Aloha 'Oe, Hawai'i...

Aloha ‘Oe (Queen Lili`uokalani, 1878)

… Aloha `oe, aloha `oe
E ke onaona noho i ka lipo
One fond embrace,
A ho`i a`e au
Until we meet again

`O ka hali`a aloha i hiki mai
Ke hone a`e nei i
Ku`u manawa
`O `oe nô ka`u ipo aloha
A loko e hana nei…

…. 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

Sweet memories come back to me
Bringing fresh remembrances
Of the past
Dearest one, yes, you are mine own
From you, true love shall never depart…
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Honestly, it's been YEARS since I seriously did any hula, but I had to get a proper reference for this pic... The flower behind my ear is NOT an 'ilima, which is the flower of the island of Oahu (although the lei are); the yellow hibiscus is the Hawaii state flower. Red, pink, and lavender are the colors for the Big Island, Maui, and Kauai, respectively, which I have visited.

The Freedom Tower and the Arizona Memorial are the two landmarks which made the biggest impression on me as a child, so I had to include them.

Aloha, Hawaii. Until next time!