Lei Mānoa
Haku ʻia no ke kime 7z, na Kumu Keʻalohi, Kupulau 2015.
Composed for Punahou School-Team 7z, by Kumu Keʻalohi Reppun, Spring 2015
Lei pāpahi ʻo Mānoa i ka ua
Ua liʻiliʻi, ua Tuahine
Puʻuomānoa kau mai i luna
Kāhiko ʻia i ka wai puna hou
Ulu puni e ka uʻi pua pānini
Pūhala, hīnano, kau i ka umauma
Wehi malihini i ke aloha kupaʻāina
ʻĀina kilohana ia na Leilehua
Lei a hua i ka ʻike naʻauao
Lei a hua i ke aloha mau a mau
Lei a hua i ka ʻike naʻauao
Lei a hua i ke aloha mau a mau ē.
Mānoa is adorned with a garland of rain
Light rain, the Tuahine rain
Puʻuomānoa is perched there above
Decorated by the water of the new spring
Surrounded by the beauty of the night blooming cereus
Hala trees and hīnano blossoms adorn the heart
Visitors are welcomed with finery of love
To this place, the beautiful land of Leilehua
Carry this garland of knowledge and blossom forth in enlightenment
Carry this garland of love and blossom forth in enduring compassion.
Carry this garland of knowledge and blossom forth in enlightenment
Carry this garland of love and blossom forth in enduring compassion.
A versatile mele composed to honor the land of Kapunahou and its notable features in a way that encourages us to look at the larger landscape that Punahou belongs to. The mele begins with a nod to Mānoa Valley, its defining ridges and famous rains, as the large land division that embraces our campus. It then acknowledges Puʻuomānoa (Rocky Hill), ka puna hou-the spring waters, the night blooming cereus and the hala tree, which are symbols of our specific place within the ahupuaʻa – beloved symbols we carry with us even when we are not at School. Third, we acknowledge the people who have made this place what it is, from the old-Kāne, Kanaloa and Kaʻahumanu to the not-so-old-Auntie Hattie and her contemporaries. Finally, this mele challenges us all, as members of this community, to always remember our responsibility – the kuleana – we have, because we have been given so much. Go out into the world and do good with the academic knowledge and compassion with which we have been educated.
https://mailchi.mp/punahou/punahou-preview-for-new-families-2021-5?e=514d8785ca