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Subject: Lyr Add: ALOHA 'OE / FAREWELL TO THEE From: Haruo Date: 23 May 05 - 03:44 PM Aloha 'oe Queen Lili'uokalani, 1878 (or 1877), pub. 1890 (sheet music cover) My main source (thanks to Q) is huapala.org but I have also noted below the text the textual variants at ingeb.org. (I don't know enough Hawai'ian to judge in most cases.) Ha'aheo ka ua i nā pali Ke nihi a'ela i ka nahele E hahai (uhai) ana paha i ka liko Pua 'āhihi lehua o uka Hui: 'O ka hali'a aloha i hiki mai Ke hone a'e nei i Ku'u manawa 'O 'oe nō ka'u ipo aloha A loko e hana nei Maopopo ku'u 'ike i ka nani Nā pua rose o Maunawili I laila hia'ia nā manu Miki'ala i ka nani o ka lipo Here are the variants in the text at ingeb.org: 1:1 pāli (for pali) 1:2 a'ele (for a'ela) 1:3 uhai (for hahai (uhai) ) Chorus:4 A hui hou aku. (for Until we meet again) 2:1 aloha ka i (for aloha i) 2:3/4 (line break omitted; I think ingeb.org is right on this) 3:3 ho'ohie (for hia'ia) 3:4 o ia pua (for o ka lipo) Huapala.org's English version (translated purportedly by Queen Lili'uokalani) follows; as I have always seen it titled "Farewell to thee" and am inclined to think "Farewell to you" is a recent modernizing emendation, I am disinclined to trust huapala.org on the rest of the Queen's English: Farewell to you Proudly swept the rain by the cliffs As it glided through the trees Still following ever the bud The 'ahihi lehua of the vale Chorus: Sweet memories come back to me Bringing fresh remembrances Of the past Dearest one, yes, you are mine own From you, true love shall never depart I have seen and watched your loveliness The sweet rose of Maunawili And 'tis there the birds of love dwell And sip the honey from your lips Hauapala.org further gives the following background note: Source: Jonathan Wong - This song of farewell between two lovers is the most famous of the Queen's compositions, written in 1878. The tune of the verse resembles "The Rock Beside the Sea", composed by Charles Crozat Converse and published in Philadephia, 1857. The melody of the chorus is remarkably close to the chorus of George Frederick Root's composition, "There's Music In The Air", published in 1854. There is a manuscript of "Aloha Oe" in Queen Lili'uokalani's handwriting in the Bishop Museum. Lahilahi Webb and Virginia Dominis Koch tell of a visit by the queen and her attendants to Maunawili Ranch, the home of Edwin Boyd on windward Oahu. As they started their return trip to Honolulu on horseback up the steep Pali trail, the queen turned to admire the view of Kaneohe Bay. She witnessed a particularly affectionate farewell between Colonel James Boyd of her party and a lovely young girl from Maunawili. As they rode up the steep cliff and into the swirling winds, she started to hum this melody weaving words into a romantic song. At the top of the pali, a cloud hung over the mountain peak and slowly floated down Nu`uanu Valley. The queen continued to hum and completed her song as they rode the winding trail down the valley back to Honolulu. Translation by Lili'uokalani Ingeb.org gives the following alternative background: It is said that Queen Lili`uokalani composed "Aloha O`e" in Maunawili in 1877 after witnessing the fond parting embrace of two lovers, one of whom was probably her sister, Likelike, who later married A. S. Cleghorn. The final verse mentions the rose blossoms (nà pua rose) at Maunawili. Liliu`okalani intended "Aloha O`e" as a love song; but it became a song of farewell. Paul Bennemann's Esperanto version is here. Haruo |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Aloha 'oe / Farewell to thee From: Haruo Date: 23 May 05 - 04:14 PM Ingeb.org also gives the following English text, which I don't think is intended to be sung; it looks to me like it probably is intended as a more literal interpretation of the Hawai'ian words than the Queen's own (singable) version: Proudly the rain on the cliffs Creeps into the forest Seeking the buds And miniature lehua flowers of the uplands. Chorus: Farewell to thee, farewell to thee O fragrance in the blue depths. One fond embrace and I leave To meet again. Sweet memories come Sound softly in my heart. You are my beloved sweetheart Felt within. I understand the beauty Of rose blossoms at Mauna-wili. There the birds delight To the beauty of this flower. Haruo |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Aloha 'oe / Farewell to thee From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 24 May 05 - 12:33 AM I started to note differences between the version posted by Haruo and the song as printed in "Nā Mele o Hawai'i Nei," 101 Hawaiian Songs, collected by Samuel H. Elbert and Noelani Mahoe, 1970, but the song (p. 35-36) is short and error is less likely if their version is given complete. Lyr. Add: Aloha 'oe Ha'aheo 'ē ka ua i nā pāli Ke nihi a'ela i ka nahele E uhai ana paha i ka liko Pua *#257;hihi lehua o uka Hui Aloha 'oe, aloha 'oe, E ke onaona noho i ka lipo One fond embrace, a ho'i a'e au A hui hou aku. 'O ka hali'a aloha ka i hiki mai Ke hone a'e nei i ku'u manawa. 'O 'oe nŋ ka'u ipo aloha A loko e hana nei. Maopopo ku'u 'ike i ka nani Nā pua rose o Mauna-wili. I laila ho'ohie nā manu, Miki'ala i ka nani o ia pua. In the queen's notebook, with more than 100 songs, the next to last line of "Aloha 'oe is "I laila hia'ai nā, which means the same. On a copy in the State Archives in her own handwriting, are the place and date, Maunawili, 1877. Comments about lovers or parting are only speculation. In comments on orthography, Samuel Elbert notes that macrons are marked except in positions in which the vowels are commonly sung short- "this is a singer's privilege if the line is too long for the music." "Aloha 'oe means 'farewell,' or 'farewell to you' (also used in the Elbert-Mahoe songbook). There is nothing wrong with the more poetic 'thee;' but which one(s) were used by the queen? "Huapala" is not always correct in some of its statements. In the songbook mentioned here, words are spelled as they are in Mary Pukui and Samuel H. Elbert (the latter co-authored the songbook), the "Hawaiian-English Dictionary," University of Hawai'i Press, which is the authority. One 'rule' seldom followed is that words making up a person's name are separated by hyphens, e. g. Lili'u-o-ka-lani. Words often used by non-Hawaiian-speaking Hawaiians, such as pali, are commonly printed without macron vowels. Some songs in the queen's notebook have translations, which I understand tend to be literal. Published versions of "Aloha 'oe" have singable translations by Arthur Lange and others; all came late and I would accept none purported to be by the queen without verification. A translation should have the emotional 'feel' of the original- The ingeb last verse is too bald; "I understand the beauty..." is pretty bad; the meaning of the lines is better expressed in the Huapala translation even though it may be unsingable. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Aloha 'oe / Farewell to thee From: Mark Cohen Date: 24 May 05 - 12:58 AM Here in the islands the third and fifth lines of the chorus are generally sung in English. This macaronic style is common in composed Hawaiian songs of that era (as opposed to traditional chants) -- you often hear one or two English lines in a song otherwise sung in Hawaiian. But I'm far from a musicologist...I'm just going by what I hear on the radio! Aloha, Mark |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Aloha 'oe / Farewell to thee From: masato sakurai Date: 24 May 05 - 01:05 AM The Levy Collection has these editions: Title: Aloha Oe. Farewell to Thee. [English and Hawaiian] Composer, Lyricist, Arranger: Composed by H.M. Queen Liliuokalani. Publication: Philadelphia: The Popular Music Pub. Co., 136 N. 9th Street, 1908. Title: Aloha Oe. (Farewell To Thee). [English and Hawaiian] Composer, Lyricist, Arranger: Composed by H.M. Queen Liliuokalani. Publication: Philadelphia: Century Music Pub. Co., 231-235 West 40th Street, 1915. Title: Aloha Oe. (Farewell To Thee). [English and Hawaiian] Composer, Lyricist, Arranger: Composed by H.M. Queen Liliuokalani. Publication: Philadelphia: The Popular Music Pub. Co., 1913. |
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Subject: Lyr Add: ALOHA OE / FAREWELL TO THEE (Liliuokalani From: Haruo Date: 24 May 05 - 03:59 AM The English version in the 1908 edition appears to be the same as the 1913, but is defective in lacking the page(s) after Page 1. The 1913 version has the English as I learned it in my youth in Seattle, and I transcribe it here, emending lightly in capitalization and punctuation, as (in my opinion) the canonical English version. Whether it is by Arthur Lange or Her Majesty I cannot say; "arranged" is famously ambiguous in such cases... : Aloha Oe Farewell to Thee Arranged by Arthur Lange H. M. Queen Liliuokalani Proudly swept the rain cloud by the cliff, As on it glided through the trees, Still following with grief the liko, The ahihi-lehua of the vale. Refrain:I have seen and watched thy loveliness, Thou sweet rose of Maunawili, And 'tis there the birds oft love to dwell And sip the honey from thy lips. Thus sweet memories come back to me, Bringing fresh remembrance of the past. Dearest one, yes, thou art mine own, From thee true love shall ne'er depart. Haruo |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Aloha 'oe / Farewell to thee From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 24 May 05 - 01:51 PM I wish I had tried to consult this manuscript when I was last in Honolulu. It may have some answers about translation: Liliuokalani, 1897. "He Buke Mele Hawaii i Haku Ponoi, Hoonohonoho a Mahele Ia a Liliuokalani o Hawaii. He Mea Hoonanea no ka La Walea, Wakine-kona, Mokuaina o Kolumepia," (A Book of Hawaiian Songs Composed Personally, Arranged and Divided by Liliuokalani of Hawaii. A Pastime for Leisure Days. Washington, District of Columbia). Unpublished manuscript, State of Hawaii Archives. I am surprised that this book has never been published. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Aloha 'oe / Farewell to thee From: Haruo Date: 24 May 05 - 02:38 PM Me too. But then I was surprised that it took till 2005 for someone to post Aloha 'oe in the Mudcat forum. ;-) Haruo |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Aloha 'oe / Farewell to thee From: Ferrara Date: 24 May 05 - 04:03 PM I'm having trouble making the above versions scan but am very happy to have them available, thank you Haruo and everyone. Somewhere, possibly in the "Everybody's Favorite Songs" series, I learned a nice popular translation of the first verse. I think it's very singable FWIW. Proudly sweeps the rainbox o'er the cliff, Borne swiftly by the western gales While the strains of lovers' parting grief Sadly echo among the flowering vales. CHOR: Aloha oe, farewell to thee, The winds will carry back my sad refrain One fond embrace before goodbye [before we part?] Farewell 'til we meet again. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Aloha 'oe / Farewell to thee From: Haruo Date: 24 May 05 - 04:20 PM Rainbox? Haruo |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Aloha 'oe / Farewell to thee From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 24 May 05 - 05:08 PM Ugh! Her Majesty, to use the old cliché, would spin in her coffin in the Royal Mausoleum and cause an earthquake in Nu'uanu if she saw the sheet music with English version by Charles Earl, 1915 (linked above by Masato). I'm sure that she never saw these sheet music versions. Aloha Oe Farewell To Thee Now the dark clouds are low upon Waukiakia* A sign that we two must soon be parted I can't hide thee in my arms and keep thee I can only hide that I am broken-hearted. Hear the sad moaning of the restless ocean, It but echoes back my lonely sobbing And my heart is still burning with devotion, To cry out against the love that we are robbing. [Sob!] Refrain: Farewell to thee, farewell to thee, I shall always wait for thee among the flowers One fond embrace, one kiss, and then Farewell Until we meet again. These lyrics undoubtedly added to the misconception that "Aloha 'oe" was a song of parting. *Waikiki |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Aloha 'oe / Farewell to thee From: Kaleea Date: 25 May 05 - 12:30 AM Thanks! I have always loved Hawaiian Music. For some reason, my mother always used to say that Aloha 'oe was about how the Queen was separated from her people & under a an imposed house arrest as the missionaries did not approve of how she lived/influence on her people/religion, & whatever. When I was with Hawaiian friends learning their Music years ago, I was young & having too much fun with the Music to ask all of the philosophical & historical stuff. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Aloha 'oe / Farewell to thee From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 25 May 05 - 01:21 AM The Queen was about 40 years old when she wrote "Aloha 'oe," a productive part of her song-writing life. Her melodies are simple and memorable, more of them deserve to be heard. A number of the missionaries, by 1880, had become wealthy, and were with the group that took over in 1893. The growth in power of the white immigrants, with their plantations, cattle ranches, merchandising and shipping wealth was what really killed the kingdom. Intermarriage with the 'royals' added to their power and holdings. Sanford Dole and his relative James Dole, from a missionary family, helped with a 'revolution' in 1887 which took away the right to vote of native Hawaiians. After the Queen was deposed, Dole served as president for six years. A little story to remember whenever you buy Dole pineapple. Then there was Ladd & Co., (descendant is C & H Sugar), helped to get land by the missionaries, who wanted to see Hawaiians become farm laborers. Perhaps the acceptance of the New England missionaries by the Hawaiians was the real origin of the Kingdom's downfall. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Aloha 'oe / Farewell to thee From: Wilfried Schaum Date: 25 May 05 - 02:45 AM It could be of some interest, that the tune was adapted by German boy scouts for a song about sailing a canoe at sea: "Wiegende Welle auf wogender See" = swaying wave on rolling sea. There are some changes of the tune with the stanza, but the chorus is unchanged. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Aloha 'oe / Farewell to thee From: Wolfgang Date: 25 May 05 - 11:38 AM I disagree, Wilfried. I see no similarities in both tunes. Are you really sure? But actually there is a German version exactly written to that tune, the title is Aloahe and it has been sung by Freddy Quinn (whom we both don't know). The German lyrics (if there'd really be any need) can be seen with the 'Umlaute' all wrong in my browser. Wolfgang |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Aloha 'oe / Farewell to thee From: Haruo Date: 25 May 05 - 01:25 PM Wolfgang, please repost; your link is in worse shape than your browser's umläte... Also, could a Joe clone or somebody fix the two diacritic erors in Q's post of 12:33 AM on 24 May? The "257" needs a following semi-colon, and the number that is showing up as ŋ needs to be "333" instead of "331". Thanks, Hārūō (not really!) King of the Macrons |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Aloha 'oe / Farewell to thee From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 25 May 05 - 02:52 PM Sorry. Should have proofed. verse 1 line 4: 'āhihi Verse 2 line 3: Nō If any of our postings ever get to DT, all diacritical marks will be lost, as I understand it. Looking at the 1913 sheet music (Arthur Lange), the glottal stops have heen removed (except for one). I assume that these (') will transfer without problem to the DT. Mudcat comatose again- |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Aloha 'oe / Farewell to thee From: Haruo Date: 25 May 05 - 04:58 PM Yeah, and I should have proofed (or read more carefully); the problem with 'āhihi is an asterisk instead of ampersand initially, rather than lack of final semi-colon. I think in pre-Pukui-Elbert days the glottal stops were left out of written Hawai'ian almost as often as the macrons. Another bit of baggage from the missionaries, who didn't "hear" the glottal stop as a consonant until it was too late to give it a letter. (See the role of "c" in Somali...) Haruo |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Aloha 'oe / Farewell to thee From: Haruo Date: 26 May 05 - 04:41 AM Incidentally, I notice that the Hawai'ian Wikipedia is using ? for the glottal stop. Is this a widespread usage in Hawai'i currently, and/or is it a mere ASCII stopgap? In IPA it is usual to use a symbol that looks like a question mark without the dot at the bottom, and at least in NW US Indian languages both ? and 7 are frequently pressed into service in ASCII media. Haruo who apologizes for the digression from matters musical, but would like Hawai'ian texts posted here to be as "correctly" spelt as possible |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Aloha 'oe / Farewell to thee From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 26 May 05 - 02:58 PM Ah Ha! My browser renders the Wikipedia mark as a square, so it means that the symbol as written cannot be handled. This also happens when I go to Japanese and Chinese sites, since I have not added the conversion capability to my programs. Looked through my cds and books and didn't find anything other than ' used for the glottal stop. I looked in "The Navajo Language" (dictionary and grammar, a monster volume for a very complex language) and found the ' used. I know almost nothing of the language, but it seems that extended or stressed vowels are written as doubled letters, rather than using a macron. Not pertinent here, but I have found much mis-information, and speculation, put forth as gospel in Wikipedia. I would never use it as a reference. Mudcat down again, can't post. Try again later. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Aloha 'oe / Farewell to thee From: Haruo Date: 26 May 05 - 03:41 PM Well, of course Wikipedia is user-written, so one could hardly expect it to be very reliable. On the other hand, a lot of misinformation and speculation has been published over the years by what "ought to be" more reliable sources. And if you find something amiss in Wikipedia you can undo it. Unlike the DT where you have to wait for years if ever and even then it doesn't support diacritics... Haruo |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Aloha 'oe / Farewell to thee From: Wolfgang Date: 30 May 05 - 11:25 AM Schau mich an und reich mir Deine Hand, es war so schön, so schön mit Dir an Land. Weine nicht beim Auseinandergeh’n, denn ein Seemann will Tränen nicht seh’n. Heute Nacht muss ich zurück an Bord, denn mein Schiff fährt ohne mich nicht fort. Lebewohl, der Abschied fällt mir schwer, doch ein Seemann gehört auf das Meer. Chorus: Aloa oé, aloa oé, wer weiß, wann ich Dich wieder seh’. Aloa oé, aloa oé, die Heimat der Matrosen ist die See. BTW, the tune of the chorus to 'Wiegende Welle' mentioned by Wilfried is basically the same (though I know it sung at double speed) but the tunes for the verses are different. Wolfgang |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Aloha 'oe / Farewell to thee From: GUEST,Linguist Date: 06 Nov 10 - 12:57 PM I learnt it at my primary school in Trinidad and have been searching for it online for a long time. I remember all the words, but I wouldn't have guessed back then that it was "Oe" and not "o" or "oh". Here's the version I learnt.. : Proudly sweeps the rain cloud o'er the plain Borne swiftly by the western gale And the song of lovers' parting grief Sadly echoes amidst the flowering vale Aloha O! Aloha O! The winds will carry back our sad refrain One fond embrace before we say goodbye Until we meet again Farewell to thee! Farewell to thee! The winds will carry back our sad refrain Until we meet again! I have fondly watched thy lovely face Fair rose of Maunawilli's bower Where the birds sip honey all the day Fairer far than the dewy opening flower Aloha O! Aloha O! The winds will carry back our sad refrain One fond embrace before we say goodbye Until we meet again! Farewell to thee! Farewell to thee! The winds will carry back our sad refrain One fond embrace before we say goodbye Until we meet again! |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Aloha 'oe / Farewell to thee From: GUEST,Misses O'ahu Date: 07 Dec 10 - 01:29 PM When I was 9 we lived on Hickam AFB on O'ahu and attended Mokulele with the other kids from base. We learned this song - though, strangely, I remember it differently than all the ways I've seen it written here. I don't remember all of the words, but I do remember the chorus: Aloha 'oe, Aloha 'oe... The one I hold most dear of all my loved ones One fond embrace Before we say goodbye Until we meet again Perhaps the years have muddied my memory. Regardless, I still love the tune. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Aloha 'oe / Farewell to thee From: kendall Date: 07 Dec 10 - 01:51 PM Guest Linguist, that is the version I learned in grammar school. Always loved it. We had a couple of Hawaiians in the ship I served in and they made beautiful music. I haven't bought or eaten Dole pineapple since I learned what happened to the Queen. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Aloha 'oe / Farewell to thee From: kendall Date: 14 Jan 18 - 06:57 PM My Hawaiian shipmates referred to we Yankees as "Howlies" because of our habit of speaking in a loud tone of voice. I loved their music. Thanks to all for digging up this lovely piece of history. |
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