Ka Beauty A‘o Mānoa -Words & music by Anthony K. Conjugacion
Nani wale ke ʻike i kakahiaka lā,
Ke kuahiwi o Mānoa
Ke noenoe mai nei ho‘opulu ana i ke one
Pulu pē i ka ‘ilihia

He beauty i ka(ta) ua Tuahine o Mānoa,
Pā aheahe ka makani
I ke ‘ala o ka laua‘e
Ke onaona o nā pua māhiehie i ka wao

I ka waokele i pali uliuli lā,
Honehone i ka Puakea
Ke pā wai a inu a kena heha i ka ho‘oluliluli,
He mana‘o pono kēia

Puana e ka u‘i i ka uka o Mānoa
I ka ‘ehu kakahiaka
Pulu pē i ka ‘ilihia ho‘opulu ana i ke one
Ke pili mai i ‘ane‘i

Ka beauty a‘o Mānoa

 Beautiful to behold in the morning,
The uplands of Mānoa
With a gentle mist, quenching the land
(I am) drenched in awe

A beauty is the Tuahine rain of Mānoa,
Engulfed in the breeze
Bringing the sweet scent of the laua’e
And the fragrance of the flowers in the forest

In the forest and on the lush green cliffs,
Sweetly kissed by the Puakea rain
(One) can drink 'til satisfied to the hilt of pleasure.
Ah! Such a good idea!

So shall the uplands of Mānoa
Remain beautiful in the morning
Drenched in awe, the land is quenched,
Here we shall be together

(in) The beauty of Mānoa
Source: Tony C. - Mana‘o: The inspiration for this mele came to the composer when he would walk to work in the mornings, from lower Makiki to Mānoa uka. Originally a chant (mele hula), entitled “Ke Kuahiwi o Mānoa” composed in 1982, it was later put to music in 1984. On his morning treks, he would enjoy the cool and fragrant mornings, as he would walk along East Mānoa Road. The inspiration was all the precious things that we sometimes overlook in the rush of our lives. That awareness was encouraged by one of the composer’s hula mentors, Maiki Aiu Lake, whom at the time had her hālau at St. Francis High School, located in the valley. In 1985, it was recorded on the composer’s debut recording project, “Hawaiian Passion”, and was dedicated to Maiki as well as another of her students, Edward P. Kalāhiki, Jr. In 1986, it attained a coveted “Nā Hökü Hanohano Award” for “Song of the Year”. © 1985 (P) publishing 1991 Mountain Apple Company (All Rights Reserved)