(The Song of the Hawaiian Nation), was the third of Hawaiʻi's four national anthems. Liliʻuokalani wrote this song at the request of King Kamehameha V in 1866, well before she was queen.[1]
"Nohea I Muʻolaulani"
Nohea I Muʻolaulani, translated as Handsome One of Muʻolaulani[2] sometimes as Handsome at Muʻolaulani, and also referred to simply as Muʻolaulani, dates to May 1885. It was composed for Liliʻuokalani's new home in Kapālama named Mu'olaulani which was opened with a gala party in May 1885. The Kapālama house was a source of great joy to her and became the subject of this song. It is now the site of the Lili'uokalani Children's Center.[3][4]
He mea nui ke aloha
This great love of yours
Ke hiki mai i oʻu nei
Has come here to me
Meheʻo kuʻu lei kaimana ala
It is like my diamond necklace
Kāhiko o kuʻu kino
To adorn my person
Kuʻu lei popohe i ka laʻi
My lei so shapely in the calm
Nohea i Muʻolaulani
Handsome at Muʻolaulani
Ka beauty lā he mau ia
It is a beauty, always a thing forever
No nā kau ā kau
For all seasons
"Ahe Lau Makani"
Ahe Lau Makani, translated as The Soft Gentle Breeze[5] or There is a Zephyr,[2] is a famous waltz composed by Queen Liliʻuokalani around 1868. Probably written at Hamohamo, the Waikīkī home of the Queen, this song appeared in "He Buke Mele O Hawaii" under the title He ʻAla Nei E Māpu Mai Nei. Ahe Lau Makani is used only verse 1 and 2, and may be an abridged version. Līlīlehua refers to the name of the gentle rain in Palolo Valley, Oahu. Verse 1, 2 and the Chorus is translated by Liliʻuokalani, and Verse 3, 4 by Hui Hānai.[6]
Ahe Lau Makani was composed jointly with the Queen's sister Princess Likelike and Kapoli, a mysterious collaborator who, to this day, remains unidentified. The "Viennese-ness" of this waltz is especially evident in the hui, or chorus. Ahe Lau Makani describes a lover's sweet breath.[7] It poetically describes someone's yearning for a loved one. As Dennis says, "In the figurative Hawaiian, this breeze is actually the breath of one who I admire, carried by the wind. Whoever the Queen wrote about, she got right into that person and conveyed it through the whole song."[8]
He ʻala nei e māpu mai nei
There is a breath so gently breathing
Nā ka makani lau aheahe
So soft, so sweet, by sighing breezes
I lawe mai i kuʻu nui kino
That as it touches my whole being
Hoʻopumehana i kuʻu poli
It warms me in my heart
Hui:
Chorus:
E ke hoa o ke Ahe lau makani
We, fair one, together, shall enjoy such moments
Halihaliʻala o kuʻu ʻāina
While murmuring wind sweeps over my fatherland
He ʻala nei e moani mai nei
There is a breath so soft and balmy
Na ka ua noe Līlīlehua,
Brought by sweet zephyrs, Līlīlehua
I lawe mai i kuʻu poli
And while wafted to my bosom
Hoʻopumehana i ke aloha
It warms me with love
He ʻala nei e puia mai nei
There is a fragrance that saturates
Na ka makani anu kolonahe
A cool, soft breeze
I lawe mai nā a pili
Brought it to cling to me
Hoʻopumehana i ka manaʻo
Warming me with feelings
He ʻala nei e aheahe mai nei
There is a fragrance wafted here
Na ka leo hone a nā manu
The sweet call of birds
I lawe mai a loaʻa au
Brought it to find me
Hoʻopumehana i ko leo
Being warmed by your voice
"By And By, Hoʻi Mai ʻOe"
By And By, Hoʻi Mai ʻOe, translated as By and By Thou Wilt Return,[2] is a famous song composed by Queen Liliʻuokalani.[9]
Aia i Mauna Kilohana
There at Mount Kilohana
O aʻu lehua ʻula i ka wao
My red lehua of the forest
Na maka ʻohe kiʻi i ka wai
Sharp eyes fetch the water
ʻAhaʻi ka ʻiʻini a ka manaʻo
And carry off the desire of the heart
Hui:
Chorus:
By and by hoʻi mai ʻoe
By and by you will return
E he ʻala hoene i ka poli
O fragrance that softly flutters my heart
By and by hoʻi mai ʻoe
By and by you will return
I ʻaneʻi kāua e laʻi ai
Here you and I will spend our days in rapture
E ʻae ana paha wau i ka ualo
I shall perhaps yield to the urge
I ka leo hea a ka pololei
To the calling voice of the land shell
E hoʻi aku no wau e pili
E shall return to be close
Me ka ua Kipuʻu o ka nahele
With the Kipuʻu rain of the forest
Mehe ua noe ala ko aloha
Like a misty rain is your love
E hana mau nei kuʻu nui kino
That thrills my whole being
ʻO kou kai ia e makoi ai
It is the love which you tender
Uʻi ʻaʻa ia pua i ka nani
That flower glows with beauty
"Ka ʻŌiwi Nani"
Ka ʻŌiwi Nani, translated as The Beautiful Native, is a love song composed and translated by Liliʻuokalani on June 23, 1886, at Palolo, Oʻahu.[10]
In The Queen's Songbook, editors Dorothy Kahananui Gillett and Barbara Barnard Smith note that it's not a surprise that this love song from 1886, when Lili‘uokalani was still a princess, comes from a time when her diaries "are strewn with references to a special 'friend', perhaps Henry Berger." Berger was the director of the Royal Hawaiian Band, and Gillett and Smith note the possibility "that the song celebrates a romantic liaison" with him. Even the title, which translates to "The Beautiful Form", or as the Queen herself translated it, Beautiful One, has possible romantic associations. It is one of the most compelling melodies of the Queen's songs, and I arranged it so the second verse is played in a relaxed 12/8 ballad style.[11]
Ka Hanu O Hanakeoki, translated as The Scent of Hanakeoki, or sometimes plainly called Hanakeoki, is a famous song composed by Liliʻuokalani in 1874. It a piece mentioned in "The Queen's Songbook" and translated into English by Hui Hānai. The song may allude to property the Queen owned in Pālolo Valley.[12]
Kuʻu Pua I Paoakalani, often referred to simply as Paoakalani, is a famous song composed by Queen Liliʻuokalani while imprisoned in ʻIolani Palace. It is about her garden in Paoaokalani, from which a loyal haole supporter, John Wilson (whose mother, Evelyn T. Wilson, went into voluntary imprisonment with the Queen) regularly brought her flowers. These flowers were wrapped in newspaper, through which means she was able to read the news that was prohibited to her during her imprisonment. The song is a tribute to this young man, whom she held in very high esteem.[13]
Performance of the song is known to be vocally challenging in terms of range, timing, power, and breath control. One of the most famous recorded renditions was made by activist/singer George Helm on the first live album that was released after his death in the Kahoʻolawe struggle.
E ka gentle breeze e pā mai nei
O gentle breeze that waft to me
Hoʻohāliʻaliʻa mai ana iaʻu
Sweet, cherished memories of you
E kuʻu sweet never fading flower
Of my sweet never fading flower
I bloom i ka uka ‘o Paoakalani
That blooms in the fields of Paoakalani
Hui:
Chorus:
ʻIke mau i ka nani o nā pua
I've often seen those beauteous flowers
O ka uka o Uluhaimalama
That grew at Uluhaimalama
ʻAʻole naʻe hoʻi e like
But none of those could be compared,
Me kuʻu pua i ka laʻi o
To my flower that blooms in the fields of
Paoakalani
Paoakalani
Lahilahi kona ma hiʻona
Her face is fair to behold
With softest eyes as black as jet
With softest eyes as black as jet
Pink cheeks so delicate of hue
Pink cheeks so delicate of hue
I ulu i ka uka o Paoakalani
That grew in the fields of Paoakalani
Nane ʻia mai ana kuʻu aloha
Now name to me the one I love
E ka gentle breeze e waft mai nei
Gentle breezes passing by
O come to me kaʻu mea e liʻa nei
And bring to me that blossom fair
I ulu ika uka o Paoakalani
That blooms in the fields of Paoakalani
Manu Kapalulu
Manu Kapalulu, translated to Quail, is one of the numerous songs and chants composed by Queen Liliʻuokalani. Composed in November 1878, this was an admonishment from Liliʻuokalani to a disparaging remark. According to Hawaiian traditions lessons in life and morality were usually taught in music and riddles. Manu Kapalulu was about the Queen's annoyance with someone.[14]
This song has many allusion to Hawaiian mythology. The Kilohana in verse 1, stanza 2 is in Kalihi Valley on O'ahu and was the sacred home of Haumea and Wakea. Verse 2, stanzas 3 and 4 is an allusion to the old Hawaiian religion. Although Liliʻuokalani embraced Christianity, she was very familiar with the practice of worshipping and feeding na aumakua (family gods). Kapo, the dark sorceress in verse 3, stanza 4, is Kapoʻulaʻkīnaʻu, the dual-natured goddess, daughter of Haumea and Wakea, and sister of Pele and Kamohoaliʻi. Her benevolent nature was Laka, the goddess of hula.[9] This song also served as a mele inoa (name song) for Princess Kaʻiulani[15]
Nani Nā Pua Koʻolau, translated as The Flower of Koʻolau or Beautiful Are the Flowers of Koʻolau[5] is a song composed by Queen Liliʻuokalani. Written in 1860, this was one of Liliʻuokalani's first published works or probably the first; it was published in 1869 both in Hawaiian and English, one of her first works to appear in print. It was signed L.K. (Lydia Kamakaʻeha) Pākī, the name she used until her marriage in 1862 to John Owen Dominis. The English translation is by Liliʻuokalani herself.[16][17]
This song demonstrates her poetic skills in which romantic love, love of nature and love of the land are happily entwined. This setting was written for the popular Pacific Rim Choral Festival which takes place in Hawaiʻi each summer.[18]
Ka Wiliwili Wai, sometimes plainly called Wiliwiliwai, translated to The Lawn Sprinkler or The Twisting of the Water,[2] is a famous song composed by Queen Liliʻuokalani who wrote the words and the music. The story behind the song goes: As the Queen was sitting on her lanai at Washington Place, she saw something unusual next door in her neighbor, Dr. McKibben's yard, a lawn sprinkler going round and round. Fascinated, the Queen watched for a long time spinning this tune to its rhythm.[19]
Lyrics
E ka wiliwiliwai
O lawn sprinkler
Koʻiawe i ka laʻi
Circling quietly
A heaha kau hana
What are you doing
E naue mālie nei
As you silently revolve?
Hui:
Chorus:
Ei nei, ei nei
Say there, say there
ʻE poahi mai nei
You revolving object
Ahea, ahea
When, oh when
ʻOe kaohi mai
Will you slow down
O kīpau o ia la
Unusually active
Ua nihinihi
Sending out sprays like rain
Kuʻu iki iho hoʻi
Lessen your speed
I inu aku au
That I may drink
"Pauahi ʻO Kalani"
Pauahi ʻO Kalani, translated as Pauahi, The Royal One, was composed by Liliʻuokalani in 1868. It honors Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the great-granddaughter of Kamehameha I and Liliʻuokalani's beloved foster sister. It was written in 1868 prior to the accession of Liliʻuokalani's family. They were on a trip to the island of Hawaiʻi and had visited Puna and the Panaʻewa forest in the Hilo district. Liliʻuokalani wrote this song at Mānā. The Bishop Estate, Pauahi's continuing legacy, created and maintains the Kamehameha Schools. High school students at Kamehameha sing this song every year on Founder's Day, 19 December, the date of Pauahi's birth.[20] The song was translated by Mary Kawena Pukui.[21]
Lyrics
Liliʻuokalani and Bernice Pauahi Bishop
Noho ana ka wahine i ke anu o Mānā
The woman dwells in the cold of Mānā
Mahalo i ka nani nohea o ka nahele
Admiring the lovely beauty of the forest
Hui:
Chorus:
E ola ʻo Kalani e Pauahi lani nui
Long live, Pauahi, the heavenly one
A kau i ka pua ʻaneʻane
To extreme old age
E ola ʻo Kalani e Pauahi lani nui
Long live, Pauahi, the heavenly one
E ola loa nō a kau i ka wēkiu
Live until she reaches the highest place
Ua ʻike i na paia ʻaʻala hoʻi o Puna
She has seen the fragrant bowers of Puna
Ua lei na maile aʻo Panaʻewa hoʻi
And has worn leis of maile of Panaʻewa
Hoʻi ana no naʻe ke aloha i na kini
But her love returns to multitudes
I ke one hānau i ka home i ke kaona
Of her birthplace, the home in the town
"Pelekane"
Liliʻuokalani composed Pelekane, translated as England or Britain, in 1887 after she and Queen Kapiʻolani went to England for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. On this occasion, Queen Kapiʻolani wore a parure of catseye shells and a gown embroidered with blue peacock feathers. In the second verse, Liliʻuokalani describes the British Queen-Empress as the topmost blossom.[22]
Pelekane means "Britain" and reveals the long-standing affinity that the Native Hawaiian people felt for England. It was the British that the Hawaiian Kingdom attempted to emulate and identify with – so much so that the royal contingent traveled to England to attend Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887 and adopted the "Union Jack" symbol in the Kingdom of Hawaiʻiflag. This song may refer to England owning the Lusitania.[23]
Unlike most other Native Hawaiian songs, it is written without the beautiful imagery of nature. Instead, it describes the use of explosives and torpedoes. This is warfare without warriors in hand-to-hand combat, with the concept of "civilians" redefined by wholesale destruction of places. In a way, this is a modern protest song is in the style of Kaulana Nā Pua. This piece foreshadows the militarization of Hawaiʻi as the Western outpost for United States military forces. This militarization of the islands is an important aspect of Native Hawaiian experience. Not only are many areas reserved by the military, but the island economy is dependent upon it.[23]
Puna Paia ʻAʻala, translated to Puna's Fragrant Bowers,[5] and other translation include Puna's Fragrant Glades[25] and Puna's Sweet Walls.[26] It is famous love song composed by Queen Liliʻuokalani in July 1868, who composed a total of 165 pieces in her life. The setting is the Puna District on the Island of Hawaiʻi, which was renowned for its groves of fragrant hala (Pandanus tectorius). The first two verses were published in He Buke Mele Hawaiʻi and the third verse is from a Bishop Museum manuscript. The fourth verse was preserved by Bill Kaiwa. Verse 1, 2, and hui translated by Liliʻuokalani. Verses 3 and 4 translated by Hui Hānai.[27]
Along with Ahe Lau Makani and Paia Ka Nahele, composed in the same year, these two waltzes are especially evident in the hui, or chorus, of Puna Paia Aʻala. These three songs that took the form as waltzes, were a fresh departure for Liliʻuokalani. Their lyrics are full of romance, and the rhythmic buoyancy and grace of the music place them among her most memorable melodies.[7][17]
Sanoe, is a famous song composed by Queen Liliʻuokalani who wrote the words and the music. "Sanoe" is the Hawaiian word meaning – the mist that drifts over our mountains – and alludes to the man drifting in like the mist to see his ipo (sweetheart).[28] It is in the Queen's Song Book and also in He Mele Aloha.[29] Liliʻuokalani composed this while still a princess in the court of her brother King David Kalākaua. The song describes a possibly clandestine love affair[30] or romance in the royal court. This version is based on Robert Cazimero's choral arrangement for the Kamehameha Schools Song Contest. Steve composed the interlude between the second and third verses for this recording. Queen Liliʻuokalani originally wrote Sanoe in common time, though today it is almost always performed in triple meter. Where and how this change occurred is a mystery.[7]
This affair in the royal court is centered on Sanoe, a love affair of two members of the royal family that were in love but promised marriage to other people, Princess Likelike and Colonel Curtis Piehu Iaukea.[31] Kapeka was the joint composer to this song. Queen Lili‘uokalani indicates she composed Sanoe with "Kapeka", her friend whose real name was Elizabeth Sumner Achuck.[32]
Sanoe was brought back into general circulation by ʻukulele master Eddie Kamae and Gabby with the Sons of Hawaiʻi on "MUSIC OF OLD HAWAIʻI".[33]
The Queen's Jubilee is a famous song composed by Princess Liliʻuokalani of Hawaiʻi to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, which Princess Liliʻuokalani attended with a royal contingent from Hawaiʻi.[34]
Lyrics
Queen Victoria in 1887 during her Golden Jubilee. During her reign she helped to protect the Hawaiian Kingdom. She was great friends with many Hawaiian monarchs and was Prince Albert's godmother. This friendship did not end with the Kamehameha Dynasty.
The Queen's Prayer, or in Hawaiian Ke Aloha O Ka Haku. It was published as Liliʻuokalani's Prayer, with the Hawaiian title and English translation ("The Lord's Mercy") now commonly called "The Queen's Prayer".[35] It is a famous mele, composed by Queen Liliʻuokalani, March 22, 1895, while she was under house arrest at ʻIolani Palace. This hymn was dedicated to Victoria Kaʻiulani, her niece and heir apparent to the throne.[36]
Queen Liliʻuokalani wrote this at the bottom of the manuscript: "Composed during my imprisonment at ʻIolani Palace by the Missionary party who overthrew my government." She was referring to the illegal Overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy by U.S. business interests backed by the U.S. government.
[37]
Tūtū, translated as Granny, is a famous mele hula composed by Queen Liliʻuokalani. Mentioned in the song is Kaʻalaʻalaʻa, which refers to the area of lower Nuʻuanu below Maʻemaʻe Hill. This hula was composed for a benefit program at Kaumakapili Church in Palama. Maria Heleluhe danced the part of the tūtū (granny) and 7 little girls performed as the grandchildren. The Queen taught the girls to sing the song with her and she accompanied them on her guitar. The song received 5 encores and the performers were showered with money.[38]
"Ka Wai ʻApo Lani" (Heavenly Showers), a song expressing hope that she would be returned to the throne.[44]
"Ke Aloha ʻĀina" (Love for the Land), alternately called He Lei Aloha (A Lei of Love). The song is a plea for the land and life of a nation and an exhortation to her people to stand resolute.[44]
"Hoʻokahi Puana" (One Answer), in which she pronounced clearly, without the customary veiled language of Hawaiian chant, her views the new government of the Republic of Hawaiʻi.[44]
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