Princess Likelike and her siblings King David Kalākaua, Queen Liliʻuokalani, and Crown Prince Leleiohoku II, were known as the Nā Lani ʻEhā (The Royal Four): aliʻi who were renowned as composers and champions of Hawaiian music in the latter half of the 19th century.[1] With Likelike's siblings, she led one of the three royal music clubs that held regular friendly competitions to outdo each other in song and poetry while she was alive. "ʻĀinahau", the most famed of Likelike's works, was composed about the Cleghorn residence in Waikiki, the gathering place for Sunday afternoon musical get-togethers where she wrote most of her compositions. She encouraged the musical education of her daughter, Princess Kaʻiulani, and sponsored concerts and musical pageants. The patronage she gave to young musicians and composers helped perpetuate Hawaiian music.[2]
ʻĀinahau, one of the homes of the Oʻahu chiefs, was part of the 10acres estate inherited by Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani. Originally called Auaukai, Princess Likelike named it ʻĀinahau or "Cool Land" when she lived there with her husband, Archibald Scott Cleghorn, who turned it into a botanical garden. The stream that flowed through ʻĀinahau and emptied into the ocean where the present Outrigger Hotel is located, was called Apuakehau. She wrote a song about her home the "Cool Land".[3]
| Na ka wai lūkini | It is the perfume and the lovely | |
| Wai anuhea o ka rose | Fragrance of roses that sweeten | |
| E hoʻopē nei i ka liko o nā pua | The leaf buds of the flowering plants | |
| Na ka manu pīkake | The peacocks | |
| Manu hulu melemele | And the yellow feathered birds | |
| Nā kāhiko ia o kuʻu home | Are the adornments of my home | |
| Hui: | Chorus: | |
| Nani wale kuʻu home | Beautiful is my home | |
| ʻO ʻĀinahau i ka ʻiu | ʻĀinahau so regal | |
| I ka holunape | Where the fronds | |
| A ka lau o ka niu | Of the coco palms sway | |
| I ka uluwehiwehi | The beautiful grove | |
| I ke ʻala o nā pua | The fragrance of flowers | |
| Kuʻu home, kuʻu home i ka ʻiuʻiu | At my home, my home so regal | |
| Na ka makani | It is the gentle breeze | |
| Aheahe i pā mai makai | From the sea | |
| I lawe mai i ke | That brings the sweet | |
| Onaona līpoa | Odor of līpoa sea weed | |
| E hoʻoipo hoʻonipo me ke ʻala | Mingling with the fragrance of my love | |
| O kuʻu home kuʻu home | Of my home, my home | |
| Kuʻu home i ka ʻiuʻiu | My home so regal |
Maikaʻi Waipiʻo translated as Beautiful Waipiʻo, was a song dedicated to Queen Emma whose beauty reminded Princess Likelike of Waipiʻo and was the inspiration for the song. In keeping with Hawaiian tradition, the song belonged to the Queen rather than the composer.[4]
| Maikaʻi Waipiʻo | Beautiful Waipiʻo | |
| Alo lua i nā pali | With cliffs facing each other | |
| E pōʻai a puni ana | Surrounded by cliffs | |
| A hapa naʻe makai | With an opening toward the sea | |
| Hui: | Chorus: | |
| Maʻemaʻe ka pua | Beautiful are the blossoms | |
| I ka holo aʻe a ka wai | Rain-washed | |
| Ua ʻenaʻena i ka lā | Sun warmed and | |
| Mōhala i nā pali | Blooming on the cliff | |
| Hoihoi ka piʻina | Delightful the ascent | |
| ʻO Koaʻekea | To Koaʻekea | |
| Piʻi nō a hoʻomaha | An ascent that takes one to rest | |
| I ka Holokūaīwa | At Holokūaīwa |
Ahe Lau Makani, meaning there is a breath, was a waltz composed jointly with the Princess's sister Liliʻuokalani and Kapoli Kamakau, a mysterious collaborator who, to this day, remains unidentified.[5]
Kuʻu Ipo I Ka Heʻe Puʻe One translated as My Sweetheart In the Rippling Hills,[6] was a song originally called Ka ʻOwe a ke Kai (The Murmuring of The Sea). The English translation is by Ruth Leilani Tyau and S. H. Elbert. Perhaps the most famous of Likelike's compositions, many believe it was written for a heartbroken girl who could not marry the love of her life.[7]
| Kuʻu ipo i ka heʻe puʻe one | My sweetheart in the rippling hills of sand | |
| Me ke kai nehe i ka ʻiliʻili | With the sea rustling the pebbles | |
| Nipo aku i laila ka manaʻo | There, the memory is impassioned | |
| Ua kiliʻopu māua i ka nahele | In the forest where we delighted | |
| Hui: | Chorus: | |
| Eiā la e maliu mai | Here, please listen | |
| Eiā ko aloha i ʻaneʻi | Here, your lover is here. | |
| Hiki mai ana i ka pō nei | He came last night | |
| Ua kiliʻopu māua i ka nahele | We delighted in the forest | |
| Ka ʻowē nenehe a ke kai | The gentle rustle of the sea | |
| Hone ana i ka piko waiʻolu | Softly in the pleasant center | |
| I laila au la ʻike | Where I looked | |
| Kiliʻopu māua i ka nahele | We delighted in the forest | |
| Hiki ʻē mai ana ka makani | The wind came first | |
| Ua hala ʻē aku e ka Puʻulena | The Puʻulena wind passed by | |
| Ua lose kou chance e ke hoa | You've lost your chance, oh friend | |
| Ua kiliʻopu māua i ka nahele | We delighted in the forest |