Lyr. Add: Makemake na Au e 'Ike ia Kaleponi
Attrib. to KU, O'ahu.

Makemake na* au e 'ike ia Kaliponi
I ka 'aina o ka nani a me ka maika'i.
Maika'i 'oko'a no ke kai kuono o Hukekona.
He nani Papine me Kaliona.
Ka 'oi loa aku na o ka Lae Hao me Aukaki.
He home i aloha 'ia na na* holokahiki
I aloha 'ia i ka leo ho'oholehole o ka hulipahu,
I na olelo ke i ke aloha a ke kolomeki.
A'aki polo ihola ka maka ua 'ike 'ia ka i'a,
Pi'oloke na li'i, 'oehuehu ke kapena,
Pinapina i ka leo o ka malama moku,
Pau loa na poki i ka la'i ke 'ia i ke kai,
Kukupa'u ihola na kela i ka pulaheki,
'Oi lua kekahi 'o ia ka 'ehu kai.
A papani, papani ke 'o holu ka 'aiana
Kawewe akula ka laina i ka la'i kuela.
Piha 'oli'oli na li'i me na kela,
A'aka iki ihola kahi kalina hana
Ua piha ka moku.
Ku ka moku i ka pea wini O'ahu ka ihu.

*Unfortunately, I cannot place macrons over letters that require them.

William Keahi Lima (Keahilima) of Honolulu, the mele learned from Kea, who heard it chanted. "It is said to be an old-fashioned song composed by a man called Ku who was a teacher (of hula?) in olden times. Ku was a native of Manoa Valley, O'ahu, known as a composer of mele. The tune of the chant is lost. "Sailor song of whaling days."

Translation:

I desire to see California,
The land of beauty and goodness.
Hudson Bay has a beauty all its own.
Beautiful too, is Baffin Bay and Kaliona(?).
Greater still is Cape Horn and Aukaki(?).
Those are the places loved by the sailors,
Who like the authoritative voice of the second mate,
And the loving expressions of the third officer.
The eyes sparkle with excitement when the whale is seen;
The officers become excited, the captain barks his orders,
The first mate's commands come fast and furious,
The boats are all let down into the sea,
The sailors set to work to pull on the oars,
Pushing them forward into the foamy sea.
Then attached, attached is the iron harpoon,
Away goes the line in the direction of the whale.
The officers and sailors rejoice,
And even the new hand laughs a little,
For the ship is loaded.
The ship stands in the path of the fair wind with prow
toward O'ahu.
(?) Translation of Location not known.

Translation by Mary Kawena 'Pukui.
1995, "Na Mele 'Welo, Songs of Our Heritage," pp. 206-207, published by Bishop Museum Press, on the 100th anniversary of Mary Kawena 'Pukui's birth. The mele are selections from the Helen H. Roberts Collection in Bishop Museum, Honolulu.

Many Hawaiians engaged in whaling and as sailors on sailing ships.
Many more worked as voyageurs, clerks in fur posts, on farms and in Hudson's Bay and other company enterprises.
It is sad that this seems to be the only Hawaiian song that remains about those days.