BACAAN SEBAGAI PETUALANGAN
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1. Asal Usul Nama Muara Kulam
1. How Muara Kulam Got its Name
Pada waktu zaman pemerintahan sunan,
During the time of the rule of the sunans, the
Kerajaan Palémbang Darusalam. Pada waktu
kingdom was Palembang Darusalam. A decree
itu, diperintah oleh Sunan, yaitu Sultan
went out from the Sunan, Sultan Mahmud
Mahmud Badaruddin Satu. Sultan Mahmud
Badaruddin
Badarudin
setiap
Badaruddin the First commanded all of his
menteri-menterinya untuk pergi ke desa-desa
ministers to travel to the interior and give names
untuk memberinya nama. Di antaranya ada
to the villages. Among them was a minister that
seorang menteri yang dikirim ke daerah
he sent to the Rejang Rawas area. His name was
Rejang Rawas, namanya Pati Anom. Pati
Pati Anom. Pati Anom had orders from the
Anom ini diperintah oleh sunan, masuk ke
sultan to visit each village. But before he
setiap
departed, he dispatched a company of officers to
Satu
dusun.
memerintahkan
Jadi,
sebelum
ia
sendiri
berangkat, terlebih dahulu ia menyuruh para
the
travel ahead of him.
hulubalangnya untuk turun ke desa-desa.
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First.
Sultan
Mahmud
Pertama kali, inilah yang diperintahnya,
The first man he sent ahead was an old
yaitu seorang hulubalang tua yang namanya
officer named Grandfather Depati Sungai Muaro.
Muning Depati Sungai Muaro. Nama aslinya
His actual name was Kalemadar. He originated
Kelemedar.
kerajaan
from the kingdom of Mataram. He set out
Mataram. Pertama-tama dia masuk melalui
traveling by boat up the Musi River until he
batang air Sugai Musi, mudik sampai Muara
reached the mouth of the Rawas River, where he
Rawas. Selanjutnya, dia menyimpang ke
turned to the right and continued until he came
kanan dan bertemu batang air yang belum
to a river that had no name. He named that river
ada namanya. Batang air itu, diberinya nama
the Serut River. In bahasa Indonesia we call it
Sungai Serut. Dalam bahasa Indonesia, inilah
Sungai Serut, whereas in Rejang it's called A’ei
Sungai Serut, yang dalam bahasa Rejangnya
Se’ut. Arriving there, Depati Sungai Muaro cut
disebut batang A'ei Se'ut. Sesampainya di
down a tree at the mouth of the Serut River,
Sungai
Muaro
using his magic sword. That sword was so well
memotong batang kayu di muara Sungai
known in Palembang that people called it the
Serut. Batang kayu itu dia potong dengan
Magic Sword.
Serut
Dia
ini,
berasal
Depati
dari
Sungai
pedangnya yang bernama Pedang Pabes (ajaib). Pedangnya itu sudah begitu terkenal di Palembang, jadi disebut juga Pedang Pabes.
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Batang
bisa
The tree he cut down had leaves that could
bisa
be boiled and eaten, and the broth was good to
diminum. Oleh karenanya ada kaitannya
drink. Because in the story, the river is
dengan Pedang Pabes, maka sungai tersebut
associated with the Magic Sword, he named the
dinamakan Air Abes atau Sungai Rawas.
river Biol Abes, or Sungai Rawas in Indonesian.
dimakan,
kayu bisa
itu
tadi
direbus
daunnya
dan
airnya
Kemudian Pati Anom mudik, menyusul,
Following behind his officers, Pati Anom also
terus sampai di dusun Muara Kulam ini.
continued upstream heading for Muara Kulam.
Pertama-tama sebelum sampai di Muara
But first, before he got to Muara Kulam, he came
Kulam, dia singgah di Dusun Kuis. Pati Anom
to Kuis village. Pati Anom had brought along a
membawa ayam putih. Artinya kalau ayam
white cock. If the cock crowed, it meant that
berkokok, di sanalah tempat yang baik untuk
here would be a good place to build a village.
mendirikan dusun. Apabila berkokok dengan
Wherever the cock crowed and scratched the
menggaris, artinya, di sanalah dia bakal
earth, it meant that he would establish a village
membuat dusun dan di sanalah pula dia bakal
there, and that he himself would live there until
mati.
he died.
Selanjutnya Pati Anom sampai di dusun
Next, Pati Anom came to a small village that
kecil yang belum ada namanya. Di sana
had no name. There was a dry creek bed nearby.
terdapat bekas anak sungai.
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Di tanjung anak sungai itu, diberinya nama
At the landing near the creek, he named the area
Batang Kuis. Ayamnya dilepaskannya di
Batang Kuis. He released the cock there, and
sana
sembari
immediately it crowed and scratched the earth.
mencékér tanah. Di sanalah dia membuat
That is where he would establish a village and that
dusun dan di sanalah dia akan mati.
is where he would die.
dan
langsung
berkokok
Nah, inilah asal usul dusun Kuis.
So, that is the origin of Kuis village. After that,
Sesudah ini, lebih kurang dusun Kuis sudah
when Kuis village was more or less established, to
jadi, singkatnya, Pati Anom terus mudik ke
keep
setiap
upstream—with his officers going ahead of him—
dusun—yang
dikunjungi
terlebih
dahulu
hulubalangnya—untuk
the
story short,
giving each village a name.
memberinya nama.
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Pati
Anom
continued
Nah, sampai di dusun Muara Kulam,
When he came to the village of Muara Kulam, Pati
Pati Anom bertemu dengan seseorang. Pati
Anom saw a person. Pati Anom asked him, “Where
Anom bertanya kepada orang tersebut,
have you been just now?"
“Dari mana kamu?"
The man answered, "Gathering Ulam."
Kata orang itu, “Mencari ulam."
“What is that you are you carrying?"
“Apa yang kamu bawa?"
"Ulam leaves.“
"Ulam."
The meaning of Ulam is ‘lalap’ in Indonesian or
Ulam artinya lalap. Jadi dusun ini
‘salad greens’ in English. So the village was given
diberinya nama Muara Kulam, Sungai
the name of Muara Kulam, and the river was
Kulam, sebab di sanalah dia bertemu
named the Kulam River, because Pati Anom met a
dengan orang yang sedang membawa daun
man there carrying ulam leaves.
kayu untuk ulam atau lalap.
Muara Kulam got its name. I'll stop there.
Inilah asal-usul Dusun Muara Kulam.
Thank you.
Sekian dulu. Terima Kasih.
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That's how
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2. Lala Dahulu
2. Lala 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 the village of Napal Licin
tinggallah seorang bujang. Namanya Bujang
there lived a young man. His name was Bujang
Kurung. Suatu hari dia pergi memancing di
Kurap. One day he went fishing in the Kulus river
sungai tidak jauh dari dusunnya. Dibawanya
not far from his village. He brought with him
beras dan garam. Dia pergi sewaktu matahari
uncooked rice and salt. He left after the sun was
naik. Dia perlahan-lahan berjalan kaki. Tidak
up. He walked slowly. Soon he arrived at the
berapa lama dia sampai di tempatnya mau
place he intended to fish. He began fishing, but
memancing. Dia mulai memancing. Tidak ada
the fish were not taking the bait. The sun was
ikan yang mau memakan pancingnya. Hari
high in the sky. He had had no luck. Finally, he
sudah siang, tidak ada hasilnya. Setelah itu
decided to go home.
ada niatnya ingin pulang.
As he was getting ready to leave, he heard the
Waktu dia mau pulang terdengar suara
sound of voices. He decided to have a look. He
orang ribut-ribut. Dia mengintipnya. Dia
was surprised to see some very beautiful people
heran melihat ada orang cantik-cantik sedang
taking a swim.
mandi.
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Meréka itu gadis-gadis. Ada seorang yang
They were young girls. There was one prettier
cantik sendirinya. Dia yang paling kecil. Perlahan
Bujang
Kurung
than the rest. She was the youngest.
mendekatinya,
Bujang Kurung crept closer without being
meréka tidak melihat sedikitpun. Bujang
detected. He snatched one of the girls’ clothes—
Kurung langsung mengambil baju yang paling
the youngest’s. When they had finished bathing
kecil. Waktu meréka sudah mandi, hendak
and went to put on their things, they found that
memakai bajunya, kiranya pakaian yang
the youngest girl’s clothes had disappeared.
paling kecil tadi sudah hilang.
Her elder sisters had already put on their
Adik beradiknya sudah memakai pakaian
clothes and wanted to return home to the sky. But
semuanya ingin pulang ke langit. Tetapi yang
the youngest could no longer fly. Her clothes were
paling kecil tadi tidak bisa terbang lagi.
gone. She cried for a very long time. Her elder
Pakaiannya sudah hilang. Dia menangis lama
sisters cried, too, seeing their younger sister
sekali.
juga
unable to return home. Reluctantly, they all
melihat adiknya tidak bisa pulang lagi.
decided to leave. The youngest was left behind
Akhirnya pergi semua. Tinggallah yang paling
alone.
Adik
beradiknya
menangis
kecil itu sendiri.
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Bujang Kurung melihat seperti itu. Dia
Bujang Kurung saw everything. He was
héran. Dia tidak menyangka bahwa itu adalah
amazed. He hadn’t realized they were children of
anak déwa. Dia menyembunyikan baju yang
the gods. He hid the clothes he had taken; he ran
diambilnya tadi, dia langsung membawa lari.
away with them. After that, Bujang Kurung
Sesudah itu Bujang Kurung mendatangi lagi
approached the young girl. He asked why she had
yang paling kecil tadi. Dia bertanya kenapa
not returned home to the sky. She answered that
tidak pulang ke langit. Kata yang paling kecil
her clothes had disappeared. So Bujang Kurung
itu, “Baju saya hilang." Sesudah itu Bujang
invited her to his village. She agreed to go. Bujang
Kurung mengajak dia ke dusunnya. Dia juga
Kurung asked her name. Her name was Lala.
mau. Ditanya Bujang Kurung siapa namanya.
When he arrived back in his village, Bujang
Namanya adalah Lala.
Kurung brought Lala to his house. Lala lived there
Sudah sampai di dusun, Lala dibawa
for a long time. Bujang Kurung was attracted to
Bujang Kurung ke rumahnya. Tinggallah Lala
Lala. Lala felt the same way about Bujang Kurung.
di sana selama-lamanya. Bujang Kurung suka
Not long after that, the two were married by the
dengan Lala. Lala suka juga, cinta pula
people of the village.
dengan Bujang Kurung. Tidak lama sesudah
The story ends here.
itu, orang dusun mengawinkan orang berdua ini. Sekian ceritanya.
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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
ini. Waktu zaman Nabi Sulaiman. Semua
like this. It was the age of the Prophet Solomon.
binatang bisa berbicara.
All the animals could speak.
Hari panas, kancil berjalan ke mana-mana
On a warm day, the mouse deer went for a
ke dalam hutan yang sepi. Kancil berjalan ke
nice walk in the quiet forest. He dropped in at the
rumah
semua
houses of several friends, but all his friends were
temannya pergi. "Aaah, kalau seperti ini
out. "Oh well, in that case I'll just get some sleep,"
biarlah, aku tidur saja," pikir kancil. Dia pergi
thought the mouse deer. He went to find a shady
mencari pohon kayu yang teduh. Dia mulai
tree. He began to fall asleep. But before he could
tidur. Sebelum mau tidur, terdengarnya suara
fall asleep, he heard a rustling sound. When he
gemerisik. Waktu dia melihat ke belakang,
looked behind him—to his surprise—there was a
tidak
tiger fixing to eat him up. The mouse deer wanted
kawan-kawannya,
tahunya
ada
tapi
harimau
ingin
memakannya. Kancil hendak berlari, tidak
to run away, but he couldn't.
bisa lagi. Tapi dia pura-pura sedih. Harimau itu
bertanya,
"Mengapa
kamu
Instead he pretended to be depressed. The
bersedih,
tiger asked, "Why are you looking so sad, mouse
Kancil? Jangan sedih aku ingin memakanmu."
deer? Don’t be sad that I’m going to eat you up."
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"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
kakek aku ini," kata kancil sambil menunjuk
mouse deer pointing at a bee's nest up in a tree.
sarang tawon di atas pohon kayu itu. Sesudah
Then the 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. "Why
"Jangan!" kata kancil sambil menangis.
not?" said the tiger.
"Kenapa?" tanya harimau. "Sebab
hatiku
sedih
"Because it depresses me if I have to listen to sekali
jika
it."
mendengarnya."
"Let me beat it, ‘Deer," said the tiger. "I
"Suruhlah aku memukulnya, ‘Cil!" kata
promise I won't eat you up."
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
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," kata
said the mouse deer.
kancil.
"Go on," said the tiger.
“Pergilah!" kata harimau.
The mouse deer ran a good distance away.
Sesudah itu kancil berlari jauh-jauh sekali.
From afar, he shouted, "Ready!" When he heard
Sudah jauh sekali, dia berteriak “Sudah!"
the mouse deer say "Ready!" the tiger began to
Mendengar kancil berkata “Sudah!" mulailah
beat on the bee's nest. How shall I say it? The
harimau memukul sarang tawon tadi. Apa
queen bee came out of the nest and stung the
kata?
menyengat
tiger. The tiger screamed in pain from the bee
kesakitan
stings. Wherever the tiger ran, the bees chased
disengat tawon tadi. Ke mana harimau berlari
after him hither and yon, until finally the tiger
dikejarnya oleh tawon, akhirnya dia mati.
died from all the bee stings.
Induk
harimau.
Dia
tawon
keluar
terpekik-pekik
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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
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
tahu ada beruang di belakangnya hendak
there was a bear right behind him ready to eat
memakannya.
him up.
Tapi kancil berkata, “Sabar dulu!" Sebab
But the mouse deer said, "Wait just a minute!"
jika beruang hendak memakannya, beruang
because if the bear wanted to eat him up, he had
harus memakai tali pinggang Nabi Sulaiman
to put on the Prophet Solomon's belt which was
yang sedang bergulung itu sebab kancil yang
coiled nearby, because the mouse deer was the
tukang jaganya diperintah Nabi Sulaiman.
guardian of the belt by order of Solomon himself.
Beruang mengambil tali pinggang sedang
The bear picked up the belt that was lying
bergulung itu. Dia langsung memakainya. Apa
there all coiled up. He wrapped it around his
kata? Ular besar tadi bangun langsung melilit
waist. What can I say? The snake woke up and
beruang hingga dia mati.
squeezed the bear until he died.
Sesudah itu kancil lari jauh-jauh lagi.
Then the mouse deer ran away as far as he could go.
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“Hey! Kamu lain yang ditanya,
lain pula yang
menjawab!”
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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
menanam anak pohon pisang. Tetapi yang
a young banana shoot, but as for the ape, he
beruk, dia menanam pohon pisang yang sudah
planted a mature banana plant with its flower tip
agak besar. Pucuknya ke bawah.
hanging 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
dengan bagus. Sesudah itu kata kura-kura,
thrived very well. Said the turtle, "My banana tree
"Sudah besar pisangku."
is already 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."
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Setelah itu pisang kura-kura mulai masak.
After a little while, the turtle's bananas
Tetapi kura-kura tidak bisa memanjat.
ripened. But the turtle could not climb the banana
Disuruhnyalah beruk untuk memanjat pohon
tree. The turtle asked the ape to climb up and get
pisangnya. Sampai beruk di atas, dia mulai
the bananas. When he reached the top, the ape
memakannya. Satu sikat habis, dua sikat
started to eat. 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 he
Beruk!" kata kura-kura. “Kulit-kulitnya
manis,"
had gobbled up one whole bunch of bananas. kata
beruk.
Ahirnya pisang satu tandan habis semua dimakan beruk.
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“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. 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
“Jadi!" kata kepiting. Sesudah itu kepiting
the crab hid under a rock waiting for the ape.
pergi mencari beruk, tapi rupanya tidak
Not long after that the ape came and sat on
ketemu. Ahirnya kepiting diam di bawah batu
the very rock where the crab was hiding. When
menunggu beruk tadi. Tidak lama sesudah itu,
the ape sat on the rock, the crab began to speak.
beruk sampai, kebetulan beruk duduk di atas batu
tempat
kepiting
tadi
bersembunyi.
Waktu beruk duduk di atas batu, kepiting mulai berbicara.
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“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.
"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,
answers?"
kemaluannya yang menjawab. Sesudah itu dia mengambil
kayu
terus
memukul
The ape thought it was his penis that was
alat
answering him. So the ape grabbed a stick and
kelaminnya sendiri, hingga beruk mati.
beat on his own penis. After that the ape died.
Inilah balasannya kalau orang serakah sekali.
Disangkanya
yang
That's what happens when people are too
menyahut
greedy. He thought his own penis was answering
perkataannya adalah alat kelaminnya sendiri.
him. In fact it was the crab.
Tidak tahunya kepiting.
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5. Putri
5. Putri
Dulu ada cerita orang tua-tua. Ada orang
Once there was a story told by the elders.
yang
bernama
ada
There was a man named Mr. Aji who had nine
sembilan. Yang bungsu namanya Putri. Putri
children. The youngest child was named Putri.
ini cantik sekali. Alangkah cantiknya. Semua
Putri was very beautiful. Extremely beautiful!
orang
kakak-
Everybody liked her. But her elder siblings could
kakaknya tidak ada yang setuju melihat Putri
not stand the sight of her. They scolded Putri
itu. Kakaknya terus mengatakan, Putri yang
continuously for her supposed bad behavior. Her
jelek-jeleknya. Terus kakaknya marah.
sisters were angry with her all the time.
sayang
Pak
Haji.
dengannya.
Anaknya
Tapi
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
orang
they didn’t find it, they accused Putri of stealing
langsung
menuduh
Putri
yang
mengambilnya.
it.
Panjang ceritanya, Putri mau dibuang ke
Let’s keep the story short. Putri was going to
dalam hutan. Putri tidak tahu dia mau
be abandoned in the forest. Putri did not know
dibuang ayahnya.
she was going to be abandoned by her father.
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Tidak
diajak
Not long after that, her father invited her to
pergi
accompany him to the forest. They left early in
membawa nasi di dalam bungkus, sayur di
the morning carrying rice in a wrapper and
dalam tabung.
vegetables in a bamboo. When they got to the
ayahnya
lama ke
sesudah
hutan.
itu,
Pagi-pagi
dia dia
Sampai di dalam hutan, dekat jalan gajah,
forest near an elephant trail, her father built a
ayahnya membuat pondok serudung. Waktu
temporary shelter. When the shelter was about
pondoknya itu selesai, ayahnya mengatakan
finished, her father told Putri to wait there while
kepada Putri untuk menunggu dia di pondok,
he went to gather some firewood nearby. Then
ayah mau pergi sebentar mengambil kayu
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
menunggu, ayahnya tidak datang lagi. Tidak
an elephant trail where the animals passed back
lama lagi hari akan malam. Pondok di jalan
and 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
The elephant called to her, “Hoy! Putri! What
kamu di sana? Hari akan malam."
are you doing here? It is getting dark."
Kata Putri, “Saya ini dibuang ayah saya."
"My father has abandoned me," answered
Sesudah itu, banyak binatang léwat. Terakhir
Putri. Soon many animals passed by. The last one
léwat ular besar.
to come was a large python. He asked Putri,
Dia bertanya kepada Putri, “Apa yang
“What are you waiting here for? It is going to get
ditunggu anda di sini? Hari tidak lama lagi
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. The python lifted Putri onto his back, and
mengangkat
carried her to his village, fording rivers and
Putri
di
atas
punggungnya.
Sesudah itu dibawanya Putri ke dusunnya,
crossing thickets of deep forest.
menyeberang sungai, léwat rimba.
Finally they came to the python’s village.
Sesudah itu, dia sampai di dusun ular
They were welcomed by the village people. As
besar. Dia langsung disambut oleh orang
soon as the python arrived in the village, he
dusun itu. Waktu ular besar sampai di
changed into a handsome young man. Not long
dusunnya, maka dia berubah jadi bujang
after that he was married to Putri by the people of
ganténg. Tidak lama sesudah itu orang desa
the village.
mengawinkan bujang ganténg tadi dengan
The story ends there.
Putri. Cuma sampai di sini ceritanya.
45
“Aku ingin memakan hasil kamu ini,” kata raksasa.
“Jangan!” kata harima
"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
di sungai tidak jauh dari tempatnya tinggal.
who wanted to catch fish in a river not far from
Waktu
dia
where he lived. The day he went fishing, he set
berjalan
out early in the morning. He walked slowly. On
hari
berangkat
dia
hendak
pagi-pagi
sekali.
berangkat, Dia
perlahan-lahan. Di jalan dia bertemu dengan
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
“Aku ikut, boleh, tidak?" kata babi hutan.
mouse deer.
“Ayolah, “ kata kancil. Sesudah itu, dia
"I'll come too, if it’s all right with you."
terus berjalan bersama dengan babi hutan.
"Fine!" said the mouse deer. He continued to
Tidak lama sesudah itu bertemu dengan
walk along with the boar. Not long after that they
harimau.
met a tiger.
“Hendak ke mana kalian?" kata harimau.
"Where are you going?" asked the tiger.
“Kami ingin mencari ikan," kata kancil.
“To catch fish," said the mouse deer.
“Aku ikut," kata harimau.
"I'll join you," said the tiger.
49
“Marilah!" jawab kancil. Rupanya tidak
"Come on!" answered the mouse deer. They all
lama meréka berjalan, bertemu lagi dengan
set out again walking slowly. Soon after that they
gajah.
ran into an elephant.
“Mau ke mana kalian semua?" kata gajah.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
“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
“Boleh," kata kancil. Tidak lama sesudah
the elephant.
itu meréka berjalan léwat lembah, léwat
"No problem!" said the mouse deer. For a short
hutan.
while they walked along crossing ravines and
Sampai mencari
meréka
ikan,
di
sungai
When they arrived at the place where they
membendung air. Gajah tukang mengangkut
were planning to fish, they went straight to work
tanahnya.
menggali
damming up the river. The elephant was the hod
tanahnya. Tidak lama sesudah itu, air mulai
carrier. The boar was the digger. In no time at all
kering, mulailah dia mencari ikan. Hasil yang
the river bed was nearly dry. They began to
dapat diangkat ke darat diletakkan di bawah
collect the fish. The catch was thrown up onto dry
pohon kayu besar. Kancil menyuruh harimau
land and kept under a big tree. The mouse deer
untuk
told the tiger to stand guard. The others continued
hutan
menjaganya.
Yang
meréka
hiking through the forest.
bekerja
Babi
mulailah
tempatnya
terus
lainnya
terus
mencari ikan.
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. "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. “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
kepada kancil. Dia cerita bahwa raksasa mau
mouse deer. He explained that the ogre was going
makan ikan tadi.
to eat the fish.
“Berhénti!"
ada
"Hold it right there!" said the mouse deer.
gunanya kukumu panjang dan paing tajam
“Your long claws and sharp fangs are completely
itu," kata kancil. Kancil menyuruh gajah
useless," said the mouse deer. Next the mouse deer
menunggu ikan tadi, rupanya gajah tidak juga
told the elephant to guard the fish, but he was
berani.
afraid, too. He ran when he saw the giant. So the
Berlari
kata
dia
kancil.
melihat
“Tidak
raksasa
itu.
Sesudah itu, disuruhnya babi hutan, rupanya
boar was sent, but he was afraid too.
sama saja, tidak juga berani.
53
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 guard them myself," said
saja
Berangkatlah
the mouse deer. So the mouse deer went to guard
kancil menunggui ikan hasilnya tadi. Raksasa
the fish. The ogre had not yet come back. The
belum sampai. Kancil pergi mengambil rotan.
mouse deer started collecting rattan vines. He tied
Dia terus menyambungnya panjang-panjang.
them together to make a long rope. Soon the ogre
Tidak lama lagi datanglah raksasa ingin
came back intending to eat the fish. But as soon as
memakan ikan. Tapi begitu dia melihat kancil
he saw the mouse deer holding a rattan rope, he
sedang memegang rotan seperti itu, raksasa
asked, "Hey, mouse deer, what are you doing?"
yang
menungguinya."
bertanya, “Oy! Kancil! Apa kerja kamu?"
"I made a rope because the world is coming to
“Aku membuat tali sebab dunia mau
an end. This tree is the only thing that will be
kiamat. Pohon kayu ini saja yang tidak
spared."
hancur!" “Boleh
"May I join you?" said the ogre. aku
menumpang,
‘Cil!"
kata
"No way!" said the mouse deer.
raksasa itu.
"Naah, 'Deer, we are brothers," said the ogre,
“Jangan," kata kancil.
becoming angry. "Then I will eat you instead!" he
“Laa, Cil! Kita masih famili," kata raksasa
said.
itu sambil marah. Kau kumakan nanti," kata raksasa itu.
55
“Silakan makan saja," kata kancil. “Nanti
"Go ahead!" said the mouse deer. "Now or
atau sekarang sama saja mati!" Raksasa sedih
later, we are both going to die anyway." The ogre
dan tambah takut.
was confused and trembled with fear. Finally:
Akhirnya kancil berkata, “Carilah tali
"Ok, go fetch lots of rope!"
banyak-banyak!" Pergilah raksasa berangkat mencari
tali
rotan
The ogre went to get all the rattan he could
sebanyak-banyaknya.
find. When he had gathered enough, the mouse
Sudah banyak talinya, kancil berkata, “Ikatlah
deer said, "Wind the rope around your body and
rotan ini ke tubuh kamu sambil diikat di
tie yourself to 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
rotan itu.
ogre could no longer get loose. "The sky is getting
“Coba berontak," kata kancil. Tapi raksasa
dark, it is going to rain," said the mouse deer.
itu tidak bisa lepas lagi.
"The
“Langit mulai gelap, hari akan hujan," kata kancil. “Dunia akan kiamat."
57
world
is
coming
to
an
end."
Sesudah itu kancil mengikat léhér raksasa
After that the mouse deer tied the rope around
sehingga dia tidak dapat bernapas lagi,
the ogre's neck until he couldn't breathe, and he
ahirnya ia mati. Matilah raksasa itu, kancil
died. The mouse deer called his friends and told
memanggil
them to look. His friends were filled with respect
kawan-kawannya,
dia
menyuruhnya melihat raksasa itu sudah mati.
for the mouse deer.
Semua 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
Namanya Putri. Dia itu anak dewa yang turun
was Putri. She was a child of the gods who had
ke bumi karena keluarganya tidak senang
come down to earth to escape from jealous sisters
melihatnya.
who did not want her around.
Pagi-pagi dia pergi mandi ke sungai tidak jauh
dari
rumahnya.
mencuci
river near her house. She was washing her hair,
rambutnya. Jadi bayangannya terlihat di
and her reflection appeared in the water. The
dalam air. Tempat mandinya itu di bawah
bathing place was under a large tree. Up in the
pohon kayu. Di atasnya ada sétan perempuan
tree there was a female spirit haunting it. The
penunggunya. Sétan itu namanya Ketindung.
spirit's name was Ketindung. She was sitting on a
Dia sedang duduk di atas pohon tadi.
branch of the tree when she saw Putri's reflection
Dilihatnya bayang-bayang Putri di dalam air
in the water. At first Ketindung thought that the
itu. Disangkanya bayangan yang cantik itu
beautiful reflection was her own. Then she
adalah
noticed it was Putri’s reflection in the water. She
bayangannya.
Ia
terus
Early one morning she went to bathe in the
Sesudah
dilihatnya
bayang-bayang itu adalah bayangan Putri
became very upset when she saw Putri.
tadi, dia benci sekali melihat Putri ini.
61
Ada pula di dusun lain tinggal seorang
In another village there also lived a young
bujang tampan. Namanya Bujang Kurung. Dia
man named Bujang Kurung. One day he went out
pergi berjalan-jalan sambil membawa pikat
walking carrying a quail decoy. He walked here
puyuh. Ia berjalan ke mana-mana masuk
and there, in and out of the forest and several
hutan keluar hutan, masuk dusun keluar
villages. Finally he came to the village where
dusun. Sampailah dia di dusun tempat Putri
Putri lived. He saw that she was very beautiful.
yang cantik itu, Bujang Kurung melihat Putri
He asked his mother and father to seek her hand
itu cantik sekali. Dia menyuruh ibu dengan
in marriage. Eventually, his mother and father did
bapaknya
Akhirnya
ask for Putri’s hand. Putri was also willing. After
dilamarlah Purtri oleh ibu-ayahnya. Rupanya
negotiating the bride price and other details, a
Putri mau juga. Setelah berunding berapa
date was picked. All that was left to do was to
yang
wait for the wedding day.
melamar
diminta
serta
Putri
itu.
dengan
lain-lainnya,
harinya sudah ditetapkan. Tinggal menunggu 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
benci
where people go to bathe. She was angry when
mendengarnya. Tidak lama sesudah itu, orang
she heard this. Not long after that, the village folk
dusun
dengan
prepared for the wedding of Putri and Bujang
ingin
Kurung. The day before the celebrations, Putri
sedekah, Putri pergi ke sungai mau mandi.
went to the river to bathe. The spirit saw her
Sétan perempuan tadi melihat Putri mau
entering the water. She pushed Putri so that Putri
mandi, dia langsung mendorong Putri ke
was swept downstream by the river. Then the
sungai sehingga Putri jatuh hanyut. Sétan itu
spirit changed into a woman who looked exactly
berubah menjadi perempuan sama wajahnya
like 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
Dia pura-pura jadi Putri. Tidak ada orang
the person returning from the river was not Putri.
tahu, yang pulang dari mandi itu bukannya
So the village folk married the evil spirit to
Putri. Orang langsung mengawinkan sétan
Bujang Kurung.
perempuan itu dengan Bujang Kurung.
65
Kembalilah cerita kita kepada Putri tadi.
Now our story returns to the real Putri. She
Dia hanyut terus sampai di sebuah dusun,
was swept away to a village downstream where
diambil orang. Kemudian dia diangkat orang
some people rescued her. They adopted her as
jadi anaknya.
their own child.
Kembali lagi cerita kita kepada sétan
Our story returns again to the female spirit
perempuan yang jadi dengan Bujang Kurung
living with Bujang Kurung. Her name was
dulu. Namanya Ketindung. Orang dusun tidak
Ketindung. Nobody in the village could quite
tahu kenapa tinkah lakunya agak berlebihan.
figure out why she was ‘over-acting’ in the
Tidak lama sesudah kawin, Bujang Kurung
strangest way.
jatuh sakit. Punggungnya melekat dengan
Not long after the marriage, Bujang Kurung
tikar, badannya sudah kurus. Hanya tinggal
got sick. His back stuck to the straw mat, his body
kulit membalut tulang saja lagi. Makan nasi
grew thin—he was all skin and bones. He couldn’t
tidak mau, minum air juga tidak mau. Orang
eat or drink. Everyone was worried about him.
sudah pusing semua memikirkannya. Macam-
They tried giving him different medicines but
macam obat sudah diberikan tetapi Bujang
Bujang Kurung did not get any better.
Kurung tidak juga sembuh.
67
Sesudah itu ada orang dari dusun lain datang
mengunjunginya.
After a while, a person came from another
Orangnya
village to visit the patient. The visitor was a
perempuan. Dibawanya nasi, dibawanya air
woman. She brought rice and boiled water, and
minum.
Kurung
she told Bujang Kurung to take them. Amazingly,
memakannya. Hérannya juga, Bujang Kurung
Bujang Kurung’s health immediately improved,
langsung sembuh, makan nasi suka. Tetapi
and he regained his appetite. But when the
saat perempuan itu pulang ke dusunnya lagi,
woman returned to her village, Bujang Kurung fell
Bujang Kurung kembali
lagi sakit.
Saat
sick again. When she came back, he got well
perempuan
dia
lagi.
again. This kept up for quite a long time.
Disuruhnya
itu
Bujang
datang,
séhat
Begitulah Bujang Kurung seterusnya. Singkat
ditanya
asked the woman, “Who are you really?" At first
orang, “Siapakah anda ini sebenarnya?" Tidak
she did not want to say." Only when they pressed
mau perempuan itu menceritakannya. Sudah
her for an answer did she tell her story, and the
dipaksa
people realized who she was. She was Putri, who
bercerita.
ceritanya,
orang
lama-lama
Let's keep the story short. After a while people
barulah
Selesai
perempuan
mendengar
itu
cerita
had been swept downstream some time ago.
perempuan itu, baru orang tahu, perempuan itu adalah Putri yang hanyut di sungai dulu.
69
Ketindung mendengar pula cerita itu. Langsung orang menangkapnya, kemudian orang merendamnya sehingga dia mati. Putri pulang kembali ke desanya. Akhirnya Bujang Kurung séhat selamanya.
*** Ketindung also heard the story. The people grabbed her and held her under water until she died. Putri was finally able to return to her own village. Bujang Kurung recovered his health completely.
71
Beruk cepat
larinya sehingga
kura-kura dapat
ditangkap Pak Haji.
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
rumahnya dengan kura-kura. Beruk pagi-pagi
a turtle. Early one morning the ape paid a visit to
sudah bertamu ke rumah kura-kura. Waktu itu
the turtle's house. On that particular day it was
hari hujan terus. Kata beruk dengan kura-
raining.
kura, “Apa kerja kita, ‘San? Hari tidak bagus,
Said the ape to the turtle, "What shall we do,
hujan saja."
Cousin? The weather is terrible, it’s raining cats
“Berdiang saja kita," kata kura-kura.
and dogs."
“Ayolah," kata beruk. Sesudah itu kura-
"Let's just build a fire," said the turtle.
kura mengambil kayu untuk menghidupkan
"Good idea!" said the ape. After that the turtle
api besar. Berdianglah beruk dengan kura-
fetched wood and lit a big fire. The ape and the
kura menunggu hujan berhénti. Tidak lama
turtle warmed themselves while waiting for the
sesudah itu hujan mulai berhénti. Bertanya
rain to let up.
kura-kura, “Ke mana kita jalan-jalan hari ini,
Not long after that the rain stopped. The turtle
‘San?"
asked, "Where shall we go today, Cousin?"
75
"I don't know," said the ape, deep in thought. “Entahlah," kata beruk sambil berpikir.
"Oh, I have an idea!" said the ape laughing. "Let's
“O, ada akalnya," kata beruk sambil ketawa.
go steal Pak Aji’s ginger. He won't be going to the
“Kita mencuri jahé Pak Haji saja. Dia tidak
field. It's too wet."
pergi ke kebun hari hujan ini."
"Let’s do it!" said the turtle. Soon they were on
“Ayolah"!" kata kura-kura. Tidak lama
their way to steal Pak Aji’s ginger. They walked
sesudah itu, pergilah beruk dengan kura-kura
slowly as they approached the ginger patch.
hendak mencuri jahé. Berjalan meréka berdua
When they got there, the ape began to eat the
hati-hati pergi mendekati kebun jahé Pak
ginger. The turtle ate some, too.
Haji. Sesudah sampai di sana, beruk mulai
As soon as the ape bit into the ginger, he hollered
memakan jahénya. Kura-kura makan juga.
out loud, "Waaa! Pak Aji’s ginger is hot!" His voice
Waktu dia memakannya, menjeritlah beruk.
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
tambah keras menjerit, ahirnya Pak Haji tahu.
just got louder until Pak Aji found out. He chased
Dia langsung mengejar beruk dan kura-kura.
after the ape and the turtle. The ape ran away
Beruk cepat larinya sehingga kura-kura dapat
fast, but the turtle was easily overtaken. Pak Aji
ditangkap Pak Haji. Dia langsung membuang
threw the turtle into a thorny patch of salak fruits.
kura-kura itu di kebun salak yang berduri.
The turtle was caught fast in the thorn patch. His
Tersangkutlah kura-kura di kebun salak itu.
body twisted 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
beruk mendekati kura-kura yang tersangkut di
the turtle who was still stuck on the thorns.
duri salak itu. Langsung dia melepaskan kura-
Carefully he freed the turtle from where he was
kura dari tempat dia tersangkut. Sesudah ia
stuck. After the turtle got free, the ape slipped. He
melepas kura-kura, terpelését pula beruk. Dia
fell backwards into the patch of salak thorns and
jatuh tersangkut pula di pohon salak yang
got stuck.
berduri itu.
The turtle was unable to help him so that the
Kura-kura tidak bisa menolong sehingga
ape died.
beruk mati.
81
