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ALOHA `OE
Ha`aheo ka ua i nâ pali Proudly by the rain in the cliff Ke nihi a`e la i kanahele The creeping silently and softly up the forest E uhai ana paha i ka liko Seeking perhaps the bud Pua `âhihi lehua a o uka, Flower âhihi lehua of inland. Hui: Aloha `oe, aloha `oe Farewell (to) Thee, farewell (to) Thee E ke onaona noho i ka lipo Sweet fragrance dwelling in the dark forest "One fond embrace", a ho`i a`e au One fond embrace, before I now leave "Until we meet again."
A sound clip is available at the Friends of the Royal Hawaiian Band's webpage.The background of this page is a photograph of the score in Queen Lili`uokalani's own handwriting, courtesy of the Bishop Museum.(The above is a word-for-word, literal translation.) Queen Lili`uokalani, our last monarch, 1891-1893, was a tremendously gifted composer. The haunting Aloha `Oe was inspired by two lovers at Nu`uanu Pali, O`ahu. The song came to her as she watched them in tender embrace before parting. It is now an international farewell song, played at its best, of course, in Hawai`i. |
