_He Mele no Kane_

He u-i, he ninau:
He u-i aku ana au ia oe,
Aia i-hea ka wai a Kane?
Ala i ka hikina a ka La,
5 Puka i Hae-hae;[512]
Aia i-laila ka Wai a Kane.

E u-i aku ana au ia oe,
Aia i-hea ka Wai a Kane?
Aia i Kau-lana-ka-la,[513]
10 I ka pae opua i ke kai,[514]
Ea mai ana ma Nihoa,[515]
[Page 258] Ma ka mole mai o Lehua;
Aia i-laila ka Wai a Kane.

E u-i aku ana au ia oe,
15 Aia i-hea ka Wai a Kane?
Aia i ke kua-hiwi, i ke kua-lono,
I ke awawa, i ke kaha-wai;
Aia i-laila ka Wai a Kane.

E u-i aku ana au ia oe,
20 Aia i-hea ka Wai a Kane?
Aia i-kai, i ka moana,
I ke Kua-lau, i ke anuenue,
I ka punohu,[516] i ka ua-koko,[517]
I ka alewa-lewa;
25 Aia i-laila ka Wai a Kane.

E u-i aku ana au ia oe,
Aia i-hea ka Wai a Kane?
Aia i-luna ka Wai a Kane,
I ke ouli, i ke ao eleele,
30 I ke ao pano-pano,
I ke ao popolo-hua mea a Kane la, e!
Aia i-laila ka Wai a Kane.

E u-i aku ana au ia oe,
Aia i-hea ka Wai a Kane?
35 Aia i-lalo, i ka honua, i ka Wai hu,
I ka wai kau a Kane me Kanaloa--[518]
He wai-puna, he wai e inu,
He wai e mana, he wai e ola.
E ola no, e-a!

[Footnote 512: _Hae-hae_. Heaven's eastern gate; the portal in
the solid walls that supported the heavenly dome, through
which the sun entered in the morning.]

[Footnote 513: _Kau-lana-ka-la_. When the setting sun, perhaps
by an optical illusion drawn out into a boatlike form,
appeared to be floating on the surface of the ocean, the
Hawaiians named the phenomenon _Kau-lana-ka-la_--the floating
of the sun. Their fondness for personification showed itself
in the final conversion of this phrase into something like a
proper name, which they applied to the locality of the
phenomenon.]

[Footnote 514: _Pae opua i ke kai_. Ano