Kumulipo

Essential Quotes

“At the time when the earth became hot / At the time when the heavens turned about / At the time when the sun was darkened / To cause the moon to shine / The time of the rise of the Pleiades / The slime, this was the source of the earth / The source of the darkness that made darkness.… The night gave birth / Born was Kumulipo in the night, a male / Born was Po‘ele in the night, a female.”

“The pig child is born / Lodges inland in the bush / Cultivates the water taro patches of Lo‘iloa / Tenfold is the increase of the island / Tenfold the increase of the land / The land where the Night-digger dwelt / Long is the line of his ancestry / The ancient line of the pig of chief blood / The pig of highest rank born in the time / The time when the Night-digger lived/ And slept with Po-lalo-uli / The night gave birth.”

“Wakea as Ki‘i [image] slept with Hina-ka-we‘o-a / Born was the cock, perched on Wakea’s back / The cock scratched the back of Wakea / Wakea was jealous, tried to brush it away / Wakea was jealous, vexed and annoyed / Thrust away the cock and it flew to the ridgepole / The cock was on the ridgepole / The cock was lord.”

“Everyone knows about the battle of Maui with the sun / With the loop of Maui’s snaring-rope / Winter [?] became the sun’s / Summer became Maui’s.”