cerita rakyat : Keong Mas

Alkisah ada seorang pangeran bernama Raden Putra yang menikah dengan seorang puteri bernama Dewi Limaran. Suatu hari ketika Dewi Limaran sedang berjalan-jalan di taman istana, dia melihat seekor keong diantara bunga-bunganya yang cantik. Kemudian dia meminta salah seorang pelayannya untuk mengambil keong itu dan melemparnya jauh-jauh. Sebenarnya, keong tersebut adalah seorang penyihir tua yang sedang menyamar menjadi keong. Dia marah sekali dan mengutuk sang Dewi Limaran sehingga berubahlah dia menjadi seekor keong emas dan dilempar ke sungai. Arus sungai membawanya jauh dari istana.

Prince Raden Putra was married to a princess named Dewi Limaran. One day when Dewi Limaran was walking in the palace garden, she saw a snail among her lovely flowers and she had one of her servants pick it up and throw it away. The Snail was actually an old witch who had disguised herself as a snail. The witch was very angry, so she cursed Dewi Limaran and changed her into a golden snail and threw it into the river. The stream carried it far away from the palace.

Di tepi hutan yang lebat, tinggallah seorang janda. Pekerjaannya hanyalah mencari ikan. Hari itu adalah hari yang kurang menguntungkan baginya karena dia tidak dapat menangkap seekor ikanpun. Dicobanya beberapa kali dia menebar jalanya tanpa hasil, sampai akhirnya diapun memutuskan untuk pulang kembali ke rumahnya. Tiba-tiba dia melihat sesuatu berkilauan di bagian bawah jaringnya. Rupanya hanya seekor keong. Namun kemudian diapun memungutnya dan membawanya pulang. Kulit keong yang keemasan belum pernah dilihat olah janda tersebut.

On the side of a big forest, there lived a poor widow. Her living was only

fishing. One day it was a particularly bad day as she didn’t catch any fish. Again and again she spread her net, but nothing got caught into it. At last she pulled up the net to go home. Suddenly she saw something shining at the bottom of it. It was only a snail. Nevertheless she picked it up and took it home. Its shell shone like gold the old woman had never seen such a snail before.

Dia menaruh keong tersebut di wadah terbuat dari tanah. Karena lelahnya dia cepat terlelap seketika masuk ke kamarnya. Ketika bangun keesokan harinya, di terheran-heran ketika mendapati lantainya sudah disapu bersih dan makanan sudah terhidang di meja. Dia penasaran akan siapa yang mengerjakan itu semua, sampai-sampai dikiranya dia sedang bermimpi. Dipikir-pikirnya, dia tetap tidak dapat menemukan siapa yang berbaik hati mengerjakan itu semua baginya.

At home she put it in an earthen pot. She then went to bed and soon was fast asleep as she was very tired. The next morning when she woke up, she found to her amazement that the floor had been swept clean and there was some food on the table. She wondered who had done all this. She thought she was dreaming, but she was not. She thought and thought but could not think of anybody who could have been so generous to her.

Beberapa hari kemudian…. dia menemukan sebuah ide. Satu pagi dia mengambil keranjangnya dan seolah-olah akan pergi keluar, tapi dia segera memutar dan bersembunyi. Tiba-tiba dia mendengar suara gerakan yang lembut dari dalam wadah tanahnya itu dan dia menyaksikan keong merangkak keluar dari wadah tersebut. Semakin lama keong tersebut semakin besar dan membesar terus dan seketika seorang gadis cantik berdiri di tempat keong tersebut, sementara cangkangnya jatuh ke tanah di belakangnya. Segera sang adis menyapu lantai, kemudian memasak nasi, sayuran, daging, telur, dan lain-lain.

Some days passed….…..she then got an idea. The next morning she took her basket and went out as usual, but shortly she returned to her hut and hid herself. Suddenly she heard a soft movement inside the earthen pot and saw the snail creeping out of it. It grew bigger and bigger and in a moment a lovely young girl stood where the snail had been. The empty shell fell to the ground behind her. Quickly the young girl swept the floor. Then she took rice, vegetables, meat, eggs etc. out of the pot and began cooking.

Ketika si janda menyaksikan semua itu, dia menyadari bahwa yang dia tangkap bukan sembarang keong, melainkan orang yang terkena kutukan, dan dia memutuskan untuk menghentikan kutukan itu.

When the old woman saw all this, she noticed that it was not an ordinary snail she had caught, but a person who lived under a spell, and she knew what she had to do to break it.

Diam-diam dia mengambil cangkang keong tersebut, dan bersegera membuangnya ke sungai. Akhirnya dia telah sebagian kutukan, dan sisanya akan diusahakan terlepas sesudah dia menemui suaminya.

She crept stealthily to the empty shell, took it, and then rushed out of the hut to throw it into the river. Now she had broken only a part of the spell, and the rest of it must still be broken before she could return to her husband.

Sang gadispun akhirnya memperkenalkan diri kepada sang ibu.

The young girl then made herself known to the old woman.

“Saya akan berdoa kepada tuhan semoga menuntun seorang pangeran ke tempat ini” kata si ibu.

“I shall pray to the gods that the prince might be led to his place,” said the old woman.

Beberapa tahun berlalu…

Many years passed by…….

Sang raja menganjurkan anaknya mencari permaisuri, walau pada awalnya sang pangeran, Raden Putra menolak karena dia belum bisa melupakan istrinya, namun pada akhirnya sang pangeran menyatakan bersedia mengambil seorang istri tetapi harus mirip dengan istrinya yang terdahulu. Seorang pelayan setia yang sudah tua menemani perjalanannya…

The king persuaded his son to look for another bride, but at first Prince Raden Putra refused as he could not forsake his wife. In the end, however, the prince asked his father if he could go out to find a bride, but one who was a look-alike of his former wife. An old faithful servant accompanied him on his trip.

Kota demi kota, desa demi desa didatangai sampai suatu hari mereka memasuki hutan lebat dan tersesat. Akhirnya mereka tiba di satu sungai. Tidak jauh dari tempat tersebut, dia menemukan sebuah tempat. Mereka memasuki rumah itu dan meminta makanan dan minuman karena mereka sangat lapar, haus, dan lelah. Si ibu menyambut mereka dengan hangat. Raden Putra melihat masakan yang dihidangkan si ibu begitu sempurna. Sang ibu bercerita bahwa yang mempersiapkan hidangan itu adalah putrinya. Raden Putra bertanya apakah dia bisa bertemu dan berterima kasih kepada putrinya itu. Sang ibupun memanggil putrinya. Sang gadis menampakkan diri dan berbungkuk di hadapan Raden Putra dengan kepala tertunduk.

They went from town to town and from village to village until one day were travelling through a big forest and they lost their way. Finally the men came to a big river and not far from it they saw a hut. They went to it to ask for some food and drink as they were hungry, thirsty and dead tired. The old woman welcomed them warmly. Raden Putra found the meal served by the old woman excellent. She told him that her daughter had prepared it. Raden Putra then asked whether he might meet and thank her daughter. The old woman had no objections and called her daughter to come out. The young girl appeared and knelt down in front of Raden Putra with her head bent.

Ketika Raden Putra melihat sang gadis, dia sangat terkejut karena dia terlihat begitu mirip dengan istrinya, Dewi Limaran. ” Kamu adalah calon istri yang saya sedang cari” dia teriak. Tapi sang gadis menggelengkan kepala dan mengatakan bahwa dia sudah membuat janji: jika ada seorang lelaki ingin menikahinya, dia harus mendatangkan perangkat gamelan jawa dari surga yang bisa memainkan musik tanpa disentuh/dimainkan.

When Raden Putra saw her, he caught his breath in great surprise as the young girl looked exactly like his former wife princess Dewi Limaran. “You are the bride I’m looking for!” he cried out. But the girl shook her head and said that she had made a promise : when a man wanted to marry her, he had to obtain the holy gamelan ( Javanese orchestra) from heaven which could make music without being touched.

Rade Putra bersedia mencobanya, dan diapun pergi ke hutan. Kemudian dia berpuasa dan bersemedi. Setelah beberapa ratus hari, doanya dikabulkan.

Raden Putra was willing to try and went out into the forest. He then fasted and meditated. After a hundred days the gods heard and granted his wish.

Di hari pernikahannya, gamelan tersebut memainkan lagu-lagu sendiri begitu indahnya sehingga setiap orang yang mendengarnya kemudian merasa sangat bahagia.

On their wedding day the holy gamelan played its heavenly music. It was so beautiful that every person who heard it felt happier than ever.

Sang gadispun akhirnya mengungkapkan rahasianya, bahwa dia sebenarnya adalah Dewi Limaran. Musik dari gamelan sudah berhasil mematahkan kutukan si penyihir jahat atas dirinya.

The young girl than revealed her secret, that she was Dewi Limaran herself. The music of the gamelan had broken the evil witch’s spell.

Sang ibu tua kemudian diajak serta tinggal di istana. Akhirnya dia mendapatkan yang diinginkannya dan hidup bahagia…