The song that I chose to write about is “‘ Ka Moa`e” and it means “ The Tradewinds”. I chose this song because ever since I was young I loved the Big Island, and it reminds me of how much I miss it there. I like the line that explains the excitement of being thrilled by a loves voice. In Hawaiian the line says “ Ilihia ho`i au a i ko leo, I ka pane `ana mai me ka nahenahe. ” Translated in English it means “ I will be thrilled by your voice, And your soft answers. Ka Moa`e: The Tradewinds `Auhea wale `oe e ka Moa`e Listen, o tradewinds E lawe hele nei i ku`u aloha.
Who scatters my loves here and there. Ahea la `oe ho`iho`i maiWhen will you return A he lei poina `ole ia na`u? The lei I never will forget? A he wehi kahiko no ku`u kino, She’s fine adornment for my body, A he hoa i ke anu pili hemo `ole. A friend never to leave me when I am cold. E lei aku `oe i ku`u alohaWear my love as a lei I ko`olua nou no kahi mehameha. And as your companion in lonely places. Mai noho `oe a ho`opoinaDo not forget I kahi poke pua lalana. The warm bouquet of flowers. A kaua la i kui iho aiWe shall be interwoven Kahiko no ka po ua li`ili`i.
As blessing for nights with fine rain. Ilihia ho`i au a i ko leoI will be thrilled by your voice I ka pane `ana mai me ka nahenahe. And your soft answers. I he aha nei hana nui auWhatever I am doing E ha`i mai `oe, e ku`u aloha. Just call me, my love. He aloha i pili `ia e ke onaona, Love untied in sweetness, Ku`u ipo i ke kai malino a`o Kona. My sweetheart of the quiet seas of Kona No Kona mai no ke kai malinoFrom Kona’s quiet seas Na hau o Ma`ihi e kaulana nei. Famous dew of Ma`ihi Ha`ina `ia mai ka puana: Tell the story: Ku`u ipo i ke kai malino a`o Kona.
My sweetheart of the quiet seas of Kona. This mele, Ka Moa‘ e, takes place on Hawai‘ i Island. It is the last island of the Island Chain, and is filled with history. This song takes place in Kona, Hawai‘ i. Kona is famous for their coffee, which is considered one of the premium specialty coffee’s around the wolrd. The Big Island is larger than all the rest of the Hawaiian Islands put together. Kona is one of the six mokus, or land divisions, on the Big Island. The different mokus are Ka‘ u, Puna, Hilo, Hamakua, Kohala, and Kona. The moku of Kona s divided in two, North Kona District and South Kona District, because it is the biggest moku on the Big Island. The largest town in Kona is Kailau-Kona and the other towns also include Kealakekua, Keauhou, Holualoa, Honaunau, and Honalo. In Kailua-Kona is also where King Kamehameha had spent his final years. Kona is also where Captain Cook first set foot when he arrived to “ The Sandwich Islands. ” And Captain Cook later died on Kealakekua Bay. Another definition on Kona is that it is a famous leeward wind. Also there are many different types of Kona winds. In this mele Solomon Hiram talks bout the seas of Kona and the “ famous dew of Ma‘ ihi. ” Ma‘ ihi is a bay located in the city of Keauhou. The first three Kings have great ties in Keauhou, for instance, King Kamehameha III was born at Keauhou Bay. He reigned from 1825-1854, which was/is the longest in Hawaiian Monarchy history. This mele is a love song about a man longing to see his woman who is on the Big Island in Kona. This song talks about the Kona tradewinds, flowers, the seas, and leis that represent their love for each other and his longing to see his love and how he misses her so much.
The first and second verse talks about how he blames the tradewinds for taking away his love away from him and scattering her around. He wants to know when she will come back to him and he thinks of her love as a lei that he will never be able to forget. The third and fourth verse goes on about viewing his love for her as a beautiful lei and that how perfect she (the lei) is for his body and that she’ll never leave him when he feels cold or alone. Since the lei also does represents their love for one another he says that he wants her to wear his love as a lei and have it with er for whenever she gets lonely to remind her of him. The fifth and sixth verses say that he does not want her to forget about their love for each other (the flowers). He says that they will be together again and when they are, it will be a blessing like nights with fine rain. In the seventh and eighth verses he explains how happy he is going to be when he gets to hear her wonderful, soft voice. And he wants her to know that whatever he’s doing, he will be there for her and if she needs him he will be there for her no matter what. The ninth and tenth verses say that their love is united by weetness and she’s his sweetheart of the seas of Kona with the dew of Ma‘ ihi, so she must live in Kona by Ma‘ ihi Bay. The final verse says for his love, the sweetheart on the quiet seas of Kona, to tell their story. This song is a simple love song about how much a man misses the woman that he loves and how happy he will be when they will be able to be with each other again. An interesting fact that caught my attention is that he used the lei as a representation of the love he had for his woman. It’s cute that he used that as a point of view. You can wear a lei, you can wear your love.
To sum it up, this mele is a love song about a man longing for his love who is all the way on the Hawai‘ i Island in Kona by Ma‘ ihi Bay. He longs for her return to him so that they will be able to be together again. But in the meanwhile he wants her to remember him and to think of his love as a lei that she can wear whenever she feels alone. And also, to always know that he loves her and if she ever needs him he’ll always going to be there for her, no matter how far the distance. Work Cited: Elbert, Samuel H. and Noelani Mahoe. Na Mele O Hawai? i Nei: 101 Hawaiian Songs. Honolulu: University of Hawai? i Press, 1970.
