o-melehawaiiponoi

Hawai`i Pono`î
Hawai'i's Own People

Na ka mô`î kâne Kâwika Kalâkaua a me Henry Berger
By King David Kalâkaua and Henry Berger
A sound clip is available at the Friends of the Royal Hawaiian Band's webpage. Click to the webpage, then scroll down to Hawai`i Pono`i.

Hawai`i Pono`î, nânâ i kou mô`î,
Hawai'i's own people, look to your sovereign,

Ka lani ali`i, ke ali`i
The royal/divine/heavenly chief/royalty , the chief/royalty

HUI:
CHORUS:

Makua lani e, Kamehameha e,
Parent royal/divine/heavenly, "The Lonely",

Nâ kaua e pale, me ke ihe.
The wars to protect/ward off, with the spear.

Hawai`i pono`î, nânâ i nâ ali`i,
Hawai`i's own people, look to the chiefs / royalty,

Nâ pua muli kou, nâ pôki`i.
The descendants following yours, the younger siblings.

HUI:
Chorus:

Hawai`i pono`î, e ka lâhui e,
Hawai`i's own people, o the nation,

`O kâu hana nui, e ui e,
… your work/duty important/big, to turn for help or advice.

HUI :
Chorus:

The above is a word-for-word literal translation.

This is Hawai`i's official song, written in 1874. The lyrics were written by Hawai`i's by King Kalâkaua, the "Merrie Monarch", and set to music by his royal bandmaster, Captain Henri Berger. It served as the national anthem of the Kingdom of Hawai`i from 1876 to 1893, until the overthrow of the royalty and the annexation of Hawai`i by the United States government. In 1967, the legislature declared it as the official song of Hawai`i.

Pronunciation Guide