Lei Ohaoha (Perfect Lei) - Words & music by David Nape

Nani wale au e ʻike nei
I ka kākela ku ʻike alo pali
I laila hiaʻai ka manaʻo
I ka hana a ka uwila

Hui:
Ohaoha wale kuʻu lei
I ka līhau ia e ka ua noe
Ka hikina ʻana mai i ka pō nei
Hoʻopumehana i kuʻu poli

Mea ʻole ia pouli nui
I hanu ia mai e ke ʻala
Mea ʻole ka loa o nei kula
Ke anu me ke koʻekoʻe

It is wonderful to me to see
A castle before the face of cliff
It was there that my heart was thrilled
At the motion of the lightning

Chorus:
Perfect if my lei
Wet in the misty rain
When she came to me last night
She warmed my heart

Great
darkness is as nothing to me
Just to smell your fragrance
As nothing to me is the distance
Across the plain, the cold and bleak


Source: Hopkin's "Aloha Collection" - Ohaoha means every flower fresh and perfectly formed. Translated by Mary Pukui. Copyright Charles Hopkins, 1899