Reports of Ka'iulani's speech quickly reached The White House. President Grover Cleveland and his wife First Lady Frances Cleveland were impressed, and wanted to meet this “Woman of the Hour”. Upon reading the reports of this accomplished, Crown Princess, who was being educated in England in preparation to inherit the throne of Hawaii, Cleveland realized that he had been misinformed about the state of affairs in Hawaii.
"Her beauty, grace and sweetness completely won Mrs. Cleveland's heart, the President was charmed with her—how could it be otherwise? And Mr. Davies’ representations put matters before President Cleveland in a new light. He (President Cleveland) became aware of abuses which he had not suspected; he promised to do all he could in the interests of Princess Kaiulani, and he was as good as his word."
In her darkest moments, Ka'iulani found the inner strength to fight for her nation in its hour of need. In the face of widespread slander and libel against the Hawaiian people and its Monarchy, she simply stood up and spoke the truth. Her frank words and stunning beauty took the American President, people, and press, by storm, changing forever their idea of the Hawaiian people. Her mission to America was a triumph.
Read more about Ka'iulani - Her Life & Times.
I love a good Princess story, although Princess Ka'iulani's story is very tragic. I have been writing poetry since I was a child. I would like to dedicate one of my Princess poems that I have written to Princess Ka'iulani!
ReplyDeleteShe should have been a princess
From the day that she was born
But they treated her so terribly
And covered her with scorn
She was so soft and delicate
She hurt so much inside
But through the years
Her heart turned cold
Her love became her pride.
Her heart became a block of ice
Her anger real and true
They tried to rob her of her throne
She fought so proud, she knew
They robbed her of her warmth and love
They tried to steal her soul
She’d show them
She would prove to them
And pride became her goal.
Her name became the ice princess
Her judgments cruelly made
Her outward beauty grew and grew
And all her rivals paid
But through the years
Her bitterness
Destroyed her pride as well
One cannot live revenge and hate
Hate is a living Hell.
She was alone
So alone
And sad
So bitter too
Her throne was gone
Her heart was ice
She was near death
She knew.
But as she died, her life flashed by
Before her very eyes
She saw her hate and anger
And life’s deceit and lies
She felt remorse and sorrow
For all she put in pain
The block of ice it melted
Her life was not in vain.
For she learned
Life’s greatest lesson
The lesson learned
Is love
Love can cure
Life’s greatest wounds
Love
Is God above.
She forgave
Her enemies
And learned
Pure love instead
And God restored
Her warmth and heart
Her soul lived on
Though she was dead.
Written by Kathryn Elizabeth Bell
Copyright 1980
Original Version

Thank you for sharing your writings with us.
ReplyDelete