Lohiau, in his last agony, wandered in mind and babbled1 of many things. To his credit, be it said that his thoughts were not wholly centered on himself. There was a margin2 of regard for others, as when he sang in these words:
Aloha na hale o makou i makamaka ole,
Ke ala hele mauka o Huli-wale la, e.
Huli wale; ke huli wale a’e nei no,
I ka makana ole, i ka mohai ole e ike aku ai,
E kanaenae aku ai la ho’i, ia oe, ia oe!
TRANSLATION
On the road which makes this turning.
I turn away with an empty hand,
Lacking an offering fit to make peace,
To soften thy heart and content thee.
At the last flicker6 of life, when the rocky encasement had well nigh completed the envelopment7 of his body, Hiiaka, daring the barrier of fire that had come between them, sprang to his side and, with the last kiss, whispered into his ear, “Go not on the side whence the wind blows; pass to leeward8, on the day of our meeting.” (Mai hele i ka makani; hele i ka pohu, ma ka la a kaua e halawai ai.) By this cryptic9 expression, Hiiaka meant to put Lohiau on his guard against enemies that lay in wait for him. If he went to the windward he might reveal himself to them by his flair10. She also embodied11 her warning in song:
Aloha ko’u hoa i ka ua pua-kukui,
Kui lehua o Moe-awakea,
Lei pua o Ka-la-hui-pua,
Kae’e lehua o Pu’u-lena, la, mauka:
Mauka oe e hele ai,
Ma ka ulu o ka makani;
O moe’a oe e ka á Pu’u-lena la—
Make, make loa o oe!
TRANSLATION
Such time as we strung the lehua,
In the snatches of noonday rest,
On the days when we dreamed of reunion;
And this was done in the uplands.
In the uplands you shall safely journey;
A swarm16 of emotions buzzed in the chambers17 of Hiiaka’s mind, of love, of self-destruction, of revenge. In an agony of indecision she strode this way and that, wringing18 her hands and wailing19 in a strictly20 human fashion. The master passion came [214]to the front and had sway: she would find Lohiau, and with him renew the bond of friendliness21 which had grown up in the midst of the innocent joys and toils23 of travel shared by them in common. An access of divine power came to her. She immediately began to tear up the strata24 of the earth. As she broke through the first stratum25 and the second, she saw nothing. She tore her way with renewed energy: rock smote26 against rock and the air was full of flying debris27.
After passing the third stratum, she came upon a ghastly sight—the god of suicide, suspended by the neck, his tongue protruding28 from his mouth. It was a solemn lesson. After passing the fourth stratum she came upon the stratum of Wakea, and here she found the inanimate bodies of her former companions of travel, the faithful Wahine-oma’o and Paú-o-pala’e. She restored them to life and animation29, bidding them return to the beautiful world of sunshine and fresh air.
She came at last to the tenth stratum with full purpose to break up this also and thus open the flood-gates of the great deep and submerge Pele and her whole domain30 in a flood of waters. That, indeed, would have been the ruin of all things. At this moment there came to Hiiaka the clear penetrating31 tone of a familiar voice. It was the voice of her fast friend and traveling companion, Wahine-oma’o, who had but recently left her and who, now, under the inspiration of the great god Kane, had come to dissuade32 Hiiaka from her purpose. For the execution of that purpose meant a universe in confusion. It was time, then, for Kane to interfere33. He did this by putting into the mouth of her dearest friend on earth an appeal to which Hiiaka could not but listen and, listening, heed34:
A po Kaena i ka ehu o ke kai;
Ki-pú iho la i ka lau o ke ahi;
Pala e’ehu i ka La ka ulu o Poloa, e!
Po wale, ho’i; e ho’o-po mai ana ka oe ia’u,
I ka hoa o ka ua, o ke anu, o ke ko’eko’e!
Auhea anei oe? Ho’i mai kaua;
He au Ko’olau1 aku ia.
[215]
TRANSLATION
Kaena is darkened with sea-mist;
You purpose to blind with darkness
The woman who went as your fellow
Through rain and storm and piercing cold.
List now, my friend: return with me—
We’ve had a spell of nasty weather!
For Hiiaka to give ear to the pleading voice of her friend, the woman who had shared with her the shock of battle and the hardships of travel from Hawaii to Kaua’i and back again, was to run the risk of being persuaded.
“Come with me,” said Wahine-oma’o; “let us return to our mistress.”
“I must first seek and find Lohiau,” answered Hiiaka.
“Better for us first to go before Pele. She will send and bring Lohiau.” Thus pleaded the woman Wahine-oma’o.
Hiiaka turned from the work of destruction and, hand in hand, they made their way back into the light and wholesome38 air of the upper world.
The sisters—those who bore the name Hiiaka—received her cordially enough. They prattled39 of many things; buzzed her with questions about her travels of long ago—as it now seemed to Hiiaka. It was not in their heart to stir the embers of painful issues. No more was it in their heart to fathom40 the little Hiiaka of yesterday, the full-statured woman of to-day. Beyond the exchange of becoming salutations, Hiiaka’s mouth was sealed. Until Pele should see fit to lend ear and heart to her speech not a word would she utter regarding her journey.
The kino wailua, or spirit from Lohiau, in the meantime, after having in vain tried to solace42 itself with the companionship of the forest song-birds and having found that resource empty of human comfort, fluttered across the desolate waste of ocean like a tired sea-bird back to his old home and there appeared to his aikane Paoa in a vision at night.
“Come and fetch me,” he said (meaning, of course, his body). “You will find me lying asleep at Kilauea.” [216]
Paoa started up in a fright. “What does this mean?” he said to himself. “That Lohiau is in trouble?”
When he had lain down again the same vision repeated itself. This time the command was imperative43: “Come and rescue me; here I am in the land of non-recognition.”2
Now Paoa roused himself, assured that Lohiau’s sleep was that of death, but not knowing that he was, for the second time, the victim of Pele’s wrath44. He said nothing to anyone but made all his preparations for departure in secret, reasoning that Kahua-nui, the sister of Lohiau, would not credit his story and would consequently interfere with his plans.
He entered his canoe and, pressing the water with his paddle, his craft made a wonderful run towards Hawaii. It was necessary for him only to dip his paddle in the brine at intervals45 and to direct the course. The canoe seemed almost to move of itself. That same morning he arrived at Waipio. To his astonishment46, there, in a boat-shed on the beach lay the canoe which he recognized as that of his friend Lohiau. The people of the district had been wondering whose it was and how it had come there.
Paoa found many things that were new and strange to him in this big raw island of Hawaii. Not the least of these was the land on which he trod, in places a rocky shell covering the earth like the plates on the back of the turtle, or, it might be, a tumble of jagged rocks—the so-called a?—a terrain47 quite new to his experience. It seemed as if the world-maker had not completed his work.
Of the route to Kilauea he was quite ignorant, but he was led. There flitted before him a shadow, a wraith48, a shape and he followed it. At times he thought he could recognize the form of Lohiau and, at night or in the deep shadows of the forest, he seemed to be looking into the face of his friend.
When night came he lay down in a sheltered place and slept. In the early morning, while darkness yet brooded over the land, he was roused by the appearance of a light. His first thought was that day had stolen upon him: but no, it was the kino wailua of his friend that had come to awaken49 him and lead him on the last stage of his journey. [217]
1Ko’olau, a term applied50 generally to the windward side of an island, which was, of course, the stormy side. The expression au Ko’olau, or Ko’olau weather, is one of great significance. ↑
2E ki’i mai oe ia’u; eia au la i ke au a ka hewahewa. ↑
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收听单词发音
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1
babbled
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| v.喋喋不休( babble的过去式和过去分词 )；作潺潺声（如流水）；含糊不清地说话；泄漏秘密 | |
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2
margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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3
desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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4
soften
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| v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和 | |
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5
appease
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| v.安抚，缓和，平息，满足 | |
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6
flicker
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| vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现 | |
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7
envelopment
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| n.包封，封套 | |
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8
leeward
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| adj.背风的；下风的 | |
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9
cryptic
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| adj.秘密的，神秘的，含义模糊的 | |
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10
flair
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| n.天赋，本领，才华；洞察力 | |
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11
embodied
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| v.表现( embody的过去式和过去分词 )；象征；包括；包含 | |
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12
sifting
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| n.筛，过滤v.筛( sift的现在分词 )；筛滤；细查；详审 | |
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13
hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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14
smite
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| v.重击；彻底击败；n.打；尝试；一点儿 | |
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15
doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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16
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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17
chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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18
wringing
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| 淋湿的，湿透的 | |
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19
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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20
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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21
friendliness
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| n.友谊，亲切，亲密 | |
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22
mid
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| adj.中央的，中间的 | |
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23
toils
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| 网 | |
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24
strata
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| n.地层（复数）；社会阶层 | |
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25
stratum
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| n.地层，社会阶层 | |
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26
smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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27
debris
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| n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片 | |
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28
protruding
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的现在分词 )；凸 | |
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29
animation
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| n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作 | |
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30
domain
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| n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围 | |
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31
penetrating
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| adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的 | |
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32
dissuade
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| v.劝阻，阻止 | |
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33
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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34
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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35
eruptions
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| n.喷发，爆发( eruption的名词复数 ) | |
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36
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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37
climax
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| n.顶点；高潮；v.(使)达到顶点 | |
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38
wholesome
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| adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的 | |
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39
prattled
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| v.（小孩般）天真无邪地说话( prattle的过去式和过去分词 )；发出连续而无意义的声音；闲扯；东拉西扯 | |
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40
fathom
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| v.领悟，彻底了解 | |
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41
hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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42
solace
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| n.安慰；v.使快乐；vt.安慰(物)，缓和 | |
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43
imperative
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| n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的 | |
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44
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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45
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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46
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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47
terrain
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| n.地面，地形，地图 | |
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48
wraith
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| n.幽灵；骨瘦如柴的人 | |
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49
awaken
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| vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起 | |
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50
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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