| 4 | A aloha wale ʻia kā hoʻi o Kaunuohua, he puʻu wale nō. | Even Kaunuohua, a hill, is loved. |
| | [If a hill can be loved, how much more so a human?] |
| 56 | Aia kēkē nā hulu o ka umauma hoʻi ke kōlea i Kahiki e hānau ai. | When the feathers on the breast darken [because of fatness] the plover goes back to Kahiki to breed. |
| | [A person comes here, grows prosperous, and goes away without a thought to the source of his prosperity.] |
| 62 | Aia ko kāne i ka lawaiʻa, hoʻi mai he ʻōpeʻa ka iʻa. | Your husband has gone fishing and returns with bats for meat. |
| | [This saying comes from a children’s chant of amusement for coaxing a sea animal to crawl from its shell.] |
| 86 | ʻAi nō ke kōlea a momona hoʻi i Kahiki. | The plover eats until fat, then returns to the land from which it came. |
| | [Said of a foreigner who comes to Hawaiʻi, makes money, and departs to his homeland to enjoy his wealth.] |
| 92 | ʻAkahi hoʻi kuʻu ʻono i ka uhu kāʻalo i kuʻu maka. | Now I long for the uhu fish that passes before my eyes. |
| | [How I would like that handsome fellow for a sweetheart. The uhu is a bright-colored fish, beautiful to look at, and tasty.] |
| 93 | ʻAkahi ka hoʻi ka paoa, ke kau nei ka mākole pua heʻo. | Here is a sign of ill luck, for the red-eyed bright-hued one rests above. |
| | [Said when a rainbow appears before the path of one who was on a business journey. Such a rainbow is regarded the same as meeting a red-eyed person — a sign of bad luck. Better to turn about and go home.] |
| 103 | Akua nō hoʻi nā hana! | Such extraordinary behavior! |
| | [Said of a person who is mean and willful, with no thought for anyone but himself. He is compared to the heroic figures of old (akua) who were born deformed and abandoned as infants, then rescued and raised to adulthood. Such persons were often belligerent by nature.] |
| 195 | ʻAʻohe nō hoʻi ou ʻī mai ʻaʻohe wai o lalo. | You didn’t tell me that there wasn’t any water below. |
| | [Why didn’t you warn me? Two men, one totally and one partially blind, wanted to cross Punaluʻu Stream in Kaʻū. The blind one didn’t know his companion was unable to see well. When they reached the bank he asked his companion, “Is there water down there?” The partly blind one replied, “Yes, there is.” So they jumped in with the intention of swimming across. But the stream was dry, and both men suffered broken bones and bruises.] |
| 235 | ʻAuhea nō hoʻi kou kanaka uʻi a ʻimi ʻoe i wahine nāu? | Why is it that you do not show how handsome you are by seeking your own woman ? |
| | [A woman might say, under the same circumstances, “ʻAuhea nō hoʻi kou wahine uʻi a ʻimi ʻoe i kāne nau?’] |
| 284 | E hoʻi e peʻe i ke ōpū weuweu me he moho lā. E ao o haʻi ka pua o ka mauʻu iā ʻoe. | Go back and hide among the clumps of grass like the wingless rail. Be careful not to break even a blade of grass. |
| | [Retum to the country to live a humble life and leave no trace to be noticed and followed. So said the chief Keliʻiwahamana to his daughter when he was dying. Later used as advice to a young person not to be aggressive or show off.] |
| 285 | E hoʻi ka uʻi o Mānoa, ua ahiahi. | Let the youth of Mānoa go home, for it is evening. |
| | [Refers to the youth of Mānoa who used to ride the surf at Kalehuawehe in Waikīkī. The surfboards were shared among several people who would take turns using them. Those who finished first often suggested going home early, even though it might not be evening, to avoid carrying the boards to the hālau where they were stored. Later the expression was used for anyone who went off to avoid work.] |
| 286 | E hoʻi ka waʻa; mai hoʻopaʻa aku i ka ʻino. | Make the canoe go back; do not insist on heading into a storm. |
| | [A plea not to do something or associate with someone that will lead to serious trouble.] |
| 288 | E hoʻi nā keiki oki uaua o nā pali. | Home go the very tough lads of the hills. |
| | [These lads of the hills were the cowboys of Puʻuwaʻawaʻa and Puʻuanahulu, who were well known for their endurance.] |
| 363 | E nui ke aho, e kuʻu keiki, a moe i ke kai, no ke kai lā hoʻi ka ʻāina. | Take a deep breath, my son, and lay yourself in the sea, for then the land shall belong to the sea. |
| | [Uttered by the priest Kaʻopulupulu at Waiʻanae. Weary with the cruelty and injustice of Kahāhana, chief of Oʻahu, Kaʻopulupulu walked with his son to Waiʻanae, where he told his son to throw himself into the sea. The boy obeyed, and there died. Kaʻopulupulu was later slain and taken to Waikīkī where he was laid on the sacrificial altar at Helumoa.] |
| 390 | Haʻa hoʻi ka papa; ke kāhuli nei. | Unstable is the foundation; it is turning over. |
| | [Said of an unstable person or situation. First used by Hiʻiaka in a chant while playing kilu at the residence of Peleʻula.] |
| 420 | Hala i ke ala hoʻi ʻole mai. | Gone on the road from which there is no returning. |
| | [Death.] |
| 463 | Hananeʻe ke kīkala o ko Hilo kini; hoʻi luʻuluʻu i ke one o Hanakahi. | The hips of Hilo’s multitude were sagging as they returned, laden, to Hanakahi. |
| | [Used to express the weight of grief, or to mean that a person has a heavy load to carry. Lines from a chant entitled, “Hoe Puna i ka Waʻa.”] |
| 564 | He hale kipa nō lā hoʻi ko ke kōlea haʻihaʻi ʻē ʻia nā iwi. | The house of a plover might have been that of a friend if one hadn’t broken his bones. |
| | [A stranger might have been a friend if he hadn’t been treated so shamefully.] |
| 584 | He hoa manu nēnē, he hoʻi nō a paumāʻele i ka hale. | A goose mate returns to pollute the house. |
| | [Said to a mate whose relative disgraces the family by committing fornication or adultery with another member.] |
| 608 | He iʻa laka nō lā hoʻi ka ʻina. | The ʻina is easily gathered. |
| | [A retort to a person who frequently says, “If I had this” or “If I had that.” A play on ʻina (sea egg) and inā (if).] |
| 609 | He iʻa loaʻa wale nō hoʻi ka poʻopaʻa. | A poʻopaʻa is a fish easy to catch. |
| | [Hard-headed people are fairly common. A play on poʻopaʻa (hard-headed).] |
| 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.] |
| 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.] |
| 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).] |
| 811 | He maunu ʻekaʻeka; pāpaʻi ka iʻa e hoʻi ai. | With foul bait one can only catch crabs. |
| | [Poor output makes poor income.] |
| 967 | He waʻa holo nō ka hoʻi, kālai kāpulu ʻia iho. | After all, it is a worthy canoe, but you hewed it so carelessly. |
| | [He is a good worker but you have treated him with such thoughtlessness.] |
| 1023 | Hoʻi akula kaʻōpua i ke awa lau o Puʻuloa. | The horizon cloud has gone back to the lochs of Puuloa. |
| | [He has gone home to stay, like the horizon clouds that settle in their customary places.] |
| 1024 | Hoʻi hou i ka iwi kuamoʻo. | Return to the backbone. |
| | [To return to the homeland or family after being away.] |
| 1025 | Hoʻi hou i ka mole. | Return to the taproot. |
| | [The return to love and loyalty for kith and kin after a severing of relationship.] |
| 1026 | Hoʻi hou i ke ʻehu me he moi lā. | Returns to the broiling sea like a moi fish. |
| | [Said of one who leaves home for a better chance of advancing but eventually comes back.] |
| 1027 | Hoʻi hou ka iʻa i ke ʻehu kai. | The fish returns to the foamy sea. |
| | [Said of one who returns to a previous home or former habit.] |
| 1028 | Hoʻi hou ka paʻakai i Waimea. | The salt has gone back to Waimea. |
| | [Said when someone starts out on a journey and then comes back again. The salt of Waimea, Kauaʻi, is known for its reddish brown color.] |
| 1029 | Hoʻi hou ka wai i uka o Ao. | The water returns again to the upland of Ao. |
| | [The people had to travel far inland to find uncontaminated water.] |
| 1030 | Hoʻi i Hīlea i kalo ʻekaʻeka. | Go to Hīlea of the dirty taro. |
| | [Said of a careless person. Once, Kohāikalani, a chief of Kaʻū, was living at Punaluʻu. Poi was brought for him from various parts of the district, and a tiny speck of taro peeling was found in the poi from Hīlea. The makers of the poi were put to death. To say that someone hails from Hīlea is to say that he is unclean.] |
| 1031 | Hoʻi iho ka lehelehe a ka ʻauwae, noho. | The lip goes down to the chin and there it sits. |
| | [Said of a pouting person.] |
| 1032 | Hoʻi i Kālia i ka ʻai ʻalamihi. | Gone to Kālia to eat ʻalamihi crabs. |
| | [He is in a repentant mood. A play on ʻala-mihi (path-of-repentance). Kālia, Oʻahu, is a place where ʻalamihi crabs were once plentiful.] |
| 1033 | Hoʻi i Waolani i kahi o ka ʻeʻepa. | Go to Waolani where the supernatural beings dwell. |
| | [Said to one who can’t be fathomed. It is the equivalent of, “Go and join your peculiar kind of people.” Waolani, in Nuʻuanu, Oʻahu, was once the home of gods, menehune, Nāwā (Noisy beings), Nāmū (Silent beings), and all manner of disgruntled, misshapen, and joyous characters who were grouped under the term ʻeʻepa.] |
| 1034 | Hoʻi ka ʻoʻopu ʻai lehua i ka māpunapuna. | The lehua-eating ʻoʻopu has gone back to the spring. |
| | [Said of one who has gone back to the source.] |
| 1035 | Hoʻi ka ua a uka noho mai. | The rain goes to the upland and there it stays. |
| | [Said of one who leaves and stays away.] |
| 1036 | Hoʻi ka wai a ka puna noho mai. | The water returns to the spring and there remains. |
| | [Said of one who withdraws.] |
| 1037 | Hoʻi ke ao o ke kuahiwi, hoʻi ka makani iā Kumukahi. | The cloud returns to the mountain, the wind returns to Kumukahi. |
| | [Said of a group of people dispersed, each going to his own abode.] |
| 1038 | Hoʻi mai ʻo Makanikeoe. | Makanikeoe is back again. |
| | [Peace and love are here once more.] |
| 1039 | Hoʻi nele i ke kula o Kaneoneo. | Return empty-handed on the plain of Kaneoneo. |
| | [Said of one who retums with nothing. A play on neoneo (nothing).] |
| 1040 | Hoʻi nō a nanahu i kona alelo. | He turns to bite his own tongue. |
| | [Said of one who criticizes others and later does just as they. Also expressed Nahu nō ʻo ia i kona alelo.] |
| 1041 | Hoʻi nō ka moʻala i kona lua. | The moʻala crab returns to its burrow. |
| | [He goes where he belongs.] |
| 1042 | Hoʻi no ka pono i ka makua. | Returns to the parent for benefts. |
| | [Said of a grown person who returns to his parents for support or help, thus becoming a dependent once again.] |
| 1043 | Hoʻi nō kāu me ʻoe. | May yours return to you. |
| | [A reply to a person who utters a curse. It means “I do not accept your curse,” and frees the speaker from trouble.] |
| 1044 | Hoʻi ʻolohelohe i ke kula o Hamohamo. | Going home destitute on the plain of Hamohamo. |
| | [Going home empty-handed. A play on hamo (rub), as in the act of rubbing the hands together to indicate that one is empty-handed. Hamohamo is a place in Waikīkī.] |
| 1045 | Hoʻi pūʻolo nō o kahi aliʻi. | One returns with a bundle from the place of the chief. |
| | [When one visits the home of a generous chief, one always receives a gift.] |
| 1048 | Hōkai ua lawaiʻa o ke kai pāpaʻu, he poʻopaʻa ka iʻa e hoʻi ai. | A fisherman who fools around in shallow water takes home poʻopaʻa fsh. |
| | [The poʻopaʻa (hard-headed) fish is easily caught with hook and line.] |
| 1199 | I ke aha hoʻi? I ka ʻahakea! | Why? The ʻahakea! |
| | [A saucy retort to the question “Why?” A play on aha (why) and ʻaha in the word ʻahakea. The ʻahakea is a native tree.] |
| 1233 | I make nō he hāwāwā; ʻauhea nō hoʻi nā lima a ʻau mai? | It is inexperience that causes death; where are your arms with which to swim? |
| | [When you have something to do, learn to do it and gain experience. Experience often saves life.] |
| 1234 | I mānai kau, i pua hoʻi kaʻu, kui ʻia ka makemake a lawa pono. | Yours the lei-making needle, mine the flowers; so let us do as we wish [— make a complete lei]. |
| | [You, the man and I, the woman; let us satisfy the demands of love. Said by Hiʻiaka in a chant as she embraced Lohiʻau at the rim of Kīlauea to rouse the jealous wrath of her sister Pele.] |
| 1611 | Kau ka lā i ka lolo, hoʻi ke aka i ke kino. | The sun stands over the brain, the shadow retreats into the body. |
| | [Said of high noon, when the sun is directly overhead and no shadows are seen — an important time for some ancient rites and ceremonies.] |
| 1698 | Ke hoʻi aʻela ka ʻōpua i Awalau. | The rain clouds are returning to Awalau. |
| | [Said of a return to the source.] |
| 1829 | Kōlea kau āhua, a uliuli ka umauma hoʻi i Kahiki. | Plover that perches on the mound, waits till its breast darkens, then departs for Kahiki. |
| | [The darkening of the breast is a sign that a plover is fat. It flies to these islands from Alaska in the fall and departs in the spring, arriving thin and hungry and departing fat. Applied to a person who comes here, acquires weahh, and departs.] |
| 1862 | Kuāua nui hoʻi kēlā e hele mai nei. | That is a big shower coming this way. |
| | [A company of people is seen approaching.] |
| 1890 | Kū ka liki mai nei hoʻi ʻo ia ala. | What a proud stance he has over there. |
| 2006 | Lilo i Puna i ke au a ka hewahewa, hoʻi mai ua piha ka hale i ke akua. | Gone to Puna on a vagrant current and returning, fnds the house full of imps. |
| | [From a chant by Hiʻiaka when she faced the lizard god Panaʻewa and his forest full of imps in a battle. It was later used to refer to one who goes on his way and comes home to find things not to his liking.] |
| 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.] |
| 2330 | No Kaʻaluʻalu nō lā hoʻi kūpuna. | Naturally, when the ancestors hailed from Kaʻalualu. |
| | [A play on ʻalualu (baggy or loose-fitting). Said of any person whose clothes do not fit properly or whose bundles are not secure. Kaʻaluʻalu is a place in Kaʻū, Hawaiʻi.] |
| 2335 | No Kalae nō lā hoʻi ke keiki. | The lad is from Kalae after all. |
| | [A boast: “He is a smart lad.” A play on lae (forehead). Refers to Kalae, Kaʻū, Hawaiʻi.] |
| 2386 | ʻOi hoʻi he hana hāʻawe o kaumaha. | It isn’t work to carry this heavy burden on the back. It’s no trouble at all. |
| 2455 | ʻO ke ao aku nō hoʻi koe, ʻaina ʻē ka hāuliuli. | It was almost day when the hāuliuli fish began to take the bait. |
| | [One was just about giving up hope when the person he was angling for showed some response.] |
| 2525 | ʻO ʻoe hoʻi kahi i Hāʻupu kēlā, ua kupu a kiʻekiʻe i luna. | You, too, were on the tall hill of Haʻupu going all the way up to the very top. |
| | [Said sarcastically to a person who boasts of his greatness.] |
| 2651 | Pilikia hoʻi kau a lohe mai. | Troubles that [do not] hear. |
| | [Serious trouble indeed.] |
| 2707 | Pua mai nei hoʻi ka lehua. | The lehua is blossoming. |
| | [The faces are red from drinking beer.] |
| 2787 | Ua hoʻi ka noio ʻau kai i uka, ke ʻino nei ka moana. | The seafaring noio bird returns to land, for a storm rages at sea. |
| | [A weather sign.] |
| 2788 | Ua hoʻi ka ʻōpua i Awalua. | The cloud has returned to Awalua. |
| | [Said of one who has gone home.] |
| 2789 | Ua hoʻi ka ʻōpū o ka honua. | Returned to the womb of the earth. |
| | [Dead.] |
| 2887 | Uē ka hoʻi ka naonao iā ʻoe! | So the ants will cry for you! |
| | [A sarcastic remark meaning, “You think you are so important that even the ants will cry for you.”] |