Ua liʻuliʻu wale nā ʻapapane i ka ʻōhiʻa pō lehua, walea i ka wai momona o ka nui mohala. Ua nāna pono au iā lāua. Maʻa hoʻokahi i ka hana mūkīkī noʻeau o nā pua; ʻano hemahema a hāwāwā kekahi. Ua ʻike au, ʻo ka mea noʻeau ka makua, a ʻo ka manu hema kana keiki. Ma hope, ua lele aku ka makua, a ua hahai ke keiki, ua hoʻi pono i Palikū, i ka lele hoʻi pololei kūlike.
Ua noʻonoʻo wau peia, ua alakaʻi ka makua i ke keiki a hiki i kēia kumu ʻōhia kaukahi o ka pali, hōʻike ʻia ma ka ʻaoʻao awāwa ma ʻō loa aku o Palikū. He kumu ola no kō ka manu makua ʻohana wale nō, ʻike ʻole ʻia e ka nui manu ʻe aʻe. Ua aʻo ka makua i ke keiki i kēia puʻuhonua no ka wā o ka wī paha, no ka manawa pua ʻole ma Palikū. ʻIke pono ʻia ke akamai o ua manu makua nei. Mea kupaianaha naʻu, ʻakahi au i ʻikemaka. Mea poina ʻole.
Ua noʻonoʻo wau peia, ua alakaʻi ka makua i ke keiki a hiki i kēia kumu ʻōhia kaukahi o ka pali, hōʻike ʻia ma ka ʻaoʻao awāwa ma ʻō loa aku o Palikū. He kumu ola no kō ka manu makua ʻohana wale nō, ʻike ʻole ʻia e ka nui manu ʻe aʻe. Ua aʻo ka makua i ke keiki i kēia puʻuhonua no ka wā o ka wī paha, no ka manawa pua ʻole ma Palikū. ʻIke pono ʻia ke akamai o ua manu makua nei. Mea kupaianaha naʻu, ʻakahi au i ʻikemaka. Mea poina ʻole.
The birds lingered at the ʻōhiʻa dense with lehua blossoms, taking delight in the sweet nectar of the many blooms. I watched the two carefully. One was practiced and skillful in the sipping from the flowers, the other clumsy and inept. I realized, the skillful one was the parent, and the clumsy one the child. Afterwards, the parent bird flew off, and the child followed, they returned right back to Palikū, in the same kind of straight return flight.
I thought about it this way; the parent had led the child to this solitary ʻōhia tree on the cliff, had shown the way to this side of the gap far away from Palikū. It was a source of life for the parent bird's family only, unknown to the rest of the birds. The parent was teaching her child about this refuge for the famine times, perhaps, against the times when Paliku had no blossoms. I appreciated the intelligence of this parent bird. It was amazing to me, the first I had seen of this kind of thing. Unforgettable.
Ua pau ka haʻina, pīpī holo kaʻao...
The telling is done, sprinkled, the tale runs...
I thought about it this way; the parent had led the child to this solitary ʻōhia tree on the cliff, had shown the way to this side of the gap far away from Palikū. It was a source of life for the parent bird's family only, unknown to the rest of the birds. The parent was teaching her child about this refuge for the famine times, perhaps, against the times when Paliku had no blossoms. I appreciated the intelligence of this parent bird. It was amazing to me, the first I had seen of this kind of thing. Unforgettable.
Ua pau ka haʻina, pīpī holo kaʻao...
The telling is done, sprinkled, the tale runs...
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