na Alice Kuʻuleialohapoinaʻole Nāmakelua
Papa Mele S202608, Week 2 · 10 September 2026
Nā Huaʻōlelo · Lyrics
Paukū 1
Ke ʻike aku au
I kou nani
E hoʻopulu ʻia nei
E ke kilihune ua
Paukū 2
Ke lohe aku au
I ko leo nahenahe
Pūʻili iho au
I kou aloha
Paukū 3
He aloha ʻoe naʻu
E hiʻipoi nei
I wehi kāhiko
No kuʻu kino
Paukū 4
ʻO ke kani a ka pio
Ualo i ke kula
E kono mai ana iaʻu
E naue aku
Paukū 5
Haʻina ē ka wehi
O kuʻu lei
E hoʻopulu ʻia nei
E ke kilihune ua
He Hoʻolauna · Background from class
Alice Kuʻuleialohapoinaʻole Nāmakelua
1892-1987
- Aunty Genoa Keawe
- Ledward Kaʻapana + Wainani Kealoha
- Genoa + Alice dancing
Hula Preservation Society — BYU Awards Ceremony videos
- nani
- ʻaʻano. beautiful
- kikino. beauty
Ka Wehewehe ʻana · Line-by-line breakdown
Paukū 1
Ke ʻike aku au
- ke
- māka painu. when/whenever
- ʻike
- to see
- aku
- dir., away from viewpoint
- au
- I — pron., / au / or /wau/ or /vau/
I kou nani
- i
- ʻami. showing the direct object lauka
- ʻami lauka . d.o. marker
- cf., kāu nani
- your beauty. a-class = that you made
- Alt. wording in the notes: «kou nani»
- your beauty – your attribute
- Alt. wording in the notes: «kou nani»
- your beauty. o-class = attribute
E hoʻopulu ʻia nei
- e — nei
- māka painu. (internal to the pepeke) happening now and nearby
- māka painu set. (internal to pepeke) happening now, nearby
- hoʻopulu
- to make pulu (moist, damp, wet)
- to make sth pulu: being moistened
- ʻia
- passive marker
- hoʻopulu ʻia
- (which) is being moistened
- …which is being moistened…
E ke kilihune ua
- e
- ʻami ʻiae – marking the doer of the action which has been made passive by
- ʻami ʻiae. showing doer of the passive action by
- ke kilihune
- the fine drizzle, very light rain
- light rain, fine, drizzle
- ua
- kikino used as a
- kāhulu. rainy
- used as a
- kāhulu. rainy
- By the rainy light drizzle
- «E ka ua kilihune» — by the light fine drizzly rain
- E ka ua kilihune — By the light drizzly rain
- Note: there is a note in the old archive of City & County of Honolulu Songwriters Contest listing of mele that Alice might
- have approved a change to this line:
- Note: from the City & County song collection
Paukū 2
Ke lohe aku au
- lohe
- hehele. to hear
- to hear
- cf., hoʻolohe
- hamani. to listen
- to listen
- When I hear …
I ko leo nahenahe
- i
- ʻami lauka. d.o. marker
- ʻami lauka
- ko / kō
- possessive marker, o-class. your w/extra aloha, your very own
- your w/extra aloha; your personal/very own
- cf., kou
- your
- leo
- (1) voice;
- (2) words, what someone says
- nahenahe
- soft, sweet, melodious pleasant to the ear
- soft, sweet sounding, melodious
- kou
- your
- cf., kuʻu — my w/extra aloha; my personal
Pūʻili iho au
- pūʻili
- to embrace, to hug.
- fig., holding close to the heart; welcoming it; not wanting to let it go
- to hold fast, to embrace, to hug; to clasp
- fig., holding close to the heart, not wanting to release
- iho
- dir., downwards from viewpoint
- dir., downwards
- au
- I
I kou aloha
- i
- ʻami lauka
- ʻami lauka. d.o. marker
- kou
- your
- aloha
- love
- Alt. wording in the notes: «kou aloha»
- your love
Paukū 3
He aloha ʻoe naʻu
- he aloha
- a love; a loved one; a lover
- a love; a lover; a loved one
- ʻoe
- you
- naʻu
- for me, belonging to me a-class. agency, actively working on or maintaining. ref., parent-to-child; lover-to-lover
- possessive. belonging to me, for me
- You are a loved one for me
- You are mine to love
E hiʻipoi nei
- e — nei
- māka painu internal now
- māka painu (internal) modifying «he aloha»
- hiʻipoi
- to cherish to hold close to one’s heart
- to cherish to hold close to the heart
- e.g., Hiʻiakaikapoliopele
- cf., hiʻi — to carry in the bosom
- cf., Hiʻiakaikapoliopele
I wehi kāhiko
- i
- “as a”
- “as a” [ i +
- kikino ]
- wehi
- an adornment
- adornment
- kāhiko
- finery; splendid
- finery, adornments; splendid in appearance
No kuʻu kino
- no
- for-belonging to. o-class for me to wear, as clothing; as a part of me
- of-belonging to / for
- kuʻu
- my w/love; my very own
- my w/love; my own
- kino
- body
Paukū 4
ʻO ke kani a ka pio
- ʻo
- topicalizer, ʻaike topic marker
- topicalizer marker, ʻaike ʻo
- ke kani
- the sound
- a
- of-created by w/agency → person
- of-created by agency →
- fig., person
- cf., o
- of-part of it, existence
- ka pio
- the whistle; the peal of a bell
- the whistle
Ualo i ke kula
- ualo
- to call out; calling out don’t write «uwalo» because there is no /v/ in this.
- to call out. ✖︎ “uwalo” ✖︎ /uvalo/
- i
- ʻami henua. locational
- ke kula
- on the grassy plains; school
- the field, the plains; the school
E kono mai ana iaʻu
- e — ana
- māka painu set. ongoing/progressive past, present, or future
- māka painu set. progressive past, present, or future
- kono
- inviting
- to invite
- mai
- dir., towards viewpoint
- dir., towards speaker
- iaʻu
- ʻami lauka+papani. to me
E naue aku
- e
- “to”
- naue
- to move, to move to and fro to sway; ancient root meaning: to do something = hana
- to move, to “boogie along”; to sway ancient root meaning: to do something = hana
- aku
- dir., away viewpoint
- dir., directional away from viewpoint
Paukū 5
Haʻina ē ka wehi
- haʻina
- comb., haʻi—to inform + -na suffix an ancient passive suffix has been told, should be told
- comb., haʻi—to inform, to tell + -na suffix an ancient passive suffix let be told
- ē
- vocative particle. extending the meaning
- vocative particle – carrying out message
- ka wehi
- the adornment.
- fig., person, the love, the relationship;
- (2) the song as an adornment
- (1) the adornment – ref., verse 3 wehi (loved one)
- (2) the song itself
- = e haʻi ʻia ana → haʻi ʻia ana → haʻina mai ana
O kuʻu lei
- o
- of-belonging to. o-class. wearing it; for it
- fig., a person
- Alt. wording in the notes: «kuʻu lei»
- my beloved / very own lei. fig., person, love
- of my beloved lei; of my personal lei
E hoʻopulu ʻia nei
- (see verse 1)
E ke kilihune ua
- (see verse 1)
Nā Wikiō Papa · Class videos
Coming soon. The edited class video for this mele is being prepared and will appear here.