ve and uncultured races
of mankind in general, or for the Hawaiian in particular, yet
it is no small satisfaction to be able to set in array
evidence from the life and thoughts of the savages themselves
that shall at least have a modifying influence upon our views
on these points.

The poetry of ancient Hawaii evinces a deep and genuine love
of nature, and a minute, affectionate, and untiring
observation of her moods, which it would be hard to find
surpassed in any literature. Her poets never tired of
depicting nature; sometimes, indeed, their art seems
heaven-born. The mystery, beauty, and magnificence of the
island world appealed profoundly to their souls; in them the
ancient Hawaiian found the image of man the embodiment of
Deity; and their myriad moods and phases were for him an
inexhaustible spring of joy, refreshment, and delight.

GLOSSARY

The study of Hawaiian pronunciation is mainly a study of vowel sounds
and of accent. Each written vowel represents at least two related
sounds.

A (_ah_) has the Italian sound found in f_a_ther, as in h_a_-le or in
L_a_-ka; also a short sound like that of a in li_a_ble, as in
ke-_a_-ke-_a_, to contradict, or in _a_-ha, an assembly.

E (_a_) has the sound of long a in f_a_te, or of e in pr_e_y, without
the i-glide that follows, as in the first syllable of P_e_-le, or of
m_e_-a, a thing; also the short sound of e in n_e_t, as in _e_-ha, hurt,
or in p_e_a, a sail.

I (_ee_) has the long sound of i in p_i_que, or in pol_i_ce, as in
_i_-li, skin, or in h_i_-la-h_i_-la, shame; also the short sound of i in
h_i_ll, as in l_i_-hi, border, and in _i_-ki, small.

O (_oh_) has the long sound of o in n_o_te or in _o_ld, without the
u-glide, as in l_o_-a, long, or as in the first syllable of L_o_-no;
also a short sound, which approximates to that sometimes erroneously
given to the vowel in c_o_at, as in p_o_-po, rotten, or as in l_o_-ko, a
lake.

U (_oo_) has the long sound of u in r_u_le, as in h_u_-la, to dance; and
a short sound approximating to that of u in f_u_ll, as in m_u_-ku, cut
off.

Every Hawaiian syllable ends in a vowel. No attempt has been made to
indicate these differences of vowel sound. The only diacritical marks
here employed are the acute accent for stressed s