Loketi ‘o e ‘Otu Felenite (Rocket of the Friendly Isles) ^Featured

 Kupu, veesi 1                                                    

Loketi ‘oe ‘Otu Felenite*                                    

‘Oku siutaka ‘i hono mala‘e                            

‘O fakamanimani ‘ihe Tahi Saute                   

‘O tamafua ‘ihe kolope                                       

Kupu, veesi 2                                                     

‘Oka houhou ‘ae tu‘a Koloa                               

Pea ongo ‘i Vava‘u moe ‘otumotu tonga          

Teu talanoa kihe ngaluta‘ane**                       

‘Oka akefasi, pea fakamanavahe!                     

Tau, kolesi                                                     

 ‘Ilonga ha sola pea ne ‘eke                                

Tu‘u ‘o mamata moke fakalongo pe                    

He kuo kapapuna ‘eni e ‘ikale                            

Koe manule‘o e 'Otu Felenite                            

Hala Taufa tu‘u ‘o mamata***                            

He teu va‘inga he kuo longotangata               

Longolongo tevolo pea manamana                 

Tu‘utu‘uloa pea mo hono anga                         

English Translation

Verse 1

Rocket of the Friendly Isles*

It encircles its sphere of influence

Graceful it does in the South Seas

Where it hunts in the globe

Verse 2

When the cliff waves at Koloa break

Echoing thro’ Vava‘u to the southern isles

Let me talk about the male waves**

As they crash in fierce, how frightful!

Chorus

It takes a stranger to wonder and ask

Do standstill and watch in dire silence

The eagle has been flying and hovering

As guarding bird of the Friendly Isles

Taufa Road stays put and watches***

I shall play as it has been exuberant

It‘s eerily devilish with flashing thunder

As the storm dark clouds gather in force

 (** As male waves, they are variously called ngaluta‘ane, peauta‘ane, ngalutangata, peautagata, and ngalukula, peaukula [ that is, ‘red waves,’ a species of ‘killer waves’ known in English as tidal, seismic, waves, and Japanese as tsunami]); ***Hala Taufa = Hala Taufa‘ahau; Taufa Road = Taufa‘ahau Road).

Koe ki‘i fakamatala moe huluhulu nounou

‘Oku malie fau ‘ae ta‘anga hiva fetau moe viki ‘Loketi ‘oe ‘Otu Felenite’ ‘ae punake ni ko Toamotu Wolfgram kae tautefito ki he‘ene ngaue‘aki lelei ‘ae fa‘ahinga ‘e tolu ‘oe heliaki, ‘o ‘lea kihe me‘a ‘e taha kae ‘uhinga kihe me‘a ‘e taha,’ ‘aia koe heliaki fakafetongiaki, heliaki fakafekauaki, moe heliaki fakafefonuaki.

 Na ‘e fakafatu, fakafa‘u ‘ehe punake ‘ae hiva fetau moe viki ‘Loketi ‘oe ‘Otu Felenite’ ma‘ae kau hiva tame‘a koe ‘Loketi ‘oe ‘Otu Felenite’ mei he motu ko Koloa (mo Holeva) he muifonua fakahahake ‘o Vava‘u, ‘o e kau Maui he matapa hu‘anga ki Lolofonua, moe kau Tu‘i Tonga he‘enau fa‘a fakahakonoa ki Vava‘u.

‘Oku kau ‘a Koloa mo Holeva, mo Pousini fakataha mo ngaahi motu ko Ofu, Olo‘ua, mo Tapana, he ‘otumotu hahake, ‘aia ‘oku nau tu‘u kotoa he muifonua fakahahake ‘o Vava‘u, ka na‘e ‘ikai ha ‘otumotu tokelau, ‘otumotu ‘olunga, ‘northern islands,’ moe ‘otumotu hihifo he fakatokelau moe fakahihifo ‘o Vava‘u.

 ‘Oku ngaue‘aki lelei ‘e Toamotu ‘ae ngaahi lea ‘Ingilisi, ‘o hange koe loketi (rocket), Felenite (Friendly), kolope (globe), ‘ikale (eagle), moe tevolo (devil), ‘aia ‘oku ‘ikai ngata pe ‘ene hoko koe heliaki fo‘ou he faiva ta‘anga moe tufunga moe faiva lea Tonga kae toe hoko koe fakakoloa mo fakatupuleakina ‘ae lea Tonga.

 ‘Oku ma‘u ‘ae lea ‘‘Otu Felenite’* mei he ‘‘Otumotu Felenite’ koe ma‘u mei he ‘Otumotu Anga‘ofa’ mei hono fakahingoa ‘ehe kaivai ongoongoa ko Kuki, Tute, ‘ae ‘Otu Ha‘apai’ (pe ‘Otumotu Ha‘apai), ‘aia na‘e toki mafola mo ohi koe hingoa fakatenetene ‘o Tonga kotoa koe ‘Otumotu Anga‘ofa’ pe ‘Otu Felenite ‘Ailani.’

 ‘Oku toe malie atu ‘ene ngaue‘aki ‘ae ‘‘otumotu tonga,’ ‘o fetongi‘aki ‘ae ‘ ‘otumotu lalo,’ ‘aia ‘oku fakatou ‘uhinga koe ‘‘otumotu tonga,’ ‘o ‘iloa he lea ‘Ingilisi koe ‘southern islands,’ ‘aia ‘oku kau ai ‘ae ngaahi motu ko Pangaimotu, ‘Utulei, ‘Utungake, mo Talihau, Hunga, Taunga, ‘Euakafa, Mala. moe fe fua.

 ‘Oku toe ma‘u heni ‘ae hingoa koe ‘Lolofonua,’ ‘Lalofonua,’ ‘aia ‘oku ‘iloa he lea ‘Ingilisi koe ‘Underworld,’ ‘o ‘uhinga na‘e tu‘u ‘i ‘lalo,’ ‘i tonga, ‘aia ‘oku ‘iloa he lea ‘Ingilisi koe ‘down-below,’ ‘down-under,’ ‘south,’ mei he sio ‘a Fisi mo Ha‘amoa, mei he ‘faka‘olunga,’ ‘fakatokelau,’ pe ‘up-above,’ ‘northern’ he lea ‘Ingilisi.

In brief summary

The song of rivalry and praise ‘Rocket of the Friendly Isles’ was composed by Toamotu Wolfgram for the Rocket of the Friendly Isles band of the island of Koloa, the ancient residence of the Maui deities, where the entrance to the Underworld stood, and the royal residence of the Tu‘i Tonga, at the eastern tip of Vava‘u.

The poet Toamotu both affectively and effectively uses the three types of heliaki, meaning ‘symbolically saying one thing but really meaning another,’ namely, qualitative epiphoric heliaki, associative metaphoric heliaki, and constitutive metonymic heliaki, both local and foreign metaphors, in original and creative ways.

He makes both affective and effective use of English words, which are beautifully translated into Tongan, such as ‘loketi’ (rocket), ‘Felenite’ (Friendly), ‘kolope’ (globe), ‘‘ikale’ (eagle), moe ‘tevolo’ (devil), thereby consolidating new forms of heliaki, as do many others, such as Queen Salote, Siosaia Mataele, and Semisi ‘Iongi.

The word ‘’Otu Felenite’ is short for ‘‘Otu Felenite ‘Ailani’ and ‘‘Otumotu Felenite,’ all meaning ‘Friendly Isles,’ translated into ‘‘Otumotu Anga‘ofa,’ which literally means ‘Islands of Love,’ a nickname given by Cook to Ha‘apai in 1777, when he and his men were overly treated with both generosity and hospitability.

 His creative use of ‘‘otumotu tonga,’ ‘southern islands,’ in place of ‘‘otumotu lalo,’ ‘islands down-below, down-under,’ both meaning ‘southern islands,’ in Vava‘u, is well-taken (from Fijian-Samoan perspectives), when both the words ‘tonga’ and ‘lalo’ mean ‘south’ and ‘down-below, down-under,’ both meaning ‘south,’ respectively.

By the same token, the Lolofonua, Lalofonua, that is, Underworld, or, World-below, the domain of Maui deities, is really Tonga, when seen from both Fijian and Samoan perspectives, situated northerly, with both symbolically named Pulotu, Afterworld, and Langi, Sky, the respective realms of deities Hikule‘o and Tangaloa.