nvi. Downpour of rain; blowing of wind; to pour, of rain; to blow, as a gale; torrential. Fig., to feel deep emotion, pain, sorrow; to weep profusely; intense. Also noku. Ka ua loku, the pouring rain. hoʻo.loku To pour, as rain; to disturb; agitated.

Today’s word is filled with grief – loku. While literally it can refer to a downpour of rain (and living on the Hāmākua Coast, I know a good downpour), it also refers to deep pain and sorrow. Can’t you just feel it? When you cry so hard it is as if your body is experiencing a torrential rain of the soul. So heavy and intense. And fatigue sets over you and yet you cannot sleep? That is loku.

One reason we give Hawaiian names is to commemorate an event in history or in life, right? I had a chocolate labrador that I named Loku because I got her as a puppy during a very sad time in my life. And while her name always reminded me of this time, she brought me great joy and changed my outlook on the painful event that took place at that time.

Ke aloha loku i ka puʻuwai – love surging in the heart.

Ke loku nei ka makani – the wind is blowing in a gale.

I hea ʻoe i ka wā a ka ua e loku ana? – Where were you when the rain was pouring? (A reply to one who asks his neighbor for some of his crop. If he answered that he had been away during the rains, he would be given some food; but if he said that he had been there, he would be refused. It was due to his own laziness that he did not have a crop as fine as his industrious neighbor’s.)

Ka ua loku o Hanalei – The pouring rain of Hanalei.

Hilo ʻāīna ua lokuloku – Hilo of the pouring rain.

Ke aloha nui iā ʻoe, e kuʻu hoa, i kēia wā luʻuluʻu – Love to you, my friend during this time of grief.

Copyright: 2015 – Liana Iaea Honda. All rights reserved. All versions of He Momi e Lei ai”, in its entirety, past and present, is the property of L. K. I. Honda. Reproduction and use of any kind other than the sharing of this website is prohibited. Alteration to the original content in any form is prohibited in every and any instance, and use in any other variant is prohibited without written consent of the author. Adress inquiries to: hemomi [at] gmail.com. Definitions and wise sayings are from: Hawaiian Dictionary by Pukui and Elbert, 1986. ʻŌlelo Noʻeau – Hawaiian Proverbs & Poetical Sayings by Mary Kawena Pukui, 1983