Kaila Hawai'i

Today’s Hawaiian word of the day is honua, or world, earth, or land. It may also mean fundamental.

There is a quite beautiful ʻōlelo noʻeau (traditional saying) that refers to this great earth of Kāne, the Hawaiian akua of fresh water and life.

Ka honua nui a Kāne i hōʻinana a ‘ahu kīnohinohi.

{The great Earth animated and adorned by Kāne.}

You can sense this greatness of the honua when you can gaze on a sight like the cliffs of Molokaʻi Nui a Hina above.

The creator of new land, the goddess Pele is also called ka wahine ʻai honua, the earth-eating woman.

For a word that seems to evoke such stability, honua can also mean quite the opposite. Its other meaning is suddenly or abruptly.

• Ua nalowale honua ʻo ia. She suddenly disappeared.

With all the challenges facing this honua nui a Kāne, may we all come together to protect this amazing creation.

Sources:

• Pukui, ʻŌlelo Noʻeau
• Pukui and Elbert, Hawaiian Dictionary.

Image used under Creative Commons license

Tags: Hawaiian language, Hawaiian Mythology, Hawaiian word of the day, ka honua nui a Kāne, Kāne, Pele, ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi

Sometimes I find that I can only understand certain literature only after undergoing the same experience that it expresses. Such was case this week, which led me to look for solace in the poetry of Louise Labé (1524-1566), a female poet that wrote in 16th century Lyon. Very few English speakers, I can guess, have ever heard of Labé, also known as La Belle Cordière, which is, in the end, unfortunate. Labé was a remarkable woman of her times, profiting from the cultural crossroads that was Lyon during the Renaissance. She was well versed in the classics and multilingual. At the same she was also a skilled fencer and equestrian. While she was not hugely prolific, she composed a poetry of an emotional force and intensity that resonate still. This is especially the case of her sonnets. The focal point of her poetic production was nothing less than love, amorous relationships and the emotional maelstrom that arise from them. I find Labé particularly moving because she can delve straight into the whirlwind of passion and love’s pains without getting caught in a web of self-pity. Instead, it’s the poetic crystallization of an all too human experience.

(more…)

Tags: France, Louise Labé, love, Lunalilo, Lyon, poetry, Renaissance