| 76 | ʻAi kū, ʻai hele. | Eat standing, eat walking. |
| | [Said of anything done without ceremony, or of anything unrestrained by kapu.] |
| 211 | ʻAʻohe uʻi hele wale o Kohala. | No youth of Kohala goes empty-handed. |
| | [Said in praise of people who do not go anywhere without a gift or a helping hand. The saying originated at Honomakaʻu in Kohala. The young people of that locality, when on a journey, often went as far as Kapua before resting. Here, they made lei to adorn themselves and carry along with them. Another version is that no Kohala person goes unprepared for any emergency.] |
| 278 | E hele aku ana i ka māla a Kamehameha, o Kuahewa. | The proportion is reaching the size of Kuahewa, Kamehameha’s food patch. |
| | [The project is becoming too big. Kamehameha’s food patch was so huge that one border could not be seen from the other.] |
| 279 | E hele ana i ka ʻauwaeʻāina o lākou nei. | Going with them to look over the best in their land. |
| | [Hawaiians didn’t like to be questioned as to where they were going and would sometimes give this answer. Paʻe was a moʻo woman who often assumed the form of a dog and went wherever she willed. One day, while disguised as a dog, she was caught by some men who didn’t know of her supernatural powers, and they roasted her. This roasted dog was to be a gift to their chief’s wife and was put in a calabash, covered with a carrying net, and carried up the pali. Just below the Nuʻuanu Pali, the men saw a pretty woman sitting at the edge of a pool. She called, “Oh Paʻe, where are you going?” From out of the calabash leaped the dog, well and whole, who answered, “I am going with them to look over the best in their land.” The men fled in terror, leaving Paʻe behind with the other woman, who was a moʻo relative.] |
| 280 | E hele ka ʻelemakule, ka luahine, a me nā kamaliʻi a moe i ke ala ʻaʻohe mea nāna e hoʻopilikia. | Let the old men, the old women, and the children go and sleep on the wayside; let them not be molested. |
| | [Said by Kamehameha I.] |
| 305 | Eia ke kānaenae a ka mea hele: he leo, he leo wale nō. | Here is an offering from a traveler: a voice in greeting, simply a voice. |
| | [Said in affection by a passerby who, seeing a friend, greets him but doesn’t stop to visit.] |
| 382 | E uku ʻia ke kanaka kiʻi lāʻau, he luhi kona i ka hele ʻana. | The man who goes to fetch medicinal herbs is to be paid — the trip he makes is labor. |
| | [The person sent by the kahuna to gather herbs for a patient’s medicine was always paid by the patient’s family. If they faiied to pay, and the gatherer grumbled, the medicine would do no good. A person who was paid couldn’t grumble without hurting himself.] |
| 445 | Hana a ke kama ʻole, hele ʻopeʻope i ke ala loa. | A person who has not raised a child may go along with his bundles on the road. |
| | [Said of an aged person who has no one to care for him. Had he troubled to rear children they could take care of him when he was old.] |
| 505 | Hāwele kīlau i ka lemu, ʻāhaʻi ka puaʻa i ka waha; ke hele nei ʻo Poʻokea. | Draw the fine loincloth under the buttocks; the pork finds its way into the mouth; Poʻokea now departs. |
| | [Poʻokea was a very clever thief during the reign of Kahekili of Maui. Whenever he eluded his pursuers, this was his favorite boast. Any reference to one as being a descendant or relative of Poʻokea implies that he is a thief who steals and runs.] |
| 574 | He hele pīlali ʻāina maoli nō. | A sticky going, as if stuck fast to the land. |
| | [Said of one who is preoccupied and forgets to go home.] |
| 656 | He kai hele kohana ko Māmala. | A sea for going naked is at Māmala. |
| | [The entrance to Honolulu Harbor was known as Māmala. In time of war the people took off their clothes and traveled along the reef to avoid meeting the enemy on land.] |
| 697 | He koa ka mea hele hoʻokahi i ʻOʻopuloa. | Only a warrior dares to go alone to ʻOʻopuloa. |
| | [Said of a venture fit only for the brave. The way to ʻOʻopuloa, Maui, was feared because of robbers.] |
| 728 | Hele a ʻīlio pīʻalu ka uka o Hāmākua i ka lā. | Like a wrinkled dog is the upland of Hāmākua in the sunlight. |
| | [An uncomplimentary remark about an aged, wrinkled person. Line from a chant.] |
| 729 | Hele a kahu ka ʻena. | He has gone into [the state of] tending the red-hot stones. |
| | [He is very angry.] |
| 730 | Hele akula a ahu, hoʻi mai nō e omo i ka waiū o ka makua. | He goes away and, gaining nothing by it, returns to nurse at his mother’s breast. |
| | [Said of a grown son or daughter who, after going away, returns home for support.] |
| 731 | Hele aku nei e ʻimi i ka ʻiliʻili hānau o Kōloa. | Went to seek the pebbles that give birth at Kōloa. |
| | [Said of one who goes and forgets to come home. These pebbles were found at a small beach called Kōloa, in Punaluʻu, Kaʻū.] |
| 732 | Hele aku ʻoe ma ʻaneʻi, he waʻa kanaka; hoʻi mai ʻoe ma ʻō he waʻa akua. | When you go from here, the canoe will contain men; when you return, it will be a ghostly canoe. |
| | [Warning to Keouakuahuʻula by his kahuna not to go to meet Kamehameha at Kawaihae. He went anyway and was killed.] |
| 733 | Hele a luhiehu i ka ua noe. | Is made bright by the misty rain. |
| | [Said of a person dressed gaily.] |
| 734 | Hele a nono i ka wai. | He looks red in the water. |
| | [He is as attractive as the fringes of lehua floating in the water.] |
| 735 | Hele ʻē ka pila, hele ʻē ka leo. | The music is in one pitch and the voice in another. |
| | [Said of a lack of harmony.] |
| 736 | Hele ʻē ka waʻa. | The speed of a canoe. |
| | [Said of a fast traveler.] |
| 739 | Hele huhū ke ahi me ka momoku. | Angrily goes the fire and the firebrand. |
| | [Said of lightning and thunder.] |
| 741 | Hele ke poʻo a pōnaʻanaʻa. | The head moves in a confused manner. |
| | [In a state of having so much to do one doesn’t know where to start.] |
| 742 | Hele i Kaunakakai i Hikauhi. | Go to Kaunakakai to seek Hikauhi. |
| | [After a time she returned with their daughter, whom they named Hikauhi.] |
| 743 | Hele i ke ala maʻawe iki. | Gone on the barely visible trail. |
| | [Dead.] |
| 744 | Hele ka hoʻi a hiki i Kealia, ua napoʻo ka lā. | When one reaches Kealia at last, the sun is set. |
| | [Said of one who procrastinates. A play on alia (to wait).] |
| 745 | Hele ka makuahine, ʻalalā keiki i kauhale. | When the mother goes out, the children cry at home. |
| | [Said of a neglectful mother.] |
| 746 | Hele kapalulu ke ahi me ka momoku a kukupaʻu i ke kai o Nuʻalolo. | The crackling firebrands make a great display over the sea of Nualolo. |
| | [Said of a person who makes himself very conspicuous.] |
| 747 | Hele kīkaha aʻela ka ua. | The rain goes sneaking along. |
| | [Said of a person who goes out of his way to avoid an acquaintance.] |
| 748 | Hele kīkaha ka ua o Hokukoʻa. | The rain of Hokukoʻa goes quietly by. |
| | [Said of one who goes by without dropping in to see his friends.] |
| 751 | Hele nō i ka hola iʻa i ka lā. | Fish poison should he used in the daytime. |
| | [Greater efficiency is achieved in the daytime. [cf 1158]] |
| 752 | Hele nō ka ʻalā, hele nō ka lima. | The rock goes, the hand goes. |
| | [To make good poi, the free hand must work in unison with the poi pounder. Keep both hands going to do good work.] |
| 753 | Hele nō ka lima; hele nō ka ʻāwihi; ʻaʻohe loaʻa i ke onaona maka. | The hand goes; the wink goes; nothing is gained by just looking sweet. |
| | [Keep the hands occupied with work, then one can afford to make eyes at the opposite sex. Just looking attractive isn’t enough.] |
| 754 | Hele nō ka pilau a ke ālia, i kahi nui o ka paʻakai. | Decomposition can also he found where there is so much salt that the earth is encrusted. |
| | [Scandal is found even in the best of families.] |
| 755 | Hele nō ka wai, hele nō ka ʻalā, wali ka ʻulu o Halepuaʻa. | The water flows, the smooth stone [pounder] works, and the breadfruit of Halepuaʻa is well mixed [into poi]. |
| | [Everything goes smoothly when one is prosperous. A play on wai (water) and ʻalā (smooth stone). ʻAlā commonly refers to cash. In later times, Hele nō ka wai, hele nō ka ʻalā came to refer to a generous donation. Halepuaʻa is a place in Puna, Hawaiʻi.] |
| 756 | Hele nō ke aliʻi; hele nō ke kanaka. | Where the chief goes, his attendant goes. |
| 757 | Hele pōʻala i ke anu o Waimea. | Going in a circle in the cold of Waimea. |
| | [Said of a person who goes in circles and gets nowhere. Waimea, Hawaiʻi, is a cold place and when foggy, it is easy for one unfamiliar with the place to lose his way.] |
| 759 | Hele pū nō me ka lima. | Take the hands along in going traveling. |
| | [Be willing to help others when going traveling and not make a burden of yourself.] |
| 760 | Hele wale a lulu i nā manu. | The birds are so numerous that they cast a shade. |
| | [Said of a great crowd of people.] |
| 1055 | Hō mai ka ihu, a hele aʻe au. | Give hither the nose ere I go. |
| | [Kiss me ere I depart.] |
| 1108 | Hoʻopau kaʻā, he lawaiʻa paoa; hoʻānuānu ʻili o ka hele maunu. | An unlucky fisherman wastes time in wetting his line; he merely gets his skin cold in seeking bait. |
| | [Said of an unlucky person who, in spite of every effort, gets nothing.] |
| 1124 | Hū hewa ʻia paha ke Kinaʻu, a ke Kalaukina e huli hele nei. | Perhaps the Kinaʻu is off her course, to have the Claudine go in search of her. |
| | [Said in fun of a person who goes in search of another. This is a line from a hula song.] |
| 1157 | I hele i kauhale, paʻa pūʻolo i ka lima. | In going to the houses of others, carry a package in the hand. |
| | [Take a gift.] |
| 1158 | I hele no ka hola iʻa i ka lā. | Poison fish while it is day. |
| | [It is better to work during the day. [cf 751]] |
| 1193 | I ka pali nō ka hoa a hele, kalakala ke kua i ka ʻopeʻope. | The companion stays up on the hill and then goes, the back roughened by the load. |
| | [Said of one who keeps at a distance and departs. Also said of luck that stays away like a disinterested friend, carrying its load of fortune away with it. This was first uttered by Lohiʻau in a chant when he failed to make a score in kilu.] |
| 1220 | I kū ka makemake e hele mai, hele nō me ka maloʻeloʻe. | If the wish to come arises, walk frmly. |
| | [If you wish to come do not be hesitant, for you are welcome.] |
| 1239 | ʻInā he moe maiʻa makehewa ka hele i ka lawaiʻa. | If one dreams of bananas it is useless to go fishing. |
| 1643 | Ka wahine hele lā o Kaiona, alualu wai liʻulā o ke kaha pua ʻōhai. | The woman, Kaiona, who travels in the sunshine pursuing the mirage of the place where the ʻōhai blossoms grow. |
| | [Kaiona was a goddess of Kaʻala and the Waiʻanae Mountains. She was a kind person who helped anyone who lost his way in the mountains by sending a bird, an ʻiwa, to guide the lost one out of the forest. In modern times Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop was compared to Kaiona in songs.] |
| 1695 | Ke hele maila ko Kaʻū; he iho maila ko Palahemo; he hōkake aʻela i Manukā; haele loa akula i Kaleinapueo. | There come those of Kaʻū; those of Palahemo descend; those of Manukā push this way and that; and away they all go to Kaleinapueo. |
| | [Said when one tries to find out something about another and meets with failure at every turn. A play on place names: ʻū (a grunt of contempt) in Kaʻū; hemo (to get away) in Palahemo; kā (to run along like a vine) in Manukā; and leinapueo (owl’s leaping place) in Kaleinapueo.] |
| 1862 | Kuāua nui hoʻi kēlā e hele mai nei. | That is a big shower coming this way. |
| | [A company of people is seen approaching.] |
| 1864 | Kuha! Nāu nō ʻoe e hele aʻe. | Spit! You come to seek me of your own accord. |
| | [It was called Kuhakalani (Heaven’s expectoration). After the kahuna had prayed that the victim fall in love with the person who consulted him, the consultant was sent to stand with his back against the wind, holding a flower and facing a spot where the victim was likely to appear. Here he spat upon the flower with the words, “Kuha! Nāu nō ʻoe e hele aʻe,” and dropped the blossom. When the victim of the sorcery came near the flower, an intense love would possess him and he would go in search of the person who dropped it there.] |
| 1868 | Kuhi nō ka lima, hele nō ka maka. | Where the hands move, there let the eyes follow. |
| | [A rule in hula.] |
| 1870 | Kuʻia ka hele a ka naʻau haʻahaʻa. | Hesitant walks the humble hearted. |
| | [A humble person walks carefully so he will not hurt those about him.] |
| 1931 | Kupouli Kānehoa i ka hele a Kaukaʻōpua. | Kānehoa is darkened by the departure of Kaukaʻōpua. |
| | [Said of dark grief at the departure of a loved one.] |
| 2047 | Mai hele kīkaha aku. | Don’t go a-strutting there. |
| | [Don’t give yourself to ways that are offensive to others.] |
| 2152 | Mehameha wale nō ʻo Puʻuloa, i ka hele a Kaʻahupāhau. | Puuloa hecame lonely when Kaʻahupāhau went away. |
| | [The home is lonely when a loved one has gone. Kaʻahupāhau, guardian shark of Puʻuloa (Pearl Harbor), was dearly loved by the people.] |
| 2154 | Me he makamaka lā ka ua no Kona, ke hele lā a kipa i Hanakahi. | The rain is like a friend from Kona — it goes and calls on Hanakahi. |
| | [These are two lines from an old chant used to express a friendly visit with one who dwells in a distant place.] |
| 2155 | Me he makani hulilua lā, huli ka manaʻo, hele ka noʻonoʻo. | Like the wind that blows one way and then blows another, so does the mind turn and the thoughts depart. |
| | [Said of one who makes a promise and then forgets all about it.] |
| 2301 | Na wai hoʻi ka ʻole o ke akamai, he alanui i maʻa i ka hele ʻia e oʻu mau mākua? | Why shouldnʻt I know, when it is a road often traveled by my parents ? |
| | [Reply of Liholiho when someone praised his wisdom.] |
| 2496 | ʻŌlelo i ke aka ka hele hoʻokahi. | One who travels alone has but his shadow to talk to. |
| | [Said by Hiʻiaka as she was leaving Kīlauea on her quest for Lohiʻau.] |
| 2580 | Pā ka makani o ka Moaʻe, hele ka lepo o Kahoʻolawe i Māʻalaea. | When the Moaʻe wind blows, the dust of Kahoʻolawe goes toward Maalaea. |
| | [Refers to Māʻalaea, Maui.] |
| 2708 | Puanaiea ke kanaka ke hele i ka liʻulā. | A person who goes after a mirage will only wear himself out. |