Waipio Valley, Hawai’i
David Muench, 1984
Heha Waipiʻo (Drowsy Waipiʻo)
Author: Sam Li`a Kalainaina, Jr.
Kaulana kuʻu home puni Waipiʻo
Me nā peʻa nani o ka ʻāina
Kākela he hale aliʻi
Herode koʻu hoalike
Mōʻī puni haʻakei
Kukuna o ka lā koʻu kapa ʻia
E ʻōlino nei a puni ka honua
Aue aʻi luna lilo
Lihi launa ʻole mai
Nā aliʻi nui o ke ao
E oʻu mau kini nā makamaka
Me nā kupa o kuʻu ʻāina
Me ka wailele aʻo Hiʻilawe
Koʻiawe maila i luna
Koʻiawe mau i ka pali
ʻAʻole pēlā ka ʻoia ʻiʻo
Hakuʻepa lokoʻino o ka makamaka
Ua like nō a like
Me nā kini lehulehu
O kuʻu one hānau
E ola māua me aʻu kini
Me aʻu lei o nei ʻāina
Pulupē i ka hunakai
Ka iʻa mili i ka lima
Heha Waipiʻo i ka noe
Haʻina ʻia mai ana ka puana
No ka lei hapa pua Sēpānia
He kupa no ka ʻāina
E kipa mai ma loko
Haleʻiwa, beautiful home.
Famous is my home,
beloved Waipiʻo,
and the beautiful borders of the land,
a castle, a royal house–
I am like Herod,
a haughty king.
Rays of the Sun are my garments,
sparkling on all the EArth
Far above, so high, beyond reach;
there are no limits for the Great Lord of the day, my friends, neighbors, and Natives of this land.
Hiʻilawe, the waterfall
showering from above,
showering always on the cliff.
This is not the truth;
gossip started by a jealous crony.
I am just the same
like everyone else of my birthplace.
May the two of us,
and my friends,
and my children
live on this land drenched with sea spray
where fish are caught in the hand;
Waipiʻo is drowsy in the mist.
Let the refrain be told,
this half Spanish flower,
Lei,
a resident of the Land,
you are welcome to come to Haleʻiwa
my beautiful home.
This Mele is in honor of Haleʻiwa (named after ‘Iwa Bird/The Great Frigatebird)– the sacred land that is Waipi’o Valley. Sam Li`a Kalainaina also shares a story of his home, and a special Lei that welcomes and blesses loved ones, the community, and all visitors. The term Hepa Waipi’o can also be used to describe an experience of drunkness, or the drowsiness which precedes the act of making love.