Lei Gardenia - by Charles E. King

 

A he ho`oheno nei no lei no
Ku`u lei gardenia
`O ka lau o ka niu ke holu nei
I ka `ae kai
 
E kono mai ana ia`u nei
Mai kâua e hi`ipoi pû i ke aloha
Kâua i ka nani a`o Waikîkî
Me ka nani o ka pô mahina la`ila`i
 
Kûpaoa mau i ke `ala onaona
Nâ wehi a`o ku`u home
Ho`okahi nô pua a`u e ho`ohihi nei
Pua gardenia pua `ala onaona
E kui i lei i `ohu no`u
I wehi no nâ kau a kau
 
Me `oe ka mana`o pau `ole
Ho`ohikilele nei i ku`u kino
Lei gardenia lei ho`ohihi
Na`u ho`okahi `oe
Ku`u lei gardenia
This song is a tribute to
My gardenia lei
The coconut fronds, they sway at
The water's edge
  
They beckon to me (as if saying)
"Let us cherish each other"
We two in the beauty of Waikiki
In the allure of a moonlit night so serene
 
 
Ever-scented with fragrance
Are the adornments of my home
I admire but one flower
The gardenia sweetly scented
Strung into a lei for me to wear
As an adornment from season to season
  
With you constantly are thoughts
That move and excite me
Gardenia lei admired so greatly
You are mine alone
My gardenia lei

 

Source: King's Blue Book, Copyright 1934, 43 Charles E. King - Translated by Kamehameha Schools HSI