Miki`oi - Traditional


Kilakila ke ku aka `opua i ka la`i
Kehakeha ka `ômaka wai o luna
He nani ia nou e ia i ko alo
He akamai no`eau miki`oi
O ke kahua ia la

Hui:
E apo pûlama kaomi malie
E lawe lawe ma ke akahele
He akamai no`eau miki`oi
O ke kahua ia la

He noho na manu no Wehilaulani
Honua pa`a i ka mole o ke `a`ali`i
Ke ala nanae kuhi i na pali
He akamai no`eau miki`oi
O ke kahua ia la

Regally stands the cloud in the calm
Majestically holding up the source of the water above
It is a beautiful thing to you as it stands in your presence
Cleverness, neatness, daintiness
That is the foundation

Chorus:
Embrace, cherish, hold gently
Handle with care
Cleverness, neatness, daintiness
That is the foundation

A lovely haunt of birds is Wehilaulani
A place where the root of the `a`ali`i firmly stands
A way that leads up to the cliff
Cleverness, neatness, daintiness
That is the foundation

Source: Pukui Collection - Verse 2, stanza 2 - `a`ali`i, a native shrub with a small red flower and fruit and is very wind resistant. The expression , "I am a wind-resisting plant means, "I can hold my own". Explanation and translation by Mary Pukui.