In the tradition of the Song of Songs, this beautiful poem resonates with the longing for one’s beloved. Entitled Nani Nâ Pua, it was written in 1860 by Lydia Kamaka`eha Päkï, the last Queen of Hawaii – Queen Liliuokalani. She wrote over 160 songs during her lifetime.
The flowers of Ko’olau in their beauty Fill the vale, fill with golden gleam I cull and wreathe them for my loved one At morn and night she fills my waking dream Where are you, fairest of all fair ones Where are you sweetest of all sweets You are a flower of Paradise That the morning breeze ever kindly greets
I praise your beauty, my fair one You are the flower of all flowers to me The lehua flower whose ardent sweetness Overpowers the wanderer over the lea And I cry “where are you, my loved one” My spirit wants to be with you To taste hours of tranquil pleasure And wander neath Koiahi’s tree
The trilling notes of hidden songsters As they sport around the jasmine bower The scent yet in my memory lingers Reminds me of you, the fairest flowers Of Viliau, the sweetest blossom Without you, my life is lonely Come fill my hours with bliss, I pray thee My flower, my bird, my chief and chosen one
The longing for love is in each human heart. In this life we may not find it, but the love of God as manifested in His Son and conveyed to us by the Holy Spirit are the morning breezes which touch us – the lost flowers of Eden.
The Love of God by Wintley Phipps
G.D. Williams has worked in Adventist higher education for 30+ years and is happily counting down to retirement. His other pursuits include photography, genealogy, collecting antique books, and working on his old farmhouse.
Photo Credit: FreeImages.com / Akemi Nakamori
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