Cerita Terjemahan - The Unhappy King

Terjemahan The Unhappy King dari Tales From The Arabian Nights dalam Tales From The Arabian Nights (Oxford Progressive English Readers Level 1.)

Raja yang Merana

Zaman dahulu kala, hiduplah seorang raja agung yang dipanggil Shahriah. Ia adalah raja yang baik—hingga ia menemukan bahwa istrinya ternyata mencintai lelaki lain. Sang raja begitu marah pada istrinya. "Penggal kepalanya!" raung sang raja. Algojo lalu membawa istrinya pergi dan memenggal kepalanya.

Setelah itu setiap malam sang raja terbaring sendirian di ranjangnya yang besar, ia begitu sedih. Setiap tidur, ia memimpikan istri cantiknya yang telah meninggal. Saat terbangun ia selalu berkhayal seolah-olah ia dapat melihat istrinya dalam dekapan lelaki lain. Ia tak tahu harus berbuat apa. Akhirnya ia memanggil Wazir, kepala pelayannya.

Wazir yang mengantuk buru-buru menghadap ke kamar sang raja.

"Aku takkan menghabiskan malam-malamku sendirian lagi," kata sang raja.

"Oh, Anda telah memutuskan untuk menikah lagi? Saya senang mendengarnya, Yang Mulia," isak Wazir, dengan bahagia.

"Menikah lagi? Bagaimana bisa kulakukan itu? Wanita begitu jahat. Seorang wanita tak bisa mencintai satu pria lebih dari satu hari."

"Pasti akan ada wanita yang mencintai Anda selamanya, Yang Mulia." kata Wazir.

"Kau salah!" raung Raja Shahriah. "Cinta para wanita laksana sehelai daun di dalam angin. Satu menit ke jalan yang ini, menit selanjutnya pergi ke jalan lain. Tak seorang pun tahu ke mana selanjutnya ia akan pergi."

"Tentu saja, Anda benar, Yang Mulia." ralat Wazir cepat. "Wanita memang laksana daun. Tapi apa yang bisa dilakukan?"

"Aku tahu apa yang harus kulakukan." kata sang raja. "Dan kau akan menolongku. Bawakan seorang gadis cantik padaku, aku akan menikahinya."

Wazir tampak bahagia.

Lalu sang raja menambahkan, "Dan katakan pada algojo untuk menghadiri pesta pernikahanku. Ia harus memenggal kepala gadis itu keesokan paginya, sebelum ia punya kesempatan untuk berhenti mencintaiku. Setelah itu, kau harus bawakan padaku gadis lainnya. Selama kau laksanakan tugasmu, aku takkan pernah sendirian lagi dimalam hari. Selama algojo melakukan tugasnya, takkan ada satupun istriku yang bisa hidup lebih lama untuk mencintai lelaki lain!"

Wazir pergi dengan sedih. Ia benci harus mengirim semua gadis cantik itu menuju kematian. Tapi ia harus mematuhi sang raja.

Untuk tiga tahun lamanya Raja Shahriah menikahi istri baru setiap harinya. Tiap pagi pula algojo memenggal kepala istri baru sang raja. Telah lebih dari seribu gadis yang meninggal.

Wazir sangat membenci hal itu, tapi ia takut dengan raja. Ia juga takut dengan algojo. Ia sering menyendiri dalam kamarnya, menangis. Ia berdoa agar Tuhan menolongnya.

Suatu hari, seseorang mendengar tangisan Wazir. Orang itu adalah anak gadis Wazir. Ia cantik, pintar, dan cerdas—dan namanya Sheherezade. Wazir mencintainya melebihi apapun yang ada di dunia.

Sheherezade pun masuk ke kamar ayahnya,

"Kenapa ayah sangat sedih?" tanyanya.

"Anakku sayang," kata Wazir. "Aku menangis karena ribuan gadis yang telah meninggal. Tiap hari raja memiliki istri baru. Tiap hari pula algojo memenggal kepala mereka."

"Tapi kenapa?" tanya Sheherezade. Ayahnya pun menceritakan keseluruhan cerita sedih itu. "Itu membuat ayah sangat sedih hingga hati ayah rasanya hancur." tutupnya. "Tapi ayah tak tahu apa yang bisa ayah lakukan."

Sheherezade turut sedih saat mendengar kisah gadis-gadis muda yang malang itu. Ia berpikir keras dalam beberapa menit. Lalu ia pun berkata:

"Dengar ayah, kukira aku tahu bagaimana kita bisa menghentikan raja agar tak membunuh lebih banyak gadis lagi. Biarkan aku yang menikahinya."

"Kau? Oh, anak perempuanku tersayang, jangan pertaruhkan hidupmu. Jangan tinggalkan ayahmu yang malang ini sendirian di dunia."

"Ayah, tolong lakukan saja seperti apa yang kuminta padamu. Aku punya sebuah rencana."

Raja Shahriah begitu bahagia saat melihat Sheherezade. "Kenapa tak kau bawa yang satu ini sejak dulu, Wazir?" katanya.

"Ini putriku, Yang Mulia." kata Wazir, dengan sangat sedih.

Malam itu Sheherezade berbaring di samping sang raja, di ranjangnya yang luas. Ia mulai menceritakan raja sebuah cerita. Shahriah tak pernah mendengar kisah seperti itu sebelumnya.

Kisah itu tentang sebuah negeri yang sangat sangat jauh, negeri di mana orang-orang bertingkah aneh. Terkadang kisah itu lucu, dan sang raja tertawa. Sudah bertahun-tahun ia tak tertawa. Terkadang kisah itu menyedihkan, sang raja tak bisa berhenti menangis. Sudah bertahun-tahun ia tak menangis. Kisah-kisah itu selalu menarik. Tapi sebelum Sheherezade selesai bercerita, pagi sudah menjelang.

Matahari beranjak tinggi di langit merah-muda, dan burung-burung menyanyikan nyanyian pagi mereka.

"Sudah pagi," kata sang raja. "Ada pekerjaan yang harus kukerjakan. Malam ini, Sheherezade, kau harus datang lagi padaku. Kau bisa menyelesaikan kisah itu kemudian."

Algojo sedang berdiri di depan pintu. "Tidak pagi ini," kata raja padanya. "Datanglah lagi esok hari."

Jadi, Sheherezade pun hidup sehari lebih lama dibanding gadis-gadis muda lainnya.

Malam selanjutnya ia pun menyelesaikan kisah itu. Lalu ia memulai kisah baru lainnya. Kisah ini juga tentang sebuah negeri yang sangat sangat jauh dan menakjubkan. Sang raja bahkan tertawa lebih keras di bagian-bagian lucu. Dan bahkan menangis lebih lama di bagian-bagian yang menyedihkan. Ia begitu tertarik dengan kisah itu, hingga tak tahu bahwa pagi telah datang. Dan tentu saja, Sheherezade belum menyelesaikan ceritanya.

Sekali lagi, raja menyuruh algojonya pergi. Ia meminta Sherezade untuk kembali lagi malam selanjutnya untuk menyelesaikan ceritanya.

Begitulah hal itu berlanjut, malam demi malam, minggu demi minggu, bulan demi bulan. Sheherezade tahu bermacam-macam kisah yang berbeda. Masing-masingnya baru. Masing-masing dari kisah itu terlalu panjang untuk diselesaikan sebelum pagi datang.

Dalam seribu satu malam, Sheherezade bercerita pada sang raja. Ia menceritakan satu kisah menakjubkan setelah yang satunya usai. Setiap pagi ia berhenti di tengah-tengah kisah. Setiap itu pula sang raja menyuruh algojonya pergi. Sang raja telah mendengar banyak jeda pada tiap kisah, lalu yang satunya, dan yang lainnya setelah itu.

Suatu hari sang raja lupa mengatakan pada algojonya untuk kembali. Setelah itu tak seorang gadis pun yang meninggal karena Raja Shahriah.

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The Unhappy King

Long ago, there was a great king called Shahriah. He was a good king — until he found his wife loved another man. Then the King was very angry with his wife. ‘Cut off her head!’ he roared. The executioner took the King’s wife away, and cut her head off.

Every night after that the King lay in his great bed all alone and very sad. When he slept, he dream of his beautiful, dead wife. When he was awake, he thought he could see her in the arms of the other man. He did not know what to do. At last he called for the Wazir, the chief of his servants.

The sleepy Wazir hurried to the King’s room.

‘I will not spend another night by myself,’ said the King.

‘Oh, you have decided to marry again. I am so glad, dear King,’ cried the Wazir, happily.

‘Marry again? How can I do that? Women are so bad. A woman cannot love one man for more than one day.’

‘Any woman would love you for ever, great King,’ said the Wazir.

‘You are wrong!’ roared King Shahriah. ‘A woman’s love is like a leaf in the wind. One minute it goes this way, the next minute it goes another way. No one ever knows where it will go next.’

‘Of course, you are right, O great King,’ said the Wazir quickly. ‘Women are just like leaves. But what can anyone do?’

‘I know what I shall do,’ said the King. ‘And you are going to help me. Bring me a pretty, clever girl and I will marry her.’

The Wazir looked pleased.

Then the King added, ‘And tell the executioner to come to the wedding. He must cut off the girl’s head the next morning, before she can stop loving me. After that, you must bring me another girl. As long as you do your job, I shall never be alone at night again. As long as the executioner does his job, no wife of mine will live long enough to love another man!’

The Wazir went away sadly. He hated to send all those lovely girls to their deaths. But he had to obey the King.

For three years King Shahriah married a new wife every day. Every morning the executioner cut off the head of the King’s new wife. More than a thousand girls died.

The Wazir was very unhappy about this but he was afraid of the King. He was afraid of the executioner, too. He often shut himself in his room and cried. He prayed to God to help him.

One day, someone heard the Wazir crying. That person was the Wazir’s daughter. She was beautiful. Clever and good, and her name was Sheherezade. The Wazir loved her more than anything in the world.

Sheherezade walked into her father’s room.

‘Why are you so sad, Father?’ she asked.

‘Dear child,’ said the Wazir, ‘I am crying for a thousand lovely young girls. Every day the King marries a new wife. Every morning his executioner cuts off her head.’

‘But why?’ asked Sheherezade. Her father told her the whole sad story. ‘It makes me so sad that it will break my heart,’ he finished, ‘but I don’t know what I can do.’

Sheherezade was sad, too, when she heard about the poor young girls. She thought carefully for a few minutes. Then she said:

‘Listen, Father. I think I know how we can stop the King from killing any more young girls. Let me marry him.’

‘You? Oh, my dear daughter, do not throw your life away! Do not leave your poor old father alone in the world!’

‘Father, please do as I ask you. I have a plan.’

King Shahriah was very happy when he saw Sheherezade. ‘Why didn’t you bring this one to me before, Wazir?’ he said.

‘She is my own daughter, great King,’ said the Wazir, very sadly.

That night Sheherezade lay beside the King in his great bed. She began to tell him a story. Shahriah had never heard a story like it before.

The story was about a place far, far away where people did strange things. Sometimes the story was funny, and the King laughed. He had not laughed so much for many years. Sometimes it was sad, and he could not stop crying. He had not cried so much for many years, either. Always it was interesting. But before Sheherezade reached the end of the story, day had come.

The sun was up in a pink sky, and the birds were singing their morning song.

‘It is day,’ said the King. ‘I have work to do. Tonight, Sheherezade, you must come to me again. You can finish the story then.’

The executioner was standing outside the door. ‘Not this morning,’ the king told him. ‘Come again tomorrow.’

So Sheherezade lived one day longer than all the other young girls.

The next night she finished her story. Then she started a new one. This story, too, was about a wonderful place far, far away. The King laughed even louder at the funny parts. He cried even longer at the sad parts. He was so interested in the story that before he knew it, it was daytime. And of course, Sheherezade had not finished.

Once again the King sent the executioner away. He asked Sheherezade to come back the next night to finish her second story.

So it went on, night after night, week after week, month after month. Sheherezade knew so many different stories. Each one was new. Each one was too long to finish before day come.

For a thousand and one nights, Sheherezade told the King her stories. She told one wonderful story after another. Every morning she stopped in the middle of a new story. Every morning the King sent his executioner away. He had to hear the rest of the story, and then the next one, and then the one after that.

One day he forgot to tell the executioner to come back again. No more lovely young girls died because of King Shahriah after that.