Taumaia (If Only, I Wish) ^Featured

Ko e ta‘anga hiva kakala (Love song). 

Ko e fakafatu, fakafa‘u, moe fakaafo, fakafasi, ‘e Tu‘imala Kaho (Poetry and music composed by Tu‘imala Kaho)

Ko e liliulea ‘Ingilisi ‘e Fetongikava Dr Viliami Uasike Latu & Hufanga He Ako Moe Lotu Professor Dr ‘Okusitino Mahina (English translation by Fetongikava Dr Viliami Uasike Latu & Hufanga He Ako Moe Lotu Professor Dr ‘Okusitino Mahina)

Kupu, veesi, 1                                                

Taumaia keke ‘iloa                                

‘Ae si‘i ‘ofa kuo tuenoa                           

Fiu ‘ukuma kete hanganoa                      

Kae kite ma‘u pe si‘o fofonga 

Verse 1

If only, I wish you ever know

Mine true love you‘ve deserted

 How it‘s unbearable to forget

Your dear image pops up always

Kupu, veesi, 2                                                

Malu ‘ae po ka teu manatu                      

Ho‘o to‘onga kau fakalau                                 

Kumi a mu‘a si‘ao tatau                         

‘Ofa moe manatu teu fua pe ‘e au              

Verse 2

 When night falls, I do recall

Your lovely ways, I count in total

 Go on forth seeking your equal   

Love and memory, my burden in all  

Kupu, veesi, 3                                                

He kuo te ‘i matangi vale                        

Kave‘itu‘atatau ‘ofa hulu pehē                 

Ta ‘oku ifonoa ‘ae mate                           

‘I hota maheni kuo mavae                                    

Verse 3

 I‘ve been off-course in wild wind

 Aimless am I overly in real love

  Death‘s perfect a delicious choice

More so, when our vow has parted

Tau, kolesi                                         

Fungani ‘ae ‘ofa ‘ihe mamahi                   

He na‘a te lau ko hoto kapani                 

Pea kuo ha mai ‘eni kia kita                 

Ta koa koe ‘ofa lau pe ia                        

Chorus

Love peaks aching in sadness 

You‘re my sole companion, I confess

But, now it has been clear to me

That your love is spoken only

Ko e ki‘i fakamatala moe huluhulu nounou

Na‘e fakafatu, fakafa‘u, mo fakaafo, fakafasi, ‘ae hiva kakala malie fau koe ‘Taumaia’ ‘ehe punake kakato ‘iloa ko Tu‘imala Kaho he 1980 tupu ta‘u, pea moe hako foki ‘a Tu‘imala ‘oe kau punake moe kau toutai ‘iloa, ‘o mo‘oni ‘ae lea Tonga heliaki kuo fakatokotokonaki, ‘koe hulihuli ‘oe ‘akau kuo tahi.’ ‘Oku fakakalauni ‘a Tu‘imala ‘e mamani koe ‘Naitingikeili ‘oe Pasifiki’ koe heliaki kihe ongo ‘melie’ mo ‘malie’ hono le‘o ‘ene ifo mo vovo, ‘aia ‘oku kau ai ‘ene hiva ‘ae ta‘anga ni, ‘o ‘ange‘ange ‘ae fatu moe fa‘u he afo moe fasi. ‘Oku toe ‘iloa ‘ae ‘hiva kakala’ koe ‘hiva ‘ofa’ koe ‘hiva tango’ (koe motu‘a lea kihe ‘‘eva’) koe ‘hiva ‘eva’ ‘ae tangata kihe fefine mo hona va, ‘o ngaue‘aki ‘ae ‘hiva kakala’ koe heliaki kihe ‘ofa‘anga, ‘aia ‘oku tatau hono faka‘ofo‘ofa mo ‘ene ‘alaha kihe ‘kakala,’ mo fakatatau ‘ae ‘mate’ koe heliaki kihe ‘‘ofa.’

 ‘Oku ngaue‘aki lelei ‘ehe punake ‘ae fa‘ahinga ‘e tolu ‘oe heliaki, ‘o ‘uhinga koe ‘lea kihe me‘a ‘e taha kae ‘uhinga kihe me‘a ‘e taha, ‘aia koe heliaki fakafetongiaki, heliaki fakafekauaki, moe heliaki fakafefonuaki. ‘Oku kamata ‘ae punake he‘ene faka‘amunoa, ‘o pehe ange mai ‘oku ‘iloa hono ‘ofa‘aga ‘ae tuenoa ‘ene ‘ofa, ‘aia ‘oku ne ‘ukuma ma‘u ke hanganoa kae ‘ikai pe ha ‘utuehakea he ‘oku kite ma‘u pe kiai (kupu, veesi 1, kohi, laini 1-4). ‘Oku ne fakalau ma‘u he‘ene manatu ‘ene to‘onga fakalata mo fakangalongata‘a kae fakavaleanga, ‘o tautefito kihe malu‘aki mai ‘ae po moe po‘uli mo hono ongo fakavaleloto kae fema‘uaki atu ‘ae ‘aho mo hono ‘ulo, pea neongo ‘ene toe kumi hano tatau kae tuku pe mu‘a hono ngafa kene fuesia ‘ae mamafa moe faingata‘a ‘ene ‘ofa loto moe manatu ongo (kupu, veesi 2, kohi, laini 1-4).

 ‘Oku hoko atu ‘ae punake hono fakafuo ‘ae loloto, loloa, moe maokupu, ‘oe uho ‘ene ta‘anga, ‘o lave kihe nanunga ‘ae mamafa moe faingata‘a ‘ene fuesia ‘ene ‘ofa hulu moe manatu fakautuutu, ‘aia ‘oku hange ha vakahe, vakamole, moe vakamate ‘oku fakatou taumu‘avale mo taumulivale, ‘o ifonoa kiai ‘ae mate he‘ena maheni kuo mavae (kupu, veesi 3, kohi, laini 1-4). ‘Oku tumutumu ‘ae mamafa moe faingata‘a ‘ene ‘ofa hulu moe manatu fakautuutu he mamahi he‘ene taku hono ‘ofa‘anga ko hono kapani kae toki ‘asi mo mahino mai kiai ta koe koto ‘ofa lau kotoa pe ia (tau, kolesi, kohi, laini 1-4). ‘Oku ngaue‘aki ‘ae mate koe heliaki kihe ‘ofa, ‘o uhinga ‘oku tatau ‘ae ‘ofa kihe mate, ‘aia ‘oku ifo mo vovo ‘ae mate he mamafa moe faingata‘a ‘oe ‘ofa moe manatu, ‘o hange ko ‘ene tuenoa moe hanganoa, pea ifonoa leva ‘ae mate he mo‘ui mamahi.

 ‘Oku toe malie lahi hono ngaue‘aki ‘ae fakakaukau fakafilosofia fakata-va fakaTonga (mo fakaMoana, faka‘Osenia) ‘oe ‘noa’ moe ‘hoa,’ ‘o hange koe ‘tuenoa, ‘ ‘hanganoa,’ moe ‘ifonoa’ (kupu, veesi 1, kohi, laini 2-3; kupu, veesi 3, kohi, laini 3). ‘Oku ‘uhinga ‘ae ‘noa’ kihe vaha‘a ‘oe ‘hoa,’ ‘o hange koe ‘tuenoa’ he vaha‘a ‘oe ‘tokangaekina’ moe ‘li‘ekina,’ ‘hanganoa’ kihe vaha‘a ‘oe ‘tokanga’ moe ‘ta‘etokanga,’ moe ‘ifonoa’ kihe vaha‘a ‘oe ‘ifo’ moe ‘ta‘eifo’ moe ha fua. ‘Oku hala mama‘o fau ‘ae ma‘u ‘oku ‘uhinga tokua ‘ae ‘noa’ kihe ‘hala‘ata’ (nothing, nothingness). ‘Oku pehe tofu hono faka‘uhinga ‘oe ‘talanoa’ ‘oku ngaue‘aki koe ‘motolo’ (model) he ako, faiako, moe fakatotolo, ‘o ‘uhinga tokua koe ‘tala ‘oe hala‘ata’ (talk about nothing) kae ‘uhinga kihe vaha‘a ‘oe ‘talatonu’ moe ‘talahala, ‘o hange pe koe ‘0’ (noa) he vaha‘a ‘oe 1 moe -1 he fika.

In brief English summary

This great song of ‘song-of-sweet-scent-flowers’ (hiva kakala) was composed and put to both music and dance by well-known poet Tu‘imala Kaho, ‘crowned’ as the ‘Nightingale of the Pacific,’ a heliaki for both the ‘sweetness’ and ‘beauty’ of her ‘magical’ voice. Tu‘imala descends from a rich heritage of both refined poets and navigators. The hiva kakala ‘song of sweet-scent-flowers’ is also known as ‘hiva ‘ofa,’ ‘hiva tango,’ and ‘hiva ‘eva,’ all are concerned with the performance art of courting (faiva ‘eva), especially of women by men. The word ‘tango’ is the older word for ‘‘eva,’ meaning ‘courting,’ where ‘kakala’ (sweet-scent flowers) is used as a heliaki for the beauty of women and of love (‘ofa) as a noble human sentiment. Herein, love (‘ofa) is by way of heliaki made to equal to death (mate), involving both factual, actual, love (‘ofa) and metaphorical, symbolic, death (mate).

The poet makes creative and innovative use of the three types of heliaki, meaning ‘metaphorically saying one thing but really meaning another,’ namely, qualitative epiphoric heliaki, associative metaphoric heliaki, and constitutive metonymic heliaki. She begins with the state of her love, wishing only if her sweetheart knows of his desertion of her love, when his image, by trying to forget, keeps appearing in her mind and heart (verse 1, lines 1-4). This is all happening basically at nightfall, when she recalls his lovely ways, even if he looks for another love, she accepts them all as her rightful dues (verse 1, lines 1-4). She is now utterly disoriented, because of her overflowing love, when death over life is of no consequence (verse 3, lines 1-4). All this, while violently aching, peaks in sadness, especially when she takes him her sole companion, now learning, knowing he is only a pretender (chorus, lines 1-4).

She, by joining the ranks of great poets, delves right into the form of her subject matter, exploring its depth, length, and breadth, and focusing on the mind (‘atamai) and thinking (fakakaukau), in the brain (‘uto), and feeling (ongo) and desire (loto), in the heart (fatu, mafu), qualifying her (and her fellow poets) as a psychologist and psychiatrist on her own rights. On the other hand, she handles the Tongan (and Moanan, Oceanian) tavaist philosophical concepts and practices ‘noa’ (0, zero-point) and ‘hoa’ (pairs of equal and opposite binaries) in both affective and effective ways, as in ‘tuenoa,’ ‘hanganoa,’ and ‘ifonoa’ (verses 1, lines 2-3 & verse 3, line 3) at the interface of the respective ‘hoa’ (pairs) of ‘tokangaekina’ (inclusion) and ‘li‘ekina’ (exclusion), ‘tokanga’ (attention) and ‘ta‘etokanga’ (desertion), and ‘ifo’ (consolation) and ‘ta‘eifo’ (disruption).

The words ‘noa’ and ‘hoa’ are used in Tonga (and Moana, Oceania) across reality, as in nature, mind, and society, for example, the most beautiful story of God‘s creation, namely, ‘fuofuonoa ‘a mamani mo lala,’ which refers to a pristine state of the earth when things were ‘lack of form’ (fuo, noa, lala) and therefore ‘formless,’ until their ‘creation’ in ‘hoa’ (pairs of equal and opposite binaries), namely, darkness-light, sun-moon, flora-fauna, land-sea, and, lastly, man-woman. By the way, the attribution of ‘hala‘ata’ (nothing, nothingness) to ‘noa’ (0, zero-point) is highly misleading and problematic, especially when it is defined as ‘real a state of affairs’ at the connection and separation or intersection of ‘hoa,’ as in the case of ‘talanoa’ (critical-yet-harmonious-talk), defined by the pair ‘true-talk’ (talamo‘oni, talatonu) and ‘false-talk’ (talaloi, talahala).