| 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.] |
| 100 | Ako ʻē ka hale a paʻa, a i ke komo ʻana mai o ka hoʻoilo, ʻaʻole e kulu i ka ua o Hilinehu. | Thatch the house beforehand so when winter comes it will not leak in the shower of Hilinehu. |
| | [Do not procrastinate; make preparations for the future now.] |
| 109 | ʻAle mai ke aloha kau i ka maka. | Love comes like a billow and rests before the eyes. |
| | [Said of an overwhelming love that leaves a constant yearning, with the image of one’s affections ever before one.] |
| 113 | Aloha mai nō, aloha aku; ʻo ka huhiā ka mea e ola ʻole ai. | When love is given, love should he returned; anger is the thing that gives no life. |
| 121 | A nui mai ke kai o Waialua, moe pupuʻu o Kalena i Haleʻauʻau. | When the sea is rough at Waialua, Kalena curls up to sleep in Haleʻauʻau. |
| | [Applied to a person who prefers to sleep instead of doing chores. A play on lena (lazy), in Kalena, who was a fisherman, and hale (house) in Haleʻauʻau.] |
| 125 | ʻAʻohe ʻai waiwai ke hiki mai ka makahiki. | No food is of any value when the Makahiki festival comes. |
| | [Enjoy what you have now lest it not be of much use later. Gifts were given to the priests who came in the Makahiki procession of the god Lono. Then all trading and giving ceased. The farmers and fishermen received no personal gain until it was over.] |
| 138 | ʻAʻohe hale i piha i ka hoihoi; hāʻawi mai a lawe aku nō. | No house has a perpetual welcome; it is given and it is taken away. |
| | [A warning not to wear out one’s welcome.] |
| 162 | ʻAʻohe kana mai o ka holo o ka lio ia Hanalē; pākahi a ka lio, pālua a ka lio. | How Henry made the horses run; one on a horse or two on a horse. |
| | [How hunger (Henry) made the fingers work in conveying poi to the mouth — with one fmger and with two.] |
| 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.] |
| 197 | ʻAʻohe o kahi nānā o luna o ka pali; iho mai a lalo nei; ʻike i ke au nui ke au iki, he alo a he alo. | The top of the cliff isnt the place to look at us; come down here and learn of the big and little current, face to face. |
| | [Learn the details. Also, an invitation to discuss something. Said by Pele to Pāʻoa when he came to seek the lava-encased remains of his friend Lohiʻau.] |
| 204 | ʻAʻohe pilipili ʻāina wale mai, aia ka iʻa i ke kai. | The fish remain at sea and come nowhere near the shore. |
| | [Said of a person who avoids his friends or relatives.] |
| 217 | ʻAʻohe wāwae o ka iʻa; ʻo ʻoe ka mea wāwae, kiʻi mai. | Fish have no feet; you who have feet must come and get it. |
| | [Said of one who asks for, but doesn’t come to get, what he wants. Any footless creature might be used as an example.] |
| 223 | ʻAʻole e kū ka ikaika i kēia pākela nui; ke pōʻai mai nei ka ʻohu ma uka, ma kai, ma ʻō a ma ʻaneʻi. | One cannot show his strength against such odds; the rain clouds are circling from the upland, the lowland, and from all sides. |
| | [Said by Maheleana, a warrior of Kualiʻi, when he saw his small company surrounded by the enemy.] |
| 225 | ʻAʻole e ʻōlelo mai ana ke ahi ua ana ia. | Fire will never say that it has had enough. |
| | [The fire of anger or of love will burn as long as it has something to feed upon.] |
| 253 | E akahele i ka mamo a ʻĪ, o kolo mai ka mole uaua. | Beware the descendant of ʻĪ, lest the tough roots crawl forth. |
| | [A warning uttered by Palena, a chief of Kohala, who saw Kuaʻana-a-ʻĪ cruelly treated by the chiefs of Kona. Kuaʻana later went to see the people of his mother, Hoʻoleialiʻi, in Hāna, and to help the chiefs of Hilo in fighting those of Kona.] |
| 256 | ʻEā! Ke kau mai nei ke ao panopano i uka. E ua mai ana paha. | Say! A black cloud appears in the upland. Perhaps it is going to rain. |
| | [A favorite joke uttered when a black-skinned person is seen.] |
| 261 | E ala kākou e ʻai o hiki mai kaumahalua. | Let us rise and eat before the doubly-weighted ones arrive. |
| | [Let’s get going and eat before company comes. The people of Honokaneiki, in Kohala, were not noted for their hospitality. Travelers to Honokaneiki were called “doubly-weighted” because they had to swim to get there from the cliff of Kakaʻauki. With bundles, and being soaked by the sea, the weight of a person was doubled. In order to finish their morning meal before others arrived, the people of Honokaneiki awoke early, ate, and went about their work.] |
| 274 | E hamau o makani mai auaneʻi. | Hush, lest the wind arise. |
| | [Hold your silence or trouble will come to us. When the people went to gather pearl oysters at Puʻuloa, they did so in silence, for they believed that if they spoke, a gust of wind would ripple the water and the oysters would vanish.] |
| 282 | E hiolo ana nā kapu kahiko; e hina ana nā heiau me nā lele; e hui ana nā moku; he iho mai ana ka lani a e piʻi ana ka honua. | The ancient kapu will be abolished; the heiau and altars willfall; the islands will be united; the heavens will descend and the earth ascend. |
| | [A prophecy uttered by Kapihe, a kahuna in Kamehameha’s time. The last part of the saying means that chiefs will come down to humble positions and commoners rise to positions of honor.] |
| 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.] |
| 287 | E hōʻike mai ana ka lāʻau a ke kia manu. | The stick of the birdcatcher will tell. |
| | [We will know how successful one is by what he produces. One knew whether a birdcatcher was successful by counting the birds on his gummed stick.] |
| 291 | E hoʻōki i ka hoʻina wale o hōʻino ʻia mai ke kumu. | One should never go home without [some knowledge] lest his teacher be criticized. |
| 298 | E huʻe mai ʻoe i ke koaiʻe o Makawao! | Try uprooting the koaiʻe tree of Makawao! |
| | [I defy you to tackle a lad of Makawao! A boast from a native of Makawao, Maui.] |
| 302 | Eia ʻiʻo nō, ke kolo mai nei ke aʻa o ka wauke. | Truly now, the root of the wauke creeps. |
| | [It was not destroyed while it was small; now it’s too big to cope with. Said by Keaweamaʻuhili’s warriors of Kamehameha. They were at the court of Alapaʻi when the order was given to “Nip off the leaf bud of the wauke plant while it is tender” [E ʻōʻū i ka maka o ka wauke oi ʻōpiopio). This attempt to kill the baby didn’t succeed, and the child grew into a powerful warrior who quelled all of his foes.] |
| 314 | E kalani e, kiʻi mai i ka iʻa, ua komo i ka mākāhā! | O heavenly one, come and get the fish for it has entered the sluice gate! |
| | [Used by one who has his hands full and needs help quickly. In a battle, Ahia caught Kameʻeiamoku and lifted him with the intention of dashing him to the ground. Kameʻeiamoku twisted himself about, grasped Ahia by the calf of the leg and held fast so that it was impossible for him to run. Seeing Kamehameha a short distance away, Kameʻeiamoku called to him to come and take the fish. Thus was Ahia killed.] |
| 319 | E kaupē aku nō i ka hoe a kō mai. | Put forward the paddle and draw it back. |
| | [Go on with the task that is started and finish it.] |
| 320 | E keʻekeʻehi kūlana i paʻa. ʻO ʻoe hoʻokahi, ʻo wau hoʻokahi, kū mai i mua. | Take a firm stand. You, by yourself, and I, by myself, let us step forth. |
| | [A challenge to one to step out of a crowd and fight man to man.] |
| 327 | E lauhoe mai nā waʻa; i ke kā, i ka hoe; i ka hoe, i ke kā; pae aku i ka ʻāina. | Everybody paddle the canoes together; bail and paddle, paddle and bail, and the shore is reached. |
| | [Pitch in with a will, everybody, and the work is quickly done.] |
| 348 | E mālama i ka ʻōlelo, i kuleana e kipa mai ai. | Remember the invitation, for it gives you the privilege of coming here. |
| | [A person feels welcome when accepting an invitation and friendly promises.] |
| 357 | E nānā mai a uhi kapa ʻeleʻele ia Maui, a kau ka puaʻa i ka nuku, kiʻi mai i ka ʻāina a lawe aku. | Watch until the black tapa cloth covers Maui and the sacrificial hog is offered, then come and take the land. |
| | [Said by Kahekili, ruler of Maui, to a messenger sent by Kamehameha I with a question whether to have war or peace. Kahekili sent back this answer — “Wait until I am dead and all the rites performed, then invade and take the island of Maui.”] |
| 360 | E nihi ka helena i ka uka o Puna; mai pūlale i ka ʻike a ka maka. | Go quietly in the upland of Puna; do not let anything you see excite you. |
| | [Watch your step and don’t let the things you see lead you into trouble. There is an abundance of flowers and berries in the uplands of Puna and it is thought that picking any on the trip up to the volcano will result in being caught in heavy rains; the picking is left until the return trip. Also said to loved ones to imply, “Go carefully and be mindful.”] |
| 361 | E noho iho i ke ōpū weuweu, mai hoʻokiʻekiʻe. | Remain among the clumps of grasses and do not elevate yourself. |
| | [Do not put on airs, show off, or assume an attitude of superiority.] |
| 362 | E noho ma lalo o ka lāʻau maka, iho mai ka huihui, māʻona ka ʻōpū. | Sit under a green tree. When the cluster comes down, the stomach is filled. |
| | [Serve a worthy person. When your reward comes you will never be hungry.] |
| 373 | E pili mai auaneʻi ia pupuka iaʻu! | That homeliness will not attach itself to me! |
| | [Ugliness is not contagious. Said by a good-looking person in answer to, “I wonder why a handsome person like you should have such a homely mate.”] |
| 420 | Hala i ke ala hoʻi ʻole mai. | Gone on the road from which there is no returning. |
| | [Death.] |
| 434 | Hālō aku ma ʻō, he maka helei; kiʻei mai ma ʻaneʻi, he ʻoʻopa. | Peer over there and there is someone with a drawn-down eyelid; peep over here and here is a lame one. |
| | [No matter which way one turns there is a sign of bad luck.] |
| 460 | Hāna, mai Koʻolau a Kaupō. | Hāna, from Koʻolau to Kaupō. |
| | [The extent of the district of Hāna, Maui.] |
| 461 | Hana mai nō a kā mai nō i ka ʻino. | He does for us, then he strikes us with evil. |
| | [Said of a kahuna who helps to heal and then, annoyed with the patient or patient’s family, asks the ʻaumakua to return the sickness.] |
| 478 | Hao mai ka makani kuakea ka moana; hao mai ke kai kū ke koʻa i uka. | When the gales blow, the sea is white-backed; when the sea rises, corals are washed ashore. |
| | [Said of the rise of temper.] |
| 507 | He ʻaʻaliʻi kū makani mai au; ʻaʻohe makani nāna e kulaʻi. | I am a wind-resisting ʻaʻaliʻi; no gale can push me over. |
| | [A boast meaning “I can hold my own even in the face of difficulties.” The ʻaʻaliʻi bush can stand the worst of gales, twisting and bending but seldom breaking off or falling over.] |
| 509 | He aha ka hala i kapuhia ai ka leo, i hoʻokuli mai ai? | What was the wrong that forbade the voice, that caused the deafness? |
| | [What causes you to refuse to speak or listen to me?] |
| 514 | Hea ʻia mai kēia kanaka, malia he inoa i loaʻa iā ʻoe. | Call an invitation to this person, perhaps you know the name. |
| | [A request to be called into someone’s home, usually uttered by a passing relative or friend who would like to pause and rest but is not sure that he is recognized by the others.] |
| 517 | He ʻai kuli ke aloha mai nā kūpuna mai. | Love has had a deaf way of its own since the days of the ancestors. |
| | [A person who is very much in love often does not heed counsel.] |
| 540 | He aliʻi nō mai ka paʻa a ke aliʻi; he kanaka nō mai ka paʻa a ke kanaka. | A chief from the foundation of chiefs; a commoner from the foundation of commoners. |
| | [A chief is a chief because his ancestors were; a commoner is a commoner because his ancestors were. Often said to a young person of chiefly lineage to warn that if he wishes to preserve the rank of his descendants, he should see that his mate is of chiefly rank and not a commoner.] |
| 619 | He ikaika nō nā ʻehu kakahiaka no nā ʻōpio, a piʻi aʻe ka lā heha mai a holo. | The morning is full of strength for youth, but when the sun is high they become tired and run. |
| | [Said of the young who do not work as persistently as their parents — they start well but soon quit.] |
| 625 | He iki huna lepo mai kēia e pula ai ka maka. | This is a small speck of dust that causes a roughness in the eye. |
| | [One may be small but he can still cause distress. This was the retort of Kaʻehuiki, a shark-god of Puna, when he was taunted for his small size by Kaiʻanuilalawalu, shark-god of Kīpahulu, Maui.] |
| 642 | He ipu hoʻoilina mai nā kupuna mai. | An inherited container from the remotest ancestress. |
| | [Said of the womb, the container by which the family line continues.] |
| 650 | He kaha luʻu ke ala, mai hoʻokolo aku. | The trail leads to a diving place; do not follow after. |
| | [A warning to leave well enough alone.] |
| 699 | He koʻe ka pule a kahuna, he moe nō a ʻoni mai. | The prayer of a kahuna is like a worm; it may lie dormant but it will wriggle along. |
| | [Though the prayer of a kahuna may not take effect at once, it will in time.] |
| 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.] |
| 768 | He lōʻihi ʻo ʻEwa; he pali ʻo Nuʻuanu; he kula ʻo Kulaokahuʻa; he hiki mai koe. | ʻEwa is a long way off; Nuuanu is a cliff; Kulaokahu a is a dry plain; but all will be here before long. |
| | [Said of an unkept promise of food, fish, etc. Oʻahu was once peopled by evil beings who invited canoe travelers ashore with promises of food and other things. When the travelers asked when these things were coming, this was the reply. When the visitors were fast asleep at night, the evil ones would creep in and kill them.] |
| 798 | He manini ka iʻa mai hōʻā i ke ahi. | The fish is just a manini, so do not light a fire. |
| | [Said to one who suffers defeat in a practice session: “This occasion is a mere manini, a small fish, so do not let your temper be kindled.”] |
| 817 | He meheuheu mai nā kūpuna. | Habits acquired from ancestors. |
| 832 | He naho manini mai kēia e loaʻa ai ka lima i kōkala. | This is a ledge under which the manini hides [and one should not be hasty lest] the hand be poked by the sharp points on the dorsal fin. |
| | [A boast. Also, a warning not to make trouble.] |
| 838 | He nani wale nō o Puna mai ʻō a ʻō. | There is only beauty from one end of Puna to the other. |
| | [There is nothing to complain about. Refers to Puna, Kauaʻi.] |
| 842 | He nohona huikau, noho aku a noho mai. | A life of confusion, living this way and that. |
| | [Referring to promiscuous people who share each other’s mates.] |
| 990 | Hiki mai ka lā ma Haʻehaʻe, ma luna mai o Kukiʻi. | The sun rises at Haʻehaʻe, above Kukiʻi. |
| | [Haʻehaʻe, in Puna, Hawaiʻi, is often called the gateway of the sun. Kukiʻi is a place in Puna.] |
| 991 | Hiki mai ka mālie, a hiki mai nō ka ʻino. | Good weather comes and bad weather comes, too. |
| | [Weather changes.] |
| 1004 | Hilo, mai Mawae a ka pali o Maulua. | Hilo, from Mawae to the cliff of Maulua. |
| | [The extent of the Hilo district is from Mawae on the Puna side to Maulua on the Hāmākua side.] |
| 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.] |
| 1038 | Hoʻi mai ʻo Makanikeoe. | Makanikeoe is back again. |
| | [Peace and love are here once more.] |
| 1055 | Hō mai ka ihu, a hele aʻe au. | Give hither the nose ere I go. |
| | [Kiss me ere I depart.] |
| 1064 | Hoʻohū ka ua i ka moana, pilipili ʻāina ʻole mai. | The rain driving out to the ocean does not come near the land. |
| | [Said when a person snubs his old friends.] |
| 1065 | Hoʻokaʻawale i ka ʻōʻō mai ka lima aku. | [To] take the digging stick out of the hand. |
| | [To deprive someone of work.] |
| 1070 | Hoʻokahi mea manaʻo nui a ka ʻōhua o ka hale: ʻo kahi mea mai ka lima mai o ke aliʻi. | There is one thing all members of the household look to: whatever they are given by the hands of the chief. |
| | [All members of the chief’s household are dependent on him.] |
| 1127 | Hui aku, hui mai, hui kalo me ka nāwao. | Mixed there, mixed here, all mixed together are the cultivated and the wild taros. |
| | [Said of a great mix-up.] |
| 1130 | Huikau nā makau a ka lawaiʻa i Wailua, lou mai ʻo Kawelowai iā Waiehu. | The fishhooks of the fishers became entangled at Wailua and caught Kawelowai at Waiehu. |
| | [An entangling love affair. The first line of a chant.] |
| 1155 | I hea nō ka lima a ʻau mai? | Where are the arms with which to swim ? |
| | [Don’t complain, use your limbs to do what you need to do.] |
| 1169 | I ʻike ʻia nō ʻoe i ka lā o ko loaʻa; i ka lā o ka nele pau kou ʻike ʻia mai. | You are recognized when prosperous; but when poverty comes, you are no longer recognized. |
| | [Fair-weather friends gather when one is prosperous and scatter when prosperity is gone.] |
| 1195 | I ka pono kau i nā waha, mai noho a pehi wale aku. | Those who put into the mouth need not throw stones. |
| | [The mouths that eat the food should never revile the producers.] |
| 1200 | ʻIke aku, ʻike mai, kōkua aku kōkua mai; pēlā ihola ka nohona ʻohana. | Recognize and he recognized, help and he helped; such is family life. |
| | [Family life requires an exchange of mutual help and recognition.] |
| 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.] |
| 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.] |
| 1242 | I noho ʻoukou a i pae mai he waʻa o Kahiki-makolena, hopu ʻoukou a paʻa; o ke kahuna ia ʻaʻohe e ʻeha ka ʻili ʻoiai no Kahiki aku ana ka ʻāina. | If sometime in the future a canoe from Kahiki-makolena arrives, grasp and hold fast to it. There is the kahuna for you, and your skins will never more he hurt [in war],for the land will someday he owned hy Kahiki. |
| | [A prophecy uttered by Kaleikuahulu to Kaʻahumanu and her sisters as he was dying. Foreign priests (missionaries) will come. Accept their teachings.] |
| 1323 | Ka iʻa a ka wai nui i lawe mai ai. | The fish borne along by the flood. |
| | [The ʻoʻopu, which was often carried to the lowlands in freshets.] |
| 1324 | Ka iʻa a ke kualau i lawe mai ai. | The fish brought in by the rain at sea. |
| | [The spawn of the manini fish that came to the islands by the millions during the summer months. They were said to come after a shower at sea, in the early morning.] |
| 1325 | Ka iʻa ʻau mai me he manu. | The fish that swims with the movements of a bird. |
| | [A turtle.] |
| 1344 | Ka iʻa ʻimi i ka moana, na ka manu e haʻi mai. | The fish sought for in the ocean, whose presence is revealed by birds. |
| | [A school of aku, whose presence is signaled by the gathering of noio at sea.] |
| 1363 | Ka iʻa lawe mai a ka makani, he lāʻau ka ʻupena e hei ai. | The fish brought by the wind, a stick is the net to catch them with. |
| | [Said of turtles that come to certain localities in the islands. They were driven ashore with sticks.] |
| 1417 | Kā! Ke lele mai nei ka pāoʻo. | Ha! The pāoʻo fish is leaping about. |
| | [A remark made about one who snuffles and does not blow his nose. The mucus of a runny nose darts in and out of the nostril like a pāoʻo fish in its sea pool.] |
| 1628 | Kaʻū, mai ʻOkiʻokiaho a Mawae. | Kaʻū, from ʻOkiʻokiaho to Mawae. |
| | [The district of Kaʻū, from ʻOkiʻokiaho at the boundary of Puna, to Mawae at the boundary of Kona.] |
| 1694 | Ke hea mai nei ʻo Kawelohea. | Kawelohea calls. |
| | [An expression much used in poems of Kaʻū, Hawaiʻi. Kawelo was a woman murdered by her husband. Her spirit entered a blowhole at Honuʻapo, where her remains had been tossed. Out of this hole she warned of impending trouble, and the people grew fond of this voice from the depths.] |
| 1700 | Ke hōʻole mai nei o Hāloa. | Hāloa denies that. |
| | [Hāloa is the god of taro. It was said that whatever business was discussed before an open poi bowl was denied by Hāloa. If a medical kahuna was called while eating, he took it as a sign that he was not the right person to treat the sick one. However, if he was told while eating that someone was dying, he was able to treat the illness, for Hāloa would deny the death.] |
| 1701 | Ke iho mai nei ko luna. | Those above are descending. |
| | [A fog is beginning to settle. Said by one who is beginning to feel the effects of the ʻawa he has drunk.] |
| 1740 | Ke kau mai nei ka mākole. | The red-eyed one rests ahove. |
| | [Said of the rainbow with red predominating. A sign to some people that their ʻaumakua is watching them.] |
| 1741 | Ke kau mai nei ʻo ʻOlepau. | The moon is in the phase of ʻOlepau. |
| | [There is nothing more to consider. A play on ʻole (no) and pau (finished).] |
| 1754 | Ke kololio ka hau o uka, kō mai ka nae ʻaʻala o ke kiele. | When the dew-laden breeze of the upland creeps swiftly down it brings with it the fragrance of the gardenias. |
| | [Said of one who comes with happy tidings.] |
| 1816 | Kohala, mai Honokeʻā a Keahualono. | Kohala, from Honokeʻā to Keahuaiono. |
| | [The extent of Kohala.] |
| 1836 | Komo mai kau māpuna hoe. | Put in your dip of the paddle. |
| | [Pitch in.] |
| 1839 | Kona ʻākau, mai Keahualono a Puʻuohau. | North Kona,from Keahualono to Puʻuohau. |
| | [The boundary of North Kona, Hawaiʻi.] |
| 1840 | Kona hema, mai Puʻuohau a Kaheawai. | South Kona from Puʻuohau to Kaheawai. |
| | [The boundaries of South Kona.] |
| 1845 | Kona, mai ka puʻu o Kapūkakī a ka puʻu o Kawaihoa. | Kona, from Kapūkakī to Kawaihoa. |
| | [The extent of the Kona district on Oʻahu is from Kapūkakī (now Red Hill) to Kawaihoa (now Koko Head).] |
| 1857 | Kū a keʻokeʻo; ʻaʻohe i hōʻea mai. | Have stood until bleached white; no one came. |
| | [Said of a long, hopeless wait.] |
| 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. |
| 1918 | Kū mai nō, he pali. | There it stands, a cliff. |
| | [Said in admiration of a handsome person who, like a cliff, attracts the attention.] |
| 1921 | Kūneki nā kūʻauhau liʻiliʻi, noho mai i lalo; hoʻokahi nō, ʻo ko ke aliʻi ke piʻi i ka ʻiʻo. | Set aside the lesser genealogies and remain humble; let only one be elevated, that of the chief. |
| | [Boast not of your own lineage but elevate that of your chief. Said to members of the junior line of chiefs.] |
| 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.] |
| 2041 | Mai ʻalaʻala paha i ka ua o ka Waʻahila. | Almost received a scar on the neek, perhaps, from the Waʻahila rain. |
| | [He just escaped trouble.] |
| 2042 | Mai ʻena i ke kanaka i laka aku. | Do not shy away from a person who is attracted to you. |
| | [Treat him who comes in kindness with kindness.] |
| 2043 | Mai hāʻawi wale i ka lei o ka ʻāʻī o ʻalaʻala. | Do not give a lei too freely lest a scrofulous sore appear on the neek. |
| | [In olden times one never gave the lei he wore except to a person closely related. Should such a lei fall into the hands of a sorcerer who disliked him, a scrofulous sore would appear on his neck. If you wish to make a present of a lei, make a fresh one.] |
| 2044 | Mai hahaki ʻoe i ka ʻōhelo o punia i ka ua noe. | Do not pluck the ʻōhelo berries lest we be surrounded by rain and fog. |
| | [A warning not to do anything that would result in trouble. It is kapu to pluck ʻōhelo berries on the way to the crater of Kīlauea. To do so would cause the rain and fog to come and one would lose his way. It is permissible to pick them at the crater if the first ʻōhelo is tossed into the fire of Pele. Then, on the homeward way, one may pick as he pleases.] |
| 2045 | Mai hana wale aku, he niho. | Do not annoy [him, for] he has teeth. |
| | [Do not tamper with him, for he knows the art of sorcery.] |
| 2046 | "Mai hea mai ʻoe?" “Mai Kona mai.” “Pehea ka ua o Kona?” “Palahī puaʻa ka ua o Kona.” “A pehea ke aku?” “Hī ka pā, hī ka malau.” | “Where are you from?” “From Kona.” “How is the rain of Kona?” “The rain of Kona pours like the watery excreta of a hog.” “How are the aku fish?” “They run loose from the hook and the bait carrier.” |
| | [Said in fun of one suffering from loose bowels. Once, a chief was out relieving himself when his bowels were very loose. A runner came by the little-traveled path through the underbrush and seeing the chief there extended his greetings. The chief began to ask questions, which the runner answered. When the chief went home he told those of his household of the abundance of rain and the run of fish in Kona. His servant, whose curiosity was roused, asked, “What were you doing at the time?” “I was excreting, and my bowels were loose,” answered the chief. “He wasn’t talking about the rain and fish,” said the servant, “he was talking about you.” The chief was angry when he heard this, but it was too late to do anything about it.] |
| 2047 | Mai hele kīkaha aku. | Don’t go a-strutting there. |
| | [Don’t give yourself to ways that are offensive to others.] |
| 2048 | Mai Hikapoloa mai. | From Hikapoloa. |
| | [A play on the name Hikapoloa (Stagger-in-the-dark). Said of a stupid person, or of a drunk.] |
| 2049 | Mai hōʻaʻano aku o loaʻa i ka niho. | Don’t go daring others lest [you] be caught between the teeth. |
| 2050 | Mai hōʻaleʻale i ka wai i lana mālie. | Do not stir up water that is still. |
| | [Do not stir up contention when all is peaceful.] |
| 2051 | Mai hoʻomakamaka wahine, he hūpē ka loaʻa. | Do not make friends of a woman lest you blow your nose with weeping. |
| | [Advice to a bride. Be too friendly with another woman and she may hecome too friendly with your husband.] |
| 2052 | Mai hoʻomāuna i ka ʻai o huli mai auaneʻi o Hāloa e nānā. | Do not be wasteful of food lest Hāloa turn around and stare [at you]. |
| | [Do not be wasteful, especially of poi, because it would anger Hāloa, the taro god, who would someday let the waster go hungry.] |
| 2053 | Mai hoʻoni i ka wai lana mālie. | Do not disturb the water that is tranquil. |
| | [Let the peaceful enjoy their peace.] |
| 2054 | Mai hopu mai ʻoe, he manu kapu; ua kapu na ka nahele o ʻOʻokuauli. | Do not catch it, for it is a bird reserved; reserved for the forest of ʻOʻokuauli. |
| | [Do not try to win one who is reserved for another.] |
| 2055 | Mai ʻike ʻole ʻia nō! | It almost missed being noticed! |
| | [A sarcastic reply to one who boasts of his accomplishments.] |
| 2056 | Mai ka ā a ka w. | From A to W. |
| | [The alphabet of Hawaiian.] |
| 2057 | Mai kaena, o kō ʻole auaneʻi. | Do not boast lest you fail to accomplish what you had boasted you could do. |
| 2058 | Mai ka hikina a ka lā i Kumukahi a ka welona a ka lā i Lehua. | From the sunrise at Kumukahi to the fading sunlight at Lehua. |
| | [From sunrise to sunset. Kumukahi, in Puna, Hawaiʻi, was called the land of the sunrise and Lehua, the land of the sunset. This saying also refers to a life span — from birth to death.] |
| 2059 | Mai ka hoʻokuʻi a ka hālāwai. | From zenith to horizon. |
| | [An expression mueh used in prayers. In calling upon the gods in prayers, one mentions those from the east, west, north, south, and those from zenith to horizon.] |
| 2062 | Mai ka lā hiki a ka lā kau. | From the sun’s arrival to the sun’s rest. |
| | [Said of a day, from sunrise to sunset. This phrase is much used in prayers. Any mention of the setting of the sun was avoided in prayers for the sick; instead one referred to the sun’s rest, thus suggesting rest and renewal rather than permanent departure.] |
| 2063 | Mai ka lā ʻōʻili i Haʻehaʻe a hāliʻi i ka mole o Lehua. | From the appearance of the sun at Haʻehaʻe till it spreads its light to the foundation of Lehua. |
| | [Haʻehaʻe is a place at Kumukahi, Puna, Hawaiʻi, often referred to in poetry as the gateway of the sun.] |
| 2064 | Mai ka ʻōʻili ʻana a ka lā i Kumukahi a ka lā iho aku i ka mole ʻolu o Lehua. | From the appearance of the sun at Kumukahi till its descent beyond the pleasant base of Lehua. |
| | [From the sunrise at Kumukahi, in Puna, Hawaiʻi, to the sunset beyond the islet of Lehua.] |
| 2065 | Mai kāpae i ke aʻo a ka makua, aia he ola ma laila. | Do not set aside the teachings of one’s parents for there is life there. |
| 2066 | Mai ka piko o ke poʻo a ka poli o ka wāwae, a laʻa ma nā kihi ʻehā o ke kino. | From the crown of the head to the soles of the feet, and the four corners of the body. |
| | [An expression used in prayers of healing. The four corners are the shoulders and hips; between them are the vital organs of the body.] |
| 2067 | Mai ka pō mai ka ʻoiaʻiʻo. | Truth comes from the night. |
| | [Truth is revealed by the gods.] |
| 2068 | Mai ka uka a ke kai, mai kahi pae a kahi pae o Kaʻū, he hoʻokahi nō ʻohana. | From the upland to the sea, from end to end of Kaʻū, there is only one family. |
| | [The inhabitants of old Kaʻū were of one family.] |
| 2069 | Mai kaulaʻi wale i ka iwi o nā kūpuna. | Do not dry out the bones of the ancestors. |
| | [Do not discuss your ancestors too freely with strangers, for it is like exposing their bones for all to see.] |
| 2070 | Mai ke kai kuwā e nū ana i ka ulu hala o Keaʻau a ka ʻāina kāʻili lā o lalo o ka Waikūʻauhoe. | From the noisy sea that moans to the hala groves of Keaʻau, to the land that snatches away the sun, below Waikuauhoe. |
| | [From Puna, Hawaiʻi, where the sun was said to rise, to Lehua, beyond Waikūʻauhoe, where it vanishes out of sight.] |
| 2071 | Mai ke kumu a ka welau. | From trunk to leaf buds. |
| | [The whole thing.] |
| 2072 | Mai kīʻai a hālo wale i ko haʻi ʻīpuka o pā auaneʻi i ka leo. | Do not peer or peep in the doorway of other people’s houses or you’ll be struck by the voice. |
| | [Mind your own business, or you’ll hear something that will hurt your feelings.] |
| 2073 | Mai Kinohi a Hōʻike ʻAna. | From Genesis to Revelation. |
| | [From the beginning to the end. A favorite expression after Christianity was introduced.] |
| 2074 | Mai kolohe i ka moʻo o lele i ka pali. | Do not bother lizards or youll fall off a cliff. |
| | [A warning not to bother lizards lest someday the moʻo cause a madness that makes one leap off a cliff and die.] |
| 2076 | Mai lele mua o pā auaneʻi. | Do not leap first lest you be hurt. |
| | [Don’t be the first to start a fight.] |
| 2077 | Mai lilo ʻoe i puni wale, o lilo ʻoe i kamaliʻi. | Do not believe all that is told you lest you be [led as] a little child. |
| | [Do not be gullible; scan, weigh, and think for yourself.] |
| 2078 | Mai lou i ka ʻulu i luna lilo, o lou hewa i ka ʻaʻai ʻole; eia nō ka ʻulu i ke alo. | Do not hook the breadfruit away up above lest you hook an imperfect one; take the one in front of you. |
| | [Why reach afar for a mate? Choose one from among your own acquaintances] |
| 2079 | Mai nānā i ka lāʻau maloʻo, ʻaʻohe mea loaʻa o laila. | Do not pay attention to a dry tree for there is nothing to be gained from it. |
| | [Nothing is learned from an ignoramus.] |
| 2080 | Mai nānā i ka ʻulu o waho, ʻaʻohe ia nāu; e nānā nō i ka ʻulu i ke alo, nāu ia. | Never mind looking for the breadfruit away out, that is not for you; look at the breadfruit in front of you, that is yours. |
| | [Be satisfied with what you have.] |
| 2081 | Mai ʻōlelo i ke kuapuʻu e kū pololei, o hina auaneʻi. | Dont tell the hunchback to stand up straight lest he fall down. |
| | [Don’t go around correcting others.] |
| 2082 | Mai paʻa i ka leo, he ʻole ka hea mai. | Do not withhold the voice and not call out [a welcome]. |
| | [From a password chant used in hula schools. It was often used by one who would like a friendly invitation to come into another’s home.] |
| 2083 | Mai pale i ke aʻo a ka makua. | Do not set aside the teachings of a parent. |
| 2084 | Mai piʻi aʻe ʻoe i ka lālā kau halalī o ʻike ʻia kou wahi hilahila e ou mau hoa. | Do not climb to the topmost branches lest your private parts be seen by your companions. |
| | [Do not put on an air of superiority lest people remember only your faults.] |
| 2085 | Mai puni aku o hei i ka ʻupena a ka Lawakua. | Do not helieve it or youll he caught in the net of the Lawakua wind. |
| | [Why believe all that? It is only wind.] |
| 2131 | Ma luna mai nei au o ka waʻa kaulua, he ʻumi ihu. | I came on a double canoe with ten prows. |
| | [I walked. The “double canoes” are one’s two feet and the “ten prows” are his toes.] |
| 2133 | "Māmaki" aku au, “hamaki” mai ʻoe. Pehea ka like? | I say “māmaki” and you say “hamaki.” How are they alike? |
| | [Once a Hawaiian had some tapa made of māmaki bark which he wished to trade with some white sailors. He did not speak English and they did not speak Hawaiian. He said, “He kapa māmaki kēia.” (“This is kapa made of māmaki.”) Although they did not know exactly what he said, they understood that his goods were for sale. They asked, “How much?” He thought they were asking what kind of tapa he had, so he answered, “Māmaki.” Again the sailors asked, “How much?” which sounded like “hamaki” to the Hawaiian. In exasperation he cried, “I say ʻmāmaki’ and you say ʻhamaki.’How are they alike?” This utterance came to apply to two people who absolutely cannot agree.] |
| 2134 | Māmā Kona i ka wai kau mai i ka maka o ka ʻōpua. | Kona is lightened in having water in the face of the clouds. |
| | [Kona is relieved, knowing that there will be no drought, when the clouds promise rain.] |
| 2171 | Moe kūpuna i ka mamo, a puka hou mai nō nā mamo. | Ancestors slept with descendants, and more descendants were born. |
| | [Said when a girl mates with a supernatural lover in a dream and later bears him a child. The lover might be a family ʻaumakua, hence the reference to an ancestor.] |
| 2203 | Nā aliʻi mai ka pō mai. | Chiefs from the night. |
| | [Chiefs whose ancestors were chiefs in remote antiquity and were recognized by the gods.] |
| 2305 | Neʻe aku, neʻe mai ke one o Punahoa. | That way and this way shifts the sand of Punahoa. |
| | [Said of a group that divides, or of an undecided person who shifts one way and then another.] |
| 2308 | Nele i ka mea poepoe, nele ka pilina mai. | Lacking the round object, no one stays around. |
| | [When one lacks round dollars to spend, companions disappear.] |
| 2344 | No Pelekunu mai paha? | From Pelekunu, perhaps? |
| | [Said of one who is not clean. A play on pelekunu (musty odor). Refers to Pelekunu, Molokaʻi.] |
| 2381 | ʻOiai e nānā mai ana nō nā maka. | While the eyes still look around. |
| | [While a person is living, treat him kindly and learn what you can from him.] |
| 2401 | ʻO Kāʻelo ke kāne, Pulukāʻelo ka wahine, hānau mai keiki kāpulu. | Kāʻelo is the husband, Pulu-kāʻelo (Well-drenched) the wife; children born to them are filthy. |
| | [Said of a filthy person. A play on ʻelo (soak). The month of Kāʻelo is rainy and muddy.] |
| 2431 | ʻO ka ʻOle ia, mai ʻOlekukāhi a ʻOlekupau. | It is the ʻOle nights from ʻOlekukāhi to ʻOlekupau. |
| | [No. Absolutely not. A play on ʻole (nothing). ʻOlekukāhi, ʻOlekulua, ʻOlekukolu and ʻOlekupau are moon phases in the lunar month.] |
| 2437 | ʻO ka pono ke hana ʻia a iho mai nā lani. | Continue to do good until the heavens come down to you. |
| | [Blessings come to those who persist in doing good.] |
| 2441 | ʻO kau aku, ʻo kā ia lā mai, pēlā ka nohona o ka ʻohana. | From you and from him — so lived the family. |
| | [The farmer gave to the fisherman, the fisherman to the farmer.] |
| 2445 | ʻO ka ʻulu iki mai kēia nāna e kaʻa i kahua loa. | This is the small maika stone that rolls over a long field. |
| | [I am a small person who can accomplish much. When Lonoikamakahiki visited Kamalalawalu, ruling chief of Maui, he took along his half-brother Pupukea to serve him. Makakuikalani, half-brother and personal attendant of Kamalalawalu, made fun of the small stature of Pupukea. This saying was Pupukea’s retort.] |
| 2456 | Ōkea pili mai. | Clinging sand. [drift gravel] |
| | [Said of a shiftless hanger-on. [said disparagingly of persons who attach themselves to others for support; parasite. Lit., gravel clinging (PE)]] |
| 2553 | Paʻa aku i ka lani o kā ke akua ia, a hāʻule mai i lalo o kā Laiana ia. | What is held up in heaven is Godʻs, and what falls below is Lyonsʻs. |
| | [A reply made by the Reverend Lorenzo Lyons (Makua Laiana) when he was charged with being careless in accepting people as members of his church. He loved and accepted them and did not adhere rigidly to certain rules before allowing them to become members.] |
| 2596 | Pā mai, pā mai ka makani o Hilo; waiho aku i ka ipu iki, hō mai i ka ipu nui. | Blow, blow, O winds of Hilo, put away the small containers and give us the large one. |
| | [Laʻamaomao, the god of wind, was said to have a wind container called Ipu-a-Laʻamaomao. When one desires more wind to make the surf roll high, or a kite sail aloft, he makes this appeal.] |
| 2639 | Piʻi mai nei i ka pali me he ʻaʻama lā. | Climbs the cliff like a black crab. |
| | [Said of one who goes beyond his limit.] |
| 2651 | Pilikia hoʻi kau a lohe mai. | Troubles that [do not] hear. |
| | [Serious trouble indeed.] |
| 2652 | Pili ʻohā, he kamau mai ma waho. | A taro-offishoot relationship added to the outside of the corm. |
| | [One who was not a relative, yet is a member of the household.] |
| 2707 | Pua mai nei hoʻi ka lehua. | The lehua is blossoming. |
| | [The faces are red from drinking beer.] |
| 2726 | Puka ka maka i waho, loaʻa ka hale kipa aku, kipa mai. | A [new] face appears out [of the mother], someday to be a host as all visit back and forth. |
| | [Said of the baby of a relative or friend — it will someday host visiting relatives.] |
| 2747 | Puna, mai ʻOkiʻokiaho a Mawae. | Puna, from ʻOkiʻokiaho to Mawae. |
| | [The extent of Puna is from ʻOkiʻokiaho on the Kaʻū side to Mawae on the Hilo side.] |
| 2858 | Uhi mai ka lani pō. | Darkness from the sky spreads out. |
| | [Ignorance grows.] |
| 2866 | Uliuli kai pali o Kahikinui, kokolo mai ka ʻohu he ʻino. | Dark are the sea cliffs of Kahikinui; when the mists creep, it is a sign of a storm. |
| | [Trouble is approaching. This is taken from a chant in the legend of Pāmano, who saw his own death approaching.] |
| 2879 | ʻUnu mai a hoʻonuʻanuʻa ke kilu o Kalamaʻula, hoʻoleʻaleʻa i ke kaha o Kaunalewa. | Bring all the kilu for amusement at Kalamaʻula to make merry on the field of Kaunalewa. |
| | [To come together for a gay time and bring whatever you have to add to the fun. There is a play on lewa, whieh refers to the swinging of the hips in hula.] |
| 2883 | ʻUpu mai nei ke aloha. | A sudden yearning to see a loved one. |
| 2897 | Waha lama ʻoe, puʻu mai ka waha i waho. | You are rum-mouthed; the mouth protrudes. |
| | [Said to one who talks as foolishly as a drunkard.] |
| 2904 | Waiehu, mai ka pali o Kapulehua a ka pali o ʻAʻalaloa. | Waiehu, from the cliff of Kapulehua to the cliff of ʻAʻalaloa. |
| | [The boundaries of the district of Waiehu, Maui.] |
| 2908 | Waiho kāhela i ka laʻi a ahiahi ehuehu mai. | There he lies in the calm, but when evening comes he will he full of animation. |
| | [He is quiet now, but by and by you’ll find him full of life.] |