Ka ʻŌiwi Nani, translated as The Beautiful Native, is a love song composed and translated by Liliʻuokalani on June 23, 1886, at Palolo, Oahu.
In The Queen's Songbook, editors Dorothy Kahananui Gillett and Barbara Barnard Smith note that it's not a surprise that this love song from 1886, when Lili‘uokalani was still a princess, comes from a time when her diaries "are strewn with references to a special 'friend', perhaps Henry Berger." Berger was the director of the Royal Hawaiian Band, and Gillett and Smith note the possibility "that the song celebrates a romantic liaison" with him. Even the title, which translates to "The Beautiful Form", or as the Queen herself translated it, Beautiful One, has possible romantic associations. It is one of the most compelling melodies of the Queen's songs, and I arranged it so the second verse is played in a relaxed 12/8 ballad style.
| I ke ahiahi Pōʻakolu | It was on a Wednesday evening | |
| Kuʻu ʻike ʻana iho | That tidings came to me | |
| He ʻalele waha ʻole na ke aloha | A voiceless message from my loved one | |
| E ʻī mai ana iaʻu | And thus it said to me | |
| Hui: | Chorus: | |
| E ʻī mai ana ʻī mai ana | And thus it said, thus it said to me | |
| Aia Keʻala i ka nahele | Keala has gone to the woodland | |
| Kahi i walea ai | And while on her downy bed of Palai | |
| I ka ʻolu o ia uka | She inhales the perfume of the flowers | |
| A he nani ʻiʻo nō ia pua | Bright and lovely indeed is that blossom | |
| Me he lāʻī pala ala ka memele | Likened to the lāʻī pala (yellow ti leaf) so fair | |
| Ka ʻōiwi nani o ke kā makahala | Or the beautiful form of the ka makahala | |
| Lamalama i ka uka o Lanihuli | That sheds radiance over all of Lanihuli |
Read more about this topic: Compositions By Liliuokalani