{"collection":"pac","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/pac/ku/ku15.htm","path":"pac/ku/ku15.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/pac/ku/ku15.htm","text":"IN THE fourth ode the birth of amphibious creatures is celebrated as \"those of the sea take to the land.\" Translators tend to read the lines according to their own theory of the relation of the passage to the history of life on earth. The queen and the translator for Aloha are faithful to a generalized picture of amphibious creatures swarming up along the coast onto the land, prototype of the growth and spread of man over earth as human history emerges out of the dim past. Bastian sees these as a succession ascending in scale from lower to higher in the animal and vegetable world. Kupihea believes we should relate the series to specific families of settlers belonging to the migration period. Pokini refers them to a stage in the life of a child as it begins to crawl about and meet the rough and tumble of life. In every case it is the particular interpretation each gives to the whole meaning of the chant that has decided the value given to any doubtful phrase. In general I have followed Kupihea's fairly coherent interpretation because it seems to hang together, although this is not essential to Hawaiian poetic art, and to leave to each reader his own evaluation of the symbolism involved. If actually intended as a portrayal of conditions under a historic migration, it makes a pretty sorry indictment of the past.\nPokini, on the other hand, would explain each name of the species born under Popanopano, the male, and Polalowehi, the female, generative agents at this stage of life, as a play upon the characteristics of the developing infant. They show him \"clinging\" (pilipili) to his parents and \"roughly\"\n{p. 76}\n(kalakala) separated; \"chidden\" (ka'uka'u), \"forgetful\" (palaka), gaining \"independence\" (kaihukunini), \"fed\" (kupelepele), growing \"plump\" (kele). Under Pokini's interpretation the general condition of filth and sluggishness in which the half-land, half-sea creatures of this new era live, summed up in the concluding lines--\nReeling they go\n Go in the land of crawlers\n Born is the family of crawlers in the dim past--\ngives rather a humorous than a sordid turn to the whole picture.\nIt is to be noticed that, although an internal rhyme scheme links verses closely for sound effect, generally into couplets, each verse is read as if complete in itself, the second verse of the couplet a balance, not a completion, to the first. This piling-up of suggestive observations appropriate to the theme gives to the whole passage a cumulative effect rather than one of connected sequences. Kupihea's free translation of the Prologue shows what may be done to read into such poetic word-play a sustained development of thought based upon his idea of the inner meaning intended by the poet under the figure of the \"family of crawlers,\" in this case, according to his version, a consistent description of a historic immigration.\nThe opening lines of the ode, which I have given literally after the text, have been variously read. Translators generally refer the lines to the coming of La'a, presumably the La'a-from-Kahiki of traditional fame.\nBuild up the fire of La'a there\n The great chief from over the ocean\nis the most picturesque rendering offered me, the \"dusky black 'ape plant\" being thus with much probability referred to a specific immigration, but I am unable to bring the fire building into line with this reading. The queen writes vaguely: {p. 77} \"Established in the dawn of La'a's light,\" but falls to make use of the allusion. It would be interesting to connect the ode with the introduction of the taboos, the crouching, or even the \"burning taboo.\"\nIt has seemed worth while to dwell at this point once more upon the possibility of variations in translation based upon the text itself, in order to drive home the ease with which the language of poetry may be twisted to fit a particular interpretation, and hence the caution with which any such reading is to be accepted without certain knowledge of the composer's original intention. Only a contemporary audience acquainted with the facts in each case can be sure of this, nor can one be certain that the meaning for Kalakaua's day was the same as that at the time of composition, or that Kalakaua or another has not manipulated the text to suit his own purposes, as Kupihea thinks; or, even so, just what he and not Kupihea has read into particular passages.\nPlant the 'ahi'a and cause it to propagate\n The dusky black 'ape plant\n 380. The sea creeps up to the land\n Creeps backward, creeps forward\n Producing the family of crawlers\n Crawling behind, crawling in front\n Advancing the front, settling down at the back\n 385. The front of my cherished one [?]\n He is dark, splendid,\n Popanopano is born as a male [?]\n Popanopano, the male\n Po-lalo-wehi, the female\n 390. Gave birth to those who produce eggs\n Produce and multiply in the passing night\n Here they are laid\n Here they roll about\n The children roll about, play in the sand\n 395. Child of the night of black darkness is born\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The night gives birth\n{p. 78}\nThe night gives birth to prolific ones\n The night is swollen with plump creatures\n The night gives birth to rough-backed turtles\n 400. The night produces horn-billed turtles\n The night gives birth to dark-red turtles\n The night is pregnant with the small lobster\n The night gives birth to sluggish-moving geckos\n Slippery is the night with sleek-skinned geckos\n 405. The night gives birth to clinging creatures\n The night proclaims rough ones\n The night gives birth to deliberate creatures\n The night shrinks from the ineffective\n The night gives birth to sharp-nosed creatures\n 410. Hollowed is the night for great fat ones\n The night gives birth to mud dwellers\n The night lingers for track leavers\n 413. Born is the male for the narrow stream, the female for the\n broad stream\n Born is the turtle [Honu] living in the sea\n Guarded by the Maile seedling [Kubonua] living on land\nRefrain\n419. Man for the narrow stream, woman for the broad stream\n Born is the sea-borer [Wili] living in the sea\n Guarded by the Wiliwili tree living on land\n425. Man for the narrow stream, woman for the broad stream\n Born is the sea-worm living in the sea\n Guarded by the bastard-sandalwood living on land\n431. Man for the narrow stream, woman for the broad stream\n Born is the Okea living in the sea\n Guarded by the Ahakea tree living on land\n437. Man for the narrow stream, woman for the broad stream\n Born is the sea-urchin [Wana] living in the sea\n Guarded by the thorny Wanawana plant living on land\n{p. 79}\n443. Man for the narrow stream, woman for the broad stream\n Born is the Nene shellfish living in the sea\n Guarded by the Manene grass living on land\n449. Man for the narrow stream, woman for the broad stream\n Born is the Liko living in the sea\n Guarded by the Piko tree living on land\n455. Man for the narrow stream, woman for the broad stream\n Born is the Opeope jellyfish living in the sea\n Guarded by the Oheohe [bamboo] living on land\n461. Man for the narrow stream, woman for the broad stream\n Born is the Nanana [sea spider] living in the sea\n Guarded by the Nonanona living on land\n467. With a dancing motion they go creeping and crawling\n The tail swinging its length\n Sullenly, sullenly\n 470. They go poking about the dunghill\n Filth is their food, they devour it\n Eat and rest, eat and belch it up\n Eating like common people\n Distressful is their eating\n 475. They move about and become heated\n Act as if exhausted\n They stagger as they go\n Go in the land of crawlers\n The family of crawlers born in the night\n 480.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Still it is night\n{p. 80}","title":"The Crawlers","type":"page"}