Digital Collections
Celebrating the breadth and depth of Hawaiian knowledge. Amplifying Pacific voices of resiliency and hope. Recording the wisdom of past and present to help shape our future.
Kaʻiwakīloumoku Mele Hoʻoheno Series
Kauwela 2021
Kumu hula and award-winning musician Manu Boyd shares some of his favorite mele Hawaiʻi in our new series, Mele Hoʻoheno – Cherished Songs. We invite you to join him (and some very special guests) as he explores the meaning and significance of each song while offering personal memories, reflections, and anecdotes that help bring the story to life. E nanea mai!
NOTE: the Hawaiian lyrics provided below reflect that which was notated in the 1949 sheet music.
Ke Aloha
na Violet Lei Collins & Madeline Kaululehuaohaili Lam
Ma kuʻu poli mai ʻoe
E kuʻu ipo aloha
He ʻala onaona kou
O ke ano ahiahi
Ma muli aʻo kō leo
Ua malu nēia kino
He kino palupalu kaʻu
I ka hana a ke aloha
Ua laʻi nō hoʻi au
I ka hanu o ka ipo
E hoʻoipoipo nei
Nanea pū kāua
Haʻina mai ka puana
O kuʻu ipo aloha
He ʻala onaona kou
O ke ano ahiahi
Come into my arms
My beloved one
Yours is such a sweet fragrance
This twilight hour
Because of the sound of your voice
I feel safe and protected
My body is softened
By the workings of love
I am put at ease
By the breath of my love
In these intimate moments
Let us delight together
Tell the refrain
Of my beloved one
Yours is such a sweet fragrance
This twilight hour
Robert Uluwehi Cazimero joins Manu Boyd to share in the storytelling and music-making fun.
Lei Collins.
Maddy Lam.