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garson
Lokahi
USA
112 Posts |
 Posted - 02/07/2009 : 09:41:28 AM
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I have been trying to sing better (as bwop says: well enough not to scare the dog) and have been enjoying attempts at Ku'u Ipo I Ka He'e Pu'e One. Trouble is I can't figure out what it's about. He Mele mentions that the "we" who delight in the forest does not include the one being addressed in the song. So is the idea that I am singing to someone I hoped to have as a lover Nyah Nyah, we (me and somebody else) shared delight in the forest - you missed your chance? I'd hate to think that such a beautiful song had this crass meaning. So please somebody help me out.
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Jim Garson |
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Momi
Lokahi
402 Posts |
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ArtSap
Lokahi
USA
267 Posts |
Posted - 02/11/2009 : 10:10:19 AM
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| I've heard this song described as being akin to the story of Romeo and Juliet, where a young maiden was forbidden to marry the man she loved... |
Art
SF Bay Area, CA / Mililani, HI
"The real music comes from within you - not from the instrument" |
Edited by - ArtSap on 02/11/2009 10:12:38 AM |
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Hula Rider
Lokahi
USA
215 Posts |
Posted - 02/23/2009 : 6:28:17 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by garson
I have been trying to sing better (as bwop says: well enough not to scare the dog) and have been enjoying attempts at Ku'u Ipo I Ka He'e Pu'e One. Trouble is I can't figure out what it's about. He Mele mentions that the "we" who delight in the forest does not include the one being addressed in the song. So is the idea that I am singing to someone I hoped to have as a lover Nyah Nyah, we (me and somebody else) shared delight in the forest - you missed your chance? I'd hate to think that such a beautiful song had this crass meaning. So please somebody help me out.
I've not studied this mele, so I am rather shooting from the hip here.
My understanding is that yes, "maua" would be "we" exclusive, "He and I, but not you." If the speaker were refering to the person addressed, it would be "kaua," "You and I only."
In my first opinion, I do not think that the poetry lends itself to a "Nyah, nyah!" kind of thought. I read it as more like telling the story to her guitar, or to the ocean waves, or a best friend. I read it as a story being told with a great sense of regret that the first and great love could not be the approved love.
Perhaps it was an apology to her husband, Archibald Cleghorn, if she was unable to give him her first love, as it already had been taken?
Researching the Pu`ulena wind might also be helpful. She was raised in Hilo. :-)
Malama pono,
Leilehua |
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garson
Lokahi
USA
112 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2009 : 6:14:21 PM
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| Thank you. This really makes a whole lot more sense to me. |
Jim Garson |
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keoladonaghy
Lokahi
257 Posts |
Posted - 02/26/2009 : 9:52:20 PM
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I asked one of my professors (now one of my colleagues) about this kind of use of māua. It is his belief (and after examining other examples I agree) that this kind of use indicates a reminiscence. In the first line there is "E ia ala ē, maliu mai", so you already have an indication of distance or separation from the person being spoken of, not to. So rather than use "kāua" to indicate that you are speaking to them, you are speaking of them, not necessarily to anyone, perhaps just as an internal reminiscence of them.
Re: the Puʻulena wind, while it is possible that it is intended as a Hilo reference, my gut instinct says no, that it is just for the thought that opportunity has slipped by and was not seized. |
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garson
Lokahi
USA
112 Posts |
Posted - 03/07/2009 : 08:00:09 AM
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| Thank you keola. It is amazing to have such knowledgeable resources in the patch. |
Jim Garson |
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