Fables: The Wolf and the Kid, The Tortoise and the Ducks, The Young Crab and His Mother, The Frogs and the Ox

There was once a little Kid whose growing horns made him think he was a grown-up Billy Goat and able to take care of himself. So one evening when the flock started home from the pasture and his mother called, the Kid paid no heed and kept right on nibbling the tender grass. A little later when he lifted his head, the flock was gone.

Dahulu kala ada seekor anak Kambing kecil yang tanduknya mulai tumbuh sehingga ia mengira dirinya sudah menjadi Kambing Jantan dewasa dan mampu menjaga diri sendiri. Maka pada suatu petang ketika kawanan kambing mulai pulang dari padang rumput dan induknya memanggil, si anak Kambing tidak mengindahkannya dan terus saja mengunyah rumput yang lembut. Tak lama kemudian ketika ia mengangkat kepalanya, kawanan itu sudah pergi.

He was all alone. The sun was sinking. Long shadows came creeping over the ground. A chilly little wind came creeping with them making scary noises in the grass. The Kid shivered as he thought of the terrible Wolf. Then he started wildly over the field, bleating for his mother. But not half-way, near a clump of trees, there was the Wolf!

Ia sendirian. Matahari mulai tenggelam. Bayangan panjang merayap di atas tanah. Angin dingin yang kecil merayap bersamanya, membuat bunyi-bunyi menakutkan di rerumputan. Anak Kambing itu gemetar ketika teringat akan Serigala yang mengerikan. Lalu ia berlari kalang kabut melintasi ladang, mengembik memanggil induknya. Namun belum sampai separuh jalan, di dekat sekelompok pohon, di situlah sang Serigala berada!

The Kid knew there was little hope for him.

Anak Kambing itu tahu hampir tak ada harapan baginya.

"Please, Mr. Wolf," he said trembling, "I know you are going to eat me. But first please pipe me a tune, for I want to dance and be merry as long as I can."

"Tolonglah, Tuan Serigala," katanya sambil gemetar, "aku tahu kau akan memakanku. Tapi tolong tiupkan dulu sebuah lagu untukku, sebab aku ingin menari dan bersukacita selama aku masih bisa."

The Wolf liked the idea of a little music before eating, so he struck up a merry tune and the Kid leaped and frisked gaily.

Serigala menyukai gagasan mendengar musik sebelum makan, jadi ia pun memainkan lagu yang riang, dan si anak Kambing melompat-lompat serta berjingkrak dengan gembira.

Meanwhile, the flock was moving slowly homeward. In the still evening air the Wolf's piping carried far. The Shepherd Dogs pricked up their ears. They recognized the song the Wolf sings before a feast, and in a moment they were racing back to the pasture. The Wolf's song ended suddenly, and as he ran, with the Dogs at his heels, he called himself a fool for turning piper to please a Kid, when he should have stuck to his butcher's trade.

Sementara itu, kawanan kambing perlahan-lahan bergerak pulang. Dalam udara petang yang sunyi, suara seruling Serigala terdengar jauh. Anjing-anjing Gembala menegakkan telinga mereka. Mereka mengenali lagu yang dinyanyikan Serigala sebelum berpesta, dan sesaat kemudian mereka berlari kencang kembali ke padang rumput. Nyanyian Serigala tiba-tiba terhenti, dan sambil berlari, dengan Anjing-anjing di belakangnya, ia menyebut dirinya bodoh karena berubah menjadi peniup seruling demi menyenangkan seekor anak Kambing, padahal seharusnya ia tetap pada pekerjaannya sebagai penjagal.

_Do not let anything turn you from your purpose._

_Jangan biarkan apa pun mengalihkanmu dari tujuanmu._

THE TORTOISE AND THE DUCKS

KURA-KURA DAN ITIK-ITIK

The Tortoise, you know, carries his house on his back. No matter how hard he tries, he cannot leave home. They say that Jupiter punished him so, because he was such a lazy stay-at-home that he would not go to Jupiter's wedding, even when especially invited.

Kura-kura, seperti diketahui, membawa rumahnya di punggungnya. Betapapun kerasnya ia berusaha, ia tidak dapat meninggalkan rumahnya. Konon Jupiter menghukumnya demikian, karena ia begitu malas dan suka berdiam di rumah sehingga tidak mau menghadiri pernikahan Jupiter, bahkan ketika diundang secara khusus.

After many years, Tortoise began to wish he had gone to that wedding. When he saw how gaily the birds flew about and how the Hare and the Chipmunk and all the other animals ran nimbly by, always eager to see everything there was to be seen, the Tortoise felt very sad and discontented. He wanted to see the world too, and there he was with a house on his back and little short legs that could hardly drag him along.

Setelah bertahun-tahun berlalu, Kura-kura mulai berharap ia telah menghadiri pernikahan itu. Ketika ia melihat betapa riangnya burung-burung terbang ke sana kemari, dan betapa Kelinci serta Bajing Tanah dan semua binatang lainnya berlari dengan gesit melewatinya, selalu bersemangat untuk melihat segala sesuatu yang ada, Kura-kura merasa sangat sedih dan tidak puas. Ia pun ingin melihat dunia, namun ia hanya memiliki rumah di punggungnya dan kaki-kaki pendek yang nyaris tak mampu menyeretnya maju.

One day he met a pair of Ducks and told them all his trouble.

Suatu hari ia bertemu sepasang Itik dan menceritakan segala kesusahannya kepada mereka.

"We can help you to see the world," said the Ducks. "Take hold of this stick with your teeth and we will carry you far up in the air where you can see the whole countryside. But keep quiet or you will be sorry."

"Kami bisa membantumu melihat dunia," kata Itik-itik itu. "Gigitlah tongkat ini dengan gigimu, dan kami akan membawamu terbang tinggi ke udara, tempat kau bisa melihat seluruh pedesaan. Tapi diamlah, atau kau akan menyesal."

The Tortoise was very glad indeed. He seized the stick firmly with his teeth, the two Ducks took hold of it one at each end, and away they sailed up toward the clouds.

Kura-kura sangat gembira mendengarnya. Ia menggigit tongkat itu erat-erat dengan giginya, kedua Itik memegang ujung-ujungnya masing-masing, dan mereka pun terbang naik menuju awan.

Just then a Crow flew by. He was very much astonished at the strange sight and cried:

Tepat saat itu seekor Gagak terbang lewat. Ia sangat terkejut melihat pemandangan aneh itu dan berseru:

"This must surely be the King of Tortoises!"

"Ini pasti Raja para Kura-kura!"

"Why certainly—" began the Tortoise.

"Tentu saja—" Kura-kura mulai menjawab.

But as he opened his mouth to say these foolish words he lost his hold on the stick, and down he fell to the ground, where he was dashed to pieces on a rock.

Namun begitu ia membuka mulutnya untuk mengucapkan kata-kata bodoh itu, ia kehilangan pegangannya pada tongkat, dan jatuhlah ia ke tanah, di mana tubuhnya hancur berkeping-keping menghantam batu.

_Foolish curiosity and vanity often lead to misfortune._

_Rasa ingin tahu yang bodoh dan kesombongan sering membawa kemalangan._

THE YOUNG CRAB AND HIS MOTHER

KEPITING MUDA DAN IBUNYA

"Why in the world do you walk sideways like that?" said a Mother Crab to her son. "You should always walk straight forward with your toes turned out."

"Kenapa kau berjalan menyamping seperti itu?" kata seekor Kepiting Ibu kepada anaknya. "Kau seharusnya selalu berjalan lurus ke depan dengan ujung kaki menghadap keluar."

"Show me how to walk, mother dear," answered the little Crab obediently, "I want to learn."

"Tunjukkan padaku cara berjalan yang benar, Ibu tersayang," jawab si Kepiting kecil dengan patuh, "aku ingin belajar."

So the old Crab tried and _tried_ to walk straight forward. But she could walk sideways only, like her son. And when she wanted to turn her toes out she tripped and fell on her nose.

Maka Kepiting tua itu mencoba dan _terus mencoba_ untuk berjalan lurus ke depan. Namun ia hanya bisa berjalan menyamping saja, sama seperti anaknya. Dan ketika ia mencoba mengarahkan ujung kakinya keluar, ia tersandung dan jatuh terjerembab.

_Do not tell others how to act unless you can set a good example._

_Jangan mengajari orang lain bagaimana harus bersikap jika kau sendiri tidak bisa memberi teladan yang baik._

THE FROGS AND THE OX

KATAK-KATAK DAN SAPI JANTAN

An Ox came down to a reedy pool to drink. As he splashed heavily into the water, he crushed a young Frog into the mud. The old Frog soon missed the little one and asked his brothers and sisters what had become of him.

Seekor Sapi Jantan turun ke kolam berilalang untuk minum. Ketika ia menghentak masuk ke air dengan berat, ia menginjak seekor Katak muda hingga terbenam ke lumpur. Katak tua segera menyadari anaknya yang kecil itu hilang dan bertanya kepada saudara-saudaranya apa yang telah terjadi padanya.

"A _great big_ monster," said one of them, "stepped on little brother with one of his huge feet!"

"Seekor monster yang _sangat besar_," kata salah seekor dari mereka, "menginjak adik kecil dengan salah satu kakinya yang raksasa!"

"Big, was he!" said the old Frog, puffing herself up. "Was he as big as this?"

"Besar, katamu!" kata Katak tua itu sambil menggembungkan tubuhnya. "Apakah sebesar ini?"

"Oh, _much_ bigger!" they cried.

"Oh, _jauh_ lebih besar!" seru mereka.

The Frog puffed up still more.

Katak itu menggembungkan tubuhnya lebih besar lagi.

"He could not have been bigger than this," she said. But the little Frogs all declared that the monster was _much, much_ bigger and the old Frog kept puffing herself out more and more until, all at once, she burst.

"Ia tidak mungkin lebih besar dari ini," katanya. Namun anak-anak Katak semua bersikeras bahwa monster itu _jauh, jauh_ lebih besar, dan Katak tua itu terus menggembungkan tubuhnya lebih dan lebih lagi hingga, tiba-tiba, ia meletus.

_Do not attempt the impossible._

_Jangan mencoba melakukan hal yang mustahil._