The Feeling Inside "ʻAukai's Starlit Voyage"
ʻAukai embarks on a starlit sea voyage, guided by ancient promises and the dreams whispered by the stars above the vast ocean.
Within Kai Mana, this song is one facet of love for Maui: gratitude, memory, longing, sensuality, reverence, playfulness, or release shaped for listeners who arrive with different moods and needs.
Images the Song Carries
- velvet night sky
- sea navigation
- guiding dreams
- ancient promises
Lyrics and Hawaiian Gloss
gentle lapping waves and distant star-chimes
Verse 1
The sun has set, the sea is still,
The horizon drinks its fill.
No land in sight, no guiding shore,
Just endless blue, forevermore.
But look above, the velvet deep,
Where ancient promises they keep.
Hōkū-nui, rise and gleam,
You are my map, my guiding dream.
Verse 2
Mānā, Hōkūleʻa, shine so bright,
You chart my course through velvet night.
The swell beneath, a whispered song,
Tells me where I do belong.
The wind, a sigh against my sail,
Carries wisdom, never frail.
The ocean breathes, the heavens gleam,
I am held within this dream.
Chorus
E hele kākou, e hoʻokele!
Nā hōkū lani, e ala mai!
Ka moana nui, ka lani nui,
Ke kūkulu hou ʻia e nā kūpuna!
E hele kākou, he ala nui!
Nā hōkū pā, e hoʻomau!
Verse 3
The phosphorescence, green and blue,
Like stars below, reflecting you.
The Milky Way, a silver trail,
Whispers stories without fail.
Of those who came on wooden wings,
Who heard the sea, who heard it sing.
Their courage flows within my veins,
Through wind and wave, through joy and pains.
Chorus – fuller
E hele kākou, e hoʻokele!
Nā hōkū lani, e ala mai!
Ka moana nui, ka lani nui,
Ke kūkulu hou ʻia e nā kūpuna!
E hele kākou, he ala nui!
Nā hōkū pā, e hoʻomau!
Bridge
wordless male chant harmony over swelling ocean and stars
Final Chorus – soft and fading
E hele kākou... e hoʻokele...
Nā hōkū lani... e ala mai...
Ka moana nui... ka lani nui...
Ke kūkulu hou... e nā kūpuna...
E hele kākou... he ala nui...
Nā hōkū pā... e hoʻomau...
Outro
Aloha, nā hōkū... mahalo, ka moana...
The Translation
Chorus
Let us journey, let us voyage!
Stars of heaven, awaken!
The grand ocean, the infinite sky,
Are built anew by the ancestors!
Let us journey along the great path!
Touch the stars, and press onward!
Outro
Farewell, o stars... gratitude, o deep ocean...
Understanding the Journey
“E hele kākou, e hoʻokele!” sets the rhythm of unity, calling everyone together to navigate the vast sea.
“Ke kūkulu hou ʻia e nā kūpuna” beautifully evokes the presence of the ancestors. As the voyager tracks the stars, they are not just finding a path—they are reconstructing the ancient cosmic map passed down through generations.