Unwritten Literature of Hawaii

Download or read book Unwritten Literature of Hawaii written by Nathaniel Bright Emerson and published by Sanzani Edizioni. This book was released on 2024-02-04 with total page 573 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As in many other traditional cultures, Hawaiian art, dance, music and poetry were highly integrated into every aspect of life, to a degree far beyond that of industrial society. The poetry at the core of the Hula is extremely sophisticated. Typically a Hula song has several dimensions: mythological aspects, cultural implications, an ecological setting, and in many cases, (although Emerson is reluctant to acknowledge this) frank erotic imagery. The extensive footnotes and background information allow us an unprecedented look into these deeper layers. While Emerson's translations are not great poetry, they do serve as a literal English guide to the amazing Hawaiian lyrics.