Alexander Liholiho

He Kanikau no Kamehameha IV
A Lament for Kamehameha IV

Kuʻu kāne mai ka ua Nahua
My dear husband of the Nahua rain

Mai ka ua Leilehua i ke kula
Of the Leilehua rains over the plains,

I ke kula nō ia ua o Kekaʻa
The showers are on the plains of Kekaʻa

Hoʻokaʻawale mai nei ʻoe iaʻu
You are now separated from me

Haʻalele mai nei ʻoe i ka pili a kāua;
You have abandoned our bond

Ke aloha  nei au iā ʻoe ā
I go on loving you

ʻO ʻoe ke hoa o ka ua o ka lā
You were my companion through sunshine and rain

O ke anu me ke koʻekoʻe
Through the cold and the chill

A kāua e holoholo ai i uka i kai
As we traversed the uplands and shorelines

O ia uka anu o Nuʻuanu
Through the frigid heights of Nuʻuanu

Anuanu huʻihuʻi ke aloha o kuʻu kāne
My husband’s love is now chill and cold

Me he wai kuhekuhe lā i kuʻu manawa
Like dark waters flowing through my heart

Ke aloha nei au iā ʻoe ā
I go on loving you

Aloha ke kāne o ka wā heu ʻole
You are the love of my youth

Mai nā wā kamaliʻi a loaʻa ke keiki
From childhood to parenthood

Lilo akula ʻolua i ke ala muku māʻawe ʻula a Kanaloa
You both have gone on to the faint, red path of Kanaloa

Loa ka ʻimi ʻana ke ʻau ʻana a ka maka e ʻike
Long is the pursuit of my sight, searching to see

ʻAʻoe ʻike ua nalo loa.
Without a glimpse, you are gone

Ua hala akula aia i Pelehuna
Long passed on to Pelehuna

Ke aloha nei au iā ʻoe a
I go on loving you

Na Emalani

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Kuʻu kaikunāne mai ka ua Kūkalahale
My dear brother of the Kūkalahale rain

Mai ka ua puanaiea hohoʻi ea i ke kula
Of the Puanaiea rain, winded on the plains

I ke kula nō ia ua o Makahuna
The rain over the plains of Makahuna

Ua hūnā nō au i ke aloha i loko
I conceal my grief within

ʻO kuʻu waimaka naʻe ke hānini nei
As my tears stream down my face

Ke aloha nei au iā ʻoe ā
I go on loving you

ʻO ʻoe ʻo kuʻu mua kaikunāne ke aloha
You are my beloved elder brother

I ʻōʻili lelelani aku nei ka hana ʻana
Who has left and journeyed on to the heavens

E Kalani hoʻi a Kamakuhinia
My king of Kamakuhinia

He kunihia au he lihaliha i ke aloha
I am sated and overwhelmed with memories

Ua piha aʻe nei ahu i waho
Filled and over-flowing

Ke aloha nei au iā ʻoe ā
I go on loving you

Aloha ka hoa o ka hāiki pilikia
Beloved is the companion of dire straits

Mai loko o ka hale pupuʻu hoʻokahi
From within the same womb

Hoʻokahi au ʻo Kaulanaikipōkiʻi
I, Kaulanaikipōkiʻi, am the only one

He pōkiʻi au he muli hope
The younger sibling, the last born

Noʻu mua kaikunāne i hala aku nei
You are my older brother that has passed

Ke aloha nei au iā ʻoe ā
I go on loving you

Na V. Kamāmalu

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Kuʻu kaikaina mai ka ua Hāʻao
My dear little brother of the Hāʻao rainMai ka ua lei Kamakahala i ke kula
From the rain adorning the kamakahala blossoms on the plains

I ke kula nō ia ua o Luakaha i Malailua
It falls over the flats of Luakaha in Malailua

ʻElua māua e noho nei
The two of us [Kamāmalu and Lot] abide

ʻO ko kākou kaikuaʻana kaikaina ke kolu
Our sibling was the third, senior to one and junior to the other

Ke aloha nei au iā ʻoe ā
I go on loving you

ʻO ʻoe nō ka maka e kau mai nei
You are the one in my sights

Ke hāliʻalia mai nei me ke aloha
Fond memories called to mind with love

E Kalani e Kamoʻopuʻuleiʻōhua ʻoe
My king, you are Kamoʻopuʻuleiʻōhua

ʻO ʻoe kaʻu aloha e noho nei
You are where my love resides

ʻO kuu kaikaina ua hele loa
My little brother has gone on

Ua nalo nā maka
Features forever gone

Ke aloha nei au iā ʻoe ā
I go on loving you

Aloha ka hoa o ka ʻāina pilikia pilikalahale
Beloved is my companion of this land with its troubles near to home

E ʻaʻalo ai i ka uluoʻa kānaka
Enduring unrest among the people

E pilikia ai ke ala ke hele ʻia
That makes the path difficult to traverse

Hele ʻoe, waiho iho i ke aloha
You have gone on, leaving behind love

Me kāna ʻukana nui ʻo ka waimaka
And its accompanying tears

Ke aloha nei au iā ʻoe ā
I go on loving you

Na L.K. Kamehameha V

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Kuʻu kaikuaʻana mai ka ua Līlīlehua
My dear elder brother of the Līlīlehua rain

Mai ka ua Heʻekokoʻula i ke kula
From the Heʻekokoʻula rain over the plains

I ke kula nō ia ua o Nāpili
The rain falls on the plains of Nāpili

Pili mai nei ke aloha me ka minamina
Filled with regret and sorrow

ʻO kuʻu kino kai luhi i ke aloha
I am overcome and downtrodden with heartache

Ke aloha nei au iā ʻoe ā
I go on loving you

ʻO ʻoe ka hoa o ka moku lewa i ke kai
You were my companion on the ship adrift at sea

Mai nā ʻale hulilua i ka makani
Through the shifting swells in the wind

A kākou e hele ai me ka lei, ʻo ke keiki
That we were to traverse with the adornment, the child

He keiki ke aloha e hana nei i loko
Love is a child that stirs within

E wehe ana i ka hihia paʻa a ke kanaka
That clears the entanglements of man

Ke aloha nei au iā ʻoe ā
I go on loving you

Aloha ka hoa o ka ua Makaʻūpili
Beloved is my companion through the Makaʻūpili rain

Ke kāhiko maila i ke kula
Festooning the plains

Kuʻu hoa nānā o nā hono Piʻilani
My companion in seeing the bays of Piʻilani

I hoʻolanilani nō hoʻi au iā ʻolua
I revere the two of you [Liholiho and Kahakuohawaiʻi]

ʻO ka hele ʻana ka hewa haʻalele iā mākou
The only fault is abandoning us

Ke aloha nei au iā ʻoe ā
I go on loving you

Na W.C. Lunalilo

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Kuʻu kaikunāne mai ka ua kualau ma ka moana
My dear brother of the squalls over the ocean

E hehi kapalili ana i ka ʻili o ke kai Gently treading on the surface of the sea

I kai nō ia ua o Kona i ka maka o ka ʻōpua
The rain falls offshore of Kona amidst the cloud banks

Pua mai ana ko lohe, kaumaha loko The news of you has emerged, a heavy burden to bear

Mihi au o kuʻu haʻalele ʻana iā ʻoe
How I regret leaving you

Ke aloha nei au iā ʻoe ā
I go on loving you

ʻO ʻoe ke hoa o ka ʻāina kai pāeaea
You are my companion from the land of the calm seas

Mai nā lae makawalu o Kapulau
From the eightfold headlands of Kapulau

He kananā kahi ia a ka poli o Kikau
A single spirited one from the heart of Kikau

Kau hewa koʻu manaʻo iā haʻi
My thoughts have strayed to someone else

Haʻalele ʻino iho au iā ʻoe
I have wrongly left you behind

Ke aloha nei au iā ʻoe ā
I go on loving you

Aloha kuʻu kaikunāne mai ka laʻi malino a ʻEhu
Beloved is my dear brother from the smooth calm of ʻEhu

Ke linoa maila e ke kēhau a hinu ke kai Polished by the Kēhau breeze so the sea glistens

Pohu laʻilua ke ō Kona a Kamauai Doubly still as Kona of Kamauai continues on

Aʻiaʻina i ke aloha kūmākena
Glittering among the loving grief

Hemo ka lima paumākō ia e noho nei The hand has released, we abide in sorrow

Ke aloha nei au iā ʻoe ā
I go on loving you

Na. R. Keʻelikōlani

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Kuʻu keiki i ka ua Kīhenelehua
My dear child of the Kihenelehua rain

Mai ka ua Kāheʻelehua i ka uka
From the Kāheʻelehua rain in the uplands

I ka uka nō ia ua o Lanihuli ē
The rain that falls in the heights of Lanihuli

E huli e hoʻi maila e kuʻu lei
Turn and come back, my son

E kuʻu pua lei aloha  a māua me kuʻu kāne
The beloved child of mine and my husband

Ke aloha nei au iā ʻoe ā
I go on loving you

ʻO ʻoe ʻo kuʻu keiki leilei makani
You are my dear child tossed about in the wind

Ke hoʻihoʻia maila e ke Kiʻowao
Brought back by the Kiʻowao

E ka ua lei kāhiko o Nuʻuanu ē!
That same one that bedecks Nuʻuanu

ʻO ia ʻo kuʻu kāne ka mea aloha
That is what my husband adored

ʻO ka hoa luhi ʻo ua keiki nei lā
This child was a companion through strife

Ke aloha nei au iā ʻoe ā
I go on loving you

He aloha ka nui ke kini o mākou
Alas for the many, the multitudes of us

Ke keiki o ka wā i hala akula
Express love for the son of times past

ʻO ia kaʻu aloha a mākou i noho ai
He is our beloved who resided with us

He keiki he inoa kāne he mau kāne iʻo nō
A boy, a man’s reputation, true men indeed

He hoa hoʻolau kanaka no ua wahi nei A  fostering companion for this place

Ke aloha nei au iā ʻoe ā
I go on loving you

Na. H.K. Kapākūhaili

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Kuʻu keiki mai ka ua Waʻahila
My dear child of the Waʻahila rain

Mai ka ua Pōpōkapa i ke kula
From the Pōpōkapa rain over the plains

I ke kula nō ia ua o Mauʻuʻenaʻena
The rain falls on the plains of Mauʻuʻenaʻena

ʻEnaʻena ke aloha me he umu ʻenaʻena lā
Desire burns like a blazing earthen oven

I ka hele o ka luhi o kuʻu kāne ʻaikāne The departure of my dear friend’s ward

Ke aloha nei au iā ʻoe ā
I go on loving you

ʻO ʻoe ʻo kuʻu kamalei aloha kekahi
You are my beloved child, as well

Ua hala akula aia i Hiʻikua
Having passed on, into the realm of love lost

Ke hele lā paha i ke ala a Kahewahewa Perhaps traversing the wanderer’s path

Ua hewa i ona ua hele malū
Wrongly there, quietly gone

Ua haʻalele iho nei i ke aupuni o lākou You have left their kingdom

Ke aloha nei au iā ʻoe ā
I go on loving you

Aloha ka hoa o ka ʻāina makani lauwili
Regards to my companion of the lands of turbulent winds

Me aʻu wahine ahe lau makani
Along with my wife of the gentle breezes

Aia lākou a pau i Kuahea
They are all now in Kuahea (the far reaches)

E hea mai ʻoukou
Call out, all of you

Eia mai ke keiki ke ʻimi akula iā ʻoukou
For here is the child, searching for you all.

Ke aloha nei au iā ʻoe ā
I go on loving you

Na C. Kanaʻina

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Kuʻu keiki mai ka ua lei maka ʻānuenue
My dear child of the Leimakaānuenue rain

Mai ka ua Mānanaoʻa i ke kula
From the Mananaoa rain over the plains

I ke kula nō ia ua o Kuia
This rain falls over the plains of Kuʻia

Kuʻikuʻi mai nei ke aloha i ke kino a ʻeha
The grief pummels the body causing pain

Hele a wali ʻopā loko i ka minamina
Becoming weak, aching with regret

Ke aloha nei au iā ʻoe ā
I go on loving you

ʻO ʻoe nō kaʻu i ʻimi aku i loko o nā lani ʻawaʻawahia
I search for you in the embittered skies

I moe ai i ka Maunaloa
The one who rested on the ship Maunaloa

I loaʻa iaʻu i ka lā pilikia
I found you on a day of distress

Pilikia au mauna i kuʻu kino, i loaʻa mai ka mea hihiu
My whole body was troubled, dealing with the unknown

E haʻalele mai ana kā hoʻi ʻoe
And yet you shall depart

Ke aloha nei au iā ʻoe ā
I go on loving you

Aloha ke hoa o ka ʻāina kaipala ʻIliahi
Regards to my friend of the lands of ʻiliahi pigment

Kai ʻIliahi i ka iʻa a ka Moaʻe
ʻIliahi pigment, daubed by the Moaʻe breeze

Me aʻu kini wahine ʻōpua i ka laʻi
With my women, there like clouds in the calm

Ke kaha ʻana akula nō ia
And so it moves on

Aia ma kapa kahakai o Hoʻokahaia
There at the shores edge of Hoʻokahaia

ʻAʻole i ʻike ʻia ka hele ʻana aku nei
The departure being unseen

Ke aloha nei au iā ʻoe ā
I go on loving you

Na M. Kekūanāoʻa

Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, Volume III, Number 11, 12 March 1864

To access the original Hawaiian text, click here.

Translated by Haʻalilio Solomon and Pili Kamakea-Young, edited by Puakea Nogelmeier of Awaiaulu.