He Mele Lāhui Hawaii was composed in November 1866 at the request of Kamehameha V

Kamehameha V

aloghaKamehameha V , born as Lot Kapuāiwa, reigned as monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1863 to 1872. His motto was "Onipa`a": immovable, firm, steadfast or determined; he worked diligently for his people and kingdom and was described as the last great traditional chief...

, who wanted a national anthem to replace the British anthem God Save the King. It replaced Lunalilo's composition E Ola Ke Alii Ke Akua

E Ola Ke Alii Ke Akua

E Ola Ke Alii Ke Akua, translated as God Save the King, was one of Hawaii's four national anthems. It was composed in 1860 by Prince William Charles Lunalilo, who later became King Lunalilo. Prior to 1860, the Kingdom of Hawaii lacked its own national anthem and had used the British royal anthem...

as the national anthem. Liliuokalani wrote: "The king was present for the purpose of Criticising my new composition of both words and music, and was liberal in his commendations to me on my success. He admired not only the beauty of music, but spoke enthusiastically of the appropriate words, so well adapted to the air and to the purpose for which they were written. This remained in use as our national anthem for some twenty years or more when my brother composed the words Hawaii Ponoī

Hawaii ponoi

Hawaii Ponoī is the state song and former national anthem of Hawaii. The words were written in 1874 by King David Kalākaua with music composed by Captain Henri Berger, then the king's royal bandmaster. Hawaii Ponoī was one of the national anthems of the Republic of Hawaii and the Kingdom of Hawaii,...

."

Liliuokalani's memoir, Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen

Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen

Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen is a book written by Queen Liliuokalani, the last monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii. It was published in 1898, five years after the overthrow of the Kingdom...

, states: "In the early years of the reign of Kamehameha V. he brought to my notice the fact that the Hawaiian people had no national air. Each nation, he said, but ours had its statement of patriotism and love of country in its own music; but we were using for that purpose on state occasions the time-honored British anthem, "God save the Queen."

By July 1867, the song was printed and was available for purchase in Honolulu, becoming the first of her compositions ever published. This decidedly Christian song served as the national anthem for ten years until her brother, by that time reigning as King Kalākaua, set it aside in favor of his own composition, Hawaii Ponoī, in 1876.

Ka Makua mana loa	Almighty Father bend thine ear
Maliu mai iā mākou	And listen to a nation's prayer
E hāliu aku nei	That lowly bows before thy throne
Me ka naau haahaa	And seeks thy fostering care
E mau ka maluhia	Grant your peace throughout the land
O nei pae āina	Over these sunny sea girt isles
Mai Hawaii a Niihau	Keep the nation's life, oh Lord,
Ma lalo o kou malu	And on our sovereign smile
Hui:	Chorus:
E mau ke ea o ka āina	Grant your peace throughout the land
Ma kou pono mau	Over these sunny isles
A ma kou mana nui	Keep the nations life, oh Lord
E ola e ola ka mōī	And upon our sovereign smile
E ka haku mālama mai	Guard him with your tender care
I ko mākou nei mōī	Give him length of years to reign
E mau kona noho ana	On the throne his fathers won
Maluna o ka noho alii	Bless the nation once again
Hāawi mai i ke aloha	Give the king your loving grace
Maloko a kona naau	And with wisdom from on high
A ma kou ahonui	Prosperous lead his people on
E ola e ola ka mōī	As beneath your watchful eye
Hooho e mau ke	Grant your peace throughout the land
Ma lalo o kou aloha nui	Bless O Lord our country's chiefs
Nā Lii o ke Aupuni	Grant them wisdom so to live
Me nā makaāinana	That our people may be saved
Ka lehulehu nō a pau	And to You the glory give
Kiai mai iā lākou	Watch over us day by day
Me ke aloha ahonui	King and people with your love
E ola nō mākou	For our hope is all in You
I kou mana mau	Bless us, You who reign above
E mau ke ea	Grant your peace throughout the land

External links

• Youtube-Liliuokalani-He Mele Lahui Hawai'i

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