Hilo One - Traditional

Aia i Hilo one ka `eha a ka mana`o
`O sweet `Emalia `o ko`u aloha ia

Nânâ ke kolohe ki`ina i ka liko
`I`iwi pôlena `o ka manu o ka uka

Kohu `ole `o iala i ka `î `ana mai
 Eia me a`u ka `iwi a`o Heneri

Ha`ina ka puana aia i Hilo one
`O sweet `Emalia `o ko`u aloha ia


 There in Hilo One is the painful remembrance
Of sweet Emily, my beloved

Mischievious looks trap the young man
The `i`iwi-polena, a bird of the uplands

No one can compare to her flirtation
Here with me is Henry

Tell the refrain, there in Hilo One
Is sweet Emily, my beloved

Source: Sweet Emalia or Emalia Kaihumua was a hula dancer in the court of King Kalâkaua. Verse 2, the liko is a very young, attractive man. The `iwi or bone in the 3rd verse is an old Hawaiian expression in songs, that means love rooted deep in the bones. The three sections of Hilo are: 1) Hilo One, the sands of Hilo, near the sea; 2) Hilo Palikû, the upright cliff of Hilo, east of the Wailuku river toward Hâmâkua; and 3) Hilo Hanakahi, named for the beloved and benevolent chief of Hilo, inland toward Keaukaha. Translated by Kaiu Kanoa based on the interpretation and notes of Kini Sullivan.