by Leilehua Yuen
Hoʻi mai ka pili
Nā manu ʻelua
I luna Kohe Lepelepe o Kapo
He wahi pana no nā ipo ahi
I luna ka ʻehu o ke kai
Paʻū no e ka ʻehu pōʻai mai
Ride, ride the wind
Ride the wind back to me
Hoʻi mai ka pili
Nā manu ʻelua
Slim wings steady on the wind
gliding, sliding in the space
Above land and sea
Four wings, two hearts, one gentle breeze
Ride, ride the wind
Ride the wind back to me
Hoʻi mai ka pili
Nā manu ʻelua
I luna Kohe Lepelepe o Kapo
He wahi pana no nā ipo ahi
I luna ka ʻehu o ke kai
Paʻū no e ka ʻehu pōʻai mai
Ride, ride the wind
Ride the wind back to me
Ride, ride the wind
Ride the wind back to me
When Manu and I were dating, one weekend I visited him on Oʻahu. We went to his friend’s house out at Koko Head. There, I watched a pair of ʻiwa soar overhead. I asked him if the ʻiwa normally flew there, or was a storm coming. He didn’t know. But the image stayed with me. As Manu (whose name, incidentally, means “bird”) and I had to fly between Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi to see each other, the great birds seemed like a representation of ourselves – constantly on the wing, seldom able to rest in one place.
Oh – the English is not a translation of the Hawaiian. They are completely different verses. 😉
~Leilehua