| 28 | Aia aku nei paha i Kaiholena. | Perhaps gone to Kaiholena. |
| | [Perhaps gone to loaf somewhere. A play on lena (lazy).] |
| 51 | Aia i Pāʻula ka waha o nei kauwā; aia i Alanaio ka waha o nei kauwā; aia i Paukū-nui ka waha o nei kauā. | The mouth of this slave is at Pāʻula; the mouth of this slave is at Alanaio; the mouth of this slave is at Paukū-nui. |
| | [An insulting saying. It began when Keawe, ruler of Hawaiʻi, went on a visit to Kauaʻi and while in a crowd of chiefs silently broke wind. None knew the source, but it was Keawe’s servant who made this insulting remark. Pāʻula (Red Dish) signifies that the rectal opening shows red; Alanaio (Way-of-the-pinworm) also refers to the anus; and Paukū-nui (Large Segments) refers to large stools. Hence, a red, worm-infested anus that produces large stools. It was not until Keawe returned to Hawaiʻi that his servant learned that his own chief had been the culprit. Pāʻula, Paukū-nui, and Alanaio are place names in Hilo.] |
| 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.] |
| 147 | ʻAʻohe ʻike o ka puaʻa nona ka imu e hōʻā ʻia nei. | The pig does not know that the imu is being lighted for it. |
| | [Said of a person who is unaware that he is being victimized.] |
| 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.] |
| 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.] |
| 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.] |
| 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.] |
| 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.] |
| 307 | Eia ʻo Kuʻiʻaki me Huanu ke hana nei i ka lāua hana o ka ʻohi ʻiʻo pūpū. | Here are Kuʻiʻaki and Huanu doing their work gathering shellfish. |
| | [An intense cold. A play on Kuʻi-ʻaki (Gritting-the-molars) and Hu-anu (Overflowing-cold). Huanu is Hawaiian for Juan.] |
| 321 | E kipi ana lākou nei. ʻAʻole naʻe ʻo lākou ponoʻī akā ʻo kā lākou mau keiki me nā moʻopuna. ʻO ke aliʻi e ola ana i ia wā e kū ʻōlohelohe ana ia, a ʻo ke aupuni e kūkulu ʻia aku ana, ʻo ia ke aupuni paʻa o Hawaiʻi nei. | These people [the missionaries] are going to rebel; not they themselves, but their children and grandchildren. The ruler at that time will be stripped of power, and the government established then will be the permanent government of Hawaiʻi. |
| | [Prophesied by David Malo.] |
| 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.] |
| 404 | Haehae ka manu, ke ʻale nei ka wai. | Tear up the birds, the water is surging. |
| | [Let us hurry, as there is no time for niceties. Kaneʻalohi and his son lived near the lake of Halulu at Waiʻaleʻale, Kauaʻi. They were catchers of ʻuwaʻu birds. Someone falsely accused them of poaching on land belonging to the chief of Hanalei, who sent a large company of warriors to destroy them. The son noticed agitation in the water of Halulu and cried out a warning to his father, who tore the birds to hasten cooking.] |
| 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.] |
| 508 | He aha aku nei kau i Konahuanui? | What were you at Konahuanui for? |
| | [To dream of seeing the private parts exposed is a sign that there will be no luck on the following day.] |
| 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.] |
| 737 | He leho hou kēia, ke ola nei nō ka ʻiʻo. | This is a fresh cowry; the flesh is still alive. |
| | [A warning that a new idea or plan may turn out badly. When the animal in a shell dies, a stench results.] |
| 761 | He lihi nō paha i laila, ke ʻeuʻeu nei ka puapua. | Perhaps [he] has some rights there, to wag his tail feathers [the way he does]. |
| | [He wouldn’t be acting with such confidence if he weren’t related to or a friend of the person higher up.] |
| 908 | He pō Kāne kēia, he māʻau nei nā ʻeʻepa o ka pō. | This is the night of Kāne, for supernatural beings are wandering about in the dark. |
| | [Said of those who go wandering about at night. It is believed that on the night of Kāne, ghosts, demigods, and other beings wander about at will.] |
| 940 | He puwalu, ke kū nei ka lāhea. | It is a puwalu fish, for a strong odor is noticed. |
| | [A rude remark about a person with strong body odor. Sometimes the palani fish is mentioned instead of puwalu.] |
| 978 | He waiwai nui ke aloha; o kaʻu nō ia e pulama nei. | Love is a great treasure which I cherish. |
| | [A common expression in chants and songs.] |
| 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.] |
| 1153 | I Halapē aku nei. | He has been to Halapē. |
| | [He’s drunk. A play on pē (gone under) in Halapē, a place at the Puna-Kaʻū boundary.] |
| 1179 | I Kahiki nō ka hao, ʻo ke kiʻo ʻana i Hawaiʻi nei. | In Kahiki was the iron; in Hawaiʻi, the rusting. |
| | [Perhaps the foreigner was a good person while he was at home, but here he grows careless with his behavior.] |
| 1181 | I ka hoʻolewa aku nei o Kuhelemai. | Attended the funeral of Kuhelemai. |
| | [A play on hoʻolewa (to lift) and kū hele mai (stand up and come), meaning that we stood up and lifted the beer down our throats. An expression used by the sweet-potato beer drinkers of Lahaina, Maui.] |
| 1243 | ʻIno ka moana ke ahu mōkākī nei ka puna i uka. | The sea is rough, for the corals are strewn on the beach. |
| | [Here are all the indications that there is trouble yonder.] |
| 1263 | I Waialua ka poʻina a ke kai, ʻo ka leo ka ʻEwa e hoʻolono nei. | The dashing of the waves is at Waialua but the sound is being heard at ʻEwa. |
| | [Sounds of fighting in one locality are quickly heard in another.] |
| 1408 | Kaino paha he pali nui o Kīpū e ʻōlelo ia nei, eia kā he pali iki nō. | By the way it is talked about, one would think that Kīpū is a large cliff, but instead it is only a small one. |
| | [By the way people talked the task sounded difficult, but it was easy after all. Kīpū is on Kauaʻi.] |
| 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.] |
| 1471 | Kamaliʻi ʻike ʻole i ka helu pō: Muku nei, Muku ka malama; Hilo nei, kau ka Hoaka. | Children who do not know the moon phases: Muku is here, Muku the moon; Hilo comes next, then Hoaka. |
| | [The first part of a child’s chant for learning the names of the moon phases. Also said of one who does not know the answer to a question or is ignorant. He is compared to a small child who has not learned the moon phases.] |
| 1680 | Ke ʻanapa nei ka wai liʻulā o Mānā. | The water in the mirage of Mānā sparkles. |
| | [Said of one who is overdressed.] |
| 1688 | Ke ʻehuehu nei nā ʻale. | The billows show signs of a rough sea. |
| | [Said of a person whose temper is rising.] |
| 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.] |
| 1699 | Ke hoʻokumu nei Kumukahi i ka ʻino. | Kumukahi is brewing a storm. |
| | [Said of one whose anger increases. Kumukahi is a point at Puna, Hawaiʻi.] |
| 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.] |
| 1738 | Ke kani nei ka ʻālana. | The gift is sounded. |
| | [Said of an offering to the gods with a loudly spoken prayer.] |
| 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).] |
| 1766 | Ke lino aʻe nei ke kāhau o Waiʻopua. | The dew of Waiʻopua glistens. |
| | [Said of a person who is prosperous.] |
| 1768 | Ke momole nei no ka mole ʻo ʻĪ. | The ʻĪ chiefs still adhere to their taproots. |
| | [The descendants of ʻĪ hold fast.] |
| 1769 | Ke nae iki nei nō. | Still breathing lightly. |
| | [Said of one who is dying.] |
| 1784 | Ke uē nei ka ʻōhiʻa o Kealakona. | The ʻōhiʻa wood of Kealakona weeps [for you]. |
| | [Uttered as a taunt by Mahihelelima, powerful warrior of Maui, when he sent his slingshots toward the warriors of Hawaiʻi under Piʻimaiwaʻa. ʻŌhiʻa logs from Kealakona were used for the fortress on Kaʻuiki, where the Maui warriors fought the invaders. Later used to mean, “We are prepared to defend ourselves and we are sorry for you if you try to fight us.”] |
| 1785 | Ke wela nei nō ka ʻili i ka maka ihe. | The skin still feels the heated sting of the spear point. |
| | [Said when one is still at war. First uttered by Keaweamaʻuhili to Kahāhana.] |
| 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. |
| 2124 | Mālia Hāna ke ahuwale nei Kaihuokala. | Hāna is calm, for Kaihuokala is clearly seen. |
| | [Kaihuokala is a hill on the Hāna side of Haleakalā. When no cloud rests upon it, it is a sign of clear weather. Also expressed Mālie Maui, ke waiho maila Kaihuokala.] |
| 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.] |
| 2307 | Nei ka honua, he ōlaʻi ia. | When the earth trembles, it is an earthquake. |
| | [We know what it is by what it does.] |
| 2339 | No Kula ia poʻe ke hoe hewa nei. | To Kula belong the people who are such poor paddlers. |
| | [Kula, Maui, people are ignorant. Also, never mind the talk of fools.] |
| 2343 | No nehinei aʻe nei nō; he aha ka ʻike? | [He] just arrived yesterday; what does he hnow? |
| 2383 | ʻO ia lā he koa no ke ʻano ahiahi; ʻo ia nei no ke ʻano kakahiaka. | He is a warrior of the evening hours; but this person here is of the morning hours. |
| | [That person has had his day and is no longer as active as before; but this person is strong, brave, and ready to show his prowess.] |
| 2415 | ʻŌkalakala heu pānini, ke piʻi nei koʻu maneʻo. | It is unpleasant here with fine cactus spines; I am beginning to itch. |
| | [A taunt when someone loses his temper.] |
| 2540 | ʻO uakeʻe nei i loko o Haʻaloʻu, ʻo ka pō nahunahu ihu. | The little bend in Haʻaloʻu (Bend-over), on the night that the nose is bitten. |
| | [This was said of Kahalaiʻa when he became angry with Kaʻahumanu. He was only a “little bend” whose wrath was no more important then a nip on the nose.] |
| 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.] |
| 2672 | Pohā ke au ke piʻi nei ka lena. | The gall bladder has burst, the yellow color is spreading. |
| | [It is obvious now that ill will has been harbored.] |
| 2707 | Pua mai nei hoʻi ka lehua. | The lehua is blossoming. |
| | [The faces are red from drinking beer.] |
| 2773 | Ua aʻo Hawaiʻi ke ʻōlino nei mālamalama. | Hawaiʻi is enlightened, for the brightness of day is here. |
| | [Hawaiʻi is in an era of education.] |
| 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.] |
| 2825 | Ua mālie, ke au nei koaʻe. | The weather is clear, the koaʻe are leisurely flying. |
| 2855 | Ua wela ka lā, ke ʻoni nei kukuna o ka hāʻukeʻuke. | The sun is too warm, for the spikes of the hāʻukeʻuke are moving. |
| | [Anger is growing, and those near the angry one are moving out of the way. The hauke’uke is a sea urchin.] |
| 2883 | ʻUpu mai nei ke aloha. | A sudden yearning to see a loved one. |