The Rev. H.T. Cheever prints in his book on the Sandwich Islands
(226-28) a few amusing specimens of the love-letters exchanged between
the native lads of the Lahainaluna Seminary and certain lasses of
Lahaina. The following ones were intercepted by the missionaries. The
first was penned by a girl:
"Love to you, who speakest sweetly, whom I did kiss. My
warm affections go out to you with your love. My mind
is oppressed in consequence of not having seen you
these times. Much affection for thee dwelling there
where the sun causeth the head to ache. Pity for thee
in returning to your house, destitute as you supposed.
I and she went to the place where we had sat in the
meeting-house, and said she, Let us weep. So we two
wept for you, and we conversed about you.
"We went to bathe in the bread-fruit yard; the wind
blew softly from Lahainaluna, and your image came down
with it. We wept for you. Thou only art our food when
we are hungry. We are satisfied with your love.
"It is better to conceal this; and lest dogs should
prowl after it, and it should be found out, when you
have read this letter, tear it up."
The next letter is from one of the boys to a girl:
"Love to thee, thou daughter of the Pandanus of
Lanahuli. Thou _hina hina_, which declarest the
divisions of the winds.[190] Thou cloudless sun of the
noon. Thou most precious of the daughters of the earth.
Thou beauty of the clear nights of Lehua. Thou
refreshing fountain of Keipi. Love to thee, O Pomare,
thou royal woman of the Pacific here. Thou art glorious
with ribbons flying gracefully in the gentle breeze of
Puna. Where art thou, my beloved, who art anointed with
the fragrance of glory? Much love to thee, who dost
draw out my soul as thou dwellest in the shady
bread-fruits of Lahaina. O thou who art joined to my
affection, who art knit to me in the hot days of
Lahainaluna!
"Hark! When I returned great was my love. I was
overwhelmed with love like one drowning. When I lay
down to sleep I could not sleep; my mind floated after
thee. Like the strong south wind of Lahaina, such is
the strength of my love to thee, when it comes. Hear
me; at the time the bell rings for meeting, on
Wednesday, great was my love to you. I dropped my hoe
and ran away from my work. I secretly ran to the stream
of water, and there I wept for my love to thee.
Hearken, my love resembles the cold water far inland.
Forsake not thou this our love. Keep it quietly, as I
do keep it quietly here."
Here is another from one of the students in the missionary school:
"Love to thee, by reason of whom my heart sleeps not
night nor day, all the days of my dwelling here. O thou
beautiful one, for whom my love shall never cease. Here
also is this--at the time I heard you were going to
Waihekee, I was enveloped in great love. And when I had
heard you had really gone, great was my regret for you,
and exceeding great my love. My appearance was like a
sick person who cannot answer when spoken to. I would
not go down to the sea again, because I supposed you
had not returned. I feared lest I should see all the
places where you and I conversed together, and walked
together, and I should fall in the streets on account
of the greatness of my love to you. I however did go
down, and I was continually longing with love to you.
Your father said to me, Won't you eat with us? I
refused, saying I was full. But the truth was I had
eaten nothing. My great love to you, that was the thing
which could alone satisfy me. Presently, however, I
went to the place of K----, and there I heard you had
arrived. I was a little refreshed by hearing this. But
my eyes still hung down. I longed to see you, but could
not find you, though I waited till dark. Now, while I
am writing, my tears are dropping down for you; now my
tears are my friends, and my affection to you, O thou
who wilt forever be loved. Here, also is this: consent
thou to my desire, and write me, that I may know your
love. My love to you is great, thou splendid flower of
Lana-kahula."
Cheever seems to accept these letters as proof that love is universal,
and everywhere the same. He overlooks several important
considerations. Were these letters penned by natives or by
half-castes, with foreign blood in their veins and inherited
capacities of feeling? Unless we know that, no scientific deduction is
allowable. These natives are very imitative. They learn our music
easily and rapidly, and with the art of writing and reading they
readily acquire our amorous phrases. A certain Biblical tone,
suggesting the Canticles, is noticeable. The word "heart" is used in a
way foreign to Polynesian thought, and apart from these details, is
there anything in these letters that goes beyond selfish longing and
craving for enjoyment? Is there anything in them that may not be
summed up in the language of appetite: "Thou art very desirable--I
desire thee--I grieve, and weep, and refuse to eat, because I cannot
possess thee now?" Such longing, so intense and fiery[191] that it
seems as if all the waters of the ocean could not quench it,
constitutes a phase of all amorous passion, from the lowest up to the
highest. Philosophers have, indeed, disputed as to which is the more
violent and irrepressible, animal passion or sentimental love.
Schopenhauer believed the latter, Lichtenberg the former.[192]