[3] The romance of _Laieikawai_ therefore remains
the sole piece of Hawaiian, imaginative writing to reach book form. Not
only this, but it represents the single composition of a Polynesian mind
working upon the material of an old legend and eager to create a genuine
national literature. As such it claims a kind of classic interest.
The language, although retaining many old words unfamiliar to the
Hawaiian of to-day, and proverbs and expressions whose meaning is now
doubtful, is that employed since the time of the reduction of the speech
to writing in 1820, and is easily read at the present day. Andrews
incorporated the vocabulary of this romance into his dictionary, and in
only a few cases is his interpretation to be questioned. The songs,
though highly figurative, present few difficulties. So far as the
meaning is concerned, therefore, the translation is sufficiently
accurate. But as regards style the problem is much more difficult. To
convey not only the meaning but exactly the Hawaiian way of seeing
things, in such form as to get the spirit of the original, is hardly
possible to our language. The brevity of primitive speech must be
sacrificed, thus accentuating the tedious repetition of detail--a trait
sufficiently characteristic of Hawaiian story-telling.
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