The Chinese legend of the butterfly lovers - Lijun Zhang

Translator: annisa putri Reviewer: Reno Kanti Riananda

Adjusting her disguise, Zhu Yingtai prepared to bid her parents goodbye.

Merapikan penyamarannya, Zhu Yingtai bersiap untuk pamit kepada orang tuanya.

She had always been a dutiful daughter— staying home

Ia selalu jadi putri yang berbakti— tinggal di rumah

and creating works of embroidery that brought her parents pride.

dan membuat karya sulaman yang membanggakan orang tuanya.

And yet, although only boys were allowed at the Confucius Academy in Hangzhou,

Meskipun hanya anak lelaki yang diizinkan di Akademi Konfusius di Hangzhou,

what Yingtai truly wanted was to go to school.

apa yang sebenarnya Yingtai inginkan adalah bersekolah.

She begged her parents to let her attend dressed as a boy

Dia memohon untuk dapat bersekolah dengan menyamar seperti lelaki.

and, seeing her determination and clever disguises, they finally agreed.

Melihat tekad dan penyamarannya yang cerdik, orang tuanya akhirnya setuju.

However, they only gave her permission when she promised

Namun, mereka hanya memberinya izin jika dia berjanji

to keep her true identity a secret

untuk merahasiakan identitas aslinya

and eventually return to the traditional path they’d set for her.

dan kemudian kembali ke jalur tradisional yang telah mereka tetapkan untuknya.

Elated, Yingtai began her journey to Hangzhou.

Dengan gembira, Yingtai memulai perjalanannya ke Hangzhou.

On the way, she found herself at a crossroads,

Ia kemudian sampai di persimpangan jalan,

unsure which route to take when a young man approached.

tak yakin rute mana yang diambil, ketika seorang pemuda mendekat.

As their eyes met, they shared an instant connection.

Saat mata mereka bertemu, mereka langsung terhubung.

Yingtai learned that his name was Liang Shanbo,

Yingtai mengetahui bahwa namanya adalah Liang Shanbo,

and that he’d be her classmate at the academy,

dan dia akan menjadi teman sekelasnya di akademi,

so they walked the rest of the way together, rapt in conversation.

sehingga mereka berjalan bersama sepanjang perjalanan, asyik mengobrol.

Yingtai realized that, despite her meticulous disguise,

Yingtai menyadari, meskipun penyamarannya sangat teliti,

she felt that she could finally be herself.

ia merasa akhirnya bisa menjadi dirinya sendiri.

The two decided to celebrate what they thought would be

Keduanya memutuskan merayakan awal dari

a long, close friendship, and became sworn brothers.

persahabatan panjang yang erat, dan menjadi saudara angkat.

At the academy, Yingtai buried herself in books

Di akademi, Yingtai mengubur dirinya ke dalam buku-buku

and studied with Shanbo late into the nights.

dan belajar dengan Shanbo hingga larut malam.

The two felt at home so long as they were at each other’s sides.

Keduanya merasa nyaman saat mereka berada di sisi satu sama lain.

They shared a room, but even though Shanbo questioned her about it,

Mereka berbagi kamar, tetapi meskipun Shanbo mempertanyakannya,

Yingtai always used the bathroom alone

Yingtai selalu menggunakan kamar mandi sendirian

and buttoned her thick robes up to her chin— no matter the weather.

dan mengancingkan jubah tebalnya sampai ke dagu— seperti apa pun cuacanya.

Now and again, Yingtai heard students muttering about her secretive behavior.

Berkali-kali, Yingtai mendengar siswa lain bergosip tentang perilakunya.

As months slipped into years, Yingtai continued to excel at her studies

Saat bulan berganti tahun, Yingtai terus unggul dalam studinya

and felt like her past— and intended future—were lifetimes away.

dan merasa masa lalunya— dan masa depan yang diinginkan—berjarak seumur hidup.

Yet the whispers grew louder.

Namun, bisikan itu semakin menjadi.

And after three years, she had no choice but to leave.

Dan setelah tiga tahun, ia tidak punya pilihan selain pergi.

Parting tearfully, Yingtai asked Shanbo to visit her.

Berpisah sambil menangis, Yingtai meminta Shanbo mengunjunginya.

When Yingtai returned home,

Ketika Yingtai kembali ke rumah,

her parents announced that the Ma family from the neighboring village

orang tuanya memberi tahu bahwa keluarga Ma dari desa tetangga

had sent a matchmaker to ask their permission

telah mengirim comblang untuk meminta izin

for Yingtai to marry their son.

agar Yingtai menikahi putra mereka.

They’d found it a fitting match and accepted.

Orangtuanya merasa cocok dan menerima lamaran tersebut.

Trying to hide her disappointment, Yingtai honored their agreement.

Mencoba menyembunyikan kekecewaannya, Yingtai menghormati kesepakatan mereka.

But as she prepared for another new life, she thought of Shanbo.

Namun, saat ia bersiap untuk hidup yang baru, ia teringat akan Shanbo.

Meanwhile, he too was distracted— his studies dull without Yingtai near.

Sementara itu, Shanbo juga terganggu— studinya membosankan tanpa Yingtai.

When Shanbo finally visited Yingtai’s house,

Ketika Shanbo akhirnya mengunjungi rumah Yingtai,

he came upon a young woman.

ia bertemu dengan seorang wanita muda.

He was about to ask for her brother,

Ia hendak meminta memanggilkan saudaranya,

but as their eyes met, he recognized the young scholar he’d always loved.

tetapi saat mata mereka bertemu, ia mengenali pelajar muda yang ia cintai.

Shanbo knew he couldn’t stand being separated from Yingtai again

Shanbo tahu ia tidak akan tahan terpisah lagi dari Yingtai

and asked her to marry him.

dan memintanya untuk menikah dengannya.

But, heartbroken, Yingtai told him that she was already promised to another.

Namun, dengan patah hati, Yingtai berkata bahwa ia sudah dijodohkan pada yang lain.

Shanbo was devastated, but he understood that Yingtai had to abide

Shanbo merasa hancur, tetapi ia mengerti bahwa Yingtai harus mematuhi

by her parents’ wishes, and they parted again.

keinginan orang tuanya, dan mereka berpisah lagi.

Shanbo fell ill and grew weaker by the day.

Shanbo jatuh sakit dan semakin lemah dari hari ke hari.

Worried, his family sent a matchmaker to the Zhu family.

Karena khawatir, keluarganya mengirim comblang ke keluarga Zhu.

But, because of Yingtai’s current engagement,

Namun, karena Yingtai telah bertunangan,

her father refused the proposal.

ayahnya menolak lamaran itu.

Doing otherwise would bring their family public shame.

Melakukan yang sebaliknya akan mempermalukan keluarga mereka.

Shanbo’s Illness took a turn for the worse

Penyakit Shanbo kian memburuk.

and, sensing he wouldn’t live to see her married,

Karena merasa tak akan sempat menyaksikannya menikah,

Shanbo wrote Yingtai a final letter.

Shanbo menulis surat terakhir untuk Yingtai.

If Yingtai loved him, he asked that she burn incense

Jika Yingtai mencintainya, dia meminta agar Ia membakar dupa

in front of his tomb when she was on her way to the Ma family.

di depan makamnya saat dalam perjalanan ke keluarga Ma.

When Yingtai’s wedding day came, it also felt like a funeral.

Di hari pernikahan Yingtai, rasanya juga seperti berkabung.

As the procession wound through town under stormy skies,

Saat arak-arakan melintasi kota di bawah langit badai,

Yingtai broke off and knelt in front of Shanbo’s tomb,

Yingtai berhenti dan berlutut di depan makam Shanbo,

lighting incense and offering sacrifices through her tears.

menyalakan dupa dan mempersembahkan sajen menggunakan air matanya.

Suddenly, a clap of thunder sounded above

Tiba-tiba, guntur terdengar di langit

and a lightning bolt shot through the tomb,

dan kilat menyambar menembus makam,

fracturing the stone.

membelah nisannya.

Without hesitation, Yingtai threw herself in.

Tanpa ragu-ragu, Yingtai menjatuhkan dirinya ke dalam.

As her parents rushed to rescue their daughter,

Saat orang tuanya bergegas menyelamatkan putrinya,

two butterflies fluttered out of the crack.

dua kupu-kupu terbang keluar dari celah batu nisan.

This time, Yingtai had transformed for good.

Kali ini, Yingtai berubah untuk selamanya.

Finally free, she could float forever with Shanbo at her side.

Akhirnya terbebas, ia bisa terbang selamanya dengan Shanbo di sisinya.