Spawnbreezie recorded a recent version of this song, but it’s a true Samoan classic.
Thank you to JJW for his beautiful translation.
I’m not sure who wrote the original – Tiama’a? Five Stars? – but he or she was a lyrical poet indeed:
O oe o la’u uo moni/You are my one true love
E le galo oe i le agaga/You’ll always be in my heart
Fia fa’atasi pea/My desire
Ma oe i lenei olaga/To be with you all the time
E manatua ai oe/I shall never forget
I ou foliga ata’ata/Your lovely countenance
Laumata fiafia/Your happy face
Amio tausa’afia/And your gentleness
O lata mafutaga/In our relationship
Ua ou le iloaina lava/I just don’t understand
Le mafua’aga/The reason why
Ua lai o lenei mala/Of this misery
Se mea a faigata/It has been difficult
O lou lea fiafia/Of your happiness
Ai ua liua/It’s been re-directed
Pei o le vai o Sina/Like that of Sina’s river *
Fa’ali maia funa o sou manatu/Darling show me your heart
Pe e te alofa moni ia te a’u/If I’m still your true love
E faigofie ona fa’apu’upu’u/We can easily give it up
pe afai ua e musu/If that is what you want
x2
Fetu e o lagi,/O stars of heaven
Figota o le sami/Creatures of the ocean
Se’i ta’umaia se tasi,/Would someone please tell me
Po’o fea ea la’u honey/Where my honey could be
O oe o la’u pele ea/You are my dearest one
O la’u manamea e toatasi/My only love
Lenei ua mou atu/Now you have gone
E aunoa ma se tali/I don’t understand
Sau ia oe la’u Dear/Wont u come my dear
O oe sa ou filifilia/You that I have chosen
E moni ai le upu tusia:/As it is written
Pupula le gata ae fasia/Bruised the serpent while it watches *
E ui ina ou lagona/And though I feel
Lagona ina le mafatia/The pain of the wound
A e tu’u pea ia/But I’ll leave it up to you
Funa lou faitalia/To do as you will
Fa’ali maia fuga o sou manatu/Darling show me your heart
Pe e te alofa moni ia te a’u/If I’m still your true love
E faigofie ona fa’apu’upu’u/We can easily give it up
Pe afai ua e musu/If this is what you want
Tofa soifua la’u pele lo’u au/Goodbye my dear my love
Mo’omo’oga ua le tau lau/Our hopes won’t come to pass
Ua motusia talu le tuinanau/ Unfulfilled because of lust
Fia fa’atasi e fa’avavau/Togetherness, forever lost
