A Eulogy for Mrs. Keamalu Pihana
("He Hooalohaloha no Mrs. Keamalu Pihana", Ke Alakai o Hawaii, September 3, 1931)
Kipahulu, Maui, August 20, 1931.
Dear Mr. Editor of Ke Alakai o Hawaii, greetings:
Please be so kind as to devote some columns of our dear one for my tearful message of love for the one referenced in the headline above.
The body, the abode of a person, to which friends call, has been broken. If you visit, you will find she has passed on. The sun has set, gone down at the base of Lehua.1 Evening’s weariness has been released. My beloved rests above with the sun. On June 22, 1931, my beloved wife ceased breathing the air of this world and returned to the everlasting realm of all living things. She left behind a tearful memory for me and her family to mourn on this bank of the black river of eternity that is death.
My wife has gone to the spirit world, what sorrow for me and our precious children.
May He be forever praised!
He gave, and He hath taken away.2 May His will be done.3 My beloved was born from the loins of Kalaauliilii, her mother, and Puna, her father, at Nuu, Kaupo, where the sea rustles the stones, on May 15, 1875. When she laid down in the sleep of summer and winter,4 she had breathed the cold air of this world for 56 years, 1 month and 7 days. She married her first husband, and from their loins came three sons and two daughters, and from her children came 18 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
She married a second time, to me, at Kipahulu, Maui in 1909. We had two sons and two daughters, along with one grandchild.
The heavenly one rejoices over the proliferation of the race.
“Heaven thrives from Earth’s foundation.”
After 22 years enduring poverty, we left my wife’s beautiful homeland, famous for the rain that makes one hide behind rock walls, and settled in the land of the famous wind that snatched away5 the one who was my blanket to snuggle with in the long, cold nights of winter.
I search for you, my love,
In the fragrant forest of Puna,6
But you have vanished
Return and let us reunite.
My dear one who has sundered our bond of love was of Christian bearing, with an open heart to visitors to our home.
She was devoted to her husband and the precious lei that were her children, as well as to her family and fellow members of the church. She had a patient nature all the way until her passing.
All types of cures were sought, but man’s knowledge was no match. In place of admiration, there is desolation at the places where we joined in love in the rain and sun, in the cold and damp.
Aloha, Kalakowali, where my love and I would repose. I will never forget you.
Aloha, sea rocks of Mokulau, buffeted by the ocean spray. My beloved will not cross your path again. She is gone forever.
Aloha, biting cold water of Punahoa, where locals and visitors would while away the time.
Aloha, Haleakala, beautiful mountain wearing clouds like a rose lei. Aloha, striking landscape of my beloved’s homeland.
Their cold mist will no longer dampen your delicate cheeks. What sorrow!
I hold deep affection for the cliffs that face each other in the wind, the rise and fall of Kalepa. I rest in the cool springs of Alelele shaded by ohia trees, a place where we joined in love.
Alas, you will no longer bathe in the springs sheltered by ohia. Our home that was the land of the love-snatching wind will remain an everlasting memorial, the spring in front of Waiolena where the water was carried on the back to Waihi.
Aloha for the steep cliff Puupueo used for spotting fish, and the winding descent at Lelekea, where you and I along with everyone else would seek out the necessities of life.
And now you have unraveled the bond of love between us. Give me strength as you depart. Forgive my tears that are like Hilo’s rains joined with Puuilima’s thick mist.
I will remain in mourning until your love returns.
I will come to a close with this:
I along with the rest of the family would like to send our deepest thanks to the friends and acquaintances who joined us in our time of grief and provided gifts of flowers for our dear departed one.
We would also like to offer our sincere gratitude to Judge J. W. Kawaakoa, who provided the casket as well as the hearse to convey the body of my beloved to her eternal resting place.
With unceasing regard for you, Mr. Editor, and your fellow printers.
Mournfully,
Mr. Pihana, Mr. & Mrs. H. Pihana, Mr. Peter Pihana, Mr. & Mrs. H. Kenui, Mrs. K. Kalalau, Mr. & Mrs. J. Keahi, Mr. L. Kahua, Mrs. L. Kanuha.
- A common poetic saying about one who has passed away. See entry No. 41 in the book “ʻŌlelo Noʻeau: Hawaiian Proverbs & Poetical Sayings“.
- Job 1:21.
- Matthew 6:10.
- A common poetic saying about death. See entry No. 2168 in “ʻŌlelo Noʻeau”.
- A poetic reference to Kipahulu’s “love-snatching wind”. See entry No. 1463 in “ʻŌlelo Noʻeau”.
- A common poetic reference to Puna. See entry No. 2749 in “ʻŌlelo Noʻeau”.