White Sandy Beach of Hawai'i, Braddah Iz

Queen Lili'uokalani, "He Mele Lāhui Hawai'i" (The Song of the Hawaiian Nation)*

Ka Makua mana loa   

Almighty Father bend your ear

Maliu mai iā mākou

And listen to a nation's prayer

E hāliu aku nei

That lowly bows before your throne

Me ka naʻau haʻahaʻa

And seeks your protective care

E mau ka maluhia

Grant your peace throughout the land

O nei pae ʻāina

Over these sunny islands 

Mai Hawaiʻi a Niʻihau

Keep the nation's life, oh Lord,

Ma lalo o kou malu

And on our sovereign smile

E mau ke ea o ka ʻāina

Grant your peace throughout the land

Ma kou pono mau

Over these sunny islands

A ma kou mana nui

Keep the nation's life, oh Lord

E ola e ola ka mōʻī

And upon our sovereign smile

E ka haku mālama mai  

Guard him with your gentle care

I ko mākou nei mōʻī

Give him long years to reign

E mau kona noho ʻana

On the throne his (fore)fathers won

Maluna o ka noho aliʻi

Bless the nation once again

Hāʻawi mai i ke aloha

Give the king your loving grace

Maloko a kona naʻau

And with wisdom from high (above) 

A ma kou ahonui

Prosperous lead his people on

E ola e ola ka mōʻī

As beneath your watchful eye

Hoʻoho e mau ke

Grant your peace throughout the land

Ma lalo o kou aloha nui

Bless o Lord our country's chiefs

Nā Liʻi o ke Aupuni

Grant them wisdom in order to live

Me nā makaʻāinana

So that our people may be saved

Ka lehulehu nō a pau

And to You the glory give

Kiaʻi mai iā lākou

Watch over us each day

Me ke aloha ahonui

King and people with your love

E ola nō mākou

For our hope is all in You

I kou mana mau

Bless us, You who reign above

E mau ke ea

Grant your peace throughout the land

*I tried my best to do a  verbatim Hawaiian-English translation, and did it in a way so as not to lose its original essence. As most linguists or translators know, there are some words/sayings that are difficult to translate or convey into another language, and a delicate balance between meaning and definition must be found. 

Unfinished Song

I recently decided to take down some of my earlier writings online and came across one of my old fanfiction accounts (yes, under one of my pseudonyms I wrote my fair share of Power Rangers fanfic…down with Kat! Tommy-Kimberly forever!). I’d forgotten about “To Where Angels Dare Fly,” which was a song I wrote after my da passed away. It was intended to be a duet between a Mezzo Soprano and a Baritone, and though at that time i could hear the melody in my head, I never got around to finishing it. It’s cheesy, but then again, my writing tends to lean on the cheesy with extra cheese side! In any case, here it is, complete with the original author’s note:


Author’s Note: This is one of those lyrics that sort of wrote itself. It came to me in my dreams, almost a year ago. In 2000, my dad had a premonition. After we came home back to the US after my debutante ball, he told me that in his gut he knew that that was the last time he’d ever travel out of the country. A few months later, he had a stroke, and after a lengthy battle, passed away. The song was written through my mom’s and da’s points of view, with a little bit of mine sprinkled in here and there. I have a hard time telling people that I love them, and I reckon that in my adolescence I never told my da that I loved him. I believe it’s the things and words left unsaid and undone that you regret the most in retrospect.


Author’s Note, Part 2: “Mezzo Soprano” indicates the verses sung by the woman, while “Baritone” indicates masculine verses. Being a huge fan of opera, this was written as an aria. Opera; another thing I inherited from Da. Now I cling to it even tighter, knowing that it is one of the things we share in common, knowing that it is one of the ways I feel closer to him somehow.





Mezzo Soprano:

There is a feeling

That burns deep inside me

Haunting me with goodbyes unsaid

I shiver in the cold

As we walk hand in hand

Down that sidewalk street

Slowly you slip away

From within my grasp


Baritone:

I have lived my life

Through Heaven’s borrowed time

Desperately am I holding on

Solely for you to know

You are my other half

And I have loved you

Oh, since before even

Forever and time


Baritone:

But now I must leave.


Mezzo Soprano:

Love, why must you go?


Chorus:
To where angels dare fly

Where they dare breathe

Soar free in eternal sky

Slip away from the shackles and chains

Of this earth


Once upon a lifetime

In a long forgotten dream

Angels used to cry

Tears streaked their rosy cheeks

As they drifted off to sleep

Now they are free

Free to live, free to love

Where angels dare fly



Mezzo Soprano:

Oh, please

Won’t you stay the night?

Let this morning pass


Baritone:

I pray, thee God

For one last embrace

Just to hear her voice


Mezzo Soprano:

Oh, how can this be

That you’re no longer here?

I have felt you caress my face

Then morning came



Baritone:

My love, don’t let go

Please finish this dream

In there I’ll hold you

Until the morning comes


Mezzo Soprano:

Please take me with you now


Baritone:

But alone I must go


Chorus
Mezzo Soprano:

Is forever just a word?

A promise left unkept?


Baritone:

Forever is a promise

A love that never ends

Baritone:

Look into the skies, I am smiling at you


Mezzo Soprano:

I can feel you watching from up above



Chorus:

Where angels dare fly

Our love won’t ever end

For angels dare fly

Forever is a promise

Where angels dare fly

Where they dare breathe

Where they love

Until the end of time

Forever won’t be just a dream

But a promise kept

Where angels dare fly