The myth of Anansi, the trickster spider - Emily Zobel Marshall

Translator: Mutia Bida Reviewer: aditya prayogi

As the sun sets on a plantation in Jamaica,

Saat matahari tenggelam di perkebunan Jamaika,

children flock to Mr. Kwaku for a story.

anak-anak berduyun-duyun ke Pak Kwaku untuk sebuah cerita.

They all know he’s full of tales from Ghana, the land of their ancestors.

Mereka tahu dia mengetahui semua cerita dari Ghana, tanah leluhur mereka.

But what they don’t know, Kwaku winks,

Tetapi yang tak mereka ketahui, Kwaku mengedip,

is how their ancestors got those stories in the first place.

adalah bagaimana leluhur mereka memperoleh cerita-cerita itu.

Long ago, all stories belonged to Nyame, the all-seeing Sky God.

Pada zaman dahulu, semua cerita dimiliki oleh Nyame, Dewa Langit Yang Maha Melihat.

People on Earth were bored and knew nothing about their history.

Manusia di bumi bosan dan tidak mengetahui asal-usul mereka.

But one creature decided enough was enough.

Tetapi satu makhluk memutuskan untuk menghentikannya.

Anansi, the tricky, shapeshifting spider,

Anansi, laba-laba siluman yang cerdik,

resolved to bring the stories down to Earth.

memutuskan untuk membawa cerita tersebut ke bumi.

He spun a web that stretched into the clouds

Dia memintal jaring-jaring hingga membentang ke awan

and climbed up to confront the Sky God.

dan merayap untuk menantang Dewa Langit.

Crouching at Nyame’s feet, Anansi shouted at the top of his lungs

Berjalan di antara kaki Nyame, Anansi berteriak sekuat tenaga

that he had come to take ownership of the world’s stories.

bahwa kedatangannya untuk mengambil alih cerita dunia.

Looking down from his golden stool,

Menakur dari bangku emasnya,

Nyame hooted with laughter at the spider’s absurd request.

Nyame terbahak-bahak mendengar permintaan konyol si laba-laba

Nyame told Anansi that he could have all the stories he wished—

Nyame memberitahu bahwa dia bisa mendapatkan semua cerita yang dia mau—

but only if he could complete an impossible task.

dengan syarat dapat menyelesaikan tugas yang mustahil.

If Anansi brought him Osebo the Leopard, Onini the Python,

Jika Anansi membawakannya Osebo si Macan Tutul, Onini si Piton,

Mmoboro the Hornet, and Mmoatia the Forest Spirit,

Mmoboro si Tawon, dan Mmoatia si Roh Hutan,

then he could take the stories.

maka dia bisa mengambil ceritanya.

Anansi humbly accepted.

Anansi menerimanya dengan rendah hati.

Nyame didn’t see him grinning as he scuttled away.

Nyame tidak melihatnya menyeringai saat dia pergi.

Back on Earth, Anansi grabbed his magic bag and set to work.

Kembali ke Bumi, Anansi meraih tas ajaibnya dan mulai menjalankan misi.

Anansi found Onini the Python bathing in the sun.

Anansi menemukan Onini si Piton sedang berjemur.

Anansi scoffed that Onini couldn’t be the longest animal,

Anansi mengejek Onini bahwa dia bukanlah hewan terpanjang,

saying he looked no longer than a piece of bamboo cane.

dan berkata dia terlihat tidak lebih panjang dari sepotong bambu.

Enraged, Onini stretched himself across the bamboo to prove his lengthiness.

Marah, Onini pun merentangkan dirinya pada bambu untuk membuktikan panjang dirinya.

Anansi quickly bound him tight-tight to each end and placed him in his bag.

Anansi dengan cepat mengikatnya ke setiap ujung dan memasukkannya ke dalam tas.

Next, Anansi dug a great pit in the middle of the path

Kemudian, Anansi menggali lubang besar di tengah jalan

Osebo the Leopard usually prowled, and covered it with banana leaves.

yang biasa dilalui Osebo si Macan Tutul, dan menutupinya dengan kulit pisang.

Sure enough, mighty Osebo soon fell in.

Osebo yang perkasa pun terperosok jatuh.

Anansi scolded Osebo for his carelessness, but offered to rescue him.

Anansi menegur Osebo akan kecerobohannya, namun juga menawarkan bantuan.

As he helped Osebo out of the pit, Anansi swiftly jabbed him with his knife.

Ketika dia menolong Osebo dari lubang, dia menusuk Osebo dengan pisau.

Osebo fell back to the ground

Osebo pun tumbang

where Anansi wound him up tight-tight in spider thread.

kemudian Anansi melilitnya kencang-kencang dengan jaring laba-laba.

Then, Anansi heard Mmoboro and his hornets buzzing.

Kemudian, Anansi mendengar dengungan penyengat Mmoboro.

He cautiously approached them.

Dia mendekat secara perlahan.

This would be tricky— their stings could make someone swell up and die—

kudu berhati-hati— sengatan mereka dapat membuat seseorang membengkak dan mati

but Anansi knew they hated rain.

tapi Anansi tahu mereka tidak suka hujan.

He filled his mouth with water and spat it at the swarm.

Dia menenggak air dan menyemburkannya ke kawanan itu.

As they panicked, Anansi urged the hornets to shelter in his gourd,

Ketika panik, Anansi menawarkan mereka untuk berteduh di labunya,

where they found themselves trapped.

alhasil mereka pun terjebak.

Anansi had one more task: to capture Mmoatia

Anansi punya satu tugas lagi: menangkap Mmoatia

the elusive and mischievous Forest Spirit.

Roh Hutan yang jail dan sulit ditangkap.

She usually hid herself deep in the woods, but Anansi knew she was lonely.

Dia biasanya bersembunyi di dalam hutan, tapi Anansi tahu dia kesepian.

So, he made a little doll covered in sap and left it in her path.

Jadi, dia membuat boneka berlumur getah dan menaruhnya di jalan.

When she came upon it, Mmoatia spoke to the doll

Ketika dia bertemu boneka itu, Mmoatia berbicara pada boneka tersebut

but became enraged when it didn’t answer.

tapi dia marah karena boneka itu tidak menjawab

She hit the disrespectful doll

Dia memukul boneka tidak sopan itu

and her small fists stuck to its sticky surface.

dan kepalan tangannya menempel ke boneka yang lengket.

Anansi wrapped Mmoatia up tight-tight and scooped her into his bag

Anansi melilit Mmoatia kencang-kencang dan memasukkannya.

along with the other creatures.

bersama dengan makhluk lainnya.

Triumphantly, he climbed his web back into the clouds.

Bangga misinya berhasil, dia memanjat benangnya kembali ke awan.

When the Sky God saw that Anansi had completed the impossible task,

Ketika Dewa Langit melihat bahwa Anansi menyelesaikan tugas mustahil itu,

he was amazed.

dia takjub.

Nyame told Anansi that he had earned the world’s stories.

Nyame memberitahu Anansi bahwa dia medapatkan cerita dunia.

Dancing for joy, Anansi gathered them up, stuffed the stories into his bag,

Menari gembira, Anansi mengambil semuanya, dan memasukkannya ke dalam tasnya,

and descended to Earth.

dan turun ke Bumi.

There, he scattered the stories throughout the world for people to share.

Di sanalah ia menyebarkan cerita ke penjuru dunia untuk dibagikan.

Mereka juga tak luput meneruskannya, kata Kwaku ke anak-anak.

And they did, Kwaku tells the children.

Generations have continued telling and reimagining Anansi’s stories

Banyak generasi terus menerus bercerita dan membayangkan cerita Anansi

even after being stolen from Africa and enslaved.

meskipun sudah tidak lagi di Afrika dan diperbudak.

Anansi may be small, but “cunning’s better than strong,” Kwaku says,

Anansi mungkin kecil, tapi “kecerdikannya mengalahkan kekuatan,” kata Kwaku,

and tells the children to take Anansi’s stories with them wherever they go.

dia berkata agar anak-anak membawa cerita Anansi kemanapun mereka pergi.

Looking at his audience, Kwaku knows that Anansi will persist

Melihat penontonnya, Kwaku tahu bahwa Anansi akan bertahan

as a symbol of resourcefulness and resistance in the face of oppression,

sebagai simbol pergerakan dan perlawanan dihadapan penindasan,

and a testament to the enduring power of storytelling.

juga sebagai bukti atas kekuatan abadi dari sebuah dongeng.