Polynesian. In Der Trompeter von S?ckingen I find the following:
Laut das Ohr klingt, als ein Zeichen,
Dass die Heimath sein gedenket,—
↑
11Pahele-hala, literally64, shaking the hala (pandanus tree). Hala also meant fault or sin. The figure is to be taken to mean a shaking of sins, in other words, a casting of them away, a disregarding of them. ↑
12Wai-lua, an abyss in the water. The reference is, of course, to the shark-gods. ↑
13Laau, wooden. The reference is to the shark-bodies of the two monsters which became dead, wooden, when discarded by them on their coming out of the ocean and resuming ordinary human form. ↑
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收听单词发音
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1
rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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2
herald
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| vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎 | |
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3
heralded
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| v.预示( herald的过去式和过去分词 )；宣布（好或重要） | |
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4
flare
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| v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发 | |
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5
steers
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| n.阉公牛，肉用公牛( steer的名词复数 )v.驾驶( steer的第三人称单数 )；操纵；控制；引导 | |
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aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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7
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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8
cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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9
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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10
ablaze
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| adj.着火的，燃烧的；闪耀的，灯火辉煌的 | |
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11
ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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12
fang
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| n.尖牙，犬牙 | |
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13
scorched
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| 烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦 | |
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14
fronds
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| n.蕨类或棕榈类植物的叶子( frond的名词复数 ) | |
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15
truce
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| n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束 | |
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16
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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17
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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18
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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19
scorches
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| 烧焦，烤焦( scorch的第三人称单数 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶 | |
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20
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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21
wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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22
deity
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| n.神，神性；被奉若神明的人(或物) | |
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23
verdant
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| adj.翠绿的，青翠的，生疏的，不老练的 | |
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24
fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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25
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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26
tantalizing
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| adj.逗人的；惹弄人的；撩人的；煽情的v.逗弄，引诱，折磨( tantalize的现在分词 ) | |
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27
mirage
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| n.海市蜃楼，幻景 | |
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28
swarm
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| n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入 | |
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29
courteously
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| adv.有礼貌地，亲切地 | |
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30
swarming
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| 密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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31
narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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32
disporting
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| v.嬉戏，玩乐，自娱( disport的现在分词 ) | |
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33
paternal
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| adj.父亲的，像父亲的，父系的，父方的 | |
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34
disapproval
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| n.反对，不赞成 | |
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35
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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36
commotion
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| n.骚动，动乱 | |
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37
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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38
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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39
smack
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| vt.拍，打，掴；咂嘴；vi.含有…意味；n.拍 | |
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40
ruse
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| n.诡计，计策；诡计 | |
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41
divested
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| v.剥夺( divest的过去式和过去分词 )；脱去（衣服）；2。从…取去…；1。（给某人）脱衣服 | |
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42
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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43
ruffles
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| 褶裥花边( ruffle的名词复数 ) | |
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44
repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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45
tingling
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| v.有刺痛感( tingle的现在分词 ) | |
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46
bounty
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| n.慷慨的赠予物，奖金；慷慨，大方；施与 | |
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47
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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48
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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49
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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50
mermaid
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| n.美人鱼 | |
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51
inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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52
penitent
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| adj.后悔的；n.后悔者；忏悔者 | |
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53
cowering
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| v.畏缩，抖缩( cower的现在分词 ) | |
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54
retirement
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| n.退休，退职 | |
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55
impelled
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| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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56
vein
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| n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络 | |
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57
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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58
coconut
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| n.椰子 | |
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59
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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60
swarmed
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| 密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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61
descried
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| adj.被注意到的，被发现的，被看到的 | |
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62
superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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63
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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64
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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65
domain
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| n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围 | |
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