ix
1. Asal Mulanya Bukit Tepuk dan Bukit Pabes
1. Origin of Mount Tepuk and Mount Pabes
Di bawah Bukit Tepuk ada batu besar di
At the base of Mount Tepuk is a large rock inside
kelilingi oleh bambu. Di batu ini ada bekas
a bamboo grove. On this rock there are signs left by
peninggalan si Pahit Lidah dan mempunyai juga
Pahit Lidah, including his footprints. Nearby there is
ada serumpun bambu. Sampai sekarang orang
make bamboo fishing poles.
pancing.
Whatever words he uttered, they really came true,
berilmu sihir juga. Apapun yang terucap dari
said that a person should turn to stone, the person
lidahnya pasti akan terjadi kecuali barang sudah
turned to stone. That‟s why people named him Pahit
tiada bernyawa. Terucap olehnya orang jadi
Lidah, which means “Bitter Tongue”.
memberi gelar dia ini Pahit Lidah.
Tongue was sitting on that rock. He was planning to
Pahit Lidah sedang duduk di atas batu besar itu.
by damming up the river. He wanted to turn Lebong
bekas injakan kaki Pahit Lidah. Di sampingnya
a special clump of bamboo. People still come here to
suka mempergunakan bambu ini sebagai alat
Pahit Lidah was a man with special powers.
Si Pahit Lidah dulu adalah seorang sakti dan
except he could not bring the dead back to life. If he
batu, jadilah batu orang itu. Begitulah orang
According to local tradition, one day Bitter
Kata orang tua kita dulu, pada suau hari
make a fishing hole. He wanted to make a huge pond
Dia berpikir berkeinginan membuat tempat pemancingan.
into a big lake.
Dia ingin membendung sungai.
Ia ingin membuat Lebong menjadi lautan.
3
Setelah itu dia mulai bekerja menggali tanah.
So he went to work digging up the dirt.
Menurut orang-orang tua, tanah yang digalinya
According to the old-timers, the hole he dug to get
adalah tempat Danau Tés sekarang. Dia terus
the dirt forms present-day Lake Tes. He worked
peleki. Tanah yang dipikul banyak bercécéran di
hung from a pole and slung across his shoulders.
dilihat cucunya saat sekarang. Tanah yang
about, forming the small hills that his grandchildren
daratan perkebunan masyarakat desa Pagar
Most of the dirt he dumped near the town of
menggali dan membawa tanah. Dipikul pakai
continuously digging and hauling dirt in buckets
jalan, jadilah bukit-bukit kecil yang masih bisa
Some of the dirt that he carried spilled, and scattered
dipikul pakai peleki tadi diletakkannya di
still see to this day.
Agung dan sekitarnya. Di mana tanah yang
Pagar Agung and the surrounding farms. These dirt
diletakkannya tadi, jadilah bukit yang kita
piles are still there. They are the hills known today
namakan Bukit Tepuk dan Bukit Pabes.
as Mount Tepuk and Mount Pabes.
Tanah
itu
ingin
dipakainya
untuk
He planned to use the dirt to dam up the river
membendung sungai, muara air Ketahun, muara
where the Ulu Du‟es and Kotok rivers flow into the
air Ulu Du‟es, juga muara air Kotok. Tempat
Ketahun River. The exact spot where he intended to
jembatan di desa Tunggang.
village.
masyarakat sudah mengatahui rencananya untuk
completion. The townspeople found out that he
yang ingin dibendung adalah muara air ilir
build the dam was at the lower bridge in Tanggung
Tetapi rencana Pahit Lidah gagal, karena
But Bitter Tongue did not carry his plan to
membuat Lebong menjadi lautan.
wanted to turn Lebong into a lake.
5
Penduduk mulai gelisah, dan terus berpikir
The local people were very nervous about this,
bagaimana mencegah Pahit Lidah ini.
and they tried to think of a way to stop him.
Waktu itu si Pahit Lidah sedang asyik dan
sibuk
bekerja.
menghampiri
dan
Ada
seorang
membohong
One day when Bitter Tongue was working away,
penduduk
a village representative interrupted him and gave
mengatakan
him a false message from his village, saying that his
kepadanya bahwa anak kesayangannya di desa
dear child was dead. Bitter Tongue was shocked
kabarnya telah meninggal dunia.
when he heard this. He said, “I will go home to my
pesan itu. Dia bilang, “Saya akan pulang ke desa
there, it happened. The words that he uttered came
terjadilah keadaan. Apa yang terucap dari
Tongue returned to his village, he saw a large crowd
lidahnya pastilah terjadi. Maka anaknya pun di
in his house. His favorite child was really dead. The
rumah benar-benar mati. Waktu Pahit Lidah
townspeople
Si Pahit Lidah mulai tercengang mendengar
kalau
anak
kesayanganku
mati.”
village if my dear child has died.” Right then and
Begitu
true. His child at home was really dead. When Bitter
pulang ke desa, dia melihat orang banyak di
cemetery.
rumahnya. Mémang mati anak kesayangannya.
daérah
Lebong
buried
him
in
the
mind about turning the Lebong area into a big lake.
Sesudah itu si Pahit Lidah membatalkan membuat
already
After that experience, Bitter Tongue changed his
Sudah dimakam oleh penduduk. niatnya
had
The disaster showed him that his own child had
menjadi
become a victim of the magic power that he
lautan. Dia sudah melihat anak kesayangannya
possessed
telah jadi korban oleh kesaktian yang dia miliki.
7
.
Dia heran melihat ada orang cantik-cantik sedang mandi. 9
2. Lalan Dahulu
2. Lalan ada
cerita
orang-orang
tua.
Here is a story the old people used to tell. The
Ceritanya seperti ini. Ada di sebuah dusun
story goes like this. In a village there lived a young
Kurung. Suatu hari dia pergi memancing di
fishing in a river not far from his village. He brought
beras dan garam. Dia pergi sewaktu matahari
sun was up. He walked slowly. Soon he arrived at
berapa lama dia sampai di tempatnya mau
the fish were not taking the bait. The sun was high
memancing. Dia mulai memancing. Tidak ada
in the sky. He had had no luck. Finally, he decided
ikan yang mau memakan pancingnya. Hari
to go home.
niatnya ingin pulang.
sound of voices. He decided to have a look. He was
orang ribut-ribut. Dia mengintipnya. Dia heran
in the river.
tinggallah seorang bujang. Namanya Bujang
man. His name was Bujang Kurung. One day he went
sungai tidak jauh dari dusunnya. Dibawanya
with him uncooked rice and salt. He left after the
naik. Dia perlahan-lahan berjalan kaki. Tidak
the place he intended to fish. He began fishing, but
sudah siang, tidak ada hasilnya. Setelah itu ada
As he was getting ready to leave, he heard the
Waktu dia mau pulang terdengar suara
surprised to see some very beautiful people bathing
melihat ada orang cantik-cantik sedang mandi.
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Meréka itu gadis-gadis. Ada seorang yang
cantik
sendirinya.
Dia
yang
paling
They were young girls. There was one prettier
kecil.
than the rest. She was the youngest.
Perlahan Bujang Kurung mendekatinya, meréka tidak
melihat
sedikitpun.
Bujang
Bujang
Kurung
crept
closer
without
being
Kurung
detected. He snatched one of the girls‟ clothes—the
langsung mengambil baju yang paling kecil.
youngest‟s. When they had finished bathing and
bajunya, kiranya pakaian yang paling kecil tadi
youngest girl‟s clothes had disappeared.
Waktu meréka sudah mandi, hendak memakai
went to put on their things, they found that the
sudah hilang.
Her elder sisters had already put on their clothes
Adik beradiknya sudah memakai pakaian
and wanted to return home to the sky. But the
paling kecil tadi tidak bisa terbang lagi.
She cried for a very long time. Her elder sisters
Pakaiannya sudah hilang. Dia menangis lama
cried, too, seeing their younger sister unable to
sekali. Adik beradiknya menangis juga melihat
return home. Reluctantly, they all decided to leave.
semuanya ingin pulang ke langit. Tetapi yang
youngest could no longer fly. Her clothes were gone.
adiknya tidak bisa pulang lagi. Akhirnya pergi
The youngest was left behind alone.
semua. Tinggallah yang paling kecil itu sendiri.
13
Bujang Kurung melihat seperti itu. Dia héran.
Bujang Kurung saw everything. He was amazed.
Dia tidak menyangka bahwa itu adalah anak
He hadn‟t realized they were children of the gods.
déwa.
He hid the clothes he had taken; he ran away with
Dia
menyembunyikan
baju
yang
diambilnya tadi, dia langsung membawa lari.
them. After that, Bujang Kurung approached the
Sesudah itu Bujang Kurung mendatangi lagi
young girl. He asked why she had not returned home
tidak pulang ke langit. Kata yang paling kecil
disappeared. So Bujang Kurung invited her to his
Kurung mengajak dia ke dusunnya. Dia juga
name. Her name was Lalan.
Namanya adalah Lalan.
Kurung brought Lalan to his house. Lalan lived there
yang paling kecil tadi. Dia bertanya kenapa
to the sky. She answered that her clothes had
itu, “Baju saya hilang.” Sesudah itu Bujang
village. She agreed to go. Bujang Kurung asked her
mau. Ditanya Bujang Kurung siapa namanya.
When he arrived back in his village, Bujang
Sudah sampai di dusun, Lalan dibawa
for a long time. Bujang Kurung was attracted to
Bujang Kurung ke rumahnya. Tinggallah Lalan
Lalan. Lalan felt the same way about Bujang Kurung.
dengan Lalan. Lalan suka juga, cinta pula
people of the village.
di sana selama-lamanya. Bujang Kurung suka
Not long after that, the two were married by the
dengan Bujang Kurung. Tidak lama sesudah itu,
The story ends here.
orang dusun mengawinkan orang berdua ini. Sekian ceritanya.
15
3. Kancil si Tukang Bohong
3. Mouse Deer the Trickster
Dulu ada seekor kancil. Ceritanya seperti ini.
Once there was a mouse deer. His story goes like
Waktu zaman Nabi Sulaiman. Semua binatang
this. It was the age of the Prophet Solomon. All the
bisa berbicara.
animals could speak.
ke dalam hutan yang sepi. Kancil berjalan ke
walk in the quiet forest. He dropped in at the houses
pergi. "Aaah, kalau seperti ini biarlah, aku tidur
well, in that case I'll just get some sleep," thought the
yang teduh. Dia mulai tidur.
to fall asleep. But before he could fall asleep, he
Hari panas, kancil berjalan ke mana-mana
On a warm day, the mouse deer went for a nice
rumah kawan-kawannya, tapi semua temannya
of several friends, but all his friends were out. "Oh
saja," pikir kancil. Dia pergi mencari pohon kayu
mouse deer. He went to find a shady tree. He began
Sebelum mau tidur, terdengarnya suara
heard a rustling sound. When he looked behind
gemerisik. Wakteu dia melihat ke belakang,
him—to his surprise—there was a tiger fixing to eat
Kancil hendak berlari, tidak bisa lagi. Tapi dia
couldn't.
"Mengapa kamu bersedih, Kancil? Jangan sedih
asked, "Why are you looking so sad, mouse deer?
tidak tahunya ada harimau ingin memakannya. pura-pura
sedih.
Harimau
itu
him up. The mouse deer wanted to run away, but he
bertanya,
Instead he pretended to be depressed. The tiger
aku ingin memakanmu.”
Don‟t be sad that I‟m going to eat you up."
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"Aku tidak bersedih kalau kamu ingin memakanku,“
kata
kancil.
Tapi
yang
"I am not sad because you‟re going to eat me," said
aku
the mouse deer. "What makes me sad is, who will
kakek aku ini," kata kancil sambil menunjuk
pointing at a bee's nest up in a tree. Then the mouse
sedihkan, siapakah yang tukang menjaga gong
guard my grandfather's drum?" asked the mouse deer
sarang tawon di atas pohon kayu itu. Sesudah itu kancil menangis sejadi-jadinya. "Boleh,
tidak,
aku
memukulnya?”
deer wept inconsolably.
"May I beat the drum, mouse deer?" asked the
kata
tiger.
harimau.
"No!" cried the mouse deer still weeping.
"Jangan!" kata kancil sambil menangis.
"Why not?" said the tiger.
"Kenapa?" tanya harimau. "Sebab
hatiku
sedih
"Because it depresses me if I have to listen to it." sekali
jika
"Let me beat it, „Deer," said the tiger. "I promise I
mendengarnya."
won't eat you up."
"Suruhlah aku memukulnya, „Cil!” kata
harimau. "Biar aku tidak memakan kamu."
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"Tetapi bila kamu memukulnya, hati ku
"But if you beat it, it will make me very sad,"
sedih sekali,” kata kancil. “Tapi kalau kamu
said the mouse deer. "But if you want to beat it
pergi jauh-jauh,” kata kancil. “Jika aku berkata
mouse deer. “When I shout `Ready!' you can begin
tidak mendengar lagi,” kata kancil.
mouse deer.
hendak memukulnya juga, tunggu dulu aku
anyway, wait here and let me get far away,” said the
„Sudah!‟ boleh kamu mulai memukulnya. Aku
beating the drum. I won't be able to hear it," said the
“Pergilah!” kata harimau.
"Go on," said the tiger.
Sesudah itu kancil berlari jauh-jauh sekali.
The mouse deer ran a good distance away. From
Sudah jauh sekali, dia berteriak “Sudah!”
afar, he shouted, "Reeeaaady!" When he heard the
Mendengar kancil berkata “Sudah!” mulailah
mouse deer say "Ready!" the tiger began to beat on
harimau memukul sarang tawon tadi. Apa kata?
the bee's nest. How shall I say it? The queen bee
Induk tawon keluar menyengat harimau. Dia
came out of the nest and stung the tiger. The tiger
mana harimau berlari dikejarnya oleh tawon,
tiger ran, the bees chased after him hither and yon,
terpekik-pekik kesakitan disengat tawon tadi. Ke
screamed in pain from the bee stings. Wherever the
ahirnya dia mati.
until finally the tiger died from all the bee stings.
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Kembali kita ke kancil tadi. Dia berlari
Let's go back to the mouse deer. He ran away as
secepat-cepatnya. Sudah itu dia berhenti dekat
fast as he could go. After that he stopped near a
beruang di belakangnya hendak memakannya.
was a bear right behind him ready to eat him up.
beruang hendak memakannya, beruang harus
because if the bear wanted to eat him up, he had to
sedang bergulung itu sebab kancil yang tukang
nearby, because the mouse deer was the guardian of
mengambil tali pinggang sedang bergulung itu.
The bear picked up the belt that was lying there
Dia langsung memakainya. Apa kata? Ular besar
all coiled up. He wrapped it around his waist. What
tadi bangun langsung melilit beruang hingga dia
can I say? The snake woke up and squeezed the bear
ular besar yang sedang tidur. Dia tidak tahu ada
sleeping python. The mousedeer did not know there
Tapi kancil berkata, “Sabar dulu!” Sebab jika
But the mouse deer said, "Wait just a minute!"
memakai tali pinggang Nabi Sulaiman yang
put on the Prophet Solomon's belt which was coiled
jaganya diperintah Nabi Sulaiman. Beruang
the belt by order of Solomon himself.
mati.
until he died. Then the mouse deer ran away as far
Sesudah itu kancil lari jauh-jauh lagi.
as he could go.
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“Hey! Kamu lain yang ditanya, lain pula yang menjawab!”
25
4. Kepiting dan Beruk
4. The Crab and the Ape
Dahulu di negeri Nabi Sulaiman ada cerita
Once upon a time in the land of the Prophet
beruk
dan
kura-kura.
Meréka
sama-sama
Solomon there was an ape and a turtle. They both
anak pohon pisang. Tetapi yang beruk, dia
young banana shoot, but as for the ape, he planted a
Pucuknya ke bawah.
down.
Pisang yang ditanam kura-kura hidup dengan
thrive. The banana tree planted by the turtle thrived
bagus. Sesudah itu kata kura-kura, "Sudah besar
very well. Said the turtle, "My banana tree is already
pisangku."
big."
menanam pisang. Yang kura-kura ini menanam
planted banana trees. As for the turtle, he planted a
menanam pohon pisang yang sudah agak besar.
mature banana plant with its flower tip hanging
Pisang yang ditanam beruk tadi tidak hidup.
The banana tree planted by the ape did not
Kata beruk, “Sudah besar pula pisangku.”
"My banana tree is already big, too," said the
Tidak berapa lama sudah itu, pisang kura-
ape.
kura berbuah. Kata kura-kura dengan beruk, "Pisangku sudah berbuah."
Soon after that the turtle‟s tree started to
show some bananas. Said the turle to the ape, “My
Kata beruk, “Pisangku sudah berbuah juga.
tree already has some bananas.”
The ape replied, “Mine already has some too.”
27
Setelah itu pisang kura-kura mulai masak. Tetapi
kura-kura
tidak
bisa
After a little while, the turtle's bananas ripened.
memanjat.
But the turtle could not climb the banana tree. The
pisangnya. Sampai beruk di atas, dia mulai
When he reached the top, the ape started to eat. One
sesudah itu, hampir semuanya habis.
would soon finish them all.
Disuruhnyalah beruk untuk memanjat pohon
turtle asked the ape to climb up and get the bananas.
memakannya. Satu sikat habis, dua sikat habis,
bunch, gulp! Two bunches, gulp! At this rate he
Kata kura-kura, “Lemparkan untukku satu
Said the turtle, “Throw me one, ape!”
buah, Beruk!”
“A sweet one,” said the ape.
Kata beruk, “Satu buah manis!”
“Just throw me a peeling,” said the turtle.
“Lemparkan untukku kulitnya saja, Beruk!”
“The peelings are sweet,” said the ape. Soon he
kata kura-kura.
had gobbled up one bunch of bananas.
“Kulit-kulitnya manis,” kata beruk. Ahirnya
pisang satu tandan habis semua dimakan beruk.
29
“Bagaimana aku ingin membalas beruk
“How can I get pack at this ape?” thought the
ini?” kata kura-kura. “Dia bisa memanjat, dia
turtle. “He can climb, he can run, I can only walk
bisa melompat. Aku berjalan saja lambat."
slow. Aaah, I will ask the crab to help me out." He
"Aaaa, aku minta tolong dengan kepiting
went to the crab. He explained what he wanted.
saja.” Kura-kura pergi menemui kepiting. Dia
"Ok!" said the crab. After that the crab went
ceritakan kehendaknya kepadanya.
looking for the ape, but he couldn't find him. So the
“Jadi!” kata kepiting. Sesudah itu kepiting
crab hid under a rock waiting for the ape.
pergi mencari beruk, tapi rupanya tidak ketemu.
Not long after that the ape came and sat on the
Ahirnya kepiting diam di bawah batu menunggu
very rock where the crab was hiding. When the ape
beruk tadi. Tidak lama sesudah itu, beruk
sat on the rock, the crab began to speak.
sampai, kebetulan beruk duduk di atas batu tempat kepiting tadi bersembunyi. Waktu beruk duduk di atas batu, kepiting mulai berbicara.
31
“Kepiting mengapit!” kata kepiting.
"Crabs pinch!" said the crab.
“Huuus!” Siapa itu?” kata beruk.
"Huuus! Who is that?" said the ape.
“Kepiting mengapit,” kata kepiting. Kepiting
"Crabs pinch!" said the crab. The crab pinched
mengapit-ngapit alat kelamin beruk.
and pinched the ape's penis.
“Hus! Siapa itu?” kata beruk.
"Huuus! Who are you?" said the ape.
“HUUUUUT!” disahut kepiting.
"Huuuut!" answered the crab.
“Hoy! Kamu lain yang ditanya, lain pula
"Hoy, I talk to one person and another one
yang menjawab!” Disangka beruk, kemaluannya
answers?"
kayu terus memukul alat kelaminnya sendiri,
answering him. So the ape grabbed a stick and beat
hingga beruk mati.
on his own penis. After that the ape died.
yang menjawab. Sesudah itu dia mengambil
Inilah
sekali.
balasannya
Disangkanya
kalau
orang
yang
The ape thought it was his penis that was
serakah
That's what happens when people are too greedy.
menyahut
He thought his own penis was answering him. In fact
perkataannya adalah alat kelaminnya sendiri.
it was the crab.
Tidak tahunya kepiting.
33
5. Upik
5. Upik
Dulu ada cerita orang tua-tua. Ada orang
Once there was a story told by the elders. There
yang bernama Pak Haji. Anaknya ada sembilan.
was a man named Mr. Aji who had nine children.
sekali. Alangkah cantiknya. Semua orang sayang
beautiful. Extremely beautiful! Everybody liked her.
setuju
her. They
Yang bungsu namanya Upik. Upik ini cantik
The youngest child was named Upik. Upik was very
dengannya. Tapi kakak-kakaknya tidak ada yang melihat
Upik
itu.
Kakaknya
But her elder siblings could not stand the sight of
terus
mengatakan, Upik yang jelek-jeleknya. Terus
scolded Upik continuously for her
supposed bad behavior. Her sisters were angry with
kakaknya marah.
her all the time.
Sesudah itu ada yang hilang di rumahnya.
One day something disappeared at the house.
Orang ribut mencarinya. Tidak juga ketemu,
People were in an uproar looking for it. When they
orang
langsung
menuduh
Upik
yang
didn‟t find it, they accused Upik of stealing it.
mengambilnya.
Let‟s keep the story short. Upik was going to be
Panjang ceritanya, Upik mau dibuang ke
abandoned in the forest. Upik did not know she was
dalam hutan. Upik tidak tahu dia mau dibuang
going to be abandoned by her father.
ayahnya.
35
Tidak lama sesudah itu, dia diajak ayahnya
Not long after that, her father invited her to
ke hutan. Pagi-pagi dia pergi membawa nasi di
accompany him to the forest. They left early in the
Sampai di dalam hutan, dekat jalan gajah,
a bamboo. When they got to the forest near an
pondoknya itu selesai, ayahnya mengatakan
When the shelter was about finished, her father told
ayah mau pergi sebentar mengambil kayu bakar
firewood nearby. Then her father went away.
berangkat.
long time. Her father did not come back. After a
dalam bungkus, sayur di dalam tabung.
morning carrying rice in a wrapper and vegetables in
ayahnya membuat pondok serudung. Waktu
elephant trail, her father built a temporary shelter.
kepada Upik untuk menunggu dia di pondok, di
sekitar
sinilah.
Sesudah
itu
Upik to wait there while he went to gather some
ayahnya
Upik waited and waited. She waited for a very
Itulah Upik menunggu. Sudah lama dia
while it began to get dark. The shelter was near an
menunggu, ayahnya tidak datang lagi. Tidak
elephant trail where the animals passed back and
gajah tadi adalah jalan tempat léwat binatang
elephant.
lama lagi hari akan malam. Pondok di jalan
forth to find food. The first to come by was an
pulang dari mencari makanan. Mula-mulanya melintas gajah.
37
Gajah menegur, “Hoy! Upik, apa kerja kamu
The elephant called to her, “Hoy! Upik! What are
di sana? Hari akan malam.”
you doing here? It is getting dark.”
Sesudah itu, banyak binatang léwat. Terakhirnya
Upik. Soon many animals passed by. The last one to
Dia bertanya kepada Upik, “Apa yang
you waiting here for? It is going to get dark very
Kata Upik, “Saya ini dibuang ayah saya.”
"My father has abandoned me,” answered
léwat ular besar.
come was a large python. He asked Upik, “What are
ditunggu anda di sini? Hari tidak lama lagi akan
soon.”
malam.”
Upik answered, “I have nowhere to go. I don‟t
Dijawab Upik, “Saya tidak ada tempat
know the way. My father has abandoned me.”
pulang. Saya tidak tahu jalan. Saya dibuang ayah saya."
39
“Kalau
seperti
ini,
marilah
ikuti
saya
In that case, come home with me," said the
pulang,” kata ular besar. Langsung ular besar
python. The python lifted Upik onto his back, and
itu dibawanya Upik ke dusunnya, menyeberang
thickets of deep forest.
mengangkat Upik di atas punggungnya. Sesudah
carried her to his village, fording rivers and crossing
sungai, léwat rimba.
Finally they came to the python‟s village. They
Sesudah itu, dia sampai di dusun ular besar.
were welcomed by the village people. As soon as the
Waktu ular besar sampai di dusunnya, maka dia
handsome young man. Not long after that he was
Dia langsung disambut oleh orang dusun itu. berubah jadi
bujang
python arrived in the village, he changed into a
ganténg. Tidak lama
married to Upik by the people of the village.
sesudah itu orang desa mengawinkan bujang
The story ends there.
ganténg tadi dengan Upik. Cuma sampai di sini ceritanya.
41
“Aku ingin memakan hasil kamu ini,” kata raksasa. “Jangan!” kata harimau. 43
6. Kancil dan Raksasa
6. The Mouse Deer and the Giant
Dulu ada cerita kancil mau mencari ikan di
Once there was a story about a mouse deer who
sungai tidak jauh dari tempatnya tinggal. Waktu
wanted to catch fish in a river not far from where he
pagi sekali. Dia berjalan perlahan-lahan. Di jalan
the morning. He walked slowly. On the way he met a
hari dia hendak berangkat, dia berangkat pagi-
lived. The day he went fishing, he set out early in
dia bertemu dengan babi hutan. Ditanyai babi
wild boar.
hutan, “Hoy, „Cil! Mau ke mana kamu?”
The boar asked, "Hoy, 'Deer! Where are you
“Mau mencari ikan,” kata kancil.
going?"
“Aku ikut, boleh, tidak?” kata babi hutan.
"I‟m hoping to catch some fish," said the mouse
“Ayolah, “ kata kancil. Sesudah itu, dia terus
deer.
berjalan bersama dengan babi hutan. Tidak lama
"I'll come too, if it‟s all right with you,” said the
sesudah itu bertemu dengan harimau.
boar.
“Hendak ke mana kalian?” kata harimau.
"Fine!" said the mouse deer. He continued to
“Kami ingin mencari ikan,” kata kancil.
walk along with the boar. Not long after that they
“Aku ikut,” kata harimau.
met a tiger.
"Where are you going?" asked the tiger. “To catch fish,” said the mouse deer. "I'll join you," said the tiger.
45
“Marilah!” jawap kancil. Rupanya tidak
"Come on!" answered the mouse deer. They all set
lama meréka berjalan, bertemu lagi dengan
out again walking slowly. Soon after that they ran
gajah.
into an elephant.
“Mau ke mana kalian semua?” kata gajah.
"Where are you going?" asked the elephant.
“Kami mau mencari ikan,” kata kancil.
"We‟re hoping to catch some fish."
“Aku ikut, boleh, tidak?” kata gajah.
"I‟ll come, too, if it‟s all right with you,” said the
“Boleh,” kata kancil. Tidak lama sesudah itu
elephant.
Sampai meréka di sungai tempatnya mencari
while they walked along crossing ravines and hiking
Gajah tukang mengangkut tanahnya. Babi hutan
When they arrived at the place where they were
terus menggali tanahnya. Tidak lama sesudah
planning to fish, they went straight to work
itu, air mulai kering, mulailah dia mencari ikan.
damming up the river. The elephant was the hod
bawah pohon kayu besar. Kancil menyuruh
river bed was nearly dry. They began to collect the
mencari ikan.
kept under a big tree. The mouse deer told the tiger
meréka berjalan léwat lembah, léwat hutan.
"No problem!" said the mouse deer. For a short
ikan, mulailah meréka bekerja membendung air.
through the forest.
Hasil yang dapat diangkat ke darat diletakkan di
carrier. The boar was the digger. In no time at all the
harimau untuk menjaganya. Yang lainnya terus
fish. The catch was thrown up onto dry land and to stand guard. The others continued to collect fish.
47
Kembali cerita kita kepada harimau yang
Our story turns to the tiger guarding the fish.
sedang menunggu ikan tadi. Waktu dia sedang
While he was dutifully guarding the fish, along came
baik-baik
an ogre. "Hoy, tiger, what are you doing?"
menunggu
ikannya,
sampailah
raksasa. “Hoy, harimau, apa kerja kamu?”
"I'm guarding our fish," said the tiger.
“Menunggu ikan,” kata harimau.
"I am going to eat your catch of fish," said the
“Aku ingin memakan hasil kamu ini,” kata
ogre.
raksasa.
"No, you don‟t!" said the tiger.
“Jangan!” kata harimau.
"Then I will kill you!" said the ogre. The tiger
“Kamu kubunuh nanti!” kata raksasa itu.
trembled when he heard that. He ran to the mouse
Gemetar harimau mendengarnya. Dia berlari
deer. He explained that the ogre was going to eat the
kepada kancil. Dia cerita bahwa raksasa mau
fish.
makan ikan tadi.
"Hold it right there!” said the mouse deer. “Your
“Berhénti!” kata kancil. “Tidak ada gunanya
long claws and sharp fangs are completely useless,”
Kancil menyuruh gajah menunggu ikan tadi,
elephant to guard the fish, but he was afraid, too. He
melihat raksasa itu. Sesudah itu, disuruhnya
he was afraid too.
kukumu panjang, paing tajam itu,” kata kancil.
said the mouse deer. Next the mouse deer told the
rupanya gajah tidak juga berani. Berlari dia
ran when he saw the giant. So the boar was sent, but
babi hutan, rupanya sama saja, tidak juga berani.
49
Jadi kata kancil, “Busét! Kalian ini besar
"Phooey! You guys are big, but all of you are
badan saja, tidak ada yang berani. Biarlah aku
cowards. I‟ll just have to go and guard them myself."
saja yang menungguinya.” Berangkatlah kancil
The mouse deer went off to guard the fish. The
menunggui ikan hasilnya tadi. Raksasa belum
ogre had not yet come back. The mouse deer started
sampai. Kancil pergi mengambil rotan. Dia terus
collecting rattan vines. He tied them together to
lagi datanglah raksasa ingin memakan ikan. Tapi
the fish were.
rotan seperti itu, raksasa bertanya, “Oy! Kancil!
along came the ogre, intending to eat the fish. But as
menyambungnya panjang-panjang. Tidak lama
make a long rope. After that he came back to where
begitu dia melihat kancil sedang memegang
The mouse deer had just gotten back, when
Apa kerja kamu?”
soon as he saw the mouse deer holding a rattan rope,
“Aku membuat tali sebab dunia mau kiamat.
he asked, "Hey, mouse deer, what are you doing?"
Pohon kayu ini saja yang tidak hancur,” kata
"I made a rope because the world is coming to an
kancil.
end. This tree is the only thing that will be spared,"
“Boleh aku menumpang, „Cil!” kata raksasa
itu.
said the mouse deer.
"May I join you?” said the ogre.
“Jangan,” kata kancil.
"No way!" said the mouse deer.
“Laa, Cil! Kita masih famili,” kata raksasa itu
"Naah, 'Deer, we are brothers," said the ogre,
sambil marah. Kau kumakan nanti,” kata raksasa
becoming angry. "Then I will eat you instead!" he
itu.
said.
51
“Silakan makan saja,” kata kancil. “Nanti
"Go ahead!" said the mouse deer. "Now or later,
atau sekarang sama saja mati!” Raksasa sedih
we are both going to die anyway." The ogre was
dan tambah takut.
confused and trembled with fear. Finally:
Ahirnya kancil berkata, “Carilah tali banyak-
"Ok,
go
fetch lots of rope!"
banyak!” Pergilah raksasa berangkat mencari
The ogre went to get all the rattan he could find.
tali rotan sebanyak-banyaknya. Sudah banyak
When he had gathered enough, the mouse deer said,
tubuh kamu sambil diikat di pohon kayu besar
that tree."
talinya, kancil berkata, “Ikatlah rotan ini ke
"Wind the rope around your body and tie yourself to
itu."
Mulailah
raksasa
itu
mengikat
The ogre began to tie himself up. He tied himself
dirinya.
up as tightly as he could.
Diikatnya kuat-kuat tubuhnya dengan tali rotan itu.
"Try to move!" said the mouse deer. But the ogre could no longer get loose. "The sky is getting dark, it
“Coba berontak,” kata kancil. Tapi raksasa
is going to rain," said the mouse deer. "The world is
itu tidak bisa lepas lagi.
coming to an end."
“Langit mulai gelap, hari akan hujan,” kata
kancil. “Dunia akan kiamat.”
53
Sesudah itu kancil mengikat léhér raksasa
After that the mouse deer tied the rope around
sehingga dia tidak dapat bernapas lagi, ahirnya
the ogre's neck until he couldn't breathe, and he
ia mati. Matilah raksasa itu, kancil memanggil
died. The mouse deer called his friends and told
raksasa itu sudah mati. Semua kawan-kawannya
the mouse deer.
kawan-kawannya, dia menyuruhnya melihat
them to look. His friends were filled with respect for
takut kepada kancil.
55
7. Tinuak
7. Tinuak
Dulu ada di sebuah dusun yang jauh dari
Once upon a time in a village far from town
pasar tinggallah seorang gadis yang cantik.
there lived a beautiful young maiden. Her name was
Namanya Upik. Dia itu anak dewa yang turun ke
Upik. She was a child of the gods who had come
melihatnya.
not want her around.
bumi
karena
keluarganya
tidak
senang
down to earth to escape from jealous sisters who did
Pagi-pagi dia pergi mandi ke sungai tidak
jauh
dari
rumahnya.
Ia
terus
Early one morning she went to bathe in the river
mencuci
near her house. She was washing her hair, and her
air. Tempat mandinya itu di bawah pohon kayu
was under a large tree. Up in the tree there was a
. Di atasnya ada sétan perempuan penunggunya.
female spirit haunting it. The spirit's name was
Sétan itu namanya Tinuak. Dia sedang duduk di
Tinuak. She was sitting on a branch of the tree when
di dalam air itu. Disangkanya bayangan yang
thought that the beautiful reflection was her own.
rambutnya. Jadi bayangannya terlihat di dalam
reflection appeared in the water. The bathing place
atas pohon tadi. Dilihatnya bayang-bayang Upik
she saw Upik's reflection in the water. At first Tinuak
cantik itu adalah bayangannya. Sesudah
dilihatnya
bayang-bayang
Then she noticed it was Upik‟s reflection in the
itu
water. She became very upset when she saw Upik.
adalah bayangan Upik tadi, dia benci sekali melihat Upik ini.
57
Ada pula di dusun lain tinggal seorang
In another village there also lived a young man
bujang tampan. Namanya Bujang Kurung. Dia
named Bujang Kurung. One day he went out walking
puyuh. Ia berjalan ke mana-mana masuk hutan
and out of the forest and several villages. Finally he
Sampailah dia di dusun tempat Upik yang cantik
she was very beautiful. He asked his mother and
sekali. Dia menyuruh ibu dengan bapaknya
mother and father did ask for Upik‟s hand. Upik was
oleh ibu ayahnya. Rupanya Upik mau juga.
other details, a date was picked. All that was left to
Setelah berunding berapa yang diminta serta
do was to wait for the wedding day.
pergi berjalan-jalan sambil membawa pikat
carrying a quail decoy. He walked here and there, in
keluar hutan, masuk dusun keluar dusun.
came to the village where Upik lived. He saw that
itu, Bujang Kurung melihat Upik itu cantik
father to seek her hand in marriage. Eventually, his
melamar Upik itu. Ahirnya dilamarlah Purtri
also willing. After negotiating the bride price and
dengan lain-lainnya, harinya sudah ditetapkan. Tinggal menunggu hari pernikahannya saja lagi.
59
Sétan perempuan di atas pohon kayu di tempat
mandi
semua
her perch in the tree near the river where people go
mendengarnya. Tidak lama sesudah itu, orang
long after that, the village folk prepared for the
Kurung. Bésoknya orang ingin sedekah, Upik
the celebrations, Upik went to the river to bathe. The
tadi melihat Upik mau mandi, dia langsung
so that Upik was swept downstream by the river.
hanyut. Sétan itu berubah menjadi perempuan
exactly like Upik.
rencananya.
Sétan
itu,
mendengar
The female spirit overheard all these plans sitting on
perempuan
itu
benci
to bathe. She was angry when she heard this. Not
dusun ingin mengawinkan Upik dengan Bujang
wedding of Upik and Bujang Kurung. The day before
pergi ke sungai mau mandi. Sétan perempuan
spirit saw her entering the water. She pushed Upik
mendorong Upik ke sungai sehingga Upik jatuh
Then the spirit changed into a woman who looked
sama wajahnya dengan Upik.
She pretended to be Upik. No one knew that the
Dia pura-pura jadi Upik. Tidak ada orang
person returning from the river was not Upik. So the
tahu, yang pulang dari mandi itu bukannya Upik.
Orang
langsung
mengawinkan
perempuan itu dengan Bujang Kurung.
village folk married the evil spirit to Bujang Kurung.
sétan
61
Kembalilah cerita kita kepada Upik tadi. Dia
Let‟s return the story to the real Upik. She was
hanyut terus sampai di sebuah dusun, diambil
swept away to a village downstream where some
orang.
jadi
people rescued her. They adopted her as their own
sétan
Our story returns again to the female spirit living
Kemudian
anaknya.
Kembali
lagi
dia
diangkat
cerita
kita
orang
kepada
child.
perempuan yang jadi dengan Bujang Kurung
with Bujang Kurung. Her name was Tinuak. Nobody
dulu. Namanya Tinuak. Orang dusun tidak tahu
in the village could quite figure out why she was
Tidak lama sesudah kawin, Bujang Kurung
Not long after the marriage, Bujang Kurung got
kenapa tinkah lakunya agak berlebihan.
„over-acting‟ in the strangest way.
jatuh sakit. Punggungnya melekat dengan tikar,
sick. His back stuck to the straw mat, his body grew
badannya sudah kurus. Hanya tinggal kulit
thin—he was all skin and bones. He couldn‟t eat or
membalut tulang saja lagi. Makan nasi tidak
drink. Everyone was worried about him. They tried
mau, minum air juga tidak mau. Orang sudah
giving him different medicines but Bujang Kurung
pusing semua memikirkannya. Macam-macam
did not get any better.
obat sudah diberikan tetapi Bujang Kurung tidak juga sembuh.
63
Sesudah itu ada orang dari dusun lain datang
mengunjunginya.
Orangnya
Dibawanya
dibawanya
perempuan.
brought rice and boiled water, and she told Bujang
langsung
health immediately improved, and he regained his
perempuan itu pulang ke dusunnya lagi, Bujang
village, Bujang Kurung fell sick again. When she
datang, dia séhat lagi. Begitulah Bujang Kurung
a long time.
orang, “Siapakah anda ini sebenarnya?” Tidak
asked the woman, “Who are you really?" At first she
mau perempuan itu menceritakannya. Sudah
did not want to say.” Only when they pressed her for
dipaksa orang barulah perempuan itu bercerita.
an answer did she tell her story, and the people
orang tahu, perempuan itu adalah Upik yang
She was Upik, who had been swept downstream
Hérannya sembuh,
Bujang
juga,
makan
Kurung
Bujang nasi
air
to visit the patient. The visitor was a woman. She
minum.
Disuruhnya
nasi,
After a while, a person came from another village
memakannya.
Kurung
suka.
Tetapi
Kurung to take them. Amazingly, Bujang Kurung‟s
kalau
appetite. But when the woman returned to her
Kurung kembali lagi sakit. Kalau perempuan itu
came back, he got well again. This kept up for quite
seterusnya. Singkat ceritanya, lama-lama ditanya
Let's keep the story short. After awhile people
Selesai mendengar cerita perempuan itu, baru
realized who she was.
hanyut di sungai dulu. Tinuak mendengar pula
some time ago. Tinuak also heard the story. The
cerita
people grabbed her and held her under water until
itu.
Langsung
orang
menangkapnya,
kemudian orang merendamnya sehingga dia
she died. Upik was finally able to return to her own
mati. Upik pulang kembali ke desanya. Ahirnya
village.
Bujang Kurung séhat selamanya.
Bujang
completely. 65
Kurung
recovered
his
health
Beruk cepat larinya sehingga kura-kura dapat ditangkap.
67
8. Beruk dengan Kura-Kura Dahulu
ada
seékor
beruk
8. The Ape and the Turtle berdekatan
Once there was an ape that lived next door to a
rumahnya dengan kura-kura. Beruk pagi-pagi
turtle. Early one morning the ape paid a visit to the
hari hujan terus. Kata beruk dengan kura-kura,
Said the ape to the turtle, "What shall we do,
sudah bertamu ke rumah kura-kura. Waktu itu
turtle's house. On that particular day it was raining.
“Apa kerja kita, „San? Hari tidak bagus, hujan
Cousin? The weather is terrible, it‟s raining cats and
saja.”
dogs."
“Berdiang saja kita,” kata kura-kura.
"Let's just build a fire," said the turtle.
“Ayolah,” kata beruk. Sesudah itu kura-kura
"Good idea!" said the ape. After that the turtle
mengambil kayu untuk menghidupkan api besar.
fetched wood and lit a big fire. The ape and the
Berdianglah beruk dengan kura-kura menunggu
turtle warmed themselves while waiting for the rain
mulai berhénti. Bertanya kura-kura, “Ke mana
Not long after that the rain stopped. The turtle
hujan berhénti. Tidak lama sesudah itu hujan
to let up.
kita jalan-jalan hari ini, „San?”
asked, "Where shall we go today, Cousin?"
69
“Entahlah,” kata beruk sambil berpikir.
"I don't know," said the ape, deep in thought.
“O, ada akalnya,” kata beruk sambil ketawa.
"Oh, I have an idea!" said the ape laughing. "Let's go
“Kita mencuri jahé Pak Haji saja. Dia tidak pergi
steal Pak Aji‟s ginger. He won't be going to the field.
ke kebun hari hujan ini.” “Ayolah”!”
kata
kura-kura.
Tidak
It's too wet."
lama
"Let‟s do it!" said the turtle. Soon they were on
sesudah itu, pergilah beruk dengan kura-kura
their way to steal Pak Aji‟s ginger. They walked
hendak mencuri jahé. Berjalan meréka berdua
slowly as they approached the ginger patch.
Sesudah sampai di sana, beruk mulai memakan
ginger. The turtle ate some, too.
jahénya. Kura-kura makan juga. Waktu dia
As soon as the ape bit into the ginger, he hollered
memakannya, menjeritlah beruk.
out loud, "Waaa! Pak Aji‟s ginger is hot!" His voice
hati-hati pergi mendekati kebun jahé Pak Haji.
When they got there, the ape began to eat the
“Waaaah! Pedas jahé Pak Haji ini!” Keras
was very loud.
sekali suaranya.
71
“Jangan bersuara keras!” kata kura-kura.
"Don't talk loud!" whispered the turtle. But the
Tetapi beruk berkata tambah keras, “Ibuuu!
ape hollered even louder, "Oh, Mama! Pak Aji‟s
Pedas sekali jahé Pak Haji,” kata beruk.
ginger is hot!" he shouted.
keras menjerit, ahirnya Pak Haji tahu. Dia
got louder until Pak Aji found out. He chased after
cepat
dapat
turtle was easily overtaken. Pak Aji threw the turtle
kura-kura itu di kebun salak yang berduri.
caught fast in the thorn patch. His body twisted
Tersangkutlah kura-kura di kebun salak itu.
slowly in the wind.
“Diam!” kata kura-kura. Tetapi beruk tambah
"Be quiet!" whispered the turtle. But the ape just
langsung mengejar beruk dan kura-kura. Beruk larinya
sehingga
kura-kura
the ape and the turtle. The ape ran away fast, but the
ditangkap Pak Haji. Dia langsung membuang
into a thorny patch of salak fruits. The turtle was
Bergoyang kalau dihembus angin.
73
Sesudah ia membuang kura-kura ke kebun
After throwing the turtle into the thorn patch,
salak tadi, Pak Haji pulang. Perlahan-lahan
Pak Aji went home. Slowly the ape approached the
beruk mendekati kura-kura yang tersangkut di
turtle who was still stuck on the thorns. Carefully he
kura dari tempat dia tersangkut. Sesudah ia
turtle got free, the ape slipped. He fell backwards
jatuh tersangkut pula di pohon salak yang
The turtle was unable to help him so that the ape
duri salak itu. Langsung dia melepaskan kura-
freed the turtle from where he was stuck. After the
melepas kura-kura, terpelését pula beruk. Dia
into the patch of salak thorns and got stuck.
berduri itu.
died.
Kura-kura tidak bisa menolong sehingga
beruk mati.
75
