Aloha 'OE

Title page of "Aloha ʻOe", 1890

Aloha ʻOe ( Farewell ) is the most famous song composed by the last ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii . Liliʻuokalani's composition was composed in 1877 as a farewell song for two lovers and was later sung for every departing and arriving ship in Hawaii.

Text and translation

text	translation
Haʻaheo ka ua i nā pali Ke nihi aʻela i ka nahele E hahai (uhai) ana paha i ka liko Pua ʻāhihi lehua o uka	The rain swept proudly through the cliffs As it slipped through the trees And still followed the bud (or: the shine), The ' hihi-lehua blossom in the valley.
Hui: Aloha ʻoe, aloha ʻoe E ke onaona noho i ka lipo A fond embrace A ho'i a'e au Until we meet again	Refrain: Goodbye you, goodbye You delightful one who lives in the shady arbors (or: depths) A hearty hug Before I leave Until we meet again.
ʻO ka haliʻa aloha i hiki mai Ke hone aʻe nei i kuʻu manawa ʻO ʻoe nō kaʻu ipo aloha A loko e hana nei	So sweet thoughts (or: times) return to me. The fresh memories of the past bring dearest, yes, you belong to me, true love will never leave you.
Maopopo kuʻuʻike i ka nani Nā pua rose o Maunawili I laila hiaʻia nā manu Mikiʻala i ka nani o ka lipo	I understand and have seen your beauty You sweet rose (from the valley) of Maunawili And there live the birds of love And sip honey on your lips.

Because of its mixture of Hawaiian and European imagery, the text is not easy to understand. The association of rain with love becomes understandable when you live in a hot country. A Lehua tree with nectar-eating red ʻIʻiwi birds is a traditional image for a beautiful person. On the other hand, roses are not native to Hawaii and an exoticism in this Hawaiian song.

Hawaiian poetry plays with the many similar- sounding words in Hawaiian, here: liko = bud, descendant; Luster and manawa = time; Affection, mind. Neither in English nor in Hawaiian is there any indication as to whether the person being addressed is a woman or a man. Perhaps because of the rose one can suspect a woman.

gallery

Sound recordings (selection)

1916 Hawaiian Quintets. Record Victor Talking Machine Company factus, 65348-A
1916 “Aloha Oe — Waltz”, Blue and White Marimba Band. Record Columbia Graphophone Compan, A2136
1917 EK Rose vinyl record Victor Talking Machine Company, 35622-A
1920–1930? mixed choir. 1920s
1944 Marlene Dietrich with the Paulo Laval Orchestra July 16, 1944
1950? Ronnie Deauville with orchestra , around 1950

literature

Kanahele, George S. & Berger, John: Hawaiian Music & Musicians . 2nd edition. Mutual Publishing, LLC, Honolulu, HI, USA 2012, ISBN 978-1-56647-967-7 , Aloha ʻOe ( mutualpublishing.com - first edition: 1979).

Samuel H. Elbert, Noelani Mahoe: Nā mele o Hawai ' i nei: 101 Hawaiian songs . University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu 1970, ISBN 978-0-87022-219-1 , pp. 35–36 ( limited preview in Google Book search).

Web links

Aloha ʻOe (huapala.org)

Individual evidence

↑ Samuel H Elbert and Noelani mahoe: Nā Mele o Hawaii ' i nei: 101 Hawaiian songs . University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu 1970, ISBN 978-0-87022-219-1 , pp. 35 ( limited preview in Google Book search).

[1] Samuel H Elbert and Noelani mahoe: Nā Mele o Hawaii ' i nei: 101 Hawaiian songs . University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu 1970, ISBN 978-0-87022-219-1 , pp. 35 ( limited preview in Google Book search).