The Echo of Our Song: Chants and Poems of the Hawaiians

by Mary Kawena Pukui (Translator), Alfons L. Korn (Translator)

Haina ia mai ana ka puana. This familiar refrain, sometimes translated "Let the echo of our song be heard," appears among the closing lines in many nineteenth-century chants and poems. From earliest times, the chanting of poetry served the Hawaiians as a form of ritual celebration of the things they cherished--the beauty of their islands, the abundance of wild creatures that inhabited their sea and air, the majesty of their rulers, and the prowess of their gods. Commoners as well as highborn chiefs and poet-priests shared in the creation of the chants. These haku mele, or "composers," the commoners especially, wove living threads from their own histoic circumstances and everyday experiences into the ongoing oral tradition, as handed down from expert to pupil, or from elder to descendant, generation after generation.

This anthology embraces a wide variety of it ranges from song-poems of the Pele and Hiiaka cycle and the pre-Christian Shark Hula for Ka-lani-opuu to postmissionary chants and gospel hymns. These later selections date from the reign of Ka-mehameha III (1825-1854) to that of Queen Liliu-o-ka-lani (1891-1893) and comprise the major portion of the book. They include, along with heroic chants celebrating nineteenth-century Hawaiian monarchs, a number of works composed by commoners for commoners, such as Bill the Ice Skater, Mr. Thurston's Water-Drinking Brigade, and The Song of the Chanter Kaehu. Kaehu was a distinguished leper-poet who ended his days at the settlement-hospital on Molokai.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction

252 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1979

Reviews

[DC · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 stars for the overall content of the book, but 2 stars for the format. This volumes includes a good variety of mele, and lots of interesting info / an introduction to each one. This is great! But... then there's also an appendix - with additional info on many of the songs. Why is this in an appendix and not accompanying the song itself, especially since each song includes background info? I could not figure out why some info was relegated to the appendix! It would be better to read the text and the background info all at once. Some of the songs also include footnotes, but the footnotes aren't actually desginated. My biggest formatting complaint, however, is that the translations aren't on facing pages. I loved reading this, but was continually frustrated by the format. I would love an updated edition with different formatting.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Accessible, scholarly, and a pleasant immersion in the culture of Hawaii. Not a linear introduction to Hawaiian mythology, history, or culture. But it isn't supposed to be.