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He mele no ka Lani kēia
No ka Sumeramikoto
Hoʻomalu ʻo ia me ke aloha
Mai ka Noho Aliʻi Wailuku

Hānau ʻia i ka wā Showa
I ka ʻāina o ka pukana lā
ʻO ka hoʻoilina mōʻī ʻo ia
Ua piʻi i ka noho aliʻi

Noho Tennō Heika iā Koukyo
Me kana Kōugōu nani nō
Haku lāua i ka waka
A hoʻokani i ka waiolina kū

Hoʻomalu ʻo ia i ka wā Heisei
Pūlama ʻia me ka haʻaheo
E kēlā me kēia poʻe Kepanī
Mai Hokkaido a Ryukyushoto

Kau ʻia i ka hanohano nui
Ua Tennō hoʻokahi wale nō
Ma nā wahi like ʻole a pau
ʻAʻohe Kōutei i ka honua

He paʻipunahele nō kēia
He mele no ka Tennō Heika
Ke aliʻi o ke aupuni pae ʻāina
Ke aliʻi maikaʻi o Nīpona Japan

Haʻina ʻia mai ka puana la
No ka Sumeramikoto
Hoʻomalu ʻo ia me ke aloha
Mai ka Noho Aliʻi Wailuku

This is a song to honor the royal chief
Honoring the heavenly ruler above the clouds
He governs with love
From the Chrysanthemum Throne

Born in the Showa era
In the Land of the Rising Sun
The heir apparent
He ascended to the throne

His majesty the emperor lives in the Imperial Palace
With his lovely Empress
They compose a classical form of poetry
And he plays the cello

He rules in the era called universal peace
Cherished with pride
By all the Japanese people
From Hokkaido to Okinawa

Placed in a position of great honor
He is the only Emperor
Anywhere
There are no other emperors in the world

This is an expression of great aloha
A song for His Majesty, the Emperor
The chief of the Island nation
The benevolent chief of Japan

The story is told
Honoring the heavenly ruler
He governs with love
From the Chrysanthemum Throne

Source: Keith Haugen: hakumele@aol.com - Believed to be the first song or musicial tribute written to honor a specific Japanese emperor, Keith Haugen composed the mele after he returned from a Sept. 2007, concert performance in Japan, to honor Japan's emperor in the typical Hawaiian tradition. Released to coincide with the emperor's arrival in Hawaiʻi on Tuesday, July 14, 2009, Haugen wrote the melody for the new song in a pentatonic (5-tone) scale to give it a more Japanese "sound, blending ʻukulele and shamisen, art forms from two genre and two distinctive ancient cultures, Hawaiian and Japanese. It was also recorded as a chant featuring Kumu Hula Kahaʻi Topolinski with kakegoe, (Noh drama vocalization) and the traditional sounds of Japanese taiko drumming (kozutsumi and odaiko) added by Taiko Master Kenny Endo. For more information see Keith Haugen's website: hakumele@aol.com