ʻAuhea wale ʻoe
E ka Hulu Manu
E hula mai ʻoe
E kō leo nahenahe
Hiehie nō ʻoe
Ke ʻike aku
I koni koni ahe
I ka puʻuwai
He aloha lā, he aloha
I mili mili aʻe
E pakika e paheʻe
I ka poli pumehana
Haʻina ʻia mai
Ana ka puana
E hula mai ʻoe
E ka Hulu Manu | Where are you,
O Hulu Manu
Dance to me with
Your sweet voice
You are a dignified person,
I can see
And are giving
Stinging pain to my heart
This is a love, a love
To be cherished
So smooth as it slides
Into this warm bosom
Tell
The refrain
Sing to me,
O Hulu Manu
|
|
Source: L. Lee Collection - Kauikeouli, Kamehameha III, was
deprived of his culture, his religion, his power and his
sister, the great love of his life. The kapu system was
abolished in 1819, when he was 5 or 6 years old, and his
power was neutralized by the office of Kuhina Nui held by
Queen Kaʻahumanu and later, his half-sister Kinau. He was
forbidden by the missionaries to marry his sister, Princess
Nahiʻenaʻena, who was banished to Lahaina in the hopes of
keeping the pair apart. Their genuine love, physical,
spiritual and enduring, horrified the missionaries, although
any children born of this arched union would have produced
aliʻi of the highest rank. The king finally rebelled and by
1833, had slipped into a life of debauchery, drunken
parties, gambling, horse racing, women and lawlessness. His
companions or court favorites in this decadent lifestyle
were given the name Hulu Manu or bird feather. Just as a
feather could be easily "plucked" the name inferred that any
of the young men could be removed at the whim of the king.
June, 1834 the king attempted suicide after Princess
Nahiʻenaʻena refused to join him at Puʻuloa. Troubled by her
brother's dissolute life, and in defiance of the
missionaries, Kauikeouli and Nahiʻenaʻena married in the
ancient Hawaiian way, July, 1834. An heir to the throne was
born Sept 17, 1836, but lived only a few hours. The princess
became seriously ill, her condition worsened and on December
30, 1836, she passed away. The shock of her death put an end
to his hedonistic life. Hulu Manu was disbanded and he
resolved to improve himself and be a good king. He remained
in seclusion in Lahaina for 8 years and built a mausoleum
for his sister/wife, her child and their mother, Queen
Keopulani. Translated
by Joseph Kahaulelio
|