;
The bay of the dog greets my ear,
It reaches East Cape by the sea,
Where Puna gave refuge to thee,
Till came the king's herald, hot-foot,
40 And quaffed the awa's tree-grown root.
A-o-a, a-o-a, he, he, hene!

The problem to be solved by the translator of this peculiar
mele is a difficult one. It involves a constant readjustment
of the mental standpoint to meet the poet's vagrant fancy,
which to us seems to occupy no consistent point of view. If
this difficulty arises from the author's own lack of insight,
he can at least absolve himself from the charge of negligence
and lack of effort to discover the standpoint that shall give
unity to the whole composition; and can console himself with
the reflection that no native Hawaiian scholar with whom he
has conferred has been able to give a key to the solution of
this problem. In truth, the native Hawaiian scholars of
to-day do not appreciate as we do the necessity of holding
fast to one viewpoint. They seem to be willing to accept with
gusto any production of their old-time singers, though they
may not be able to explain them, and though to us, in whose
hearts the songs of the masters ever make music, they may
seem empty riddles.
[Page 227]
The solution of this problem here furnished is based on
careful study of the text and of the allusions to tradition
and myth that therein abound. Its expression in the
translation has rendered necessary occasional slight
departures from absolute literalness, and has involved the
supplying of certain conjunctive and explanatory words and
phrases of which the original, it is true, gives no hint, but
without which the text would be meaningless.

One learned Hawaiian with whom the author has enjoyed much
conference persists in taking a most discouraging and
pessimistic view of this mele. It is gratifying to be able to
differ from him in this matter and to be able to sustain
one's position by the consenting opinion of other Hawaiians
equally accomplished as the learned friend just referred to.

The inc