From the recording Hi‘ipoi - track 5. Hi‘ilawe
Track 5. Hi‘ilawe 4:27 (Mrs. Kuakini)History records two mele with the same words but different melodies, written at or before the turn of the 20th century. The singer is a lover who traveled from Puna, in the far south of the Big Island of Hawai‘i, to meet her beloved near Hi‘ilawe waterfall in Waipi‘o Valley to the north, defying local gossips who disapproved of the match. Our version is from the mele attributed to Mrs. Kuakini in Songs of Hawai‘i (1902) as distinct from that attributed to Martha K. Maui and first recorded by the great Gabby Pahinui.
Lyrics
Hi‘ilawe
By Mrs. Kuakini
Kūmaka ka ‘ikena iā Hi‘ilawe All eyes are on Hi‘ilawe
I ka papa lohi mai a‘o Maukele In the sparkling lowlands of Maukele
Pakele mai au i ka nui manu I have not been trapped by the gossip
Hau wala`au nei puni Waipi‘o Chattering everywhere in Waipi‘o
‘A‘ole nō wau e loa‘a mai I am not caught
A he uhiwai au no ke kuahiwi For I am the mist of the mountains
A he hiwahiwa au na ka makua I am the darling of the parents
A he lei ‘ā‘ī na ke kupuna And a lei for the necks of grandparents
No Puna ke ‘ala hali ‘ia mai The fragrance is wafted from Puna
Noho i ka wailele a‘o Hi‘ilawe And lives at Hi‘ilawe waterfall
Ha‘ina ‘ia mai ana ka puana Tell the refrain
Kūmaka ka ‘ikena iā Hi‘ilawe All eyes are on Hi‘ilawe