The Egyptian Book of the Dead: A guidebook for the underworld - Tejal Gala

Translator: Febrina H. Ariendhita Reviewer: Lanny Yunita

Ani stands before a large golden scale

Ani berdiri di depan neraca emas besar,

where the jackal-headed god Anubis is weighing his heart

tempat dewa berkepala jakal, Anubis, menimbang hatinya

against a pure ostrich feather.

dengan bulu burung unta murni.

Ani was a real person,

Ani adalah orang sungguhan.

a scribe from the Egyptian city of Thebes

Seorang penulis dari Kota Thebes, Mesir,

who lived in the 13th century BCE.

yang hidup pada abad ke-13 SM.

And depicted here is a scene from his Book of the Dead,

Yang tergambar di sini adalah adegan dari Buku Kematian,

gulungan papirus 24 meter yang dirancang untuk membantunya mendapat keabadian.

a 78-foot papyrus scroll designed to help him attain immortality.

Such funerary texts were originally written only for Pharaohs,

Teks penguburan seperti itu awalnya hanya ditulis untuk para Firaun.

but with time, the Egyptians came to believe

Tapi seiring waktu, orang Mesir yakin

regular people could also reach the afterlife

orang biasa juga bisa mencapai akhirat,

jika berhasil melalui bagian itu.

if they succeeded in the passage.

Ani's epic journey begins with his death.

Perjalanan epik Ani berawal dengan kematiannya.

His body is mummified by a team of priests

Tubuhnya dijadikan mumi oleh sekelompok imam

who remove every organ except the heart,

yang mengeluarkan semua organ tubuh selain hatinya,

the seat of emotion, memory, and intelligence.

tempat berpangkalnya emosi, ingatan, dan kecerdasan.

Kemudian diisi dengan garam yang disebut natron

It's then stuffed with a salt called natron

and wrapped in resin-soaked linen.

dan dibungkus dengan linen yang direndam dalam damar.

In addition, the wrappings are woven with charms for protection

Selain itu, bungkusnya ditenun dengan jimat untuk perlindungan

and topped with a heart scarab amulet that will prove important later on.

dan dilengkapi dengan jimat kumbang hati yang nantinya menjadi penting.

The goal of the two-month process is to preserve Ani's body as an ideal form

Tujuan proses dua bulan itu mengawetkan tubuh Ani menjadi ideal,

with which his spirit can eventually reunite.

tempat rohnya akhirnya akan bersatu kembali.

Tapi sebelumnya, roh itu harus melewati duat atau dunia bawah.

But first, that spirit must pass through the duat, or underworld.

This is a realm of vast caverns,

Itu adalah dunia yang dipenuhi gua luas, danau api, dan gerbang ajaib.

lakes of fire,

and magical gates,

all guarded by fearsome beasts -

Semuanya dijaga oleh makhluk menakutkan.

snakes, crocodiles, and half-human monstrosities

Ular, buaya, dan monster setengah manusia

with names like "he who dances in blood."

yang bernama "dia yang menari dalam darah".

To make things worse, Apep, the serpent god of destruction,

Lebih parahnya lagi, Apep, dewa kekacauan yang berbentuk ular,

lurks in the shadows waiting to swallow Ani's soul.

mengintai di tempat gelap, menunggu untuk melahap roh Ani.

Fortunately, Ani is prepared

Untungnya, Ani bersiap

with the magic contained within his book of the dead.

dengan sihir yang terkandung dalam Buku Kematian ini.

Seperti orang Mesir lain yang mampu,

Like other Egyptians who could afford it,

Ani mengubah gulungannya dan memasukkan mantra, doa, dan kode tertentu

Ani customized his scroll to include the particular spells, prayers, and codes

he thought his spirit might need.

yang menurutnya dibutuhkan rohnya.

Equipped with this arsenal,

Berbekal persenjataan ini, pahlawan kita melintasi rintangan,

our hero traverses the obstacles,

repels the monsters' acts,

menangkal serangan monster, dan diam-diam menghindari Apep

and stealthily avoids Apep

to reach the Hall of Ma'at, goddess of truth and justice.

untuk mencapai Ma'at, dewi kebenaran dan keadilan.

Here, Ani faces his final challenge.

Di sini, Ani menghadapi tantangan terakhirnya.

He is judged by 42 assessor gods

Dia dinilai oleh 42 dewa penguji

who must be convinced that he has lived a righteous life.

yang harus diyakinkan bahwa dia menjalani hidup yang lurus.

Ani approaches each one,

Ani mendekati satu per satu, memanggil dengan nama mereka

addressing them by name,

dan menyebutkan dosa yang belum pernah dia lakukan.

and declaring a sin he has not committed.

Among these negative confessions, or declarations of innocence,

Di antara pengakuan negatif, atau pernyataan tak bersalah ini,

he proclaims that he has not made anyone cry,

dia mengaku belum pernah membuat siapa pun menangis,

is not an eavesdropper,

bukan tukang menguping, dan belum pernah mencemarkan air.

and has not polluted the water.

But did Ani really live such a perfect life?

Tapi apakah Ani benar-benar menjalani hidup sempurna seperti itu?

Tidak juga, tapi di situlah fungsi jimat kumbang hati itu.

Not quite, but that's where the heart scarab amulet comes in.

It's inscribed with the words, "Do not stand as a witness against me,"

Jimat itu bertuliskan, "Jangan bersaksi untuk memberatkanku"

precisely so Ani's heart doesn't betray him

agar hati Ani tak mengkhianatinya

dengan mengingat saat dia dengarkan pertengkaran tetangga

by recalling the time he listened to his neighbors fight

or washed his feet in the Nile.

atau mencuci kakinya di Sungai Nil.

Now, it's Ani's moment of truth, the weighing of the heart.

Ini saat penentuan bagi Ani, penimbangan hati.

If his heart is heavier than the feather, weighed down by Ani's wrongdoings,

Jika hatinya lebih berat dari bulu itu, karena kesalahan-kesalahan Ani,

it'll be devoured by the monstrous Ammit,

hatinya akan dilahap Ammit,

yang merupakan perpaduan buaya, macan tutul, dan kuda nil,

part crocodile, part leopard, part hippopotamus,

dan Ani akan tiada selamanya.

and Ani will cease to exist forever.

But Ani is in luck.

Tapi Ani beruntung. Hatinya dinilai murni.

His heart is judged pure.

Ra, the sun god, takes him to Osiris, god of the underworld,

Ra, dewa matahari, membawanya ke Osiris, dewa dunia bawah,

yang memberinya persetujuan terakhir untuk memasuki akhirat.

who gives him final approval to enter the afterlife.

Di padang ilalang yang subur dan tak berujung,

In the endless and lush field of reeds,

Ani meets his deceased parents.

Ani bertemu orang tuanya yang sudah wafat.

Here, there is no sadness, pain, or anger, but there is work to be done.

Di sini, tak ada kesedihan, penderitaan, atau amarah, tapi ada tugas.

Seperti yang lain, Ani harus mengolah sebidang lahan

Like everyone else, Ani must cultivate a plot of land,

which he does with the help of a Shabti doll that had been placed in his tomb.

yang dia lakukan dengan bantuan boneka Shabti yang diletakkan di makamnya.

Kini, Papirus Ani berada di British Museum,

Today, the Papyrus of Ani resides in the British Museum,

where it has been since 1888.

tempatnya berada sejak tahun 1888.

Only Ani, if anyone, knows what really happened after his death.

Hanya Ani yang tahu kejadian yang sebenarnya setelah kematiannya.

But thanks to his Book of the Dead,

Tapi berkat Buku Kematian,

we can imagine him happily tending his crops for all eternity.

kita bisa bayangkan dia mengurus ladangnya dengan bahagia selamanya.