Domba Nyonya M’Akuba (Mrs. M’Akuba’s Sheep)

Sebuah cerita dari Afrika, India Barat, dan Karibia

Anansi, Tuan Laba-laba sudah menikah dengan Nona M’Akuba. Mereka memiliki sebelas anak.

Sudah sangat lama Anansi sangat menjengkelkan. Setiap hari, lagi dan lagi dan apakah kamu tahu kenapa? Seperti yang kamu tahu, Anansi sangatlah rakus dan suka banyak makan dan minum. Sekarang M’Akuba memiliki seekor domba yang ia besarkan sendiri sejak domba itu masih kecil. Dia sangat mencintai dombanya dan setiap kali Anansi mulai bicara tentang memakan domba itu, dia menjadi sangat marah. “Jangan menyentuh dombaku!”, dia berteriak dan pergi ke dapur untuk mencuci piring.

“Bagaimana aku bisa makan domba gendut yang lezat ini,” pikir Anansi. Tiba-tiba dia mendapat sebuah ide. Dan suatu hari ketika dia harus keluar rumah untuk kencing dia berpura-pura bangun dari tempat tidur gantungnya dan jatuh di lantai. “Aduh.. Aduh..,” dia berteriak, mencoba untuk bangun lagi.

“Anansi, Ayah, apa yang terjadi,” tanya istri dan anaknya.

“Aduh, aduh, aku tidak bisa berjalan lagi, tolong, angkat aku ke kamar kecil.” Ketika mereka telah mengangkat Anansi kembali ke tempat tidur gantungnya, dia mulai gemetar seolah–olah terkena demam. Nyonya M’Akuba membuatkannya bubur manis dan sup ayam lezat tapi Anansi tetap gemetar dan merintih bahwa dia sangat sakit.

“Sekarang cukup, Aku akan memanggil dokter!” kata M’Akuba.

“Tidak, tidak, jangan dokter, dia hanya akan memberiku pil yang sangat mahal, kamu lebih baik pergi ke dukun, yang tinggal di bawah pohon besar di hutan. Tapi ingat berpakaianlah dengan baik dan bawa cukup uang, dia akan minta tiga uang dua puluh lima sen,tiga keping sepuluh sen, dan tiga sen. Dan bawa anak-anak bersamamu, aku terlalu sakit untuk menjaga mereka.” Itulah yang dikatakan Anansi kepada keluarganya tentang apa yang harus dilakukan.

Segera setelah mereka berangkat, dia melompat dari tempat tidur gantungnya dan berlari secepat mungkin ke pohon besar di hutan. Di sana dia bersembunyi di bawah sebuah gundukan besar dedaunan. Tak lama setelah itu keluarganya tiba dan mereka mendengar suara, “tolong letakan uang dekat gundukan dedaunan. Kamu tidak bisa melihatku tapi jika kamu mengatakan masalahnya padaku, aku akan mengerti jika aku bisa menolongmu.”

Nyonya M’Akuba menceritakan tentang penyakit Anansi dan meminta pertolongan.

“Hmmm, biarkan aku berpikir sejenak, aku pikir aku tahu apa masalahnya, suamimu yang malang sedang sakit karena sangat ingin makan daging domba, jadi akan lebih baik jika kamu bisa membelikannya dengan segera, jika kamu tidak bisa aku harus berpikir lagi untuk beberapa hari.”

“Oh, tidak, kamu tidak harus berpikir selama itu, suamiku yang malang mungkin akan mati. Aku akan membawakannya daging domba, terima kasih banyak yang terhormat pak dukun.” Nyonya M’Akuba pulang bersama anak-anaknya. Dia tidak bisa pergi dengan sangat cepat dengan sebelas anak-anaknya, seperti yang kamu bayangkan. Anansi dengan cepat keluar dari tumpukan daun, mengambil uang dan berlari pulang, tepat waktu berbaring menggigil dalam tempat tidur gantungnya lagi ketika keluarganya tiba.

Nyonya M’Akuba menyembelih domba kesayangannya dan Anansi makan domba seminggu penuh sebelum dia mengumumkan bahwa dirinya sembuh. Anak-anaknya senang mereka tidak harus mengankatnya keluar rumah lagi. Tapi M’Akuba yang malang masih sedikit menangis setiap dia melewati kandang di mana dombanya biasa tidur.

A story from Africa, West India, and Caribbean

Anansi, mister Spider was married to Miss M’Akuba. They had eleven children.

Already a long time Anansi was very irritated. Every day again and do you know why? As you know, Anansi is very greedy and likes to eat and drink a lot.  Now M’Akuba had a sheep that she raised herself from the day it was a little lamb. She loved her sheep very much and every time Anansi started talking about eating it, she became very angry. “Don’t you touch my sheep!!” she shouted and went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.

“How can I get to eat this nice, fat sheep,” Anansi thought. Suddenly he got an idea. And one day when he had to go to the “outhouse” to pee he pretended to get up from his hammock and let himself fall on the floor. “Auw, auw,” he cried, trying to get up again.

“Anansi, father, what is the matter” asked his wife and children.

”Auw, auw, my legs won’t carry me anymore, please, carry me to the toilet.” When they had carried Anansi back to his hammock, he started shivering as if he had a fever. Mrs. M’Akuba made him sweet porridge and delicious chicken soup but Anansi kept on shivering and crying that he was very, very ill.

“Now it is enough, I’m going to call the doctor!” M’Akuba said.

“No, no, not the doctor, he will only give me very expensive pills, you better go to the witch-doctor, who lives under the big tree in the forest. But remember to dress properly and take some money, he will want three quarters, three ten cent pieces, and three cents. And take the children with you, I’m too sick to look after them.” That was what Anansi told his family to do.

As soon as they left, he jumped out of his hammock and ran as fast as he could to the big tree in the forest. There he hid under a big pile of leaves. Not long after, his family arrived and they heard a voice saying, “please put the money by the pile of leaves. You can’t see me but if you tell me your problem I shall see if I can help you.”

Mrs. M’Akuba told the voice about Anansi’s illness and asked for help.

“Hmmm, let me think a minute, I think I know what the problem is, your poor husband is sick for longing to eat sheep meat,  so if you can buy him some he will be better soon, If you can’t I have to think again for some days.”

“Oh, no, you don’t have to think that long, my poor husband may be dead by then. I’ll get him sheep meat, thank you very much honoured witch-doctor.”  Mrs. M’Akuba went home again with her children. She couldn’t go very fast with eleven children, as you can imagine. Anansi quickly came out of the leaf-pile, took the money and ran home, just in time to lie shivering in his hammock again when his family arrived.

Mrs. M’Akuba slaughtered her beloved sheep and Anansi ate sheep for a whole week before he declared himself cured again. The children were happy they didn’t have to carry him to the outhouse any more. But poor M’Akuba is still crying a bit every time she passes the shed where her sheep used to sleep.

 Ibu Marga & Pande Nyoman Astawa

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

Anansi Si Penipu (Anansi The Trickster)

Sebuah cerita dari Afrika, India Barat dan Karibia

Anansi, laba-laba penipu, hidup di sebuah desa di mana kelaparan dan kekeringan melanda tempat itu, dan Anansi harus menemukan sebuah cara untuk bertahan. Di desa yang sama adalah seorang penyihir yang bernama ‘Lima’. Dia membenci namanya dan mengucapkan sebuah mantra sehingga jika seseorang menggunakan atau menyebut namanya mereka akan tertidur selama setahun. Anansi berkata, “Aha! Aku akan menipu seseorang agar menyebut namanya dan aku akan punya makanan untuk keluargaku.” Dia telah menyimpan sedikit jagung dan membuat lima tumpukan darinya. Dia duduk di atas satu tumpukan dan memanggil Nyonya Kelinci, “Hai, Nyonya Kelinci! Apakah kamu mau jagung untuk anak-anakmu?”

“Tentu saja,” Nyonya Kelinci mendekat.

Anansi mengatakan padanya, “Jika kamu mengatakan padaku berapa jumlah tumpukan jagung ini, aku akan memberimu satu dari semua tumpukan!”

Nyonya Kelinci menghitung, “Satu-dua-tiga-empat-lima.” Ketika dia mengucapkan nama sang penyihir dia langsung tertidur. Anansi membawa si kelinci pulang, dan istrinya memasaknya.

Mereka memiliki makanan selama berminggu-minggu. Tapi ketika makanan habis, Anansi memutuskan untuk melakukan tipuannya lagi. Kali ini dia memilih Tuan Tupai. Tuan Tupai menghitung tumpukan-tumpukan itu dan dia tertidur seperti Nyonya Kelinci. Anansi membawa tupai itu pulang dan keluarganya memiliki makanan berminggu-minggu.

Segera makanan habis lagi. Kali ini dia memusatkan pandangannya pada Nyonya Angsa. Tetapi Nyonya Angsa tahu Anansi adalah seorang penipu dan tidak bisa dipercaya. Duduk di atas tumpukan jagungnya, Anansi meminta Nyonya Angsa menghitung tumpukan-tumpukan itu untuk bisa memilikinnya. Nyonya Angsa tersenyum dan menghitung, “Satu-dua-tiga-empat… dan yang satunya sedang kamu duduki!”

Anansi marah dan berkata, “TIDAK! TIDAK! bukan begitu caranya menghitung! Lakukan dengan benar!”

Nyonya Angsa tersenyum dan menghitung, “Satu-dua-tiga-empat… dan yang satunya sedang kamu duduki!!”

Anansi begitu marah dia melompat-lompat dan berteriak, “TIDAK! TIDAK! Bukan begitu caranya menghitung!! Seharusnya kamu berkata satu-dua-tiga-empat-lima!” Segera setelah dia menyebut nama sang penyihir dia langsung tidur. Tidak hanya nyonya angsa yang telah menipu si penipu, Nyonya Angsa punya... berapa jumlah tumpukan jagungnya tadi??

A story from Africa, West India, and Caribbean

Anansi, the trickster spider, lived in a village where famine and drought were all over the land, and Anansi had to figure out a way to survive. In the same village there was a witch named ‘Five’. She hated her name and cast a spell so that if anyone used her name they would fall asleep for a year. Anansi said, "AHA! I will trick someone into saying her name and I'll have food for my family.” He had saved a little bit of corn and made five piles out of it. He sat on one pile and called Mrs. Rabbit, "Hey, Mrs. Rabbit! Would you like some corn for your children?"

“Of course,” Mrs. Rabbit came running.

Anansi told her, “If you tell me how many piles of corn there are then I'll let you have one of them!"

Mrs. Rabbit counted, "One-Two-Three-Four-Five." When she said the witch's name she fell asleep. Anansi took the rabbit home to his wife, who cooked it.

They had food for weeks. But as the food was running out, Anansi decided to try his trick again. This time he chose Mr. Squirrel. Mr. Squirrel counted the piles and he fell asleep just like Mrs. Rabbit. Anansi took the squirrel home and his family had food for weeks.

Soon the food was running out again. This time he set his sights on Mrs. Goose. Now Mrs. Goose knew Anansi was a trickster and not to be trusted. Sitting on his pile of corn, Anansi told Mrs. Goose to count the piles and she could have them. Mrs. Goose smiled and counted, "One-Two-Three-Four....and the one you’re sitting on!!"

Anansi got angry and said, "NO!NO! That's no the way to count! Do it right!"

Mrs. Goose smiled and counted, "One-Two-Three-Four...and the one you are sitting on!!"

Anansi was so angry he jumped up and down shouting,"NO! NO! That's not the way to count!! You are supposed to say one-two-three-four-five!" As soon as he said the witch's name he fell asleep. Not only had Mrs. Goose tricked the trickster, she had......how many piles of corn?? 

Ibu Marga & Pande Nyoman Astawa

Di Manakah Keluarga Saya?

Oleh: Juliasih