To return now to Hiiaka, who, after a hot climb, is standing1 on the summit of Poha-kea; she is gazing with rapt and clear vision far away in the direction of her own home-land, her moku lehua, in Puna. Her eyes, under the inspiration of the moment, disregard the ocean foreground, on whose gently heaving bosom3 might be seen the canoe that holds Lohiau and Wahine-oma’o snailing along to its appointed rendezvous5. Her mind is busy interpreting the unusual signs written in the heavens: a swelling6 mountainous mass of flame-shot clouds, boiling up from some hidden source. It spells ruin and desolation—her own forest-parks blasted and fire-smitten; but, saddest and most heart-rending of all is the thought that her own Hopoe, the beautiful, the accomplished8, the generous, the darling of her heart—Hopoe [163]has been swallowed up in the rack. Hopoe, whose accepted emblem9 and favorite poetical10 metamorphosis was a tall lehua tree in full blossom, is now a scarred rock teetotumed back and forth11 by the tides and waves of the ocean. This thought, however much she would put it aside, remained to fester in her heart.
(We omit at this point a considerable number of mele which are ascribed to Hiiaka and declared to have been sung by her while occupying this mountain perch12 at Poha-kea. Application to them of the rule that requires conformity13 to a reasonable standard of relevancy to the main purpose of the narrative14 results in their exclusion15.)
The song next given—by some dubbed16 a pule, because of its serious purpose, no doubt—seems to be entitled to admission to the narrative:
Aluna au a Poha-kea,
Ku au, nana ia Puna:
Po Puna i ka ua awaawa;
Pohina Puna i ka ua noenoe;
Hele ke a i kai o ka La-hiku o a’u lehua,
O a’u lehua i aina1 ka manu;
I lahui2 ai a kapu.
Aia la, ke huki’a3 la i kai o Nana-huki—
Hula le’a wale i kai o Nana-huki, e!
TRANSLATION
On the heights of Poha-kea
I stand and look forth on Puna:
Veiled with a downpour black as night!
Gone, gone are my forests, lehuas
Whose bloom once gave the birds nectar!
Yet they were insured with a promise!
Look, how the fire-fiends flit to and fro!
A merry dance for them to the sea,
Down to the sea at Nana-huki!
Hiiaka now pays attention to the doings of the people on the canoe in the offing. It is necessary to explain that, on landing [164]at Mokuleia, she had ordered her two companions to continue their voyage and meet her on the other side of Cape18 Kaena whose pointed4 beak19 lay close at hand. Lohiau, nothing loath—a pretty woman was company enough for him—turned the prow20 of the canoe seaward and resumed his paddle. After passing the cape, the ocean calmed, making the work of steering21 much less arduous22. Now it was that Lohiau, feeling the warm blood of young manhood swell7 the cockles of his heart and finding opportunity at hand, made ardent23 love to his attractive voyage-companion. He pressed nose and lip against her’s and used every argument to bring her to accept his point of view.
Wahine-oma’o had a mind of her own and though not at all averse24 to love and its doings and though very much drawn25 to this lover in particular, she decidedly objected to compromising her relations with Hiiaka, but above all, with the dread26 mistress of the Volcano, with whom she must ere long make reckoning. Like Pele, Wahine-oma’o permitted the kisses of Lohiau for a time, but, knowing that passion grows by what it feeds on, she presently cut short his rations27 and told him to behave himself, enforcing her denial with the unanswerable argument that she was well persuaded that they would be seen by Hiiaka. It was even so. It was worse. Hiiaka did not content herself with throwing temptation before Lohiau, as one might place raw meat before a hungry dog; by some witchery of psychologic power she stirred him up to do and dare, yet at the same time she impelled28 Wahine-oma’o to accept, but only a certain degree, for she carefully set bounds to their conduct. And this, be it understood, is but the opening act of a campaign in which Hiiaka resolves to avenge29 herself on Pele.
When at length Hiiaka centered her attention on the actions of the people in the canoe, it needed but a glance to tell her that the contagium planted in the soil of Lohiau’s mind had worked to a charm. Her own description—though in figures that seem high-wrought and foreign to our imaginations—had better tell the tale:
Aluna au o Poha-kea,
Wehe ka ilio4 i kona kapa; [165]
Hanai alualu5 i ke kula o Miki-kala,6
I ke kula o Puha-maló6
Hakaká, kipikipi o Kai-a-ulu7 me ke kanáka;
Ua ku’i-ku’i wale a ha’ina8 na ihu;
Ua ka i ka u me ka waimaka,
I ke kula o Lualua-lei,9 e!
Ku’u lei aloha no olua no, e!
TRANSLATION
I stand ahigh on Poha-kea;
The dog of storm strips off his robe;
Miki-kala and Puha-maló:—
Fountains become of water and tears!
This my garland of love to you two!
Hiiaka’s voice had the precious quality of carrying her words and making them audible to a great distance, when she so willed. Her song, therefore, did not, on this occasion, waste itself in the wilderness33 of space. The caution it imposed had its effect. Lohiau and Wahine-oma’o calmed their passionate34 contentions35 and proceeded discreetly36 on their way. Having passed Kalae-loa,10 their canoe swung into that inverted37 arc of Oahu’s coastline, in the middle of which glisten38, like two parted rows of white teeth, the coral bluffs39 that were the only guard at the mouth of Pearl Lochs.
Before descending40 from her vantage ground on Pohakea, Hiiaka indulged her fancy in a song that was of a different strain. Looking towards Hilo, she describes the rivers, swollen41 by heavy rains, rushing impetuously along in bounding torrents42, [166]while men and women leap into the wild current and are lifted on its billows as by the ocean waves:
A makani Kua-mú11 lehua ko uka;
Ke ho’o-wa’a-wa’a a’e la
E u? i Hana-kahi,12 e-e:
Ke u? la, u? mai la Hilo
A moku kahawai, piha akú la
Na hale Lehua13 a ke kai, e-e!
TRANSLATION
Freighted with rain for Hilo,
The Hilo of Hana-kahi.
The channels are full to the brim—
After a moment’s pause she resumed, though in quite a different strain:
Aia no ke ’kua la i uka;
Ke hoá la i ka papa a enaena,
A pulelo14 mai ka ohi’a o ka lua;
Maewa15 ke po’o, pu’u, newa i ka makani,
I ka hoonaue ia e ka awaawa, e-e!
TRANSLATION
The god is at work in the hills;
She has fired the plain oven-hot; [167]
The forest-fringe of the pit is aflame;—
Fire-tongues, fire-globes, that sway in the wind—
The fierce bitter breath of the Goddess!
As the canoe drew near to the appointed rendezvous at Pu’u-loa, Hiiaka lifted her voice in a chanting song addressed to Lohiau and Wahine-oma’o:
Ku’u aikane i ke awa lau16 o Pu’uloa,
Mai ke kula o Pe’e-kaua,17 ke noho oe,
E noho kaua e kui, e lei i ka pua o ke kauno’a,18
I ka pua o ke akuli-kuli,19 o ka wili-wili;20
O ka iho’na o Kau-pe’e i Kane-hili,21
Ua hili22 au; akahi no ka hili o ka la pomaika’i;
Aohe mo-ewa’a23 o ka po, e moe la nei.
E Lohiau ipo, e Wahine-oma’o,
Hoe ’a mai ka wa’a i a’e aku au.
TRANSLATION
Let us sit, if you will, on this lea
And bedeck us with wreaths of Kauno’a,
Of akuli-kuli and wili-wili.
It lost the track for once, in spite of luck, [168]
As I came down the road to Kau-pe’a.
No nightmare dream was that which tricked my soul.
This way, dear friends; turn the canoe this way;
Hiiaka again in command, the tiger in Lohiau’s nature slunk away into its kennel50, allowing his energies to spend themselves in useful work. Under his vigorous paddle the little craft once more moved like a thing of life and long before night found itself off the harbor of Kou, the name then applied51 to what we now call Honolulu.
1Aina, to furnish food. ↑
4Ilio, dog. It is explained that the meaning covered by this figure is a storm-cloud and that the stripping off of its garment, wehe … i kona kapa, meant its break up into the fleecy white clouds of fair weather. It seems that if the head of this cloud-dog pointed to the west it meant rain, if to the east, fair weather. ↑
5Hanai alualu, to fan with a gentle breeze. Alu-alu is another form for oluolu. ↑
6Miki-kala and Puha-malo, names of places along the coast of Oahu in the region under observation. ↑
8Ha’ina na ihu. Ha’i, to break or be broken. The Hawaiian kiss was a flattening55 of nose against nose. The breaking of noses, as here, therefore, means excessive kissing. ↑
9Lualua-lei, the name of a plain in this region. ↑
10 Barber’s Point. ↑
11Kua-mú, said to be the name of a wind, the blowing of which caused heavy rain in the woods back of Hilo. ↑
12Hana-kahi, an ancient king of Hilo, frequently mentioned in poetry, whose name is used to designate the district. ↑
13Hale Lehua, an evident allusion56 to the goddess, or mermaid, Moana-nui-ka-Lehua. She was a relative of Pele and had her habitation in the ocean caverns of Ie-ie-waena, the channel between Oahu and Kauai. Her story belongs to the time when the sun-hero Mawi was performing his wonderful exploits. (See account given on p. 104.) ↑
15Maewa, to fork, or branch, said of the flames. ↑
16Awa lau, leaf-shaped lagoon; a highly appropriate epithet58, when applied to that system of lochs, channels and estuaries59 that form the famous “Pearl Lochs,” as any one acquainted with the place will admit. ↑
17Pe’e-kaua, the name applied to a portion of the plain west of Pu’u-loa. ↑
18Kau-no’a, a parasitic60 plant (Cassytha filiformis) consisting of wiry stems that cling to other plants by means of small protuberances or suckers. ↑
19Akuli-kuli, a low, vine-like plant, said to have fleshy leaves and minute flowers. ↑
20Wili-wili (Erythrina monosperma), a tree having light, corky wood, much used in making the outrigger floats for canoes. Its flowers, of a ruddy flame-color, make a splendid decoration. ↑
21Kane-hili, a name applied to a part of the plain west of Pu’u-loa[Pu’uloa?]. Notice the repetition of the word hili in the next verse. Hili means astray, or distressed61. ↑
22Hili, to go astray, to lose one’s way. Assonance by word-repetition was a favorite device of Hawaiian poetry. The Hawaiian poet did not use rhyme. ↑
23Mo-ewa’a, literally62 a canoe-dream. To dream of a canoe was an omen2 of ill luck. It was also unlucky to dream of having gained some valued possession and then wake to the disappointing reality.
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1
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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2
omen
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| n.征兆，预兆；vt.预示 | |
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3
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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4
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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5
rendezvous
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| n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇 | |
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6
swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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7
swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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8
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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9
emblem
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| n.象征，标志；徽章 | |
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10
poetical
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| adj.似诗人的；诗一般的；韵文的；富有诗意的 | |
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11
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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12
perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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13
conformity
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| n.一致，遵从，顺从 | |
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14
narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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15
exclusion
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| n.拒绝，排除，排斥，远足，远途旅行 | |
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16
dubbed
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| v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制 | |
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17
pelted
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| （连续地）投掷( pelt的过去式和过去分词 )； 连续抨击； 攻击； 剥去…的皮 | |
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18
cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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19
beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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20
prow
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| n.(飞机)机头，船头 | |
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21
steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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22
arduous
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| adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的 | |
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23
ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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24
averse
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| adj.厌恶的；反对的，不乐意的 | |
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25
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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26
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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27
rations
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| 定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量 | |
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28
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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29
avenge
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| v.为...复仇，为...报仇 | |
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30
zephyr
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| n.和风，微风 | |
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31
strife
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| n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争 | |
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32
flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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33
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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34
passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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35
contentions
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| n.竞争( contention的名词复数 )；争夺；争论；论点 | |
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36
discreetly
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| ad.(言行)审慎地，慎重地 | |
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37
inverted
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| adj.反向的，倒转的v.使倒置，使反转( invert的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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38
glisten
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| vi.（光洁或湿润表面等）闪闪发光，闪闪发亮 | |
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39
bluffs
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| 恐吓( bluff的名词复数 )； 悬崖； 峭壁 | |
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40
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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41
swollen
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| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
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42
torrents
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| n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断 | |
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43
toll
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| n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟) | |
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44
veer
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| vt.转向，顺时针转，改变；n.转向 | |
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45
caverns
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| 大山洞，大洞穴( cavern的名词复数 ) | |
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46
mermaid
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| n.美人鱼 | |
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47
lagoon
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| n.泻湖，咸水湖 | |
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48
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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49
embark
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| vi.乘船，着手，从事，上飞机 | |
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50
kennel
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| n.狗舍，狗窝 | |
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51
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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52
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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53
deviate
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| v.(from)背离，偏离 | |
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54
leeward
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| adj.背风的；下风的 | |
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55
flattening
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| n. 修平 动词flatten的现在分词 | |
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56
allusion
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| n.暗示，间接提示 | |
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57
tremor
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| n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震 | |
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58
epithet
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| n.（用于褒贬人物等的）表述形容词，修饰语 | |
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59
estuaries
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| （江河入海的）河口，河口湾( estuary的名词复数 ) | |
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60
parasitic
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| adj.寄生的 | |
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61
distressed
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| 痛苦的 | |
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62
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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