W$W% 
 
 ■ ■ ■ . 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 An Idyll of Hawaii 
 
 Rendered into Verse 
 By 
 
 Leopold Blackman 
 
 Honolulu 
 William C Lyon 
 

 
 COPYRIGHT 
 
> 
 
 31 
 
 To My Wife 
 
HONOLULU 
 THE MERCANTILE PRINTING COMPANY, 
 1902 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
Introduction 
 
 THE deeds, the valor of Kaupeepee — 
 The bravest, noblest of a noble race — 
 The story of his love, and how he won 
 The gentle Hina: won and held her, till 
 He, fighting manly, manly took the death: 
 Fair Hina, she the splendor of the race 
 That drew its life-spring from the gods of yore, 
 Who spread, athwart the gloom of dreary flood, 
 The fragrant islands of the Southern Sea. 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 FROM out the maze of the unnumbered isles, 
 That, ever lulled by balmy springtime, sleep 
 Upon the mighty sea that sternly thrusts 
 The restless West from the lethargic East, 
 Came Nanaula — offspring of the gods. 
 Then were the days of mist: the days when great 
 But nigh forgotten deeds of god and man 
 Loom dimly in the first thin ray of dawn; 
 Yet not less witness truth than shadows, traced 
 By light of night's young crescent, truly limn 
 The graceful fretting of the stately palm. 
 
 A thousand and four hundred times has earth 
 Drawn from the grateful sun her life anew, 
 Since, guarded by the gods he bore, who lit 
 Each night the beacon of the guiding star, 
 And leashed th' elusive wind within his sail, 
 Great Nanaula to Owhyhee came — 
 The mighty founder of a race of men. 
 
 So came he in that long grim barge, that built 
 Of massive timbers closely joined and caulked, 
 And, need be, might a hundred warriors hold, 
 Had constant battled on through unkeeled seas 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 And grimly held her way; impatient cleft 
 
 The long slow rollers with disdainful prow, 
 
 Had met the reeling storm, and proudly hurled 
 
 Its broken waters from her quivering deck, 
 
 Exulting in her proof of mastery. 
 
 Thus Nanaula came to Pele's isles, 
 
 From the far islands of the incensed south. 
 
 And with him were his wife, his stalwart sons, 
 That towered above the height of mortal man, 
 In godlike mien and perfect form that told 
 Their wondrous source : the dreaded priests that owe 
 Their mystic birth-right to the mystic three — 
 Kane, the author of this wondrous frame; 
 And Ku the mighty architect, whose skill 
 Had wrought the perfect work; and Lono, he 
 Who holds the winds and calls with rugged voice, 
 And tends the nether fires that roar within 
 The earth, and those on high that venging dart 
 From out the sullen cloud: and last, but set 
 In lesser mould, yet men of noble frame, 
 Whose bronzed thews, when winds had slacked 
 
 their aid, 
 The ponderous cradle of their race had thrust 
 Across the wave, the fathers of a nation 
 Yet to be, are given upon the land. 
 
 And here they dwell in simple need, and send 
 A hardy race through all the isles, and fill 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 The land with food producing tree and root, 
 — The gift of their first home — for ere that time, 
 These isles which wanton in a wealth of flower, 
 And palm, and cooling fruit, were well-nigh dry 
 And empty; beating back the searing blaze 
 Of da)^ with quivering breath, and desolate 
 And barren from those flames that raged when 
 
 earth's 
 Wild travail hurled them from the troubled sea. 
 Thus all the land was peopled, and each isle 
 Became a chiefdom, and where'er were men 
 Or holy ground, there temples to the gods 
 Were piled, where mystic priesthood offered to 
 The mystic three, and gods of lesser fame. 
 
 And all the land was ruled by simple law, 
 That all the land might know and all might 
 
 keep; 
 And since the chiefs and nobles were all men 
 Of godlike race, around them and the priests, 
 Whose source no man might know, to hold them 
 
 from 
 The common touch, was drawn the dread "Kapu," 
 Whose laws all said: "Obey or die!" — Yet were 
 These easy kept, and known to every man. 
 
 And all the land was peace, or nearly peace, 
 Save when, at times, was fought a hardy war; 
 Yet were these not of lust, nor crafty waged, 
 
Kawpeepee 
 
 Nor stained by cruel deed, but of that sort 
 That bringeth forth the manly in the man, 
 And breeds a manly race. 
 
 And thus they dwelt, 
 Till from that first were counted fifteen chiefs, 
 When from those isles which yielded up this race, 
 There came upon the sea a ruthless chief 
 Of kindred blood, with many a hideous barge 
 Of ruthless men. These, at the first by use 
 Of wile and cunning tongue, got for them land; 
 Then, as they grew, from over sea, to strength, 
 Began a savage war; and now by craft 
 And covert act, and now by open power 
 Of bitter fight, possessed them of the isles 
 Save Molokai, and here and there a land 
 Of little worth, which power of caring god, 
 Or might of doughty chief, or strength of place 
 Withheld. 
 
 And now, throughout a land, where late 
 Was peace and simple law, was sent the wail 
 Of broken people, harried by a foe 
 That knew no ruth; until the wailing and 
 The people both had ceased. Still were there left 
 Those valiant ones of Molokai, and here 
 And there a few that could not brook defeat; 
 And through the isles the blood of that fierce 
 
 horde 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 Of second men was nobled by the first, 
 Who gave unwilling wives. 
 
 Yet was this war 
 Of slaughter hardly won; for many a j'ear 
 That came with reeking blood and treachery, 
 With treachery and reeking blood went out: 
 And many a year those distant lands that gave 
 A race its birth, doled to a race its death; 
 For many a time the mournful sluggish heave 
 Of that dark flood gave up a hideous barge 
 Of madly howling death, and many a wind 
 From over sea bore death upon a fleece 
 Of soft white foam. Till, after that red day, 
 There came, in part, an end to bitter strife. 
 
 Yet was there never peace or rest within 
 The isles, such as there was, but ever change, 
 And war of wild revenge, which called revenge, 
 That echoed black revenge, throughout the 
 
 years. 
 Nor was there now a code of simple rule 
 That all might know and keep. Nor were the 
 
 laws 
 Of kapu those of reason, such as first; 
 But chief and prince who now held cruel sway, 
 Presuming on their godlike birth, enforced 
 An irksome code of useless laws, that were 
 But little understood, but broken paid 
 
 13 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 With death. Nor were there now the simple gods, 
 But unto these were added awful ones, 
 Demanding fearful rites, that slaked their lust 
 In blood of man, and scarce might be appeased. 
 
 Now, Hakalanileo was of that 
 Fierce blood that late had come from Kahiki, 
 The seat of our first home. By whom was held, 
 By right of might, Owhyhee's land that first 
 Is heaved within the glowing dawn. And on 
 A day came Uli over sea — Uli 
 The augur, mystic prophetess — whose ken 
 That looked far down the long drawn way of 
 
 time, 
 A sinuous barge had led unto that isle. 
 With whom her daughter Hina, wondrous fair, 
 Who, yet a child, foretold the glory of 
 A perfect womanhood. To these, the due 
 Of godly birth and mystic art, was given 
 A place within the land. And on the day 
 That Hakalanileo saw the child, 
 He marvelling at her beauty, mused, and went 
 His way: and Uli saw, and seeing read 
 The day that was to come. And now the years 
 Brought Hakalanileo once again 
 To see the child, and musing at her grace 
 He slowly passed: and Uli saw, and knew 
 That day the sadness of the coming years. 
 
 14 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 But Hina, all unmindful of the time, 
 Rejoicing in mere life and youth, lived out 
 The careless days; and learned the art of that 
 Far time as fitted her high birth, and knew 
 The water as the laud: the skill to poise 
 Upon the curling wave, and fly upon 
 Its crest that hurtles wildly to the shore. 
 
 And now she trod the wonder-way that marks 
 The passing of the maid, and trembling paused 
 Upon the hallowed marge of womanhood. 
 All beauty she. Her simple pa'u fell 
 From waist to knee: nought else of dress. A lei 
 Of bright red blossoms in her hair; and round 
 Her throat the kapued golden plumes that tell 
 Of noble birth. Her form, pure dignity: 
 Of noble height, and stately as the grace 
 Of coco palm against a crescent moon 
 That hangs upon the silvered night. Her face, 
 Pure loveliness. Her eyes, full large and dark, 
 Glowed with the dawn of life. Her waving hair, 
 Fine as the spider-web and black as night, 
 Caressed the soft warm roundings of her form, 
 And rippling draped her gleaming skin. Clean 
 
 curved 
 And full, her lips; yet not that fullness shown 
 By baser blood, but such as tells of youth. 
 Her voice, rich, clear, and soft, and full of trills 
 And little runs of melody, as hold 
 The ear entranced by their pure sweet tones, 
 
 15 
 
Kaopeepee 
 
 Unheedful of mere words. This Hina was. 
 All beauty she, and in the radiant dawn 
 Of perfect womanhood. 
 
 And now again 
 Came Hakalanileo back to see 
 The maid, and loved; and straight to Uli said: 
 " Give me thy Hina, for I would she be 
 My bride." Then Uli, augur, sadly spake 
 The evil she had seen that needs befall: 
 " Not so; no bride for thee." Then once again: 
 ' ' No bride for thee. ' ' And peering down the long 
 Drawn way of time, with darkened eyes: "I see 
 The coming doom, that gives her not to thee." 
 Then cried he proudty: " Nought is doom to me. 
 Long have I loved. Thy doom I nothing fear, 
 And therefore shall she be my bride." Then spake 
 Weird Uli, mystically, in anger: " 'Shall'? 
 Now hear me, for I say, though thrice thou be 
 That chief thou art. For that one proud word 
 
 'Shall,' 
 Thus say the gods: ' This Hina shall be thine, 
 And yet not thine, for soon the winds shall bear 
 Her from thee, and thy years shall slowly wear, 
 In weary search and helpless longing for 
 The love thy prowess could not hold.' " 
 
 Then once 
 Again that chief: " Thy threats to love are vain. 
 But fools are they who fear to take a prize, 
 
 16 
 
Kaopeepee 
 
 L,est they may some day lose. Not such am I, 
 
 And Hina shall be mine, and I, with life, 
 
 Will hold. Thy darkened threats to love are 
 
 nought." 
 Then she, the augur-prophetess replied: 
 "Yea so. This Hina shall be thine. Yet shall 
 The winds bear her away from thee. For strive 
 Ye as ye may, the shadowed fate will come." 
 Thus Hakalanileo bore away 
 His bride, and proudly scorned the threatened 
 
 doom. 
 
 Now through the years the isle of Molokai 
 Had held against that second race, by might 
 Of right, and stood, alone among the isles, 
 Unconquered, unafraid. Whose chief, now near 
 The shadowed vale, drew life in line direct 
 From that great one who first had keeled these 
 
 seas. 
 To whom two sons: the first born, he of song, 
 Kaupeepee — noble, valiant, true. 
 Now when he saw the land he loved beneath 
 The heavy yoke of foe that knew no ruth, 
 That ravened through the isles and had no sate, 
 And swallowed all the increase, thus he spake: 
 
 ' ' Oh, brother! Long my heart has failed to see 
 This desolation on our sister isles, 
 — A prey unto a foe of kindred blood, 
 
 17 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 That rapines without let. These lands, that once 
 Were filled with simple people of our blood, 
 Know them no more, but this fierce second 
 
 throng 
 Now lords the remnant with a heavy rule, 
 And gluts its fearful greed — a hungry shark 
 That tears the helpless flesh, and gulps the life 
 And will not be appeased. I dry beneath 
 A burning passion for a fierce revenge: 
 My brain all madness, and my heart all dead 
 To kindness, and the gentle ways of life. 
 
 "This cruel foe has shown no pity, nor 
 Has slacked its grasp, so will not I. Behold 
 I dedicate my days unto revenge, 
 And as a scourge will ravage all their coasts, 
 And yield the land to wails, and blood, and 
 
 death, 
 And come upon this alien as a blight 
 That blasts in league with darkness. Fear shall be 
 On all the harried lands, and added to 
 The fear of cruel death, shall be a fear 
 That clutches at the heart, for none shall know 
 The hand that smiteth. To this end I live; 
 Nor shall there come an end until I cease. 
 Thine is this people. Thine the birth-right. Yea 
 I yield them both to thee. Look that thou keep 
 Them sure. Fare-well. ' ' So spake that noble one 
 Kaupeepee, and in silence passed. 
 
Kaupeepec 
 
 Now on that side of Molokai that fronts 
 The star that holds its constant place, the coast 
 Is rugged, broken into bouldered capes, 
 And angry foaming gulfs; and all the land 
 Is wildly desolate. And there, a range 
 Of rugged cliffs is found that thrusts into 
 The sea, and lifts its ponderous bulk sheer from 
 The surging seas that thunder deep below. 
 A land of horror, sinister and wild, 
 And boulder-strewn with rocks of awful form . 
 A land all torn, and deeply scarred as from 
 The fires that hurled them from the womb of 
 
 earth. 
 A land in shape a club, with haft unto 
 The shore — grim threat of coming blood — broad 
 
 out 
 To sea and flat, and narrowing to the land, 
 And all around a towering wall of rock. 
 And on each side this hideous land of gloom, 
 A gulf of raging sea, that roars between 
 That first and other mighty bouldered piles. 
 And on all sides are caverns, yawning wide 
 Which suck the restless wave, and angry spue 
 It forth in gleaming clouds of fleecy spray, 
 That ever sudden shoot, and slowly fade 
 Away against the blasted walls of cliff. 
 And such Haupu's rock — the land of doom. 
 
 And hither with a valiant few, all men 
 That had a cause against the alien race, 
 
 19 
 
Kaupeepce 
 
 That chief Kaupeepee came. And here 
 They built a heiau to the gods, and homes 
 For wife and child, and piled a mighty wall 
 Of massive rock across the narrow haft 
 Of land, and hollowed long canoes, and hung 
 Huge stones upon the beetling cliff, to hurl 
 Upon the foe; and bode until their strength 
 Were sure, and then the time was full. 
 
 And now 
 Was loosed upon the sleeping shore of all 
 The isles, swift death enleagued with night, that 
 
 held 
 The coasts in fear. For swooping down beneath 
 The dark, those vengers took a heavy toll 
 Of spoil and bloody death. For many a maid 
 Was borne away to see her home no more; 
 And many a spear, with crimson life grew red, 
 For love of very hate; and many a home 
 Was put unto the torch, to pay a debt 
 Of kind. And ere the veil of night was raised, 
 Those gliding sombre barks put off upon 
 The flood, and passed unseen into the night. 
 
 And on a time, the coast of far Wahoo 
 Was put to flame and spear, beneath the dark. 
 But in the dawn, the fleeing clutch of long 
 Canoes was seen — a dark and hideous school 
 Of glutted sharks — held by the wind, near shore. 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 And then began a contest wild and fierce; 
 For all that coast sent forth its sleuth canoes, 
 And all its pride of men, who thrust the wave 
 With strokes of bitter hate, and lust for blood. 
 And all that day the race was sternly urged, 
 And all that day defiant shrieks of war 
 Were hurled and counter hurled from foe to foe; 
 Till in the eve, the land of Molokai 
 Was nearly reached — the avengers hard astern. 
 And now that howling horde of alien men, 
 With coming blood enflamed, have well-nigh 
 Clutched. But this the god that keeps that sea 
 Will not, and drapes a darkening mist around 
 Those valiant ones, who fade into the gloom. 
 
 Yet did not those fierce aliens slack their hand, 
 But hasted unto him who swayed that land, 
 — The aged sire of that unknown the3 r sought — 
 With whom was peace, and cried: " This bloody 
 
 scourge 
 That blasts our lands is harbored in thine isle. 
 Give us the way to seek, that we may sate 
 Our lust." In bitter irony that chief: 
 " Go search Haupu's rock for whom ye lust, 
 And wreak such vengeance on him as ye list." 
 
 Then to Haupu's seas the venging band 
 And saw the little few that dwelt secure, 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 And thought not of attack. And straight re- 
 turned, 
 From whence they were, and came with eighty 
 
 count 
 Of sails, that glided on, until the land 
 Of hate was made by night. Then, parting 
 
 ways, 
 The hostile fleets give silent for the gulfs 
 That cut far in the riven shore beneath 
 Haupu's hanging walls, and wait until the dawn. 
 And now the east is pale, and putting for 
 The sleeping land, those serried lines of war 
 Are caught upon a mighty tide, and hurled 
 Far up the little beach of soft white sand 
 That heads each gulf between the jaws of rock. 
 
 And now they leap upon the narrow beach, 
 And haste to draw their vessels from the wave, 
 And run now here, now there, to find a way 
 Above, and gaze amazed at the cliffs 
 That overhang the narrow shore. And now 
 They pause, awed by the dreadful silence of 
 The place, held by the spell of coming doom. 
 And even as they stand irresolute, 
 The horrid roar that crashes through the cloud 
 When gods are wroth, brake forth, and all the 
 
 lines 
 Of cliff that touch upon the sky, descend, 
 And cast them to the earth, and hurl, in ire, 
 Their battered corpses to the hungry sea. 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 Yet did a few, of whom their chief, escape 
 Within the battered barks, to tell the rage 
 Of those fierce gods that keep Haupu sure. 
 And thus, their lust appeased, they got them 
 
 back 
 From whence they were. 
 
 Now when the aged chief 
 Of Molokai heard how that few had flung 
 The aliens back to sea, he sent, by stealth, 
 For then was outward peace betwixt the isles, 
 A cloak wrought of the golden plumage of 
 The sacred bird that dread kapu but grants 
 To chiefs — a cloak of priceless worth, 
 That twice one hundred years scarce yielded up 
 The tale of golden plumes. And that same day 
 The sea gave up a ponderous barge by night, 
 Wrung from a sea-borne bole — the mightiest of 
 The isles — with well upon a hundred men 
 And all their gear of war. 
 
 And this huge gift 
 Of sire to son, Kaupeepee stains 
 All red: from mast to keel one red. And, in 
 This scarlet bark of death, sweeps all the seas 
 That wash those isles; and at the topmost spar 
 A proud kahili flaunts of crimson hue, 
 That all the coasts may know and trembling fear. 
 
 23 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 And now Haupu fills her homes with spoil 
 Of untold worth, wrung from the foe. Bright mats 
 Of richest dye, and kapa, soft and fine 
 As valley mist that melts before the dawn. 
 Huge calabashes of rare wood of rich 
 Design, and ornaments of ivory 
 And shell, rough carved with cunning skill. 
 
 And store 
 Of feathered helms and capes, bright red, and gold, 
 And green, that tell, each one, how fell the head 
 Of some old noble line. 
 
 And when that long 
 Red death thrust back its scarlet prow to land, 
 Deep down with spoil, Moaalii, he 
 The fierce shark-god of Molokai, whose veil 
 Of dark had snatched them from the closing foe, 
 Whose hideous mighty bulk, all draped with 
 
 bright 
 And fragrant leis of bloom glared out above 
 The cliff, was first done sacrifice. And all 
 The land was given to feast, and dance, and song. 
 
 Now Hina, bride of six sweet years, was come 
 Unto the perfect day of womanhood. 
 All glory she, mysterious, beautiful. 
 And through the isles her fame was sung, and 
 
 passed 
 To Molokai, and thus, at length, to great 
 
 24 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 Kaupeepee. Now when he, the first 
 
 And mightiest of that distant day, had heard 
 
 Of her, the fairest of that hated race, 
 
 He straight bethought him of his bitter hate. 
 
 Then that red barge was filled with proven men, 
 And store of war, and food for many days, 
 And glided from its haven in the rocks, 
 And two days after, came by night and hid 
 Unseen within a little rift that cleaves 
 The cliffs of Owhyhee. From there, in stealth, 
 Kaupeepee came by land alone, 
 Unto the place of Hina, she of song. 
 And, wondering at the splendor of her grace, 
 Unto his hate was added love. Sweet love 
 And bitter hate: these two that wrought the doom 
 That Uli knew. 
 
 And now the silver orb 
 Was growing to the full, and hallowed all 
 The land. A glory was on wave, and palm, 
 And shore. The incense of the fragrant air, 
 The wearied moaning of the distant reef, 
 The grace of palm, and hill, and curling wave, 
 Was all a land of mystery. 
 
 Through palm 
 And blossomed shrub comes Hina with her maids. 
 Awhile she pauses on the yielding sand, 
 
 25 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 Then backward throws her shapely head, and 
 
 shows 
 The perfect lines of throat and neck. Then lift 
 Her graceful arms, and shake upon the wind 
 Her pride of glossy hair. Now slowly glides 
 The all reluctant pa'u from her waist, 
 And forth she steps beneath the mystic light, 
 — The wondrous goddess of the wondrous place. 
 
 The foam receives them in its soft embrace, 
 And curls around their gleaming limbs. With 
 
 laugh, 
 And joyous cry. they cleave the rolling wave 
 And ride its toppling billow to the shore. 
 
 But all unseen, for many a night that moon, 
 A shadow, sinister and black, lies close 
 Upon the sea, beneath a jutting ridge 
 Of bouldered rock, and patient waits the sign 
 That jealous treachery will give. For she 
 Who first, ere Hina came, was only bride, 
 Will show a flame thrice dipped. 
 
 Six nights the barge 
 Has sought the shore, and six times stood for sea 
 At dawn. But now, behold! the looked for sign: 
 A flaming torch thrice dipped! 
 
 26 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 Then lo! from out 
 The shadow glides a slender long canoe 
 That paddles softly close within the reef. 
 And now it nears the laughing maids unseen; 
 And, yet unseen, it hovers near, just as 
 The sea bird poises motionless or e'er 
 It swoops. Then, with a sudden lusty heave, 
 It throws aside the wave and shoreward springs 
 Toward the thoughtless prey. 
 
 A wild alarm 
 Of frenzied flight shrieks on the quiet night, 
 As that dark unknown shape, half hidden in 
 Its whirling spouts of foam, hurls madly in 
 Theirmidst. With loud exultant yells fierce hands 
 Clutch swiftly on the frantic prey, and tear 
 The shrieking Hiua from the wave. Then with 
 A lunge the land is left behind, the long 
 Canoe sweeps out beyond the moaning reef, 
 Where, looming out to sea, that huge red bark 
 Of Molokai! 
 
 But, on the fading shore 
 A dreadful din of horrid drums clangs out 
 Upon the frightened night; and cries and wails 
 Are hurled in vain across the wild of sea, 
 That listens carelessly unto their woes 
 And still roars on in cruel mockery. 
 And fires blaze forth, and burning lights that flit 
 
 27 
 
Kaupeepec 
 
 Among the palms, until the fleeing land 
 Leaves all around the barge a raging wild 
 Of sea. 
 
 Two days are gone, and Hina lies, 
 All misery and dull despair, within 
 The home of that remorseless scourge between 
 Whom and her race there burns undying hate 
 
 Within a room that glows with soft clear light 
 Of the kukui nut, she weeps alone. 
 All the rich booty of that early day 
 Was there, torn with red hand and ruthless strife 
 From each reluctant isle. The walls are draped 
 With precious mats of costly dye, and hung 
 With pendent leis of shell and polished nut. 
 The massive beams that show above loom out 
 In the dim light, bright stained with pleasing hue. 
 Placed next the wall a couch, thick-strewn with 
 
 sweet 
 Sea grass, and rarest kapa, soft as foam 
 And fragrant with the breath of manj T blooms. 
 Upon the floor, thick mats; and through the room 
 Are many graceful ornaments of shell 
 And ivory, and calabashes of 
 Rare woods; and drinking cups, and vessels 
 
 carved 
 In stone and wood, and priceless feather work, 
 That tell of many a wrong throughout the isles. 
 
 28 
 
Kaopeepee 
 
 And as she weeps, uneomfbrted, alone 
 There comes the fall of feet, the hanging shakes 
 Along the wall, its heavy folds are drawn, 
 And lo! Kaupeepee! 
 
 Iyow she lies, 
 Her form pressed to the couch, all misery 
 He pauses, held before her grief in awe 
 And then: « o Hina, weep not thus. My heart 
 Is torn to see thee lie so sad. I love 
 
 Forget, and some day » Up she 
 
 in wrath 
 And, pouringforthfierce thoughts, confronted him. 
 
 "Notthat! Thou hated man of blood! Not that' 
 Or liberty or death. I hate thee! Thou' 
 Whose hands but now are crimsoned with the life 
 Of all these isles! Nay, give me death; for well 
 I know that never will thy hated hand 
 Unclasp its hungry grip. Yea, give me death! 
 Oh how I hate; the fury of my hate 
 Will rend me. Couldst thou know the depth of all 
 My loathing, thou wouldst, woman though I be 
 In fury smite me-thou that art no man! " 
 
 ^ She spake, and once again she sank. Then he- 
 O Hina, well I know that thy great grief 
 Not thou thyself, doth speak. Bear with me yet 
 Awhile, and I will briefly show thee all 
 My heart. 
 
 29 
 
Kaopeepec 
 
 " Thou knowest how these isles were once 
 But peopled with my blood, that dwelt secure. 
 Then came this alien line, who with slow craft 
 And cruel war have ravished all the land, 
 And broken all my people, save a few 
 That dwell in scattered lands of little worth. 
 All this, while yet a child, I saw, and held 
 Within my heart red hate. And when the time 
 Was near that I should rule, I yielded up 
 My due of birth, the chiefly office and 
 The people for revenge. And all these years 
 Of blood have been but to repay in kind. 
 And when I heard of thee and all thy pride 
 Of matchless beauty, forth I came to fill 
 Revenge. 
 
 " I came to thee in hate, but now, 
 Behold, I come in love. O Hina, dost 
 Thou think that I, who took my life to gain 
 A prize, will give it lightly up? And shall 
 I when my hate and love both bid me keep? 
 Beloved, dost not thou, too, know, not chance 
 Hath met us twain? No common man am I: 
 No common woman thou. The gods all will 
 We love, and Hina be it so." 
 
 He paused, 
 And through the room was silence, save the low 
 Dull moaning from the couch, and voices of 
 
 30 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 The restless wind without. And slow time 
 
 stayed, 
 Yet they two were unmoved, until at length 
 The moaning sank and feebly passed away. 
 And when the wasting flame was casting black 
 And wierdly dancing shapes along the floor, 
 She looked, and saw indeed no common man. 
 His mighty manhood towered aloft, and in 
 The failing light she traced the massive thews 
 And godlike mouldings of his perfect form. 
 And, in his noble brow, she read nought else 
 But majesty and godly manliness. 
 Then, in her inmost heart, she knew the gods 
 Would have it so. 
 
 But on the night the winds 
 Bore Hina far away, and wrought the doom 
 That Uli knew to be, confusion raged. 
 As, when the hive is spoiled its sweetness, fierce 
 Excitement swells aloud, and blindly drives, 
 From out the plundered home the raging hordes 
 That whirl themselves in burning fury to 
 And fro, enraged at all the world, in vain. 
 
 So on the coast of Owhyhee, the fierce 
 Loud cry for vengeance went aloft, and wild 
 Dishevelled women ranged the dark, and sent 
 The weird long moan of wailing through the 
 night; 
 
 31 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 And men put forth in haste along the coast, 
 And by the paling moon, that leagued with 
 
 wrong, 
 Groped vainly through the gorges of the cliffs. 
 
 And Hakalanileo, he whose pride 
 Had nothing feared the coming doom, and 
 
 scorned 
 Impending fate, raged through the night, aflame 
 With useless fury, mad with hate, and torn 
 With longing for the love his prowess could 
 Not hold. So raged he on till dawn was near, 
 To little purpose, purposeless — enraged 
 With grief. Then, with the light, began a quest 
 Throughout the isle that left no place un- 
 
 searched; 
 And after many days, came to his home 
 All broken with despair. 
 
 Then cried he to 
 Dark Uli: " Woman, ye whose sight sees 
 
 through 
 The coming years, reveal me where to seek 
 Her whom I mourn!" Then Uli, auguress, 
 Replied: " The end is hidden from me; for 
 To see were to reveal, and thwart the doom. 
 Long have I gazed upon the time to come, 
 But only this is mine to say: ' She, whom 
 Ye seek, doth live, and when the gods shall will, 
 
 32 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 The winds shall bear her back again. Than this, 
 All else is darkness.' " 
 
 Then in sorrow went 
 Great Hakalanileo back, and with 
 A band of proof, passed over all the isles, 
 And came to every chief and told the wrong, 
 And his great sorrow got him aid. And when 
 He came to temple, there, if so he might 
 Appease the angry gods whom he had scorned, 
 He sacrificed and offered priceless gifts 
 In vain. And every ancient one that traced 
 The destiny of man among the stars 
 Was asked in vain. For all was darkened. 
 
 Thus 
 At length, he got him back, despairing of 
 His search of two long years. 
 
 Then for a time 
 He lived in weariness, until his grief 
 That would not die, drave him in madness forth 
 Through all the isles again, till once again 
 His fury spent itself in part, to grow 
 Anew into a goad to drive him out 
 Once more. And thus were slowly wasted, on 
 A score of years, until, before its time, 
 The snow was on his brow, and all his strength, 
 Save that of love and hate, was well-nigh spent. 
 
 33 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 Now all these years the sons of Hina came 
 To manhood. Kana first of birth, a man 
 Of art and strategy, whose towering bulk 
 Stood great among the mighty race of chiefs; 
 And bold Niheu, a man of valiant deed, 
 Whose massive thews had held the furious tide 
 On many a stubborn day. 
 
 And year by year, 
 As Uli told the wrong, these vowed their lives 
 Unto revenge, and lived for this one end. 
 And Uli, ancient augur, through the years, 
 With awful rite and incantation fell, 
 Each god invoked in vain. For time was not 
 Fulfilled, and all was dark. 
 
 Till on a day, 
 The brothers came anew to vow revenge 
 To Uli, and to hear pronounced the spell 
 That venomed their black hate. And as she 
 
 called 
 On every god, behold a rigor seized 
 Her frame, and thus she stood with out-stretched 
 
 arm 
 And shaded eyes, that looked far down the long 
 Drawn misty way, and cried: "The veil has 
 
 passed ! 
 Behold, on fell Haupu's rock, her whom 
 Ye seek!" So spake and foaming fell. 
 
 34 
 
Kau 
 
 peepee 
 
 Then came 
 Those two fierce men unto their aged sire, 
 Great Hakalanileo, crying both: 
 " The darkened veil has lifted, and behold 
 Haupu's walls, thy wife our mother, hold," 
 Then he: "Not so. For three years since I came 
 To that red scourge, Kaupeepee, who, 
 My wrong delivered, straightway offered aid, 
 And threw his stronghold open to me, if 
 So be I wished to view. Yet did not I, 
 Believing in the very frankness of 
 The man." 
 
 Then spake Niheu: " Look ye for truth 
 From him whose every act unto his race 
 Hath been but blood and cruelty ? Despite 
 This very frankness is she there. And we 
 Will tear this haughty bird from his foul nest, 
 And fling his hated brood to feed the sea, 
 And sate the altars of our gods." 
 
 Then spake 
 Great Hakalanileo: "Do your will. 
 The people and the land are yours in this; 
 Yet bide I here. Yours be the battle and 
 The victory be yours. The flood of time 
 Has gone well-nigh above me, and my days 
 Are almost told. Yet shall I not go hence 
 Until my Hina come. Go ye and bring." 
 
 35 
 
Kaopeepee 
 
 Then went the word of battle through the land, 
 And every chief within the group that had 
 A cause against the foe, was straightway bid, 
 So be revenge were good, come sate his lust. 
 Then sudden expedition seized the isles, 
 And through the scattered coasts was heard, by 
 
 night 
 And day, the murmur of the coming war. 
 And spears of wondrous size were shaped, in length 
 Three men, and clubs of stone wrung from the rock, 
 And endless count of smooth-ground stones to sling 
 Upon the foe; and fleet canoes were wrought 
 In haste from boles of mighty bulk, that, borne 
 From unknown worlds, the welcome sea made gift; 
 And massive barks of two-fold length were shaped, 
 To right the wrong of thirty savage years. 
 
 And now the mighty force, with all its store 
 Of war, is met and ready to embark, 
 But first the awful gods must be invoked, 
 And many struggling victims sacrificed 
 With cruel rite, until they be appeased. 
 Then in the dawn the fleet of war, that counts 
 Upon twelve hundred barks, and darkens all 
 The sea, puts out from Owhyhee to make 
 The southern shore of Molokai, for there 
 The succors from the isles of far Wahoo, 
 And Maui, and the scattered lands that bear 
 The scar of that red brand of Molokai, 
 Are met. 
 
 36 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 And in the van is Uli — she 
 Who told of coming doom and leads revenge. 
 High on the deck of a long bark that breaks 
 The wave with stern twin prow, she sits and peers 
 With eager eye far down the way of time. 
 Her wasted form is bent beneath the flow 
 Of untold 5^ears, whose many lines cut deep 
 The haggard face. Her hair blows loose upon 
 The wind — a cloud of whitest foam that throws 
 About the brow of some black time seared rock 
 Of Molokai. A withered arm is raised 
 About the dimming eye, to clear the way 
 Of fate. And all around are mystic charms 
 That rule the days of man, and images 
 Of hideous shape, whose awful lust will be 
 Appeased with curs'd Haupu's blood. Upon 
 A hearth of stone and earth, there blazes at 
 Her feet, the fire, that never may be quenched 
 Until the end of savage doom be come, 
 Which throws weird odors to the air in clouds 
 Of heavy smoke. 
 
 Next come, in ponderous bark 
 That cleaves the rolling wave beneath the thrust 
 Of two long lines of blades, the sons of Hina. 
 On their brows rich helmets blaze beneath 
 The sun, all golden with the sacred plumes. 
 And on their stalwart shoulders priceless cloaks 
 Of downy feather work, that fall beneath 
 The knee, all gorgeous with the dazzling sheen 
 
 37 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 Of black and crimson plumes. And far aloft 
 Is flung a blood red pennon to the wind 
 That the fell land may know. 
 
 And last the long 
 Extended fleet of war canoes sweeps on, 
 As drives the pall cast by the scudding cloud 
 Athwart a sunlit plain. The dip of twice 
 Ten thousand blades throws back the morning sun, 
 And far above, in pompous pride, swells out 
 The bright expanse of nigh a thousand mats 
 To leash the northern wind. 
 
 Thus all that day 
 The coming war thrusts sternly on towards 
 The land of hate; and now the garish orb 
 Of day glides down within the rugged clouds 
 That hang above the distant rim of sea, 
 Until calm night enfolds the grateful world, 
 And darkness slowly deepens, and the barks 
 But loom as phantoms gliding through the night. 
 When lo! from out the trembling west, there glows 
 A wondrous light, which creeping gently o'er 
 The face of night, with faintest crimson lines 
 The fleecy clouds, until at length it tints 
 The distant east. And brighter grows the night, 
 Until the silvered clouds are all aglow 
 With softest crimson in a burnished sky, 
 And all the west is but one ruddy gold. 
 
 38 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 Then, with a sudden cry, there springs athwart 
 The gorgeous night a gaunt black form with hair 
 Upon the wind and withered arms upraised 
 Unto the skies, that cries the end of doom. 
 
 " Haupu! thou accursed land of hate! 
 
 Thy cruelties recoil upon thee, and 
 
 Behold, the brand is lighting! Land of woe, 
 
 That liftest thy proud head into the skies, 
 
 And vauntest in thy length of savage deeds, 
 
 Thy day of pride is setting in a west 
 
 Of universal red; and after that, 
 
 Chill night, the fear and silence of the place 
 
 Of death, shall compass thee for evermore. 
 
 " And thou, Kaupeepee, whose vile tongue 
 Could fawn in falsest friendship on the man 
 That thou hadst wronged, whose savage bark 
 
 has left 
 A trail of blood through all the seas, behold! 
 By these dark rites, I wreak thy final doom! 
 And all thy people done to death by spear 
 And flame, I give thee to the will of these 
 Fierce men whom thy red hand hast wronged. 
 
 Yet is 
 My perfect hate unsatisfied, for still 
 Will I pursue thee to that place where thou 
 Shalt pass from hence, and in the depths of Po, 
 Shall come upon thee my fierce power to hound 
 Thee evermore." 
 
 39 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 She paused, and on the fire 
 That smouldered at her feet, she threw a dust. 
 And now the hungry flames leap to the height 
 Around her hands, to sink and hissing rise 
 As those gaunt talons swiftly lift and fall. 
 And ever as she gave the awful rite, 
 A fearful incantation fell in that 
 Weird tongue of the first time, which none but she 
 Could frame, whose telling loosed the joints of all 
 That heard with fear. 
 
 And from the fading sky 
 The glory slowly passed, and darkness fell; 
 And through the air there went the chilly touch 
 Of night. And all the wild of sluggish sea 
 Was silent, save the lapping of the wave 
 And tapping of the cords above. 
 
 Now when 
 Kaupeepee heard the bruit of war 
 To come, he knew the time of final fight. 
 And passed unto that chief who late had come 
 Unto the sway of Molokai, to whom 
 Himself had rendered right of birth, and said: 
 "Oh brother, the full tide of blood of all 
 These savage years flows back upon my land. 
 A mighty host of war, from all the lands 
 That know my hand, is soon to put to sea. 
 
 40 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 " And now I know my day is come, for this 
 The gods have told. Yet would I leave unto 
 Our kin, untouched, this isle of Molokai: 
 The heritage of our long line of sires. 
 Now therefore, brother, since this foe may not 
 Be stayed, make thou a league with them and give 
 Them passage to Haupu's land through thine. 
 So shall this land be left unto our seed 
 Unscathed, and so revenge shall light on me 
 Alone. 
 
 ' ' But now I know we never more 
 Shall meet, for I go hence. Yet fear I not, 
 For ever have I seen this day. But e'er 
 That time, shall be a fight, such as there ne'er 
 Has been in days of man. Then shalt thou hear 
 How I, Kaupeepee, fell. Farewell." 
 So spake and slowly passed. 
 
 Meanwhile the strength 
 Of all the distant coasts is come to land. 
 Two thousand barks well forth their men — a 
 
 swarm 
 Of flies attracted by the coming death. 
 And now is sent to him who swayed that land 
 To give them passage to the foe; which straight 
 Is granted. Then the host, that night encamps 
 Upon the shore; and Kana, he who leads 
 The sea, next morn puts from the land and rounds 
 
 41 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 The isle with half a thousand war canoes. 
 And fierce Niheu, across the rugged isle, 
 Leads his wild hordes of aliens, till the dawn 
 Shows him upon the summit of the hills 
 That close Haupu in; and, looking down, 
 He sees the long black line of Kana's barks 
 Stretched wide, a mighty arch, far out to sea 
 Around the land of hate. 
 
 And one brought word, 
 In fear, about the morning watch, to brave 
 Kaupeepee that the hills and seas 
 Are black with war, to whom he smiling said: 
 ' ' So shall our spears not miss! " But when 
 He saw the mighty force on land and water, 
 Kaupeepee knew the day of doom 
 Was near. 
 
 And, looking down from out 
 The hills, dark Uli knew the day of doom 
 Was come, and standing on a riven pile 
 Of rock against the sky, she fiercely raised 
 Her haggard arms and wildly cursed 
 The foe. 
 
 Meanwhile, that chief Niheu, has sent 
 To brave Kaupeepee, the demand, 
 His mother, Hina, straight be yielded up. 
 
 42 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 To whom that noble one replied: " Come thou. 
 With all thy hungry horde, and take!" 
 
 Then, with 
 A countless band of warriors, fierce Niheu 
 Descended from the hills and threatened all 
 Haupu's rear, and wildly ranged around 
 The walls, and harassed all the line of war 
 In petty fight, if so he might distract 
 The foe from sea. 
 
 But all that morn, the war 
 That Kana leads has bided silent on 
 The watch; and now it flings, upon a wave 
 Of monstrous bulk, far up the surging gorge. 
 Then, dashing through the foam, the shore is 
 
 gained. 
 With wild triumphant yell, the feeble few 
 Who guard the long canoes and bar the way, 
 Go under in the frenzied rush. And now 
 The valued barks are reached, and with huge 
 
 rocks 
 And ruthless clubs their fragile sides are crushed. 
 And on the dreaded barge, whose hated keel 
 Has reddened every sea, the raging foe 
 Dash wildly in their frantic hate, and hack 
 Its ruddy thwarts with axe and club. But now, 
 While yet the flood of blind revenge holds them 
 Forgetful of the foe, the rocks above 
 
 43 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 Descend upon them as they rage beneath, 
 And all along that frowning blackened cliff, 
 The earth is torn and trembles with the weight 
 Of falling death; and all the gorge is choked 
 With blinding dust which slowly clears. Then 
 
 down 
 The rocky way, with spear, and club, an axe, 
 Kaupeepee hurls upon the foe. 
 
 And now the troubled waters of the gulch 
 Are crimsoned with the life of shattered men, 
 And closely packed with hideous forms, that toss 
 In awful helplessness upon its waves, 
 And turn, with every heaving of the sea, 
 Their limbs and staring faces to the day. 
 And, struggling wildly in the crimson foam, 
 The remnant seek to right the barks that have 
 Escaped the general wreck, while raving on 
 Their flanks Kaupeepee hangs with his 
 Fierce maddened horde, who club, and hack, and 
 
 thrust, 
 Their cruel weapons in the struggling flesh. 
 
 But Kana, he who led the fatal day, 
 Strove valiantly, like to a god, and held 
 His panicked men, and raged among the foe 
 With dreadful carnage. Whom he crossed, he slew. 
 And fain would he Kaupeepee meet, 
 But gods will not, for ever as the sway 
 
 44 
 
Kaopeepee 
 
 Of battle brought them nigh, the heavy tide 
 Of execution stayed their feet and held. 
 
 At length the sated slayers slowly tire, 
 And Kana, towering far above, withdraws 
 His broken few within the shattered barks, 
 And so regains the sea, with deed of might 
 That holds the foe appalled. From thence he tears 
 Vast boulders from the bed of sea, and hurls 
 Them fiercely on the thwarted foe. And he, 
 Kaupeepee, saw and cried amazed 
 With admiration: "This is Kana! I 
 Have heard of him. I^o, he too is a man! " 
 
 Then went the savage band with reddened signs 
 Of war, among the heaps of vanquished foe, 
 And such as yet had life received the axe 
 And spear. Yet were the few less scathed reserved 
 To fill the waiting altars of the gods. 
 And, thus adorned with gore and struggling prey, 
 Haupu's walls received them back. And all 
 That night was crimsoned with triumphant fires; 
 And frenzied joy and fierce defiance passed 
 Upon the winds, to tell the host without, 
 What welcome waited such as came unlooked 
 To grim Haupu's rock. 
 
 Meanwhile the camp 
 Of the enleagued chiefs was wildly moved 
 
 45 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 With madness of revenge. For that stern fight 
 Three thousand men of proof had left upon 
 The rocks; and all that day the foe was seen 
 To feed the bruised corpses to the sea. 
 Yet was their purpose firmly held to wipe 
 The scourge away. 
 
 And Uli goaded them 
 To frenzy with fierce taunts, and offered up 
 The rites of blood, and traced the awful signs, 
 And in that weird lost tongue invoked the gods, 
 And wildly shrieked the end of doom. 
 
 Then spake 
 The leader of the land, that chief Niheu: 
 " This heavy day has not all been in vain, 
 For now, their vessels lost, the prey is sure. 
 It profits but to hem Haupu close, 
 And slowly wear the foe with constant strife 
 Of little count, until he waste away 
 With toil and weary watching. Build we now 
 A moving wall of massive timbers joined, 
 And, thus protected from their whizzing bolts, 
 We'll slowly creep upon the foe, and hurl 
 These savage robbers from the world. 
 
 And this 
 Advice was good. Then came the fierce horde 
 down 
 
 46 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 Into the plain, and well without the wall, 
 Slung fast a murderous hail of smooth stone bolts 
 Upon the pent-up foe. Yet were they not 
 Unscathed, for in the fort, close set behind 
 The massive rampart of piled rock, were lain 
 The men who sling and ever find the mark. 
 
 And thus were slowly wasted many suns. 
 But all that time the timbered rampart grew, 
 And slender trees were wrested from the hills, 
 In length three men, like to Haupu's walls. 
 And these were lashed together, side by side, 
 In tens; until, at length, they lay across 
 The narrow haft of rugged land. Then, to 
 The top of every part, were fixed long poles, 
 And, with a mighty heave, the rampart reared 
 Its long extended bulk of quivering beams 
 Aloft into the skies. 
 
 And Uli saw, 
 And knew the day of long impending doom: 
 And brave Kaupeepee saw the time 
 Of final fight was come. 
 
 Meantime the throng 
 Of second men withdrew them from the grip 
 Of slowly closing walls. And day by day 
 The threatening mass of wood moved silent on. 
 
 47 
 
Kaopeepee 
 
 And day by day the worn defenders slang 
 
 A constant flight of stony bolts in vain — 
 
 Howbeit a few found rest within the skull 
 
 Of some too vaunting foe. And night by night 
 
 The watchmen watched in vain; and even those 
 
 Who left the wall to rest, could find no sleep; 
 
 For time again the frenzied wild alarm 
 
 Of false attack went shrieking through the night, 
 
 Until the eyes of all were heavy, and 
 
 The reins and minds were worn. 
 
 And, in the mist 
 Of middle dawn, the prey would gaze upon 
 The lessened space, and mutely meet upon 
 The shrinking ground the number of their days. 
 
 But yet full many a frantic rush leaped from 
 Haupu's wall, if so the moving threat 
 Might be hewn through or burned. And many 
 
 a time 
 The narrow space was red with mingled blood, 
 And strewn with swollen men, until the air 
 Was one corruption, and the alien nigh 
 Had passed away, but Uli goaded on. 
 
 And in the fort was sickness from the air, 
 And child and mother slowly died, and men 
 Of prowess failed. Yet was the stubborn pride 
 Of valor undismayed, although the fight 
 Was to the death. 
 
 48 
 
Kattpeepee 
 
 And ever moved the wall 
 Of doom, until, six spears without the fort, 
 It paused. Thus, for three lengthened days, it 
 
 stood 
 With ominous and threatening frown, while from 
 The summits of the opposing walls, each foe, 
 Through those long days and nights, hurled 
 
 vengeance and 
 Defiance on the foe. And in the fort 
 The worn defenders stood with short gripped club 
 And waited for the end. 
 
 At length there came 
 A blackened moonless night, with howling wind 
 And storm from over sea. And in the dark 
 And roar of striving skies, behold! the wall 
 Of wood is trembling down its sinuous length, 
 And stealthy feels its way upon the foe! 
 
 And smaller yet, and smaller, grows the space. 
 And nearer comes the bulk, until, just as 
 The east is paling, the two sloping walls 
 Are wedded at the base. Then, with a heave 
 Of many thousand backs beneath the props, 
 That mighty bulwarked mass, with awful lurch, 
 Swerves through the air and crashes with the roar 
 As of the travail of the nether world, 
 Upon the wall of rock. 
 
 49 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 Up swarms the band 
 Of aliens as the tide. And, first to gain, 
 Were great Niheu and Kana — gold from crown 
 To heel with sacred plumes that glitter in 
 The blushing dawn with gleaming ruddy light. 
 Upon their heads the graceful helms of red 
 And gold, and from their massive shoulders flow 
 Like cloaks of dazzling sheen. Their bronzed 
 
 limbs 
 Of dress and shield else bare, and in their hands 
 The quivering ihe poised aloft. And thus 
 They stand, two gods, against the glowing sky, 
 And urging on their men, plunge downward to 
 The fray. 
 
 And, after them, there clomb a horde 
 Of hungry aliens that out-match the foe 
 As ten to one. And now the awful scream 
 Of carnage roars apace, and in the dim 
 Low light of dawn the day of death begins. 
 There fights Moi — fierce warrior-prophet he — 
 Who from the isle of far Wahoo has fled 
 In haste to join Haupu's fate with his. 
 To whom Kaupeepee gives the wall, 
 While he himself upholds the second line, 
 Far down the narrow land. 
 
 With massive axe, 
 Adorned with crimson helm and gleaming cloak 
 Far thrown upon the wind, ranged brave Moi, 
 
 50 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 And scattered death among the second men 
 But Kana marked the awful work, and cleft 
 A path of blood, and came at him enraged: 
 " Vile traitor to thy land of birth! This day 
 Thy cursed flesh shall feed the sea, and thy 
 Rich spoils shall proudly tell on far Wahoo 
 How a false rebel fell." 
 
 So cried, and sprang, 
 And sent a dreadful blow full at the foe. 
 But, with deft art, Moi quick turned the club 
 Which yet nigh found its mark, for, bearing down 
 The guarding axe, it brake the shoulder blade. 
 But, with a mighty swing, that awful axe 
 Flew back, and curving swift aloft crashed through 
 The golden helm. Wide fling the arms, down 
 
 crook 
 The massive knees, and with a heavy lurch 
 Proud Kana sinks to earth. 
 
 But fierce Niheu 
 Had seen the hateful deed, and with a lunge 
 Of his huge weight, he drave the crimsoned spear 
 Deep through Moi's full breast. 
 
 And now the wave 
 Of second men has rolled above the few 
 Who guard the wall. Yet leave they there a toll 
 Of death full thrice the vanquished tale. 
 
 5* 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 Then down 
 The narrow haft, all red with war, they rush 
 Upon the steadfast band that bars the way. 
 And here Kaupeepee stands at bay, 
 All red and golden in his sacred plumes, 
 — A man of god like majesty — around 
 Him throng his valiant men of proof, in close 
 Array of spear and club and battle axe. 
 
 Now flings the first wave of the howling horde 
 Upon the little band, and straightway breaks 
 And backward reels, as reels and breaks the wave 
 Before Haupu's unmoved cliffs of rock. 
 And wave flings after wave, and yet that band 
 Of noble men holds firm and proudly shakes 
 Them broken back. Till, cumbered with the heap 
 Of slain and dying foes and their own dead, 
 They slowly backward give and form anew. 
 
 And yet the foe hurls madly on, until 
 Once more the pressed defenders give. 
 And all that fight Kaupeepee fought like to 
 A god: his golden plumes all rent and smeared 
 
 with gore. 
 And every place he paused in fight, a heap 
 Of broken corpses marked the stand. 
 
 And yet 
 The foe rolled dense, and ever dense rolled on, 
 
 52 
 
Kawpeepee 
 
 For number numberless. And yet the small 
 Heroic band grew less and less, and gave 
 Way stubbornly, until a score of men, 
 All breathless, full of sweat and gaping wounds, 
 Are brought to their last fight, beneath the gods 
 That fiercely glare above the heiau wall. 
 
 And, as they fight and slowly thin their ranks, 
 They see the blazing of their homes, and hear 
 The wild despair of wife and child. But still 
 They hew and thrust, and yet hurl back the foe; 
 And still Kaupeepee, wet with wounds, 
 Slays on; till, borne by very , numbers, he 
 And five red men are flung, all blood, within 
 The portals of their house of gods. But now 
 The wild devouring flames have seized the pile, 
 And forth they spring upon the foe to death. 
 
 Round close the savage aliens on their prey. 
 But still those valiant ones strew death, until 
 At length, that noble heart, Kaupeepee, 
 Of the heroic stand survives alone 
 Fast breathing out his crimson life from full 
 A score of wounds. But yet he proudly shakes 
 The howling aliens from his flanks, and brings 
 Down many a foe. Till lo! his heaving side 
 Is opened with a gash that nigh has cleaved 
 The seat of life; and reeling with pure pain 
 And failing light, his gleaming eye grows dull. 
 
 53 
 
Kaupeepee 
 
 But as he sways to fall, behold! a man 
 All bright with golden plumes, stands from the 
 
 throng 
 Of battle — -Niheu — son of Hina he. 
 
 Then swift uplifts the arm of that spent chief, 
 Kaupeepee, poising in the air 
 The deadly ihe for the last fierce thrust 
 Of death. But even as the gleaming spear 
 Is quivering e'er its flight, the dimming eye 
 Sees in the manly form the noble grace 
 Of her he loves. 
 
 Down sinks the arm, down drops 
 The spear, and as he droops he crieth: " Live! 
 Not for thy sake but hers! " 
 
 Thus fell the doom; 
 And round Haupu's blackened walls of cliff 
 There wails the moaning wind and troubled sea, 
 And evermore has closed the desolation 
 Of the place of death. 
 
 54