Freyja's Necklace

"Yes, I really must have some flowers to wear to the feast to-night," said Freyja to her husband, Odur.

"Ya, aku benar-benar harus punya bunga untuk dipakai ke pesta malam ini," kata Freyja kepada suaminya, Odur.

Freyja was the goddess of love and beauty; she was the most beautiful of all the Aesir, and every one loved to look at her charming face, and to hear her sweet voice.

Freyja adalah dewi cinta dan kecantikan; ia adalah yang paling cantik di antara semua Aesir, dan semua orang senang memandang wajahnya yang memesona, dan mendengar suaranya yang merdu.

"I think you look quite beautiful enough as you are, without flowers," Odur replied, but Freyja was not satisfied; she thought she would go and find her brother Frey, the god of summer, for he would give her a garland of flowers. So she wandered forth from Asgard on her way to Frey's bright home in Alfheim, where he lived among his happy, busy little elves. As Freyja walked along she was thinking of the feast to be given that night in Asgard, and knowing that all the gods and goddesses would be there, she wished to look her very best.

"Kupikir kau sudah terlihat cukup cantik apa adanya, tanpa bunga," jawab Odur, tapi Freyja tidak puas; ia berpikir akan pergi mencari saudaranya Frey, dewa musim panas, sebab ia pasti akan memberinya karangan bunga. Maka ia berjalan keluar dari Asgard menuju rumah cerah Frey di Alfheim, tempat ia tinggal di antara para peri kecilnya yang riang dan sibuk. Saat Freyja berjalan ia memikirkan pesta yang akan diadakan malam itu di Asgard, dan karena tahu semua dewa dan dewi akan hadir, ia ingin tampil secantik mungkin.

On and on she wandered, not thinking how far she was getting away from home. Finally the light began to grow fainter and fainter, and Freyja found herself in a strange place. The sunlight had faded away, but there was still a little light that came from lanterns carried by funny little dwarfs, who were busily working. Some were digging gold and gems, others were cleaning off the dirt from the precious stones, and polishing them to make them bright, while four little fellows were seated in one corner, putting the sparkling stones together into a wonderful necklace.

Ia terus berjalan dan berjalan, tanpa sadar betapa jauh ia sudah meninggalkan rumah. Akhirnya cahaya mulai meredup dan meredup, dan Freyja mendapati dirinya berada di tempat yang asing. Sinar matahari sudah menghilang, tapi masih ada sedikit cahaya dari lentera-lentera yang dibawa oleh kurcaci-kurcaci kecil yang lucu, yang sedang sibuk bekerja. Beberapa sedang menggali emas dan permata, yang lain membersihkan kotoran dari batu-batu berharga, dan memolesnya agar berkilau, sementara empat kurcaci kecil duduk di satu sudut, merangkai batu-batu berkilau itu menjadi sebuah kalung yang menakjubkan.

"What can that beautiful thing be?" thought Freyja. "If only I had that, it would surely make me look more beautiful than any one else at the feast to-night!" And the more she thought about it, the more she longed to get it. "Oh, I really must have it!" she said to herself, and with these words she stepped nearer to the four little men. "For what price will you sell me your necklace?" she asked.

"Benda indah apa itu?" pikir Freyja. "Andai saja aku punya itu, pasti aku akan terlihat lebih cantik dari siapa pun di pesta malam ini!" Dan semakin ia memikirkannya, semakin ia ingin memilikinya. "Oh, aku benar-benar harus mendapatkannya!" katanya dalam hati, dan dengan kata-kata itu ia melangkah mendekati keempat pria kecil itu. "Dengan harga berapa kalian mau menjual kalung ini padaku?" tanyanya.

The dwarfs looked up from their work, and when they saw Freyja's lovely face and heard her sweet voice, said, "Oh, if you will only look kindly upon us, and be our friend, you may have the necklace!"

Para kurcaci itu mendongak dari pekerjaan mereka, dan ketika melihat wajah Freyja yang cantik dan mendengar suaranya yang merdu, mereka berkata, "Oh, kalau kau mau bersikap baik pada kami, dan menjadi sahabat kami, kau boleh memiliki kalung ini!"

Then a mocking laugh echoed again and again through the dark cavern, seeming to say, "How foolish you are to wish for these bright diamonds; they will not make you happy!" But Freyja snatched the necklace and ran out of the cavern. It did not please her to hear the teasing laugh of the dwarfs, and she wanted to get away from them as soon as possible.

Lalu sebuah tawa mengejek bergema berulang-ulang di dalam gua gelap itu, seolah berkata, "Betapa bodohnya kau menginginkan berlian-berlian berkilau ini; benda-benda itu tak akan membuatmu bahagia!" Tapi Freyja menyambar kalung itu dan berlari keluar gua. Ia tak suka mendengar tawa menggoda para kurcaci itu, dan ingin segera menjauh dari mereka.

At last she was once more out in the open air; she tried to be free and happy again, but a strange feeling of dread came over her, as if something were going to happen. Soon she came to a still pool of water, and, putting on the necklace, she bent over to look at her picture in the clear water. How beautiful the diamonds were! and how they sparkled in the sunshine! She must hasten home to show them to Odur.

Akhirnya ia kembali berada di udara terbuka; ia mencoba merasa bebas dan bahagia lagi, tapi perasaan aneh penuh kekhawatiran menyelimutinya, seolah sesuatu akan terjadi. Tak lama ia sampai di sebuah kolam air yang tenang, dan, memakai kalung itu, ia membungkuk untuk melihat bayangannya di air yang jernih. Betapa indahnya berlian-berlian itu! dan betapa berkilaunya mereka di bawah sinar matahari! Ia harus segera pulang untuk memperlihatkannya pada Odur.

The fair goddess soon reached Asgard, and hurried to the palace to find her husband. But Odur was not there. Over and over again she searched through all the rooms in vain; he had gone, and although Freyja had her beautiful necklace, she cared little for it without her dear husband.

Sang dewi yang cantik itu segera tiba di Asgard, dan bergegas ke istana untuk mencari suaminya. Tapi Odur tidak ada di sana. Berulang kali ia mencari ke semua ruangan tapi sia-sia; suaminya telah pergi, dan meski Freyja memiliki kalung indahnya, ia tak lagi peduli padanya tanpa suami tercintanya.

Soon it was time to go to the feast, but Freyja would not go without Odur. She sat down and wept bitter tears; she felt no joy now for having the necklace, and no sorrow because she could not feast with the Aesir.

Tak lama tibalah waktu untuk pergi ke pesta, tapi Freyja tak mau pergi tanpa Odur. Ia duduk dan menangis air mata pedih; ia tak merasakan kegembiraan lagi memiliki kalung itu, dan tak merasa sedih karena tak bisa ikut berpesta bersama para Aesir.

If only Odur would come back, all would be well again. "I will go to the end of the world to find him!" said Freyja, and she began to make ready for her journey. Her chariot, drawn by two cats, was soon ready; but before she could start, she must first ask Father Odin to allow her to go.

Andai saja Odur kembali, semua akan baik-baik saja lagi. "Aku akan pergi ke ujung dunia untuk mencarinya!" kata Freyja, dan ia mulai bersiap untuk perjalanannya. Kereta kudanya, yang ditarik oleh dua ekor kucing, segera siap; tapi sebelum ia bisa berangkat, ia harus lebih dulu meminta izin kepada Bapak Odin.

"Allfather, I beg you give me leave to go to look for my Odur in every corner of the world!"

"Bapak Segala, kumohon izinkan aku pergi mencari Odur-ku ke setiap sudut dunia!"

The wise father replied, "Go, fair Freyja, and may you find whom you seek."

Sang bapak yang bijaksana menjawab, "Pergilah, Freyja yang cantik, dan semoga kau menemukan siapa yang kau cari."

Then she started forth. First to the Midgard world the goddess of beauty went, but no one in all the world had seen or heard of Odur. Down under the earth, to Niflheim, and even to Utgard, the land of giants, she wandered, but still no one had seen or even heard of her husband. Poor Freyja wept many tears, and wherever the teardrops fell, and sank into the ground, they turned into glistening gold.

Lalu ia pun berangkat. Pertama-tama sang dewi kecantikan pergi ke dunia Midgard, tapi tak seorang pun di seluruh dunia itu pernah melihat atau mendengar tentang Odur. Ke bawah tanah, ke Niflheim, dan bahkan ke Utgard, negeri para raksasa, ia mengembara, tapi tetap tak seorang pun pernah melihat atau bahkan mendengar tentang suaminya. Freyja yang malang menangis begitu banyak air mata, dan di mana pun tetesan air matanya jatuh, dan meresap ke dalam tanah, air mata itu berubah menjadi emas yang berkilauan.

At last the sad goddess returned to her own palace alone. She still wore the wonderful necklace, which was called Brisingamen.

Akhirnya sang dewi yang sedih itu kembali sendirian ke istananya. Ia masih mengenakan kalung menakjubkan itu, yang disebut Brisingamen.

One night, when the hour was late, all the Aesir were asleep, except the ever watchful Heimdall, who heard soft footsteps, like those of a cat, near Freyja's palace. He listened, and thought, "That is surely some one bent on mischief; I must follow him."

Suatu malam, ketika hari sudah larut, semua Aesir tertidur, kecuali Heimdall yang selalu waspada, yang mendengar langkah- langkah pelan, seperti langkah kucing, di dekat istana Freyja. Ia mendengarkan, lalu berpikir, "Itu pasti seseorang yang berniat jahat; aku harus mengikutinya."

When Heimdall reached the palace, he found it was Loki, changed into another form, creeping softly about. Heimdall quietly watched him, and saw him glide in to Freyja's bedside, where the fair goddess lay asleep, wearing her beautiful necklace. Loki had come to steal the necklace, but when he saw that she was lying on the clasp of the chain, so that he could not undo it without waking her, he changed himself into a gnat, and, crawling along on the pillow, stung her just enough to make her turn over, but not enough to wake her. Then he unclasped the chain and ran off with it as fast as he could.

Ketika Heimdall sampai di istana itu, ia mendapati bahwa itu adalah Loki, yang telah berubah wujud, merayap diam-diam. Heimdall mengawasinya diam-diam, dan melihatnya menyelinap ke sisi ranjang Freyja, tempat sang dewi cantik itu tertidur, mengenakan kalungnya yang indah. Loki datang untuk mencuri kalung itu, tapi ketika ia melihat Freyja berbaring di atas kaitan rantainya, sehingga ia tak bisa membukanya tanpa membangunkannya, ia mengubah dirinya menjadi seekor nyamuk, dan, merangkak di atas bantal, menyengatnya cukup untuk membuatnya berbalik, tapi tidak cukup untuk membangunkannya. Lalu ia membuka kaitan rantai itu dan lari membawanya secepat mungkin.

But Heimdall was not going to let the thief get away. As soon as Loki found that he was followed, he took his other form, a little flame of fire; Heimdall then took his other shape, and became a shower of rain, to put out the fire; but Loki, quick and watchful, changed himself into a bear, to catch the rain. Then Heimdall too became a bear, and a fierce fight began. At last the rain-god conquered, and forced wicked Loki to give back the necklace to Freyja.

Tapi Heimdall tak akan membiarkan si pencuri lolos. Begitu Loki sadar bahwa ia diikuti, ia berubah wujud lain, menjadi nyala api kecil; Heimdall lalu berubah wujud pula, menjadi hujan deras, untuk memadamkan api itu; tapi Loki, yang cepat dan waspada, mengubah dirinya menjadi seekor beruang, untuk menangkap hujan itu. Lalu Heimdall juga berubah menjadi beruang, dan pertarungan sengit pun dimulai. Akhirnya sang dewa hujan menang, dan memaksa Loki yang jahat untuk mengembalikan kalung itu kepada Freyja.

The whole land seemed to feel sorry for poor, lonely Freyja; the leaves fell from the trees, the bright flowers faded, and the singing birds flew away.

Seluruh negeri seolah ikut merasa sedih untuk Freyja yang malang dan kesepian; daun-daun berguguran dari pepohonan, bunga-bunga cerah layu, dan burung-burung yang bernyanyi terbang menjauh.

Once more the fair goddess went forth from Asgard to seek Odur. Away, away to the far-off sunny south she wandered, and there, where the myrtle trees and the oranges grow, at last she found her long-lost husband.

Sekali lagi sang dewi cantik itu pergi keluar dari Asgard untuk mencari Odur. Jauh, jauh ke selatan yang cerah ia mengembara, dan di sana, tempat pohon-pohon myrtle dan jeruk tumbuh, akhirnya ia menemukan suaminya yang telah lama hilang.

Then hand in hand the two turned northward again, to their home, and so happy were they together, that they spread joy and happiness around them as they passed along. Everywhere the ice and snow thawed before them, green grass and sweet flowers sprang up behind their footsteps, the birds sang their sweetest songs, the warm summer came back to the north lands, and every one was glad and joyful, for lovely, smiling Freyja was at home again.

Lalu bergandengan tangan keduanya berbalik kembali ke utara, menuju rumah mereka, dan mereka begitu bahagia bersama, sampai mereka menyebarkan kegembiraan dan kebahagiaan di sekeliling mereka ke mana pun mereka lewat. Di mana-mana es dan salju mencair di hadapan mereka, rumput hijau dan bunga-bunga harum tumbuh di belakang jejak langkah mereka, burung-burung menyanyikan lagu paling merdu mereka, musim panas yang hangat kembali ke negeri-negeri utara, dan setiap orang bergembira dan riang, sebab Freyja yang cantik dan tersenyum telah pulang kembali.

"White were the moorlands And frozen, before her; Green were the moorlands And blooming, behind her. Out of her gold locks Shaking the spring flowers, Out of her garments Shaking the south wind, Around in the birches Awaking the throstles, Beautiful Freyja came." —KINGSLEY.

"Putih pucat padang tandus itu Dan membeku, di hadapannya; Hijau padang tandus itu Dan bermekaran, di belakangnya. Dari rambut emasnya Berjatuhan bunga-bunga musim semi, Dari pakaiannya Berhembus angin selatan, Di sekeliling pohon birch Membangunkan burung-burung murai, Freyja yang cantik telah tiba." —KINGSLEY.