Fuifui he Taulanga (Birds [Hovering] Over the Harbour) Featured
Kolomu ‘Aati & Litilesa, Faiva Ta‘anga & Faiva Hiva (Art & Literature, Poetry & Music Column)
Fuifui he Taulanga (Birds [Hovering] Over the Harbour)
Ko e ta‘anga hiva kakala (Song of love, ‘sweet-scent-flowers’) fakafatu, fakafa‘u & fakaafo, fakafasi ‘e Taukolo, 1905 (Poetry and music composed by Taukolo, 1905)
Kupu, veesi 1
Fuifui he taulanga
Puna ‘o feteleni moe ata
Va‘inga he ‘Ufia-mo-Lata
Tui mei ai e maama
Kupu, veesi 2
Ta‘ahine ofo ‘o tangaki
Si‘ene taukapa he ma‘ahi
Si‘i siu kae kapa talifaki
He tuinga ‘oe fakaofilani
Kupu, veesi 3
Fakapo! Si‘ete hahanu
He po malu kae tokelau
Ka hifo he Hala Maluotalau
Pea ta‘ofia na‘a to a‘u
Kupu, veesi 4
Si‘i lou vunga kinita
He koe mesini ‘ae fuiva
Si‘a taukei hota faiva
‘Oku tau fe‘iloaki hua
Tau, kolesi
Ko hoku kakala, ko hoku kahoa
Kuo ‘osi tui pea fakahoa
‘Ae tokanga moe li‘oa
‘Ae mo‘oni pea moe ‘ofa
Koe ki‘i fakamatala moe huluhulu nounou
Na‘e fakafatu, fakafa‘u mo fakaafo, fakafasi ‘ae hiva kakala kupu, veesi 4, kohi, laini 4, tau, kolesi, kohi, laini 4, malie lahi ni koe ‘Fuifui He Taulanga’ ‘ehe punake kakato ko Taukolo he 1905 ta‘u. ‘Oku toe ‘iloa ‘ae ‘hiva kakala’ koe ‘hiva ‘ofa,’ ‘hiva tango,’ moe ‘hiva ‘eva,’ ‘aia ‘oku ngaue‘aki he ‘faiva ‘eva,’ ‘o tefito he ‘eva ‘ae tangata kihe fefine, ‘aia ‘oku fakahikihiki, fakavikiviki, mo fakasanisani ‘ae fefine kae fakamasivesiva, faka‘aki‘akimui mo fakatokilalo ‘ae tangata. Na‘e fua ‘iloa ‘ae ‘‘eva’ koe ‘tango,’ ‘o tefito he ‘‘ofa’ he vaha‘a ‘oe tangata moe fefine, ‘aia ‘oku fakatatau kihe ‘kakala,’ ‘o ui ai ‘ae ‘hiva eva’ moe ‘hiva ‘ofa’ koe ‘hiva kakala,’ ‘aia koe heliaki kihe ‘‘ofa,’ ‘o toe fakatatau kihe ‘mate.’ Na‘e liliu mei he ‘tango’ kihe ‘‘eva’ kihe ‘‘ave kaati-tali kaati’ kihe ‘faitohi,’ ‘o kau ai ‘ae ‘talitohi,’ ‘‘a‘ahitohi,’ ‘fakaleleatohi,’ moe ‘ma‘utohi.’
‘Oku hanga ‘ehe punake ‘o fakatatau (fakahikihiki, fakavikiviki, mo fakasanisani) hono ‘ofa‘anga kihe fuifui manupuna (manuma‘a, manuhina, moe manutea) ‘oku puna fakamanimani mo fakalavetala holo he mafoa ‘ae ata he taulanga, ‘aia ‘oku hange tofu hono naunau koe pupunga fetu‘u ko ‘Ufia-mo-Lata ‘ae fetapaki hono maama moe malama (kupu, veesi 1, kohi, laini 1-4). ‘Oku ‘anau noa-mo-vale ‘ae punake, ‘o pehē ange mai ke hoko ‘ene misi ‘o mo‘oni ‘ene tautaufa he ma‘ahi ‘oe ngalu fanifo koe kumi kai mei he hoihoifua ‘ae ‘ofa‘anga ‘ene hange ha kakala fakaofilani ‘ene funganitu‘utai (kupu, veesi 2, kohi, laini 1-4). ‘Oku toki mo‘oni heni ‘ae fifili ‘ae punake kakato ‘oku taku ‘o pehē, ‘Koe misi koe me‘a launoa, Ko hono toli he ‘ikai lava’ moe ‘Koe ‘ofa he ‘ikai lava faito‘oa ‘e taha,’ ‘aia ko hono faito‘o pe, ‘Koe ‘mate’ kuo pau he ‘‘ofa’ ‘ene ta‘epau!’
‘Oku ofovale ‘ae punake mei he‘ene mohe, ‘o ongona ‘ene he‘aiki ‘oiaue ‘fakapo’ moe faka‘amunoa ha po malu ke angi tokelau hono matangi mafana moe ‘lavili uini,’ moe fakamunomunanoa pe ke pehē ange mai ke hifo atu he Hala Maluotalau he loto taulanga ‘i loto Neiafu, ‘o ‘oua mai nai ke toe ta‘ofia ‘eha taha kae a‘usia mo siofia hono ‘ofa‘anga (kupu, veesi 3, kohi, laini 1-4). ‘Oku tautapa mo tauto‘e ‘ae punake kihe vunga ‘ae kakala ‘iloa ‘ene tupu ‘afa‘afa, ‘o hufaki ha meesi moe tapuaki mei he fuiva ‘ene kapapuna fakavaleanga he kuo to‘oa ‘ae ‘atamai moe lelea ‘ae loto he‘ene hiva, pea moha punake he faiva tala moha taukei he faiva ‘eva kene fakaa‘u hono fononga faingata‘a he kuo tolounua ‘ae ‘atamai koe mala mo tu‘ia ‘ae loto koe ‘ofa (kupu, veesi 3, kohi, laini 1-4). ‘Oku toki toe mo‘oni ‘ae lau ‘ae punake, ‘‘Oku tatau tele ‘ae ‘‘ofa’ moe ‘mate’!’
‘Oku toki ngalutuku ‘ae punake he‘ene lau hono ‘ofa‘anga ko hono ‘kakala,’ ‘o tapu toe hu‘i ‘e taha pe ngofua ke toe luva kiha taha kihe holoikuonga pea lauito‘utangata, ‘aia ko hono ‘kahoa’ tauleva kihe pa‘angangalu kuo ‘osi ‘tui’ pea ‘fakahoa,’ ‘o fungani koe ‘tokanga,’ ‘manako,’ moe ‘li‘oa,’ ‘ka‘anga,’ mo laloni koe ‘mo‘oni’ ta‘ele‘eia moe ‘‘ofa’ ta‘engata (tau, kolesi, kohi, laini 1-4). ‘Oku toe malie lahi hono ngaue‘aki lelei ‘ehe punake ‘ae fakakaukau fakafilosofia loloto fau ‘oe ‘hoa,’ ‘o hange koe ‘tu‘utauhoa’ ‘ae me‘a fua pe he ‘iai, ‘i mamani, natula, ‘atamai, moe fonua, sosaieti, ‘aia ‘oku kau ai ‘ae ‘aho-po, mo‘ui-mate, moe fiefia-mamahi. ‘Oku toe kau heni ‘ae ngaahi ‘hoa’ koe fuifui-taulanga, feteleni-ata, ‘ufia-lata, ofo-tangaki, taukapa-ma‘ahi, fakapo-hahanu, po malu-angi tokelau, ta‘ofia-a‘u, vunga-fuiva, taukei-faiva, moe fe‘iloaki-hua (kupu, veesi 1-4).
In brief English summary
This most beautiful work of art and literature in love poetry (hiva kakala ‘song of sweet-scent flowers’) ‘Fuifui he Taulanga’ (‘Birds [Hovering] Over the Harbour’), which is yet to be fully translated into English, was composed by master poet Taukolo in 1905. He uses creatively and innovatively in both affective and effective ways the three types of heliaki, meaning ‘metaphorically saying one thing but really meaning another,’ namely, qualitative epiphoric heliaki (fakafetongiaki), associative metaphoric heliaki (fakafekauaki), and constitutive metonymic heliaki (fakafefonuaki). Of special mention is his creative-innovative, affective-effective deployment of the Tongan tavaist philosophical concept and practice of hoa as inseparable, indispensable pairs of equal and opposite binaries, notably, the chorus, as in ‘reverence-perseverance’ (‘tokanga-li‘oa’) and ‘true will-real love’ (‘mo‘oni-‘ofa’):
Tau, kolesi
Ko hoku kakala, ko hoku kahoa
Kuo ‘osi tui pea fakahoa
‘Ae tokanga moe li‘oa
‘Ae mo‘oni pea moe ‘ofa
Chorus
My sweet-scent flowers, my garland
Which has been plaited in pairs
Of both reverence and perseverance
Of both true will and real love