He kanikau no Kumu John Keola LakeA ua hala ke kumu,ha‘aha‘a malama Hunai ka pi‘ina ‘ōnohi i hala aiMe ka hala ke ‘ala kupali‘i mapu i ukaKe iho ha‘aheo i ka ua Hā‘aoUa ho‘oma‘ema‘e i ke alo o WaolaniKahi a kāua i pi‘i haipule aiPi‘i hai au ho‘i ‘oe i ke apo a lewaEia iho nō au, ke ualo wale nei e!Auhea wale ‘oe e ku‘u kumu?E ku‘u makua kuhikuhi i ka ponoI ke ala māla‘e, ho‘omo‘o kaukoeE pūku‘i pono kāua i ka papa una‘oaE uē ka welina, e ku‘u makuaKa‘a loku pūkai, ihu walewaleNa ka loku a kēia ‘alohaloha neiAloha wale au i kou leo, e ke kumu‘O ka leo nui lele i ke kula piliHe leo pili ho‘i i ku‘u manawaHe leo ho‘āla kono ānuenueMai ke alo pali kū wehi o Hana‘ula‘O ka ‘ula nāna e haehae ka ‘ena‘enaE ka wela loloa nāna e hō‘ali‘aliUa pīka‘o kīlau i ka uahi a PeleI ke one ‘ōhelo pala i ka ni‘o Wahine‘O ka lima naka mū i ka mehamehaMaka pani pīoioi ha‘akulouUa ha‘a aku la kāu hele ā loaA koe hope kēia pua wale nei e-----Oh, the teacher passesas the Huna moon lowerswith the rising sun's orb did he passWith hala the kupali‘i scent wafts in the uplandsDescending proudly with the Hā‘ao rainRain cleansing the face of WaolaniA place we two climbed in reverenceYou ascend as offering, straight to the high strataHere I am below indeed, alone now calling outWhere are you o my teacher?My parent directing me toward the righteousOn the path so clear, persistent continuingLet us two properly embrace on the rugged flatAnd wail our greetings, o my parentSalty tears roll as the nose drips slimeFrom these intense pangs of alohaFor I so love your voice, o my teacherGreat voice flying across the plains of piliVoice so close to my inner beingVoice that wakens inducing rainbowsFrom the verdant cliffs of Hana‘ulaO sacred one that stirs up the embersThe long-lasting heat that stokes the firesThe kīlau ferns brown in the smoke of PeleOn the ripe ‘ōhelo cinders at the Woman's doorstepThe hand trembles soundless in the hush of kapuEyes half shut, head bowed lowFor your dance has gone farWhile this descendant remains behind--------------------‘ŌLELO WEHEWEHE: Aole hiki i a‘u e haku i keia wahi kanikau pokole wale i nā ‘ike a pau i loa‘a mai la keia i ku‘u nohona o nā makahiki me ku‘u kumu. I mea e ho‘omana‘o mai i nā mea li‘i‘li‘i o kona lā i make ai, ua hō‘ike i ka mahina, a me ka manawa kakahiaka. Ua ha‘aku‘i ka uahi a Pele i ka pae ‘āina, mai ‘ō a ‘ō, i pīka‘o ai i nā lau kīlau, a ua pala nā ‘ōhelo i ka lihi o ka lua o Kīlauea. Pili keia kanikau i kō kumu leo, kona alaka‘ina, ke ala mala‘e ona i ho‘opa‘a ‘ia ai, a me ke kaumaha o ia kuleana. Ua waiho au iā Waolani a me Hana‘ula, elua o nā wahi a‘u i lawea ho‘opili mai i ku‘u kumu; o ka pu‘u i uka o ka hale o ku‘u ‘ohana, me ka pu‘u i uka o ke awāwa o ko kumu ‘ohana ma Ukumehame. Ke ha‘o nui wale au i ke alo pa‘amua o ku‘u kumu. He hana mehameha wale ia, e ho‘omau i ke ala āna i ho‘opa‘a na mākou, kā i ka nele ona.NOTES: It is impossible to weave within so short a kanikau all that has been gained by this one in the years sitting with Kumu Lake. To commemorate the details of the day of his passing, the moonphase is given, and the rising sun. And in the islands, the smoke of Pele prevailed, browning the kīlau ferns, while the ‘ohelo berries of the Woman were ripe on the edge of Kīlauea. This kanikau touches on the voice, on the guidance, on the path that has been set, and on the kaumaha of that kuleana. Waolani and Hana‘ula are offered as two places I have taken my kumu, places shared together, the peak above my family's home in Nu‘uanu, and the peak above the valley of Kumu's family, Ukumehame. How I miss the ready, welcome presence of my kumu, and how lonely it is to continue on the path that he has set for us, without him.
Comments
mahalo