BACAAN SEBAGAI PETUALANG
xi
1. Asal Usul Nama Kepahiang
1. The Origin of the Name Kepahiang
Menurut cerita orang tua terdahulu, nama
According to local tradition, the city of
Kepahiang belum ada waktu masa Belanda,
Kepahiang did not exist during colonial times, but
tetapi
tempat
the area was a crossroad for people traveling to
persinggahan, orang yang mau pergi ke Curup
Curup and the Kabawaten tea plantation. An
dan ke Kabawéten. Di daerah kita ini banyak
abundance of large trees grow in this area. Among
ditumbuhi pohon yang besar-besar. Diantara
these many types of large trees, there is one with
pohon kayu itu tadi, ada satu jenis pohon
unique properties growing alongside the road and
kayu yang sangat unik. Sebagian ada yang
along the Musi river. It produces a very large
tumbuh di pingir-pingir jalan dan di pingiran
fruit.
daerah
kita
ini
adalah
sungai Musi. Buahnya besar-besar.
3
Dahulu ada orang yang tinggal di daerah
Back in those days the local people tried to eat
ini, mencoba makan buah itu tadi, sudah dia
the fruit, but it made them sick. At the same time,
makan mabuk. Jadi orang mulai berpikir.
the people felt it would be wasteful to throw the
Alangkah
sayangnya
tadi
fruit away and not make use of it somehow.
dibuang
begitu saja
tidak dimanfaatkan.
Because the tree did not yet have a name, our
Karena sebelumnya pohon kayu itu, memang
ancestors gave it a name based on the properties
belum ada namanya, makanya nenek moyang
of its fruit, which they called “kepayang fruit”.
kita memberikan nama sesuai dengan sifat
The meaning of “kepayang” is derived from a
buah itu tadi, yaitu “buah kepayang”, artinya,
phrase meaning “too bitter to eat, too nice to
“dimakan mabuk, dibuang sayang”.
throw away”.
jika
buah
itu
5
Setelah itu nenek moyang kita berusaha
menjadi KEPAHIANG.
mencoba mencari jalan keluarnya, supaya
Naturally our ancestors tried to find a way out
buah kepayang tadi bisa dimanfaatkan, dapat
of their dilemma, so that the kepayang fruit could
juga dimakan. Sudah banyak cara yang dicoba
be made use of, and become edible. They tried
tetapi tidak juga berhasil. Sesudah itu dicoba
various processing methods without success.
lagi dengan cara yang lain. Buah kepayang
Finally they tried a different method, namely,
tadi dibuka, kemudian direndam di dalam air
they broke open the kepayang fruit, soaked it in
yang hanyut, direbus,supaya racun yang ada
running water to leech out the bitterness, and
di dalam buah kepayang tadi hilang. Ternyata
then boiled it. That method worked very well, and
dengan cara yang ini berhasil. Tidak pula
the fruit no longer made people sick. The
memabukkan lagi. Buah kepayang tadi jika
kepayang fruit, when processed in this way,
kita
makes an excellent side-dish to be eaten with rice.
bisa
mengolahnya
dapat
dijadikan
sebagai sayur untuk makan nasi.
Because the area has so many kepayang trees,
Karena di daerah ini banyak ditumbuhi
our ancestors named the place “Kepayang”. As
pohon kepayang, makanya nenek moyang kita
more newcomers came to settle in our area, the
dahulu membuat nama daerah ini adalah
name “kepayang” was altered slightly to become
“Kepayang”. Orang-orang pintar sudah ada
KEPAHIANG.
pula yang datang ke daerah kita ini, maka nama
“Kepayang”
tadi
berubah
sedikit
7
Tidak lama Kepahiang mulai dikenal orang,
banyak
orang
yang
mau
Recently, Kepahiang has become well-known,
tinggal
and many have people settled here permanently
menetap di daerah ini. Karena dilihat dari
because of the pleasant surroundings near two
letaknya sesuai, diapit oleh dua buah sungai.
rivers—the Musi and the Sampiang, nestled
Sungai Musi dan sungai Sempiang, tempatnya
beneath
juga di bawah bukit. Bukit Jupi dan Bukit
Moreover, the land is fertile, the jungle is
Dendan. Kemudian juga tanahnya subur serta
unspoiled, and the weather is mild—neither too
masih alami. Udaranya tidak panas, tidak pula
hot nor too cold, because the area is protected on
dingin, karena dikelilingi oleh bukit.
all sides by tall mountains.
Mount
Jupi
and
Mount
Dendan.
Sampai sekarang, sesuai dengan motto
In modern times, according to the slogan of
Bapak Bupati Drs. H. Bando Amin C. Kader,
Bapak Bupati Drs. H. Bando Amin C. Kader, MM,
M.M.,
“,
Kepahiang represents the concept of “ALAMI”
artinya Asri Laksana Mas dan Intan. Karena
which derives from the Indonesian phrase “Asri
tanahnya yang subur dan hutannya masih
Laksana Mas dan Intan” meaning “Beauty, Action,
banyak, serta penduduknya yang ramah-
Gold and Diamonds.” The motto implies that the
ramah.
land is fertile, the forest is beautiful, and the
Kepahiang
Kabupaten
“ALAMI
people are productive.
9
Nah, selain dari yang di sebutkan di atas tadi, sampai sekarang Kabupaten Kepahiang terkenal dengan buah kepayangnya. *** So, apart from everything else that can be said about our area, Kabupaten Kepahiang is well known for its kepayang fruit.
11
Dia heran melihat ada orang cantik-cantik sedang mandi. 13
2. Lalan Dahulu
2. Lalan ada
cerita
tua.
Here is a story the old people used to tell. The
Ceritanya seperti ini. Ada di sebuah dusun
story goes like this. In the village of Tebat Monok
tinggallah seorang bujang. Namanya Bujang
there lived a young man. His name was Bujang
Kurung. Suatu hari dia pergi memancing di
Kurung. One day he went fishing in the Musi river
sungai Musei yang tidak jauh dari dusunnya.
not far from his village. He brought with him
Dibawanya beras dan garam. Dia pergi
uncooked rice and salt. He left after the sun was up.
sewaktu matahari naik. Dia perlahan-lahan
He walked slowly. Soon he arrived at the place he
berjalan kaki. Tidak berapa lama dia sampai
intended to fish. He began fishing, but the fish were
di tempatnya mau memancing. Dia mulai
not taking the bait. The sun was high in the sky. He
memancing.
had had no luck. Finally, he decided to go home.
Tidak
ada
orang-orang
ikan
yang
mau
memakan pancingnya. Hari sudah siang, tidak
As he was getting ready to leave, he heard the
ada hasilnya. Setelah itu ada niatnya ingin
sound of voices. He decided to have a look. He was
pulang.
surprised to see some very beautiful people taking a
Waktu dia mau pulang terdengar suara
swim.
orang ribut-ribut. Dia mengintipnya. Dia heran melihat ada orang cantik-cantik sedang mandi.
15
Meréka itu gadis-gadis. Ada seorang yang
They were young girls. There was one prettier
cantik sendirinya. Dia yang paling kecil.
than the rest. She was the youngest. Bujang Kurung
Perlahan
mendekatinya,
crept closer without being detected. He snatched
meréka tidak melihat sedikitpun. Bujang
one of the girls‟ clothes—the youngest‟s. When they
Kurung langsung mengambil baju yang paling
had finished bathing and went to put on their
kecil. Waktu meréka sudah mandi, hendak
things, they found that the youngest girl‟s clothes
memakai bajunya, kiranya pakaian yang
had disappeared.
Bujang
Kurung
paling kecil tadi 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
semuanya ingin pulang ke langit. Tetapi yang
youngest could no longer fly. Her clothes were gone.
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.
return home. Reluctantly, they all decided to leave.
Adik
beradiknya
menangis
juga
melihat adiknya tidak bisa pulang lagi.
The youngest was left behind alone.
Akhirnya pergi semua. Tinggallah yang paling kecil itu sendiri.
17
Bujang Kurung melihat seperti itu. Dia
Bujang Kurung saw everything. He was amazed.
héran. Dia tidak menyangka bahwa itu adalah
He hadn‟t realized they were children of the gods.
anak déwa. Dia menyembunyikan baju yang
He hid the clothes he had taken; he ran away with
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
yang paling kecil tadi. Dia bertanya kenapa
home to the sky. The young girl answered that her
tidak pulang ke langit. Kata yang paling kecil
wings and all her clothes had disappeared. So
itu, “Baju saya hilang.” Sesudah itu Bujang
Bujang Kurung invited her to his village. She agreed
Kurung mengajak dia ke dusunnya. Dia juga
to go. Bujang Kurung asked her name. Her name
mau. Ditanya Bujang Kurung siapa namanya.
was Lalan.
Namanya adalah Lalan.
When he arrived back in Tebat Monok village,
Sudah sampai di dusun, Lalan dibawa
Bujang Kurung brought Lalan to his house. Lalan
Bujang Kurung ke rumahnya. Tinggallah
lived there for a long time. Bujang Kurung was
Lalan di sana selama-lamanya. Bujang Kurung
attracted to Lalan. They both felt the same way,
suka dengan Lalan. Lalan suka juga, cinta pula
each one fell in love. Not long after that, the two
dengan Bujang Kurung. Tidak lama sesudah
were married by the people of the village.
itu, orang dusun mengawinkan orang berdua
The story ends here
ini. Sekian ceritanya.
19
3. Kancil si Tukang Bohong
3. Mouse Deer the Trickster
Dulu ada seekor kancil. Ceritanya seperti
Once there was a mouse deer. His story goes like
ini. Waktu zaman Nabi Sulaiman. Semua
this. It was the age of the Prophet Solomon. All the 24
binatang bisa berbicara.
animals could speak.
Hari panas, kancil berjalan ke mana-mana
On a warm day, the mouse deer went for a nice
ke dalam hutan yang sepi. Kancil berjalan ke
walk in the quiet forest. He dropped in at the houses
rumah
semua
of several friends, but all his friends were out. "Oh
temannya pergi. "Aaah, kalau seperti ini
well, in that case I'll just get some sleep," thought
biarlah, aku tidur saja," pikir kancil. Dia pergi
the mouse deer. He went to find a shady tree. He
mencari pohon kayu yang teduh. Dia mulai
began to fall asleep. But before he could fall asleep,
tidur.
he heard a rustling sound. When he looked behind
kawan-kawannya,
tapi
Sebelum mau tidur, terdengarnya suara
him—to his surprise—there was a tiger fixing to eat
gemerisik. Wakteu dia melihat ke belakang,
him up. The mouse deer wanted to run away, but he
tidak
couldn't.
tahunya
ada
harimau
ingin
memakannya. Kancil hendak berlari, tidak
Instead he pretended to be depressed. The tiger
bisa lagi. Tapi dia pura-pura sedih. Harimau
asked, "Why are you looking so sad, mouse deer?
itu
Don‟t be sad that I‟m going to eat you up."
bertanya,
"Mengapa
kamu
bersedih,
Kancil? Jangan sedih aku ingin memakanmu.”
21
"Aku tidak bersedih kalau kamu ingin
"I am not sad because you‟re going to eat me,"
memakanku,“ kata kancil. Tapi yang aku
said the mouse deer. "What makes me sad is, who
sedihkan, siapakah yang tukang menjaga gong
will guard my grandfather's drum?" asked the mouse
kakek aku ini," kata kancil sambil menunjuk
deer pointing at a bee's nest up in a tree. Then the
sarang tawon di atas pohon kayu itu. Sesudah
mouse deer wept inconsolably.
itu kancil menangis sejadi-jadinya.
"May I beat the drum, mouse deer?" asked the
"Boleh, tidak, aku memukulnya?” kata
tiger.
harimau.
"No!" cried the mouse deer still weeping.
"Jangan!" kata kancil sambil menangis.
"Why not?" said the tiger.
"Kenapa?" tanya harimau.
"Because it depresses me if I have to listen to it."
"Sebab
hatiku
sedih
sekali
jika
"Let me beat it, „Deer," said the tiger. "I promise
mendengarnya."
I won't eat you up."
"Suruhlah aku memukulnya, „Cil!” kata harimau. "Biar aku tidak memakan kamu."
23
"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
hendak memukulnya juga, tunggu dulu aku
anyway, wait here and let me get far away,” said
pergi jauh-jauh,” kata kancil. “Jika aku
the mouse deer. “When I shout `Ready!' you can
berkata
begin beating the drum. I won't be able to hear it,"
„Sudah!‟
boleh
kamu
mulai
memukulnya. Aku tidak mendengar lagi,”
said the mouse deer.
kata kancil.
"Go on," said the tiger.
“Pergilah!” kata harimau.
The mouse deer ran a good distance away. From
Sesudah itu kancil berlari jauh-jauh sekali.
afar, he shouted, "Reeeaaady!" When he heard the
Sudah jauh sekali, dia berteriak “Sudah!”
mouse deer say "Ready!" the tiger began to beat on
Mendengar kancil berkata “Sudah!” mulailah
the bee's nest. How shall I say it? The queen bee
harimau memukul sarang tawon tadi. Apa
came out of the nest and stung the tiger. The tiger
kata?
menyengat
screamed in pain from the bee stings. Wherever the
kesakitan
tiger ran, the bees chased after him hither and yon,
Induk
harimau.
Dia
tawon
keluar
terpekik-pekik
disengat tawon tadi. Ke mana harimau berlari
until finally the tiger died from all the bee stings.
dikejarnya oleh tawon, ahirnya dia mati.
25
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
fast as he could go. After that he stopped near a
dekat ular besar yang sedang tidur. Dia tidak
sleeping python. The mousedeer did not know there
tahu ada beruang di belakangnya hendak
was a bear right behind him ready to eat him up.
memakannya.
But the mouse deer said, "Wait just a minute!"
Tapi kancil berkata, “Sabar dulu!” Sebab
because if the bear wanted to eat him up, he had to
jika beruang hendak memakannya, beruang
put on the Prophet Solomon's belt which was coiled
harus memakai tali pinggang Nabi Sulaiman
nearby, because the mouse deer was the guardian of
yang sedang bergulung itu sebab kancil yang
the belt by order of Solomon himself. Bear picked
tukang jaganya diperintah Nabi Sulaiman.
up the belt that was lying there all coiled up. He
Beruang mengambil tali pinggang sedang
wrapped it around his waist. What can I say? The
bergulung itu. Dia langsung memakainya. Apa
snake woke up and squeezed the bear until he died.
kata? Ular besar tadi bangun langsung melilit
Then the mouse deer ran away as far as he could
beruang hingga dia mati.
go.
Sesudah itu kancil lari jauh-jauh lagi.
27
“Hey! Kamu lain yang ditanya, lain pula yang menjawab!”
29
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
menanam
ini
planted banana trees. As for the turtle, he planted a
menanam anak pohon pisang. Tetapi yang
young banana shoot, but as for the ape, he planted a
beruk, dia menanam pohon pisang yang sudah
mature banana plant with its flower tip hanging
agak besar. Pucuknya ke bawah.
down.
pisang.
Yang
kura-kura
Pisang yang ditanam beruk tadi tidak
The banana tree planted by the ape did not
hidup. Pisang yang ditanam kura-kura hidup
thrive. The banana tree planted by the turtle thrived
dengan bagus. Sesudah itu kata kura-kura,
very well. Said the turtle, "My banana tree is already
"Sudah besar pisangku."
big."
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,
Soon after that the turtle‟s tree started to
"Pisangku sudah berbuah."
show some bananas. Said the turle to the ape, “My
Kata beruk, “Pisangku sudah berbuah
tree already has some bananas.”
juga.
The ape replied, “Mine already has some too.”
31
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
Disuruhnyalah beruk untuk memanjat pohon
turtle asked the ape to climb up and get the
pisangnya. Sampai beruk di atas, dia mulai
bananas. When the ape reached the top, the ape
memakannya. Satu sikat habis, dua sikat
started eating them. One bunch, gulp! Two bunches,
habis, sesudah itu, hampir semuanya habis.
gulp! At this rate he would soon finish them all.
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!” “Lemparkan
untukku
kulitnya
"Just throw me a peeling,” said the turtle. saja,
"The peelings are sweet," said the ape. Soon the
Beruk!” kata kura-kura. “Kulit-kulitnya
manis,”
ape gobbled up one bunch of bananas. kata
beruk.
Ahirnya pisang satu tandan habis semua dimakan beruk.
33
“Bagaimana aku ingin membalas beruk
"How can I get back 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.”
"Aaaa, aku minta tolong dengan kepiting
"Aaah, if that‟s how it‟s going to be, I have an
saja.” Kura-kura pergi menemui kepiting. Dia
idea. I will ask the crab to help me out." He went to
ceritakan kehendaknya kepadanya.
the crab. He explained what he wanted.
“Jadi!”
kata
kepiting.
Sesudah
itu
"Ok!" said the crab. After that the crab went
kepiting pergi mencari beruk, tapi rupanya
looking for the ape, but he couldn't find him. So the
tidak ketemu. Ahirnya kepiting diam di
crab hid under a rock waiting for the ape.
bawah batu menunggu beruk tadi. Tidak lama
Not long after that the ape came and sat on the
sesudah itu, beruk sampai, kebetulan beruk
very rock where the crab was hiding. When the ape
duduk di atas batu tempat kepiting tadi
sat on the rock, the crab began to speak.
bersembunyi. Waktu beruk duduk di atas batu, kepiting mulai berbicara.
35
“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.
"Crabs pinch!" said the crab. The crab pinched
Kepiting mengapit-ngapit alat kelamin beruk.
and pinched the ape's penis.
“Hus! Siapa itu?” kata beruk.
"Hus! Who are you anyway?" said The ape.
“HUUUUUT!” disahut kepiting.
"Huuuut!" answered the crab.
“Hoy! Kamu lain yang ditanya, lain pula
"Hoy, why do I talk to one person and another
yang
menjawab!”
beruk,
one answers?" The ape thought it was his penis that
kemaluannya yang menjawab. Sesudah itu dia
was answering him. So the ape grabbed a stick and
mengambil
beat on his own penis. After that the ape died.
kayu
Disangka terus
memukul
alat
kelaminnya sendiri, hingga beruk mati.
That's what happens when people are too
Inilah balasannya kalau orang serakah sekali.
Disangkanya
yang
greedy. He thought his own penis was answering
menyahut
him. In fact it was the crab.
perkataannya adalah alat kelaminnya sendiri. Tidak tahunya kepiting.
37
5. Putri
5. Putri
Dulu ada cerita orang tua-tua. Ada orang
Once there was a story told by the elders. There
yang bernama Pak Haji. Dia tinggal di dusun
was a man named Mr. Aji who lived in the village of
Kelilik. Anaknya ada sembilan. Yang bungsu
Kelilik. He had nine children. The youngest child
namanya
was
Putri.
Putri
ini
cantik
sekali.
named
Putri.
Putri
was
very
beautiful.
Alangkah cantiknya. Semua orang sayang
Extremely beautiful! Everybody liked her. But her
dengannya. Tapi kakak-kakaknya tidak ada
elder siblings could not stand the sight of her. They
yang setuju melihat Putri itu. Kakaknya terus
scolded Putri continuously for her supposed bad
mengatakan, Putri yang jelek-jeleknya. Terus
behavior. Her sisters were angry with her all the
kakaknya marah.
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
didn‟t find it, they accused Putri of stealing it.
langsung
menuduh
Putri
yang
mengambilnya.
Let‟s keep the story short. Putri was going to be
Panjang ceritanya, Putri mau dibuang ke
abandoned in the forest. Putri did not know she was
dalam hutan. Putri tidak tahu dia mau
going to be abandoned by her father.
dibuang ayahnya.
39
Tidak
diajak
Not long after that, her father invited her to
pergi
accompany him to the forest. They left early in the
membawa nasi di dalam bungkus, sayur di
morning carrying rice in a wrapper and vegetables
dalam tabung.
in a bamboo.
ayahnya
lama ke
sesudah
hutan.
itu,
Pagi-pagi
dia dia
Sampai di dalam hutan, dekat jalan gajah,
When they got to the forest near an elephant
ayahnya membuat pondok serudung. Waktu
trail, her father built a temporary shelter. When the
pondoknya itu selesai, ayahnya mengatakan
shelter was about finished, her father told Putri to
kepada Putri untuk menunggu dia di pondok,
wait there while he went to gather some firewood
ayah mau pergi sebentar mengambil kayu
nearby. Then her father went away.
bakar di sekitar sinilah. Sesudah itu ayahnya
Putri waited and waited. She waited for a very
berangkat.
long time. Her father did not come back. After a
Itulah Putri 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
lama lagi hari akan malam. Pondok di jalan
forth to find food. The first to come by was an
gajah tadi adalah jalan tempat léwat binatang
elephant.
pulang dari mencari makanan. Mula-mulanya melintas gajah.
41
Gajah menegur, “Hoy! Putri, apa kerja
He called to Putri, “Hoy! Putri! What are you
kamu di sana? Hari akan malam.”
doing here? It is getting dark.”
Kata Putri, “Saya ini dibuang ayah saya.” Sesudah
itu,
banyak
binatang
"My father has abandoned me,” answered Putri.
léwat.
Soon many animals passed by. The last one to come
Terakhirnya léwat ular besar.
was a large python.
Dia bertanya kepada Putri, “Apa yang
He asked Putri, “What are you waiting here for?
ditunggu anda di sini? Hari tidak lama lagi
It is going to get dark very soon.”
akan malam.”
Putri answered, “I have nowhere to go. I don‟t
Dijawab Putri, “Saya tidak ada tempat
know the way. My father has abandoned me.”
pulang. Saya tidak tahu jalan. Saya dibuang ayah saya."
43
“Kalau seperti ini, marilah ikuti saya
In that case, come home with me," said the
pulang,” kata ular besar. Langsung ular besar
python. And the python lifted Putri onto his back.
mengangkat
punggungnya.
After that he carried Putri to his village, fording the
Sesudah itu dibawanya Putri ke dusunnya,
Musi river, and crossing through open meadows and
menyeberang sungai, léwat rimba.
heavy thickets of bamboo forest.
Putri
di
atas
Sesudah itu, dia sampai di dusun ular
Finally they came to the village of Talang
besar, dusun Talang Béténg. Dia langsung
Béténg. They were welcomed by the village people.
disambut oleh orang dusun itu. Waktu ular
As soon as the python arrived in the village, he
besar sampai di dusunnya, maka dia berubah
changed into a handsome young man. Not long after
jadi bujang ganténg. Tidak lama sesudah itu
that he was married to Putri by the people of the
orang desa mengawinkan bujang ganténg tadi
village.
dengan Putri.
The story ends there.
Cuma sampai di sini ceritanya.
45
“Aku ingin memakan hasil kamu ini,” kata raksasa. “Jangan!” kata harimau. 47
6. Kancil dan Raksasa
6. The Mouse Deer and the Giant
Dulu ada cerita kancil mau mencari ikan
Once there was a story about a mouse deer who
di sungai tidak jauh dari tempatnya tinggal.
wanted to catch fish in the Tés River not far from
Waktu
dia
Mount Jupi, the place where he lived. The day he
berjalan
went fishing, he set out early in the morning. He
hari
berangkat
dia
hendak
pagi-pagi
sekali.
berangkat, Dia
perlahan-lahan. Di jalan dia bertemu dengan
walked slowly. On the way he met a wild boar.
babi hutan. Ditanyai babi hutan, “Hoy, „Cil!
The boar asked, "Hoy, 'Deer! Where are you
Mau ke mana kamu?”
going?"
“Mau mencari ikan,” kata kancil.
"I‟m hoping to catch some fish," said the mouse
“Aku ikut, boleh, tidak?” kata babi hutan.
deer.
“Ayolah, “ kata kancil. Sesudah itu, dia
"I'll come too, if it‟s all right with you,” said the
terus berjalan bersama dengan babi hutan.
boar.
Tidak lama sesudah itu bertemu dengan
"Fine!" said the mouse deer. He continued to
harimau.
walk along with the boar. Not long after that they
“Hendak ke mana kalian?” kata harimau.
met a tiger.
“Kami ingin mencari ikan,” kata kancil.
"Where are you going?" asked the tiger.
“Aku ikut,” kata harimau.
"We‟re hoping to catch some fish." "I'll join you," said the tiger.
49
“Marilah!” jawap kancil. Rupanya tidak
"Come on!" answered the mouse deer. Then they
lama meréka berjalan, bertemu lagi dengan
all set out again walking slowly. Not long after that
gajah.
they ran 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 fish," said the mouse
“Aku ikut, boleh, tidak?” kata gajah.
deer.
“Boleh,” kata kancil. Tidak lama sesudah
"I‟ll come, too, if it‟s all right with you,” said the
itu meréka berjalan léwat lembah, léwat
elephant.
hutan.
"No problem!" said the mouse deer. For a short
Sampai mencari
meréka
ikan,
di
sungai
mulailah
tempatnya
meréka
while they walked along crossing ravines and hiking
bekerja
through the forest.
membendung air. Gajah tukang mengangkut tanahnya.
Babi
hutan
menggali
were planning to fish, they went straight to work
tanahnya. Tidak lama sesudah itu, air mulai
damming up the river. The elephant was the hod
kering, mulailah dia mencari ikan. Hasil yang
carrier. The boar was the digger. In no time at all
dapat diangkat ke darat diletakkan di bawah
the river bed was nearly dry. They began to collect
pohon kayu besar. Kancil menyuruh harimau
the fish. The catch was thrown up onto dry land and
untuk
kept under a big tree. The mouse deer told the tiger
menjaganya.
Yang
terus
When they arrived at the Tés River where they
lainnya
terus
mencari ikan.
to stand guard. The others continued to collect fish.
51
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
baik-baik
came an ogre.
menunggu
ikannya,
sampailah
raksasa. “Hoy, harimau, apa kerja kamu?”
"Hoy, tiger, what are you doing?"
“Menunggu ikan,” kata harimau.
"I'm guarding some fish," said the tiger.
“Aku ingin memakan hasil kamu ini,” kata
"I am going to eat your entire catch," said the
raksasa.
ogre.
“Jangan!” kata harimau.
"No, you don‟t!" said the tiger.
“Kamu kubunuh nanti!” kata raksasa itu.
"Then I will kill you!" said the ogre. The tiger
Gemetar harimau mendengarnya. Dia berlari
trembled when he heard that. He ran to the mouse
kepada kancil. Dia cerita bahwa raksasa mau
deer. He explained that the ogre was going to eat
makan ikan tadi.
their entire catch of fish.
“Berhénti!”
ada
"Hold it right there!” said the mousedeer. “Your
gunanya kukumu panjang, paing tajam itu,”
long claws and sharp fangs are completely useless,”
kata
gajah
said the mouse deer. Next the mouse deer told the
menunggu ikan tadi, rupanya gajah tidak juga
elephant to guard the fish. But the elephant was also
berani.
itu.
afraid. He ran away when he saw the giant. After
Sesudah itu, disuruhnya babi hutan, rupanya
that the boar tried but the result was the same. He,
sama saja, tidak juga berani.
too, was afraid.
kancil. Berlari
kata
kancil.
Kancil dia
“Tidak
menyuruh
melihat
raksasa
53
Jadi kata kancil, “Busét! Kalian ini besar
So the mousedeer said, "Everybody stop right
badan saja, tidak ada yang berani. Biarlah aku saja
yang
menungguinya.”
there! You guys are big, but you are all cowards. I‟ll
Berangkatlah
just have to go and guard them myself.” Then the
kancil menunggui ikan hasilnya tadi. Raksasa
mouse deer went off to guard the fish. The ogre had
belum sampai. Kancil pergi mengambil rotan.
not yet come back. The mouse deer started
Dia terus menyambungnya panjang-panjang.
collecting rattan vines. He tied them together to
Tidak lama lagi datanglah raksasa ingin
make a long rope. After a while, the ogre came
memakan ikan. Tapi begitu dia melihat kancil
back, intending to eat the fish. But as soon as he
sedang memegang rotan seperti itu, raksasa
saw the mousedeer holding a rattan rope, he asked,
bertanya, “Oy! Kancil! Apa kerja kamu?”
"Hey, mouse deer, what are you doing?"
“Aku membuat tali sebab dunia mau
"I made a rope because the world is coming to
kiamat. Pohon kayu ini saja yang tidak
an end. This tree is the only thing that will be
hancur,” kata kancil.
spared," said the mouse deer.
“Boleh
aku
menumpang,
„Cil!”
kata
"May I join you?” said the ogre.
raksasa itu.
"No way!" said the mouse deer.
“Jangan,” kata kancil.
"Naah, 'Deer, we are brothers," said the ogre,
“Laa, Cil! Kita masih famili,” kata raksasa
becoming angry. "Then I will just eat you, instead!"
itu sambil marah. Kau kumakan nanti,” kata
he said.
raksasa itu.
55
“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. Ahirnya
kancil
confused and trembled with fear. Finally the mouse berkata,
“Carilah
tali
deer said, "Ok, go fetch lots of rope!"
banyak-banyak!” Pergilah raksasa berangkat mencari
tali
rotan
The ogre went to get all the rattan he could find.
sebanyak-banyaknya.
When he had gathered enough, the mouse deer said,
Sudah banyak talinya, kancil berkata, “Ikatlah
"Wind the rope around your body and tie yourself to
rotan ini ke tubuh kamu sambil diikat di
that tree."
pohon kayu besar itu."
The ogre began to tie himself up. He tied
Mulailah raksasa itu mengikat dirinya.
himself up as tightly as he could.
Diikatnya kuat-kuat tubuhnya dengan tali
"Try to move!" said the mouse deer. But the ogre
rotan itu.
could no longer get loose. "The sky is getting dark,
“Coba berontak,” kata kancil. Tapi raksasa
it's 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.”
57
Sesudah itu kancil mengikat léhér raksasa
After that the mouse deer tied up the ogre's neck
sehingga dia tidak dapat bernapas lagi,
until he couldn't breathe, and so he died.
ahirnya ia mati.
When the ogre was dead, the mouse deer called
Matilah raksasa itu, kancil memanggil
his friends and told them to look. His friends were
kawan-kawannya, dia menyuruhnya melihat raksasa
itu
sudah
mati.
Semua
filled with respect for the mouse deer.
kawan-
kawannya takut kepada kancil.
59
7. Ketindung
7. Ketindung
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 Putri. Dia itu anak dewa yang turun
Putri. She was a child of the gods who had come
ke bumi karena keluarganya tidak senang
down to earth to escape from jealous sisters who did
melihatnya.
not want her around.
Pagi-pagi dia pergi mandi ke sungai tidak jauh
dari
rumahnya.
Ia
terus
Early one morning she went to bathe in the
mencuci
Sampiang River not far from her house. She was
rambutnya. Jadi bayangannya terlihat di
washing her hair, and her reflection appeared in the
dalam air. Tempat mandinya itu di bawah
water. The bathing place was under a large beringin
pohon kayu . Di atasnya ada sétan perempuan
tree. Up in the tree there was a female spirit
penunggunya. Sétan itu namanya Ketindung.
haunting it. The spirit's name was Ketindung. She
Dia sedang duduk di atas pohon tadi.
was sitting on a branch of the beringin tree. She saw
Dilihatnya bayang-bayang Putri di dalam air
Putri's reflection in the water. At first she thought
itu. Disangkanya bayangan yang cantik itu
that the beautiful reflection was her own.
adalah bayangannya. Sesudah
Then she noticed it was Putri‟s reflection in the
dilihatnya bayang-bayang itu
water. She became very upset when she saw Putri.
adalah bayangan Putri tadi, dia benci sekali melihat Putri ini.
61
Ada pula di dusun lain tinggal seorang
At that time, there also lived a young man in
bujang tampan. Namanya Bujang Kurung. Dia
Pagar Gunung village. His name was Bujang
pergi berjalan-jalan sambil membawa pikat
Kurung. One day he went out walking carrying a
puyuh. Ia berjalan ke mana-mana masuk
quail decoy. He walked here and there, in and out
hutan keluar hutan, masuk dusun keluar
of the forest and several villages. Finally he came to
dusun. Sampailah dia di dusun tempat Putri
the village where Putri lived. He saw that she was
yang cantik itu, Bujang Kurung melihat Putri
very beautiful. He asked his mother and father to
itu cantik sekali. Dia menyuruh ibu dengan
seek her hand in marriage. Eventually, his mother
bapaknya
and father did ask for Putri‟s hand. Putri was also
melamar
Putri
itu.
Ahirnya
dilamarlah Purtri oleh ibu ayahnya. Rupanya
willing.
Putri mau juga. Setelah berunding berapa yang
diminta
serta
dengan
After negotiating the bride price and other
lain-lainnya,
details, a date was picked. All that was left to do
harinya sudah ditetapkan. Tinggal menunggu
was to wait for the wedding day.
hari pernikahannya saja lagi.
63
Sétan perempuan di atas pohon kayu di tempat
mandi
semua
sitting on her perch in the tree near the river where
benci
people go to bathe. She was angry when she heard
mendengarnya. Tidak lama sesudah itu, orang
this. Not long after that, the village folk prepared
dusun
dengan
for the wedding of Putri and Bujang Kurung. The
ingin
day before the celebrations, Putri went to the river
sedekah, Putri pergi ke sungai mau mandi.
to bathe. The spirit saw her entering the water. She
Sétan perempuan tadi melihat Putri mau
pushed Putri into the Sampiang River. Putri lost her
mandi, dia langsung mendorong Putri ke
balance and was swept downstream. Then the spirit
sungai sehingga Putri jatuh hanyut. Sétan itu
changed into a woman who looked exactly like
berubah menjadi perempuan sama wajahnya
Putri.
rencananya.
Bujang
ingin
itu,
Sétan
mendengar
The female spirit overheard all these plans
perempuan
mengawinkan
Kurung.
Bésoknya
itu
Putri orang
dengan Putri.
She pretended to be Putri. No one knew that the
Dia pura-pura jadi Putri. Tidak ada orang
person returning from the river was not Putri. So
tahu, yang pulang dari mandi itu bukannya
the village folk married the evil spirit to Bujang
Putri. Orang langsung mengawinkan sétan
Kurung.
perempuan itu dengan Bujang Kurung.
65
Kembalilah cerita kita kepada Putri tadi.
Now our story returns to the real Putri. She was
Dia hanyut terus sampai di dusun Permu,
swept downstream to the village of Dusun Permu.
diambil orang. Kemudian dia diangkat orang
Some people rescued her, and adopted her as their
jadi anaknya.
own child.
Kembali lagi cerita kita kepada sétan
Our story returns again to the female spirit
perempuan yang jadi dengan Bujang Kurung
living
dulu. Namanya Ketindung. Orang dusun tidak
Ketindung. Nobody in Kampung Bogor village could
tahu kenapa tinkah lakunya agak berlebihan.
quite figure out why she was „over-acting‟ like a bug
Tidak lama sesudah kawin, Bujang Kurung
with
Bujang
Kurung.
Her
name
was
on a pond.
jatuh sakit. Punggungnya melekat dengan
Not long after the marriage, Bujang Kurung got
tikar, badannya sudah kurus. Hanya tinggal
sick. His back stuck to the straw mat, his body grew
kulit membalut tulang saja lagi. Makan nasi
thin—he was all skin and bones. He couldn‟t eat or
tidak mau, minum air juga tidak mau. Orang
drink. Everyone was worried about him. They tried
sudah pusing semua memikirkannya. Macam-
giving him different medicines but Bujang Kurung
macam obat sudah diberikan tetapi Bujang
did not get any better.
Kurung tidak juga sembuh.
67
Sesudah itu ada orang dari Dusun Permu datang
mengunjunginya.
After a while, a person came from another
Orangnya
village to visit him. The visitor was a woman. She
perempuan. Dibawanya nasi, dibawanya air
brought rice, she brought water, and she told
minum.
Kurung
Bujang Kurung to take them. Amazingly, Bujang
memakannya. Hérannya juga, Bujang Kurung
Kurung‟s health improved and he regained his
langsung sembuh, makan nasi suka. Tetapi
appetite. But when the woman returned to her
kalau perempuan itu pulang ke dusunnya lagi,
village, Bujang Kurung fell sick again. When the
Bujang Kurung kembali lagi sakit. Kalau
woman came back, Bujang Kurung got well again.
perempuan
This kept up for quite a long time.
Disuruhnya
itu
Bujang
datang,
dia
séhat
lagi.
Begitulah Bujang Kurung seterusnya. Singkat
ceritanya,
ditanya
asked the woman, “Who are you really?" At first she
orang, “Siapakah anda ini sebenarnya?” Tidak
did not want to say. Only when they pressed her for
mau perempuan itu menceritakannya. Sudah
an answer did she tell her story, and the people
dipaksa
realized who she was. She was Putri, who had been
orang
bercerita.
lama-lama
Let's keep the story short. After awhile people
barulah
Selesai
perempuan
mendengar
itu
cerita
swept downstream some time ago.
perempuan itu, baru orang tahu, perempuan itu adalah Putri yang hanyut di sungai Sepiang dulu.
69
Ketindung mendengar pula cerita itu.
Ketindung also heard the story. The people
Langsung orang menangkapnya, kemudian
grabbed her and held her under water until she
orang merendamnya sehingga dia mati.
died.
Putri pulang kembali ke desanya. Ahirnya
Putri was finally able to return to her own
Bujang Kurung séhat selamanya.
village.
Bujang
completely.
71
Kurung
recovered
his
health
Beruk cepat larinya sehingga kura-kura dapat ditangkap. 73
8. Beruk dengan Kura-Kura
8. The Ape and the Turtle
Dahulu ada seékor beruk 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
sudah bertamu ke rumah kura-kura. Waktu itu
turtle's house. On that particular day it was raining.
hari hujan terus. Kata beruk dengan kura-
Said the ape to the turtle, "What shall we do,
kura, “Apa kerja kita, „San? Hari tidak bagus,
Cousin? The weather is terrible, it‟s raining cats and
hujan saja.”
dogs."
“Berdiang saja kita,” kata kura-kura.
"Let's just build a fire," said the turtle.
“Ayolah,” kata beruk. Sesudah itu kura-
"Good idea!" said the ape. After that the turtle
kura mengambil kayu untuk menghidupkan
fetched wood and lit a big fire. The ape and the
api besar. Berdianglah beruk dengan kura-
turtle warmed themselves waiting for the rain to let
kura menunggu hujan berhénti. Tidak lama
up.
sesudah itu hujan mulai berhénti. Bertanya
Not long after that the rain stopped. The turtle
kura-kura, “Ke mana kita jalan-jalan hari ini,
asked, "Where shall we go today, Cousin?"
„San?”
75
“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
steal Pak Aji‟s ginger. He won't be going to the field.
pergi ke kebun hari hujan ini.”
It's too wet."
“Ayolah”!” kata kura-kura. Tidak 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
together slowly on the approach to Pak Aji's ginger
hati-hati pergi mendekati kebun jahé Pak
patch. When they got there, the ape began to eat the
Haji. Sesudah sampai di sana, beruk mulai
ginger. The turtle ate some, too. As soon as the ape
memakan jahénya. Kura-kura makan juga.
bit into the ginger, he hollered out loud, "Waaa! Pak
Waktu dia memakannya, menjeritlah beruk.
Aji‟s ginger is hot!" His voice was very loud.
“Waaaah! Pedas jahé Pak Haji ini!” Keras sekali suaranya.
77
“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.
“Diam!” kata kura-kura. Tetapi beruk
"Be quiet!" whispered the turtle. But the ape just
tambah keras menjerit, ahirnya Pak Haji tahu.
got louder until Pak Aji found out. He chased after
Dia langsung mengejar beruk dan kura-kura.
the ape and the turtle. The ape ran too fast, but the
Beruk cepat larinya sehingga kura-kura dapat
turtle was easily overtaken. Pak Aji threw the turtle
ditangkap Pak Haji. Dia langsung membuang
into a thorny patch of salak fruits. The turtle was
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.
Bergoyang kalau dihembus angin.
79
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
duri salak itu. Langsung dia melepaskan kura-
freed the turtle from where he was stuck. After the
kura dari tempat dia tersangkut. Sesudah ia
turtle got free, the ape slipped. He fell backwards
melepas kura-kura, terpelését pula beruk. Dia
into the patch of salak thorns and got stuck.
jatuh tersangkut pula di pohon salak yang
The turtle was unable to help him so that the
berduri itu.
ape died.
Kura-kura tidak bisa menolong sehingga beruk mati.
81
