O Great Mystery, we beseech thee,

That we may walk reverently

Beneath Lah-pah our brothers, the trees.

That we may step lightly

On Kis-so our kinsmen, the grasses.

That we may walk lovingly

Over Loo-poo-oi-yes our brothers, the rocks.

That we may rest trustfully

Where the O-lel-le bird sings—

Beside Ho-ha-oe, the talking waters.

Or this,

Weave for us, O Great Mystery,

A bright blanket of wisdom;

Make the warp the color of Father Sky,

Let He-koo-las, the sun-woman,

Lend her bright hair for the weft,

And mingle with it the red and gold threads of evening.

O Great Mystery; O Mother Earth! O Father Sky!

We, your children, love the things you love;

Therefore, let the border of our blanket

Be bending Ku-yet-tah, the rainbow,

And the fringe be glittering Nuk-kah, the slashing rain.

Or with abandon we may sing, or chant the song of the elves,

* Oh, we are the fays, oh, we are the elves, Who, laughing at everything, laugh at ourselves. If Fortune's wheel is broke, Why, we can put a spoke in it. Misfortune hits no stroke. But we can put a joke in it. The owl can do our thinking. As he sits awinking, blinking. We act from intuition, Fun and mischief is our mission; Solemn duty, we have none of it, What we do is for the fun of it; Fun is none too light to prize, Thought is naught but fancy's flight. Folly's jolly, wit is wise, Laughter after all is right.

* From unpublished verses by Captain Harry Beard.