We end this week of gorgeous Hawaiian music with the All Around This World as-good-as-we-can-muster version of the most classic of all classic Hawaiian songs, “Aloha ‘Oe,” which means “farewell to you.” Hawaii’s last queen, Queen Lili’uokalani, wrote the lyrics, in part to a melody borrowed from a popular song of the day, when she witnessed the parting of two people in love. Here is Huapala.org’s translation: “Proudly swept the rain by the cliffs/As it glided through the trees/Still following ever the bud/The ‘ahihi lehua of the vale, Farewell to you, farewell to you, The charming one who dwells in the shaded bowers, One fond embrace, ‘Ere I depart, Until we meet again.”
Tag Archives | Queen Lili’uokalani
The Soft Gentle Breeze
“Ahe Lau Makani” is one of the most enduring melodies attributed to Hawaii’s beloved final queen, Lili’uokalani. Written in the 1860s and co-credited by Queen Lili’uokalani to her sister Likelike and an historically unknown friend Kapoli, the song, whose title can be translated as, “The Soft Gentle Breeze,” is about yearning for a loved one. Let’s enjoy this video of a performance of the song by Hawaii’s Side Order Band.
