ʻŌlelo Noʻeau are Hawaiian proverbs that often offer wisdom for a person to live by. The theme for this year is Aloha - the Hawaiian term for Love. These monthly posts will show you aloha in action, in the Hawaiian context.
You might recognize some words from the [this ʻŌlelo Noʻeau]!
- ʻEha = To be in pain, be hurt, ache, be injured
- i = here, "because of" or "by"
- Lima = Hand
- ʻOle = Not; negating the previous word (used in the middle of a sentence, as opposed to ʻAʻole used at the beginning)
- a = of (K-Less Possessive, A-Class - denotes a thing made or done, instead of inherently existing)
- Aloha = Love
All together:
He is injured by the no-hands pain of love.
Note:
"He" (ʻo ia) is understood!
Lima ʻole is making it clear that this person is not actually, physically injured.
The English word "Smitten," in the context of love, doesn't actually mean that someone "smote" this man with a weapon or fists - it's not literal, but an idiom. This is how ʻEha is behaving in this sentence!