Nā Mele Koleke

A Uka Hoʻi o Waiākea (Mele Noi Komo)
A Luna Au o Maunaloa
Ua Ao Hawaii
Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī
He Hale Aloha
He Hālaulani (Mele Kāhea)
He Mele no Kāne
Ke Lei Maila o Kaʻula i ke Kai

Ke ʻAla Tuberose
Kulāiwi
Mele Hoʻomoloa Kīhei
Mele Kāhea i ke Aliʻi Keʻelikōlani
Poloʻai o Keʻelikōlani
Pūlelo Haʻaheo
Wahine Lei ʻUla
ʻO Keʻelikōlani ʻOe

A uka ho‘i o Waiākea i ka Uluau
Aheahe ana (e) ka hone a ka wai ua.
Ua hiki mai ho‘i me ka mana‘o ē
He wai lani ko Kūlanihāko‘i ē.
He aha ho‘i ko nēia honua lā ē?
He ui ‘ano‘ai e welina aku nei ē.

There above Waiākea in the Uluau breeze
Rustles the soft sound of rain water.
It (the rain) has arrived with the thought that
Kūlanihāko‘i Lake (source of all rain) contains heavenly water.
Now what might the earth have as its own to offer?
This is the question in the greeting I extend to you.

Note: In traditional Hawaiian education, before each meeting of class, students must ask the teacher to accept and teach them. This is in keeping with basic Hawaiian etiquette where one always asks for something, be it a juicy, ripe mango hanging on the tree in someone else's yard or ferns growing in the forest. You ask to enter this class using the mele komo because education is very important; accordingly, poetic language and not everyday speech is used.

A luna au o Maunaloa
Nānā i ke alo o Wahinekapu.

Ke ‘oni a‘e nei i Pu‘uonioni
Ka pali kapu o Kohoali‘i.

Ka hale noho i Halema‘uma‘u
Lauahi (e) ka hana a ka wahine.

Ke Kuini nui o Kīlauea
Nāna i palaina kai o Hilo.

Ke āiwaiwa o nā moku
‘Ena‘ena ka lehua i ka hāpapa.

Hā‘ina (e) ka pua i kaulana
‘O Keanolani nō he inoa.

He inoa no Keanolani Kanāhoahoa Ke‘elikōlani.

Kau e ka wena o ke ao i ka lani
He wekeweke i ka pō pilipuka
He ʻelele o ka poniponi hikina
Kau ke kāheʻa wanaʻao i ka ʻālaʻapapa
Laʻi ana i luna o ke kūkulu o ka lani lā
ʻO kaʻu ia e huli alo nei i ka ulu ē
ʻAe, ua ao ē.

Hō mai lā kō mālamalama
I ka honua nei i ka mauli ola
Ua ao Hawaiʻi ke ʻōlino nei
Mai ka piʻina a ka welona a ka lā
Kāhiko ʻia i ka ʻike manomano
Ka ʻike kōliʻu mai o kikilo mai
ʻO kaʻu nō ia o ka pūlama
A paʻa ma ka ipu o ka ʻike ē.
ʻAe, ua ao ē.

Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī,
Nānā i kou mōʻī,
Ka lani aliʻi,
Ke aliʻi.

Hui:
Makualani ē,
Kamehameha ē,
Na kāua e pale,
me ka ihe.

Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī,
Nānā i nā aliʻi,
Nā pua kou muli,
Nā pōkiʻi.

Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī,
E ka lāhui ē,
ʻO kāu hana nui,
E ui ē.

He mai, he heahea, he hoʻokipa!
ʻO ko Hilo nei hale lā
He ʻāina hoʻi i ka hālau a ʻĪ
E hoʻokipa nei i ka malihini
A hiki pono mai i o mākou nei.
Nā kamaʻāina e leo nei aʻe kipa mai
He hale aloha kēia aʻe kū nei ē.
He mai, he heahea, he hoʻokipa ē!

He hālaulani i ke ao ʻo Hilo i ka ua Kanilehua.
ʻO aʻu lehua hoʻi i ke ēulu hoʻolāʻau a nā manu.
Mikʻala ai ka manaʻo e pūpūkahi i o Kulukuluʻā.
ʻAkahi hoʻi a lono aʻe i ka ʻālaʻi a ka Uluau
I ka nenehe mai i ka uluwehi aʻo Waiakea ē.
Eia ke kūhea aku nei i ka mea kipa aʻe komo.
E komo mai hoʻi a hoʻolaʻi me ko Hilo kini nei ē.

He ui, he nīnau
E ui aku ana au iā ʻoe:
Aia i hea ka wai a Kāne?
Aia i ka hikina a ka lā
Puke i Haʻehaʻe
Aia i laila ka wai a Kāne.

E ui aku ana au iā ʻoe:
Aia i hea ka wai a Kāne?
Aia i Kaulanakalā
I ka pae ʻōpua i ke kai
Ea mai ana ma Nihoa
Ma ka mole mai o Lehua
Aia i laila ka wai a Kāne.

E ui aku ana au iā ʻoe:
Aia i hea ka wai a Kāne?
Aia i ke kuahiwi, i ke kualono
I ke awāwa, i ke kahawai
Aia i laila ka wai a Kāne.

E ui aku ana au iā ʻoe:
Aia i hea ka wai a Kāne?
Aia i kai, i ka moana
I ke Kualau, i ke ānuenue
I ka pūnohu, i ka uakoko
I ka ʻālewalewa
Aia i laila ka wai a Kāne.

E ui aku ana au iā ʻoe:
Aia i hea ka wai a Kāne?
Aia i luna ka wai a Kāne
I ke ao ouli, i ke ao ʻeleʻele
I ke ao panopano
I ke ao pōpolohua mea a Kāne lā ē
Aia i laila ka wai a Kāne.

E ui aku ana au iā ʻoe:
Aia i hea ka wai a Kāne?
Aia i lalo, i ka honua, i ka wai hū
I ka wai kau a Kāne me Kanaloa
He waipuna, he wai e inu
He wai e mana, he wai e ola
E ola nō a!

A query, a question
I put to you:
Where is the water of Kāne?
At the eastern gate
Where the sun comes up in Haʻehaʻe;
There is the water of Kāne.

A question I ask of you:
Where is the water of Kāne?
Out there at Kaulanakalā,
Where cloud-forms rest on ocean's breast,
Raising there forms at Nihoa,
This side of the base of Lehua;
There is the water of Kāne.

One question I put to you:
Where is the water of Kāne?
Yonder on mountain peak, on the ridges steep,
In the valleys deep, where the rivers sweep;
There is the water of Kāne.

This question I ask of you:
Where is the water of Kāne?
Yonder, at sea, on the ocean,
In the driving rain, in the heavenly bow,
In the piled-up mist-wraith, in the blood-red rainfall,
In the ghost pale cloud form;
There is the water of Kāne.

One question I put to you:
Where, where is the water of Kāne?
Up on high is the water of Kāne,
In the heavenly blue, in the black piled cloud,
In the black-black cloud,
In the black-mottled sacred cloud of the gods;
There is the water of Kāne.

One question I ask of you:
Where is the water of Kāne?
Deep in the ground, in the gushing spring,
In the ducts of Kāne and Kanaloa;
A wellspring of water, water to quaff
A water of magic power, the water of life!
Life! Long may it live!

Ke lei maila ʻo Kaʻula i ke kai, ʻeā
ʻO ka mālamalama o Niʻihau, ua mālie ē.
A mālie, ua pā e ka Inuwai lā,
Ke inu maila nā hala o Naue i ke kai.
No Naue ka hala, no Puna e ka wahine,
No ka lua nō i Kīlauea.

ʻAuhea wale ʻoe, e ke ʻala Tuberose,
He moani ʻaʻala i ke ano ahiahi,
Ua like me ka lau wāpine,
I ka hoene i ka poli pili paʻa.

Hui: ʻIke hou ana i ka nani aʻo Hilo,
I ka uluwehiwehi i ka lehua,
Lei hoʻohihi a ka malihini,
Mea ʻole i ke kono a ke aloha.

E aloha aʻe ana i ka makani Puʻulena,
Ka makani kaulana o ka ʻāina,
Home noho a nā ʻiʻiwi pōlena,
Mea ʻole i ke kono a ke aloha.

Mai ka piʻina a ka lā i Ha‘eha‘e
A i ka mole ‘olu o Lehua
Eia au ko kama ē
He mamo aloha na Hāloa

‘O Hawai‘i ku‘u kulāiwi
Mai nā kūpuna mai
‘A‘ohe mea nāna e kū‘ai
I ke ēwe o ku‘u mau iwi
E ola au i ku‘u lāhui
Ke kuleana o ka ‘ōiwi
‘O ka ‘ī ma kāna ‘ōlelo
He Hawai‘i au mau a mau

Hoʻomoloa ʻia e ke kīhei a paʻa,
Paʻa ke kāhiko ʻo ka ʻike,
Kū i ka mālamalama o ke ao ʻōlino nei ē.

‘O ‘oe e ka mea kamaha‘o
He kamahele kū i ka pali
Ka ‘iu nāhoahoa o ke aupuni ē
Ke kūpa‘a e maliu ai ou kini
Kou leo Hawai‘i i Mauliola Hale ē
Kā mākou e pūlama kia‘i nei.
E hea aku ana i ke ali‘i ano lani a‘e (e) komo
E komo mai, ma loko mai ‘oe ē.

Kāhea:
ʻAe, he inoa no Ruth Keʻelikōlani Keanolani Kanāhoahoa

Wahine:
Piʻihonua aku nei, neʻepapa lā i Punahoa.

Kākou:
Piʻihonua aku nei, neʻepapa lā i Punahoa
Punahoa aku nei, kiʻowai kapu Ponahawai,
Ponahawai aku nei, pūlelo lehua i Kaūmana,
Kaūmana aku nei, kīkala kūkū i Kūkūau,
Kūkūau aku nei, pohu laʻi o Waiākea,
Hiʻolani nei i Piʻopiʻo, kau keha uluna sīlika,
Haʻina mai ka puana, no Ruth Keʻelikōlani,
Haʻina hou mai ka puana, no Ruth Keʻelikōlani.

ʻAe! He mele no Ruth Keʻelikōlani.

Pulelo haʻaheo ke ahi o nā lehua aʻo Hilo,
Hilo o ka mālamalama, lamakū o nei ao (o nei ao),
Ka ua kanilehua, kaʻu e pūlama mau ai (pūlama),
Hilo i ka uluwehiwehi (wehi),
Wehi kau i ka wēkiu (wēkiu),

Hui (2x):
E kū aʻe, e Hilo (Hilo)!
Lei ka naʻauao (ka naʻauao)!
Hoʻokahi ka umauma (hoʻokahi)
Hoʻokahi puʻuwai.

Hoʻokahi puʻuwai (puʻuwai).

ʻAʻole nō he lua (e like ai)
Me ka wahine lei ʻula (hīhīmanu)
Hoʻomoe a moe iho (i hoapili)
Kinai ahi lawe pio (a lanakila)
ʻAe, kinai ahi lawe pio a lanakila!

He pua lei ʻoe na nā mākua
Na Kekūanāoʻa a me Pauahi
He mamo hiwahiwa na ke kupuna
Na paiʻea, na Kamehameha.
Aia i Honolulu kou home nani
Hiehie nō ʻoe i ka laʻi Keoua
Aia i Kailua ʻo Huliheʻe
I ka malu o ke kuahiwi ʻo Hualalai.
Aia i Hilo ka wahine ʻo Pele
ʻOhana ʻaumakua no Keʻelikōlani
Kau aʻe nō ʻoe i ke olioli
A moe, moe mālie mai ka wahine o ka lua.
Ua nui ke aloha o nā Hawaiʻi
I ke aliʻi wahine a ka lāhui
Ua kamahaʻo kou leo aloha
He leo mana nui, he leo Hawaiʻi.

Panina:
Ua kamahaʻo kou leo aloha
ʻO Keʻelikōlani ʻoe, e ō mai.
ʻO Keʻelikōlani ʻoe, e ō mai.