The Little Red Hen

A Little Red Hen lived in a barnyard. She spent almost all of her time walking about the barnyard in her picketty-pecketty fashion, scratching everywhere for worms.

Seekor Ayam Merah Kecil tinggal di sebuah halaman peternakan. Ia menghabiskan hampir seluruh waktunya berjalan-jalan di halaman peternakan dengan gaya picketty-pecketty-nya, mengais-ngais ke sana kemari mencari cacing.

She dearly loved fat, delicious worms and felt they were absolutely necessary to the health of her children. As often as she found a worm she would call "Chuck-chuck-chuck!" to her chickies.

Ia sangat menyukai cacing-cacing gemuk yang lezat dan merasa cacing-cacing itu sungguh diperlukan bagi kesehatan anak-anaknya. Setiap kali ia menemukan seekor cacing, ia akan berseru "Kut-kut-kut!" memanggil anak-anak ayamnya.

When they were gathered about her, she would distribute choice morsels of her tid-bit. A busy little body was she!

Ketika mereka telah berkumpul di sekelilingnya, ia akan membagikan potongan-potongan pilihan dari hasil temuannya. Sungguh seekor ibu yang sibuk!

A cat usually napped lazily in the barn door, not even bothering herself to scare the rat who ran here and there as he pleased. And as for the pig who lived in the sty—he did not care what happened so long as he could eat and grow fat.

Seekor kucing biasanya tertidur malas di pintu lumbung, bahkan tidak repot-repot menakuti tikus yang berlarian ke sana kemari sesuka hatinya. Dan demikian pula babi yang tinggal di kandangnya—ia tidak peduli apa yang terjadi, asalkan ia bisa makan dan menjadi gemuk.

One day the Little Red Hen found a Seed. It was a Wheat Seed, but the Little Red Hen was so accustomed to bugs and worms that she supposed this to be some new and perhaps very delicious kind of meat. She bit it gently and found that it resembled a worm in no way whatsoever as to taste although because it was long and slender, a Little Red Hen might easily be fooled by its appearance.

Suatu hari Ayam Merah Kecil menemukan sebutir Biji. Itu adalah Biji Gandum, tetapi Ayam Merah Kecil sudah terlalu terbiasa dengan serangga dan cacing sehingga ia mengira ini adalah semacam daging baru yang mungkin sangat lezat. Ia menggigitnya dengan lembut dan mendapati bahwa rasanya sama sekali tidak menyerupai cacing, meskipun karena bentuknya panjang dan ramping, seekor Ayam Merah Kecil bisa saja tertipu oleh penampilannya.

Carrying it about, she made many inquiries as to what it might be. She found it was a Wheat Seed and that, if planted, it would grow up and when ripe it could be made into flour and then into bread.

Sambil membawanya ke sana kemari, ia banyak bertanya tentang benda apa itu. Ia mengetahui bahwa itu adalah Biji Gandum dan bahwa, jika ditanam, ia akan tumbuh dan ketika sudah matang bisa diolah menjadi tepung lalu menjadi roti.

When she discovered that, she knew it ought to be planted. She was so busy hunting food for herself and her family that, naturally, she thought she ought not to take time to plant it.

Ketika ia mengetahui hal itu, ia sadar biji itu harus ditanam. Ia begitu sibuk mencari makanan untuk dirinya dan keluarganya sehingga, wajar saja, ia merasa tidak perlu meluangkan waktu untuk menanamnya.

So she thought of the Pig—upon whom time must hang heavily and of the Cat who had nothing to do, and of the great fat Rat with his idle hours, and she called loudly:

Maka ia memikirkan Babi—yang waktunya pasti terasa lama—dan Kucing yang tidak punya kesibukan apa-apa, serta Tikus gemuk besar dengan waktu luangnya yang berlimpah, dan ia pun berseru dengan lantang:

"Who will plant the Seed?"

"Siapa yang mau menanam Biji ini?"

But the Pig said, "Not I," and the Cat said, "Not I," and the Rat said, "Not I."

Tetapi Babi berkata, "Bukan aku," dan Kucing berkata, "Bukan aku," dan Tikus berkata, "Bukan aku."

"Well, then," said the Little Red Hen, "I will."

"Baiklah kalau begitu," kata Ayam Merah Kecil, "aku saja."

And she did.

Dan ia pun melakukannya.

Then she went on with her daily duties through the long summer days, scratching for worms and feeding her chicks, while the Pig grew fat, and the Cat grew fat, and the Rat grew fat, and the Wheat grew tall and ready for harvest.

Kemudian ia melanjutkan tugas hariannya sepanjang musim panas yang panjang, mengais mencari cacing dan memberi makan anak-anaknya, sementara Babi menjadi gemuk, Kucing menjadi gemuk, Tikus menjadi gemuk, dan Gandum tumbuh tinggi dan siap untuk dipanen.

So one day the Little Red Hen chanced to notice how large the Wheat was and that the grain was ripe, so she ran about calling briskly: "Who will cut the Wheat?"

Maka suatu hari Ayam Merah Kecil kebetulan memperhatikan betapa besarnya Gandum itu dan bahwa bulirnya sudah matang, sehingga ia berlari ke sana kemari sambil berseru cekatan: "Siapa yang mau memotong Gandum ini?"

The Pig said, "Not I," the Cat said, "Not I," and the Rat said, "Not I."

Babi berkata, "Bukan aku," Kucing berkata, "Bukan aku," dan Tikus berkata, "Bukan aku."

"Well, then," said the Little Red Hen, "I will."

"Baiklah kalau begitu," kata Ayam Merah Kecil, "aku saja."

And she did.

Dan ia pun melakukannya.

She got the sickle from among the farmer's tools in the barn and proceeded to cut off all of the big plant of Wheat.

Ia mengambil sabit dari antara peralatan petani di lumbung dan mulai memotong seluruh batang Gandum yang besar itu.

On the ground lay the nicely cut Wheat, ready to be gathered and threshed, but the newest and yellowest and downiest of Mrs. Hen's chicks set up a "peep-peep-peeping" in their most vigorous fashion, proclaiming to the world at large, but most particularly to their mother, that she was neglecting them.

Di atas tanah tergeletak Gandum yang telah dipotong rapi, siap untuk dikumpulkan dan diirik, tetapi anak ayam Nyonya Ayam yang paling muda dan paling kuning serta paling berbulu halus mulai "cip-cip-cip" dengan penuh semangat, memberitahu seluruh dunia, tetapi terutama kepada ibu mereka, bahwa ia telah mengabaikan mereka.

Poor Little Red Hen! She felt quite bewildered and hardly knew where to turn.

Kasihan Ayam Merah Kecil! Ia merasa sangat kebingungan dan hampir tidak tahu ke mana harus berpaling.

Her attention was sorely divided between her duty to her children and her duty to the Wheat, for which she felt responsible.

Perhatiannya terbagi antara kewajibannya terhadap anak-anaknya dan kewajibannya terhadap Gandum, yang ia rasa menjadi tanggung jawabnya.

So, again, in a very hopeful tone, she called out, "Who will thresh the Wheat?"

Maka, sekali lagi, dengan nada penuh harap, ia berseru, "Siapa yang mau mengirik Gandum ini?"

But the Pig, with a grunt, said, "Not I," and the Cat, with a meow, said, "Not I," and the Rat, with a squeak, said, "Not I."

Tetapi Babi, sambil mendengkur, berkata, "Bukan aku," dan Kucing, sambil mengeong, berkata, "Bukan aku," dan Tikus, sambil mencicit, berkata, "Bukan aku."

So the Little Red Hen, looking, it must be admitted, rather discouraged, said, "Well, I will, then."

Maka Ayam Merah Kecil, dengan wajah yang harus diakui tampak agak putus asa, berkata, "Baiklah, aku saja kalau begitu."

And she did.

Dan ia pun melakukannya.

Of course, she had to feed her babies first, though, and when she had gotten them all to sleep for their afternoon nap, she went out and threshed the Wheat. Then she called out: "Who will carry the Wheat to the mill to be ground?"

Tentu saja, ia harus memberi makan anak-anaknya terlebih dahulu, dan setelah ia membuat mereka semua tertidur untuk tidur siang mereka, ia pergi keluar dan mengirik Gandum itu. Kemudian ia berseru: "Siapa yang mau membawa Gandum ini ke penggilingan untuk digiling?"

Turning their backs with snippy glee, that Pig said, "Not I,"

Sambil membalikkan badan dengan sikap sombong, Babi itu berkata, "Bukan aku,"

and that Cat said, "Not I," and that Rat said, "Not I."

dan Kucing itu berkata, "Bukan aku," dan Tikus itu berkata, "Bukan aku."

So the good Little Red Hen could do nothing but say, "I will then." And she did.

Maka Ayam Merah Kecil yang baik hati tidak bisa berbuat apa-apa selain berkata, "Aku saja kalau begitu." Dan ia pun melakukannya.

Carrying the sack of Wheat, she trudged off to the distant mill. There she ordered the Wheat ground into beautiful white flour. When the miller brought her the flour she walked slowly back all the way to her own barnyard in her own picketty-pecketty fashion.

Sambil membawa karung Gandum, ia berjalan jauh menuju penggilingan yang jauh. Di sana ia meminta agar Gandum itu digiling menjadi tepung putih yang indah. Ketika si penggiling membawakan tepungnya, ia berjalan pelan-pelan kembali sepanjang jalan menuju halaman peternakannya sendiri dengan gaya picketty-pecketty-nya.

She even managed, in spite of her load, to catch a nice juicy worm now and then and had one left for the babies when she reached them. Those cunning little fluff-balls were _so_ glad to see their mother. For the first time, they really appreciated her.

Ia bahkan masih sempat, meski membawa beban berat, menangkap seekor cacing yang gemuk dan lezat sesekali dan masih menyisakan satu untuk anak-anaknya ketika ia sampai kepada mereka. Bola-bola bulu kecil yang menggemaskan itu _sangat_ senang melihat ibu mereka. Untuk pertama kalinya, mereka benar-benar menghargainya.

After this really strenuous day Mrs. Hen retired to her slumbers earlier than usual—indeed, before the colors came into the sky to herald the setting of the sun, her usual bedtime hour.

Setelah hari yang sungguh melelahkan ini, Nyonya Ayam pergi tidur lebih awal dari biasanya—bahkan sebelum warna-warni muncul di langit menandakan terbenamnya matahari, jam tidurnya yang biasa.

She would have liked to sleep late in the morning, but her chicks, joining in the morning chorus of the hen yard, drove away all hopes of such a luxury.

Ia ingin sekali bisa tidur lebih lama di pagi hari, tetapi anak-anak ayamnya, yang ikut serta dalam paduan suara pagi di halaman peternakan, menghapus semua harapan akan kemewahan semacam itu.

Even as she sleepily half opened one eye, the thought came to her that to-day that Wheat must, somehow, be made into bread.

Bahkan ketika ia setengah membuka sebelah matanya dengan mengantuk, muncul pikiran bahwa hari ini Gandum itu, entah bagaimana, harus diolah menjadi roti.

She was not in the habit of making bread, although, of course, anyone can make it if he or she follows the recipe with care, and she knew perfectly well that she could do it if necessary.

Ia tidak terbiasa membuat roti, meskipun, tentu saja, siapa pun bisa membuatnya jika mengikuti resep dengan cermat, dan ia tahu betul bahwa ia bisa melakukannya jika perlu.

So after her children were fed and made sweet and fresh for the day, she hunted up the Pig, the Cat and the Rat.

Maka setelah anak-anaknya diberi makan dan dibersihkan serta disegarkan untuk hari itu, ia mencari Babi, Kucing, dan Tikus.

Still confident that they would surely help her some day she sang out, "Who will make the bread?"

Masih yakin bahwa mereka pasti akan membantunya suatu hari nanti, ia berseru, "Siapa yang mau membuat roti?"

Alas for the Little Red Hen! Once more her hopes were dashed! For the Pig said, "Not I,"

Sayang sekali bagi Ayam Merah Kecil! Sekali lagi harapannya pupus! Sebab Babi berkata, "Bukan aku,"

the Cat said, "Not I," and the Rat said, "Not I."

Kucing berkata, "Bukan aku," dan Tikus berkata, "Bukan aku."

So the Little Red Hen said once more, "I will then," and she did.

Maka Ayam Merah Kecil berkata sekali lagi, "Aku saja kalau begitu," dan ia pun melakukannya.

Feeling that she might have known all the time that she would have to do it all herself, she went and put on a fresh apron and spotless cook's cap. First of all she set the dough, as was proper. When it was time she brought out the moulding board and the baking tins, moulded the bread, divided it into loaves, and put them into the oven to bake. All the while the Cat sat lazily by, giggling and chuckling.

Merasa bahwa sejak awal ia sudah tahu bahwa ia harus melakukan semuanya sendiri, ia pergi dan mengenakan celemek bersih serta topi juru masak yang tak bernoda. Pertama-tama ia menyiapkan adonan, sebagaimana mestinya. Ketika tiba waktunya, ia mengeluarkan papan pengulen dan loyang pemanggang, membentuk adonan roti, membaginya menjadi beberapa buah, dan memasukkannya ke dalam oven untuk dipanggang. Sementara itu Kucing duduk bermalas-malasan di sana, terkikik dan tertawa kecil.

And close at hand the vain Rat powdered his nose and admired himself in a mirror.

Dan tidak jauh dari situ, Tikus yang genit membedaki hidungnya dan mengagumi dirinya di depan cermin.

In the distance could be heard the long-drawn snores of the dozing Pig.

Dari kejauhan terdengar dengkuran panjang Babi yang sedang tertidur.

At last the great moment arrived. A delicious odor was wafted upon the autumn breeze. Everywhere the barnyard citizens sniffed the air with delight.

Akhirnya tiba saatnya yang dinantikan. Aroma yang lezat terbawa oleh angin musim gugur. Di mana-mana penghuni halaman peternakan menghirup udara dengan gembira.

The Red Hen ambled in her picketty-pecketty way toward the source of all this excitement.

Ayam Merah berjalan dengan gaya picketty-pecketty-nya menuju sumber semua kegembiraan itu.

Although she appeared to be perfectly calm, in reality she could only with difficulty restrain an impulse to dance and sing, for had she not done all the work on this wonderful bread?

Meskipun ia tampak begitu tenang, sebenarnya ia hanya bisa dengan susah payah menahan keinginan untuk menari dan bernyanyi, sebab bukankah ia yang telah mengerjakan semua pekerjaan untuk roti yang luar biasa ini?

Small wonder that she was the most excited person in the barnyard!

Tidak heran ia menjadi orang yang paling bersemangat di halaman peternakan!

She did not know whether the bread would be fit to eat, but—joy of joys!—when the lovely brown loaves came out of the oven, they were done to perfection.

Ia tidak tahu apakah roti itu akan enak dimakan, tetapi—sungguh menyenangkan!—ketika roti-roti cokelat yang indah keluar dari oven, ternyata matang sempurna.

Then, probably because she had acquired the habit, the Red Hen called: "Who will eat the Bread?"

Kemudian, mungkin karena sudah menjadi kebiasaannya, Ayam Merah berseru: "Siapa yang mau makan Roti ini?"

All the animals in the barnyard were watching hungrily and smacking their lips in anticipation, and the Pig said, "I will," the Cat said, "I will," the Rat said, "I will."

Semua binatang di halaman peternakan menonton dengan lapar sambil menjilat bibir penuh harap, dan Babi berkata, "Aku mau," Kucing berkata, "Aku mau," Tikus berkata, "Aku mau."

But the Little Red Hen said,

Tetapi Ayam Merah Kecil berkata,

"No, you won't. I will."

"Tidak, kalian tidak boleh. Aku saja."

And she did.

Dan ia pun melakukannya.