The Town Musicians (Bremen Town Musicians)

A donkey had grown so old and feeble that he was of no more use to his master.

Seekor keledai telah menjadi begitu tua dan lemah sehingga ia tak lagi berguna bagi majikannya.

One night he heard his master and mistress talking together. “I wonder you still keep that donkey,” said the woman; “he is of no use to you, and you only waste your money buying food for him.”

Suatu malam ia mendengar majikan dan istrinya sedang bercakap-cakap. “Aku heran kau masih memelihara keledai itu,” kata sang wanita; “ia sudah tak berguna bagimu, dan kau hanya membuang-buang uangmu membeli makanan untuknya.”

“That is true,” answered the man. “I would do well to get rid of him. I might sell his hide to the tanner.”

“Itu benar,” jawab sang pria. “Aku sebaiknya menyingkirkannya. Aku bisa menjual kulitnya kepada penyamak kulit.”

When the donkey heard this he knew it was time for him to be going, if he wished to keep his skin for his own use. He pushed the stable-door open with his nose, and made off down the road without saying good-by to anyone. “I may be too weak to work,” said he, “but my voice is still strong. I will go to the big city and become a musician.”

Ketika sang keledai mendengar ini ia tahu sudah waktunya bagi dirinya untuk pergi, jika ia ingin menjaga kulitnya untuk dirinya sendiri. Ia mendorong pintu kandang terbuka dengan hidungnya, dan pergi menyusuri jalan tanpa mengucapkan selamat tinggal kepada siapa pun. “Mungkin aku terlalu lemah untuk bekerja,” katanya, “tetapi suaraku masih kuat. Aku akan pergi ke kota besar dan menjadi seorang musisi.”

He had not gone far when he saw an old hound lying beside the road and whining. “Well, old Bellmouth,” said the donkey, “what ails you? You seem to be in trouble.”

Ia belum berjalan jauh ketika ia melihat seekor anjing pemburu tua berbaring di pinggir jalan sambil merengek. “Nah, Bellmouth tua,” kata sang keledai, “ada apa denganmu? Kau tampak sedang bermasalah.”

“Trouble indeed,” answered the hound. “I have grown so old and stiff that I am no longer able to run with the pack, so my master had no more use for me. He drove me away and threw stones after me. What is to become of me now I do not know. If my master would not keep me I am sure no one else will.”

“Memang sedang bermasalah,” jawab anjing itu. “Aku sudah begitu tua dan kaku sehingga aku tak lagi bisa berlari bersama kawanan, jadi majikanku sudah tak membutuhkanku lagi. Ia mengusirku dan melemparkan batu ke arahku. Apa yang akan terjadi padaku sekarang aku tidak tahu. Jika majikanku sendiri tak mau memeliharaku, aku yakin tak ada orang lain yang mau.”

“Do not trouble yourself over that,” said the donkey. “I am going to the city to be a musician, and if you like you shall come along and sing with me. I know you have a fine voice, and we two together may make our fortunes.”

“Jangan khawatirkan itu,” kata sang keledai. “Aku akan pergi ke kota untuk menjadi musisi, dan jika kau mau, ikutlah bersamaku dan bernyanyi denganku. Aku tahu kau punya suara yang bagus, dan kita berdua bersama-sama bisa mendapatkan peruntungan kita.”

The hound was pleased with this idea. He got to his feet, and he and the donkey went on together in company.

Sang anjing senang dengan gagasan ini. Ia bangkit berdiri, dan ia dan sang keledai pun melanjutkan perjalanan bersama-sama.

A little while after they came to where a cat sat in the grass by the roadside, looking as sad and doleful as a rainy day in fall.

Sesaat kemudian mereka tiba di tempat seekor kucing duduk di rerumputan di pinggir jalan, tampak sesedih dan semuram hari hujan di musim gugur.

“What is the matter with you, Whiskers?” asked the donkey. “You look as though all the cream were sour and all the rats were dead.”

“Ada apa denganmu, Kumis?” tanya sang keledai. “Kau tampak seolah semua krim telah basi dan semua tikus telah mati.”

“There is no cream for me nowadays,” said the cat, “and though there are plenty of rats I am too old to catch them. I am no longer quick and active, and I would rather sit by the fire and purr. For this reason my mistress has driven me out of the house with a broom, and I have no place to go. What would you advise me to do in such a case?”

“Tak ada krim untukku sekarang ini,” kata sang kucing, “dan meskipun ada banyak tikus, aku sudah terlalu tua untuk menangkap mereka. Aku tak lagi cekatan dan gesit, dan aku lebih suka duduk di dekat api sambil mendengkur. Karena alasan ini majikan perempuanku telah mengusirku keluar dari rumah dengan sapu, dan aku tak punya tempat untuk pergi. Apa yang akan kausarankan untuk kulakukan dalam keadaan seperti ini?”

“Come with us,” said the donkey. “Brother Bellmouth and I are going to the city to be musicians, and if you choose to come along and join your voice with ours we shall be glad to have you.”

“Ikutlah bersama kami,” kata sang keledai. “Saudara Bellmouth dan aku akan pergi ke kota untuk menjadi musisi, dan jika kau memilih untuk ikut serta dan menyatukan suaramu dengan suara kami, kami akan senang memilikimu.”

The cat was delighted, and leaping out into the road it trotted along beside the others.

Sang kucing sangat gembira, dan melompat ke jalan ia pun berlari kecil di samping yang lain.

Presently they came to a farmyard, and a cock had flown up on the gate post. It stretched its neck and crowed, and crowed again.

Tak lama kemudian mereka tiba di sebuah halaman peternakan, dan seekor ayam jantan telah terbang naik ke tiang pagar. Ia menjulurkan lehernya dan berkokok, dan berkokok lagi.

“Enough! Enough!” cried the donkey. “Do you want to split our ears with your crowing?”

“Cukup! Cukup!” seru sang keledai. “Apakah kau ingin memecahkan telinga kami dengan kokokanmu?”

“I must crow while I can,” said the cock, “for that is my business. Every morning I crow to wake the men, and I also crow to tell what weather we will have. But I heard the mistress say that company was coming to-morrow and that she must make me into soup, so my crowing days are almost over.”

“Aku harus berkokok selagi bisa,” kata sang ayam jantan, “sebab itulah tugasku. Setiap pagi aku berkokok untuk membangunkan orang-orang, dan aku juga berkokok untuk memberitahu cuaca apa yang akan kita alami. Tetapi aku mendengar majikan perempuan berkata bahwa tamu akan datang besok dan ia harus menjadikanku sup, jadi hari-hari berkokokku hampir berakhir.”

“That is a bad business,” said the donkey. “You had better come with us. We are going to the city to become musicians, and such a voice as yours would be a great help.”

“Itu urusan yang buruk,” kata sang keledai. “Kau sebaiknya ikut bersama kami. Kami akan pergi ke kota untuk menjadi musisi, dan suara sepertimu akan sangat membantu.”

The cock did not wait to be asked twice. He flew down from the gatepost and flapped along beside them, but this was tiresome, so the donkey bade the cock fly up on to his back, and after that Master Red-head rode along in comfort.

Sang ayam jantan tak menunggu untuk diminta dua kali. Ia terbang turun dari tiang pagar dan mengepak-ngepakkan sayapnya di samping mereka, tetapi ini melelahkan, jadi sang keledai menyuruh ayam jantan itu terbang naik ke punggungnya, dan setelah itu Tuan Kepala-Merah menunggang dengan nyaman.

Presently it began to grow dark, and still the musicians had not come within sight of the big city. Instead they came to a deep wood, and after wandering about in it for some time they grew so weary that they decided to go no farther that night. The donkey and the hound lay down under a large tree, the cat climbed up to a crotch of the branches, while the cock was not content to roost anywhere but at the top of the tree.

Tak lama kemudian hari mulai gelap, dan para musisi itu belum juga sampai dalam pandangan kota besar itu. Sebaliknya mereka tiba di sebuah hutan yang lebat, dan setelah mengembara di dalamnya untuk beberapa waktu mereka menjadi begitu lelah sehingga mereka memutuskan untuk tidak melanjutkan perjalanan lebih jauh malam itu. Sang keledai dan anjing berbaring di bawah sebatang pohon besar, sang kucing memanjat ke celah dahan-dahan, sementara sang ayam jantan tidak puas bertengger di mana pun kecuali di puncak pohon itu.

He had not been sitting there long when he said, “Brothers, I see a light not far off. There must be a house there.”

Ia belum lama duduk di sana ketika ia berkata, “Saudara-saudara, aku melihat sebuah cahaya tak jauh dari sini. Pasti ada sebuah rumah di sana.”

“That is good news,” said the donkey. “I for one have no liking for sleeping on the bare ground. Perhaps if we go there and sing they may give us a night’s lodging.”

“Itu kabar baik,” kata sang keledai. “Aku sendiri tak suka tidur di atas tanah telanjang. Mungkin jika kita pergi ke sana dan bernyanyi mereka akan memberi kita tempat menginap semalam.”

This plan suited the others. The cat and the cock came down from the tree, and the four musicians set out together in the direction of the light.

Rencana ini cocok bagi yang lainnya. Sang kucing dan sang ayam jantan turun dari pohon, dan keempat musisi itu berangkat bersama-sama menuju arah cahaya itu.

It was not long before they came to a house and the light the cock had seen shone through a lower window. The donkey, being the largest, was chosen to look in through the window and tell the others what he saw.

Tak lama kemudian mereka tiba di sebuah rumah dan cahaya yang dilihat sang ayam jantan bersinar melalui sebuah jendela di lantai bawah. Sang keledai, karena ia yang paling besar, dipilih untuk mengintip melalui jendela itu dan memberitahu yang lain apa yang ia lihat.

The donkey looked so long and so silently that the others grew impatient. “Well, Brother Greycoat, what do you see?” asked the hound.

Sang keledai mengintip begitu lama dan begitu diam sehingga yang lain menjadi tidak sabar. “Nah, Saudara Mantel-Abu-Abu, apa yang kaulihat?” tanya sang anjing.

“Brothers,” said the donkey in a low voice, “I can easily see that this house belongs to a band of robbers. They have a quantity of treasure piled up in one corner of the room, and they are sitting around the table eating and drinking.”

“Saudara-saudara,” kata sang keledai dengan suara pelan, “aku bisa melihat dengan jelas bahwa rumah ini milik sekawanan perampok. Mereka memiliki sejumlah harta karun yang ditumpuk di satu sudut ruangan, dan mereka sedang duduk mengelilingi meja sambil makan dan minum.”

“Oh, if we could only scare them away and take the treasure for ourselves! Robbers are always cowards,” said the dog.

“Oh, andai saja kita bisa menakut-nakuti mereka pergi dan mengambil harta karun itu untuk diri kita sendiri! Para perampok selalu penakut,” kata sang anjing.

The four companions consulted together and laid out a plan for frightening the robbers away. The donkey put his front feet up on the windowsill, the dog mounted on his back, the cat mounted on the dog’s back, and the cock flew up on to the cat. Then at a certain signal they all began to sing together. The donkey brayed, the dog howled, the cat miaued, and the cock crowed. The noise they made was terrible. The robbers jumped up in a fright, and as soon as the animals saw they were frightened they smashed the glass and sprang into the room.

Keempat sahabat itu berunding bersama dan menyusun sebuah rencana untuk menakut-nakuti para perampok itu pergi. Sang keledai meletakkan kaki depannya di ambang jendela, sang anjing naik ke punggungnya, sang kucing naik ke punggung sang anjing, dan sang ayam jantan terbang naik ke atas sang kucing. Kemudian pada sebuah tanda tertentu mereka semua mulai bernyanyi bersama-sama. Sang keledai meringkik, sang anjing melolong, sang kucing mengeong, dan sang ayam jantan berkokok. Suara yang mereka buat sangat mengerikan. Para perampok melompat bangun karena ketakutan, dan begitu para binatang itu melihat mereka ketakutan, mereka memecahkan kaca jendela dan melompat masuk ke dalam ruangan.

The robbers fled out of the door pell-mell and into the woods without stopping to look behind them.

Para perampok itu lari kocar-kacir keluar pintu dan masuk ke dalam hutan tanpa berhenti untuk menoleh ke belakang.

“That was easily done,” said the donkey. The animals then sat down at the table and ate and drank to their hearts’ content. After that they put out the lights, and then they settled down for the night, each one in the most comfortable place it could find. The donkey lay down on a heap of straw outside, the dog curled up behind the door, the cat settled down on the warm ashes, and the cock flew up and perched on the rafters. Then they all went to sleep.

“Itu mudah sekali dilakukan,” kata sang keledai. Para binatang itu kemudian duduk di meja dan makan serta minum sepuas hati mereka. Setelah itu mereka memadamkan lampu-lampu, dan kemudian mereka pun beristirahat untuk malam itu, masing-masing di tempat paling nyaman yang bisa ia temukan. Sang keledai berbaring di atas setumpuk jerami di luar, sang anjing meringkuk di belakang pintu, sang kucing menetap di atas abu hangat, dan sang ayam jantan terbang naik dan bertengger di kasau atap. Kemudian mereka semua pun tertidur.

Out in the forest the robbers wandered about for awhile, and then they all got together and talked things over.

Di luar di hutan para perampok mengembara sejenak, dan kemudian mereka semua berkumpul dan membicarakan keadaan itu.

“We were very foolish to be so easily frightened,” said the captain. “I have been listening and watching, and everything is quiet around the house and the lights are out. Let us go back there and see if anyone is there.”

“Kita sangat bodoh karena begitu mudah ketakutan,” kata sang kapten. “Aku telah mendengarkan dan mengawasi, dan segalanya tenang di sekitar rumah itu dan lampu-lampunya padam. Ayo kita kembali ke sana dan lihat apakah ada seseorang di sana.”

To this the others agreed. They crept back to the house, and the captain sent one of the men inside to see what was doing.

Yang lain setuju dengan ini. Mereka merangkak kembali ke rumah itu, dan sang kapten mengirim salah satu anak buahnya masuk untuk melihat apa yang sedang terjadi.

The man went in and looked about, and saw the cat’s eyes shining in the dark. He thought they were live coals, and as he needed a light he went up and stuck a stick toward them, meaning to light it.

Pria itu masuk dan melihat sekeliling, dan melihat mata sang kucing bersinar dalam kegelapan. Ia mengira itu adalah bara api yang menyala, dan karena ia butuh cahaya ia mendekat dan menyodorkan sebatang ranting ke arahnya, bermaksud menyalakannya.

At once the cat sprang up with a yowl and scratched his face. The man was terrified. He ran to the door and the dog sprang out and bit him. He tumbled out into the courtyard and the donkey kicked him. The noise wakened the cock and it stretched its neck and crowed “Cock-a-doodle-doo!”

Seketika sang kucing melompat bangun sambil melolong dan mencakar wajahnya. Sang pria itu ketakutan. Ia berlari ke pintu dan sang anjing melompat keluar dan menggigitnya. Ia terjatuh keluar ke halaman dan sang keledai menendangnya. Suara ribut itu membangunkan sang ayam jantan dan ia menjulurkan lehernya dan berkokok “Kukuruyuk!”

The robber ran back to his captain trembling. “Let us get away!” he cried. “A horrible witch sits by the hearth, and she flew at me screaming, and bit and scratched me. A man back of the door stuck a knife in my leg. Outside a hideous black thing hit me with a club, and on the roof sits a judge who cried, ‘Bring the rascal here!’”

Sang perampok berlari kembali kepada kaptennya sambil gemetar. “Ayo kita pergi dari sini!” serunya. “Seorang penyihir mengerikan duduk di dekat perapian, dan ia menerkamku sambil menjerit, serta menggigit dan mencakarku. Seorang pria di belakang pintu menusukkan sebuah pisau ke kakiku. Di luar sesuatu yang hitam mengerikan memukulku dengan sebuah tongkat, dan di atas atap duduk seorang hakim yang berseru, ‘Bawa bajingan itu ke sini!’”

The robbers waited to hear no more; they took to their heels and ran away, and if they have not stopped they must be running still.

Para perampok itu tak menunggu untuk mendengar lebih banyak lagi; mereka pun kabur lari terbirit-birit, dan jika mereka belum berhenti mereka pastilah masih berlari sampai sekarang.

But the four comrades found it so comfortable in the robbers’ house that they stayed there and enjoyed the robbers’ treasure, and never went to the big city to become musicians after all.

Tetapi keempat sahabat itu merasa begitu nyaman di rumah para perampok itu sehingga mereka tinggal di sana dan menikmati harta karun para perampok itu, dan tidak pernah jadi pergi ke kota besar untuk menjadi musisi.

Transcriber’s Notes:

Transcriber's Notes:

Obvious punctuation errors repaired.

Obvious punctuation errors repaired.

Page vi, “Alladin” changed to “Aladdin” to reflect usage in text (Aladdin, or the Magic)

Page vi, “Alladin” changed to “Aladdin” to reflect usage in text (Aladdin, or the Magic)