He Kanikau He Uē Aloha No Ahuwela Stender

Oswald Kofoad Ahuwela “Oz” Stender
Oct. 8, 1931 – Feb. 23, 2022

Na Kīhei de Silva
Kaʻōhao, Kailua | 3 Malaki 2022

E Kailuaiki, Kailuanui, Kailua i ka hāpapa
Kailua i ka hālokolokowai, Kailua i nā puʻu kinikini
Kailua ʻāina pali hulilua, huli ē huli lā
Ke huli nei au iā ʻoe e kuʻu ʻanakala aloha ma nā kakaʻi pali o Maunawili
Hōʻea hoʻokahi akula au i ia ʻāina aloha āu e noho ai ʻo Pālāwai, ʻaʻole ʻoe
Ma hea ihola hoʻi ʻoe i nalowale aku ai mai mākou aku?
Aia paha ʻoe me Kaʻanahau i ka ua Kapuaʻikanaka
E niau kololani ana i ke oho o ka Malanai
Aia paha me Hiʻiaka mā i ke ala pili o Mahinui
E kani ihola ana kāna ʻuhū no Kaipoliʻa a me ke koʻa mokumoku o Heʻeia
Aia paha me Kahinihiniʻula i ka pōnaha palai o Hālauwai
E hiʻi ana i kona tūtū ma mua o ke alo
Aia paha me Nākila i ke kōwā makani o Nuʻuanu
E kui lei ʻāhihi ana no nā wāhine kilo pali
Auē! Ua lilo ʻo Ahuwela i ke onelauʻena a Kāne
Ke uē aku nei ʻo Kamakaʻeha
Makawalania i ka ua haʻaheo i nā pali
“Auē kuʻu hānai ē mai ka ua Maʻakua o Hauʻula”
Ke uē aku nei Ka Wahine Hele Lā o Kaiona
Wahine hahai alualu wai liʻulā
“Auē kuʻu hānai ē mai ka makani ʻŌlauniu i ka uka o Kaiwiʻula”
Ke uē aku nei ʻo Kamōkila Wahineokamaʻo
Luhiehu ihola i ka lei kaunoʻa i ke kaha o Lanikūhonua
“Auē kuʻu kahu hānai ē no ka iʻa nēnē ʻili kapu o ʻEwa”
He ʻū a he aloha kēia no kuʻu hoa ʻanakala
Lohaloha peleʻunu ʻo Kekele i ka ua pehi pūhala
Kelekele iho nei ka maka i ka ʻike pono i kēia mea he aloha
ʻO ke aloha paumākō nō ia
Aloha ka waiho kāhela o Nāmokulua i ke kai
Aloha ka hala ʻoki kepa o Kaʻōhao, ʻokia pahu ʻia e ka ʻohana kui lei
Aloha ka pua lei ʻāpiki nonono ʻula i ka lā o Kaʻiwa
Aloha ka makani Kilinoe e hoʻoluhi nei i ka lau o ke ʻuki
Aloha ke koʻolani i kupu i ka wai mā kānaka o Waiʻauia
Aloha Mākālei ka lāʻau piʻi ona a ka iʻa
Aloha nā wahine kiaʻi loko, lauoho nuʻanuʻa, ʻili aʻiaʻi paheʻe
Aloha Hauwahine lāua ʻo Kahalakea, nā wāhine o Kailua i ka laʻi
Aloha ka malu hale o Kahiauakamalanai i ka uluwehiwehi o nā pua Koʻolau
Aloha ka ʻai ʻimi waha, ka ʻai nānā i uka, ka iʻa ʻai pū me ka lepo
Aloha Kuʻuleihiehie o Mokulana e uē helu nei i kāna kāne aloha i hala
Auē, ua hala ka ʻuhane o Ahuwela
Ke hoʻolana nei ka manaʻo aia ʻoe i ka luna kiʻekiʻe o Ahiki
E kilohi ana i ka nani o Kailua alo lahilahi
He maikaʻi wale nō mai luna a lalo
Aloha ia wahi a kākou e noho papa ai
Aloha ʻia Olomana e nā iʻa hoʻopā ʻili kūpuna o Kawainui
ʻOʻopu kuʻia e lana nei i loko o ka wai
Me he wai lā e ʻale nei ka hākoʻi a ke aloha
No kuʻu hoa ʻanakala hele loa
ʻO ka ʻū, ʻo ka minamina, ʻo ka paumākō iā ʻoe
Auē! Ua hala ʻo Ahuwela Stender.

Kailuaiki, Kailuanui, Kailua of the reefs
Kailua of the flowing fresh water, Kailua in the multitude of hills
Kailua of the cliffs that face each other, I am turning, searching
Searching for you my beloved uncle in the procession of cliffs at Maunawili
I arrive alone at Pālāwai, beloved land where you reside, you are not here
Where is it that you have you gone, lost to us, vanished?
Perhaps you are with Kaʻanahau in the Kapuaʻikanaka rain
Departing swiftly, silently in the wisps of the Malanai
Perhaps you are with Hiʻiaka mā on the clinging path to Mahinui
Sighing, grieving over Kaipoliʻa and the broken corals of Heʻeia
Perhaps you are with Kahinihiniʻula in the circle of palai at Hālauwai
Carrying his Tūtū before him
Perhaps you are with Nākila in the wind-blown gap of Nuʻuanu
Stringing lei ʻāhihi for the guardian women of the pali
Auē! Ahuwale has departed on the path to the land of Kāne
Kamakaʻeha is grieving
Makawalania, eyes smarting in the rain that sweeps proudly over the pali
“Auē, my hānai child from the Maʻakua rain of Heʻeia”
Ka Wahine Hele Lā o Kaiona is grieving
She who chases after mirages
“Auē, my hānai child from the ʻŌlauniu wind in the uplands of Kaiwiʻula”
Kamōkila Wahineokamaʻo is grieving
Adorned in lei kaunoʻa in the kaha lands of Lanikūhonua
“Auē, my kahu hānai of the fish of ʻEwa who cherish their aliʻi”
This is an expression of grief and love for my uncle friend
Kekele is overcome, made heavy, moldy in the hala pelting rain
The eyes are soaked upon recognizing this thing, this emotion
It is grief-stricken love
Beloved is the unbroken view of Nāmokulua in the sea
Beloved is the obliquely-cut hala of Kaʻōhao, notched and strung by the lei-stringing family
Beloved are the ʻilima flowers glowing in the sun of Kaʻiwa
Beloved is the Kilinoe breeze that bends the leaves of ʻuki
Beloved is the koʻolani that rose from the memory-faded waters of Waiʻauia
Beloved is the fish-attracting branch, the Mākālei
Beloved are the women of heaped-up hair and bright, slippery skin, guardians of the pond
Beloved are Hauwahine and Kahalakea, the women of Kailua in the calm
Beloved is the sheltered tranquility of Kahiauakamalanai where Koʻolau blossoms thrive
Beloved is the food that seeks the mouth, that looks to the uplands, that is shared with all
Beloved is Kuʻuleihiehie of Mokulana grieving over her departed husband.
Auē, the spirit of Ahuwela has departed
We hope you are there in the lofty heights of Ahiki
Gazing at the delicate beauty of Kailua
So beautiful from high to low
Beloved is this place where we live, steadfast
Beloved is Olomana by the kūpuna-seeking fish of Kawainui
Stunned ʻoʻopu afloat in the water
So like water overflowing is the outpouring of love
For the uncle friend who has died
Oh, the sighing and regretting, the grieving over you
Alas, Ahuwela Stender has passed away.