Anansi dan Kura-kura (Anansi and the Turtle)

Sebuah cerita dari Afrika, India Barat dan Karibia

Suatu hari, baru setelah Anansi memanggang beberapa ubi rambat besar dan gurih, Si Kura-kura datang ke rumahnya. Kura-kura lelah dan lapar dan meminta sedikit makanan kepada Anansi. Tapi Anansi tidak mau membagi makanannya dan meminta Si Kura-kura pergi ke sungai terlebih dahulu untuk mencuci tangannya yang kotor. Setiap kali kura-kura kembali dari sungai, tangannya kotor lagi dari perjalanan.

Pada kali ketiga, dia berjalan dengan hati-hati di atas rumput dan kembali dengan tangan yang bersih. Saat itu juga, Anansi makan semua ubi-ubi yang lezat itu. Dan kasian, kura-kura yang lapar pulang dengan lambat. Tapi sebelum itu dia mengundang Anansi datang dan makan malam di rumahnya suatu hari.

Ketika si cerdik Anansi datang ke rumah Kura-kura, dan Si Kura-kura berkata, “Silakan masuk, makan malam siap. Di sini di dalam rumahku di dasar sungai” dan dia menyelam ke dalam air dingin. Ketika Anansi mencoba mengikuti, dia tidak bisa melakukannya. Laba-laba terlalu ringan. Kemudian dia mendapatkan ide pintar. Dia menaruh banyak batu besar di kantung-kantung jaketnya. Dan kemudian dia tiba di pintu rumah kura-kura dan pergi ke ruang makan. Dia duduk dan ingin mulai makan dengan segera, tapi kura-kura berkata, “Di tempat saya sangat tidak sopan tetap memakai jaket di meja.” Anansi melihat Si Kura-kura telah mengambil jaket bagusnya. Segera setelah Anansi melepaskan jaket beratnya, ‘plop’ dia langsung meluncur ke permukaan sungai. Dia berlari pulang dengan cepat, tahu bahwa saat itu dirinya telah ditipu.

A story from Africa, West India, and Caribbean

One day, after Anansi just baked some fat, tasty yams, Turtle came to his house. Turtle was tired and hungry and asked Anansi for some food. But Anansi did not want to share his food and  told Turtle to go to the river first to wash his dirty hands. Every time Turtle came back from the river, his hands were dirty again from walking.

The 3th time he walked carefully on the grass and came back with clean hands. In the mean time, Anansi ate all the delicious yams. And poor, hungry Turtle went slowly home. But before that he invited Anansi to come and have dinner at his house one day.

When wily Anansi came to Turtles house, Turtle said, “please, come in, dinner is ready. It is in my house at the river bottom” and he dived into the cool water. When Anansi tried to follow, he could not do it. Spiders are too light. Then he got a clever idea. He put many big stones in the pockets of his jacket. And so he arrived at Turtles door and went into the diningroom. He sat down and wanted to start eating immediatly, but Turtle said, “In my country it is very rude to keep your jacket on at the table.” Anansi saw that Turtle had taken of his nice jacket too. As soon as Anansi took off his heavy jacket, ‘plop’ he went straight up to the surface of the river. He ran home quickly, knowing that  this time, he himself had been tricked.

Ibu Marga & Pande Nyoman Astawa