Keaomelemele
Moses Manu entices readers past and present with this introduction to the legend of Keaomelemele, published in thirty-one installments of Ka Nupepa Kuokoa in 1884-85. Most of the translation of Manu's work presented here is by Mary Kawena Pukui and her skill in capturing the charm of this legend is unchallenged.
The Legend of Keaomelemele
Here is the bold and magical girl of the rarefied atmosphere, the one who flew here like a lightning strike in
the east and whose brilliance ran to the edges of the earth, the one who tread the Pacific Ocean's billows,
whose royal eyes are adorned by dark clouds and whose dwelling twirls night and day on the fringes of the
wind, and who was a noble of the days of yore.
Moses Manu was one of the prolific writers of nineteenth-century mo‘olelo writing in a variety of genres, including historical narrative, legendary accounts, dirges, and editorials.
Mary Kawena Pukui was one of Hawai‘i's most prominent and well-loved Hawaiian scholars whose legacy is an immense collection of translations, audio recordings, personal recollections and compilations of place names, words, sayings, and stories.
$23.00
isbn 978-1-58178-016-1
softcover, 10.5x8, 176pp.
Available at Bishop Museum's Shop Pacifica (phone 808-848-4158, email at shop@bishopmuseum.org) and other fine bookstores throughout the islands.
Tags: Bishop Museum Press, Hawaiian language, Hawaiian legends, M. Puakea Noglemeier, mary kawena pukui, Moses Manu
