The Japanese folktale of the selfish scholar - Iseult Gillespie

Translator: Mutia Bida Reviewer: Elda Indria Sari

In ancient Kyoto, a devout Shinto scholar lived a simple life,

Di Kyoto kuno, seorang pendeta Shinto yang taat menjalani hidup sederhana,

but he was often distracted from his prayers by the bustling city.

tetapi kadang ia terganggu oleh keramaian kota saat sedang berdoa.

He felt that his neighbors were polluting his soul,

Ia merasa tetangganya mencemari jiwanya,

and he sought to perform some kind of personal harae—

dan ia berusaha melakukan semacam harae pribadi—

a purification ritual that would cleanse his body and his mind.

sebuah ritual yang akan membersihkan jiwa dan pikirannya.

He decided to travel to the revered Hie Shrine.

Ia memutuskan untuk pergi ke Kuil Hie yang dihormati.

The trip was an arduous climb that took all day.

Perjalanan itu berupa pendakian sulit yang memakan waktu seharian.

But he was glad for the solitude it afforded him,

Namun, ia menyukai kesendirian yang ia dapatkan,

and the peace he felt upon returning home was profound.

dan kedamaian yang ia rasakan saat pulang sangatlah mendalam.

The scholar was determined to maintain this clarity for as long as possible,

Pendeta itu bertekad untuk mempertahankan keheningan ini selama mungkin,

and resolved to make this pilgrimage another 99 times.

dan memutuskan untuk berziarah sebanyak 99 kali lagi.

He would walk the path alone, ignoring any distractions in his quest for balance,

Ia berjalan sendirian, mengabaikan gangguan dalam pencarian keseimbangan,

and never straying from his purpose.

dan tidak pernah menyimpang dari tujuannya.

The man was true to his word, and as days stretched into weeks,

Pria itu menepati kata-katanya, seiring hari berganti minggu,

he walked through driving rain and searing sun.

ia berjalan melalui hujan lebat dan terik matahari.

Over time, his devotion revealed the invisible world of spirits

Seiring waktu, pengabdiannya mengungkap dunia roh yang tidak terlihat

which exists alongside our own.

yang berdampingan dengan dunia kita.

He began to sense the kami, which animated the rocks underfoot,

Ia mulai bisa merasakan Kami, menjelma sebagai batu di bawah kakinya.

the breeze that cooled him, and the animals grazing in the fields.

angin sepoi-sepoi yang menyejukkannya, juga hewan-hewan yang ada di tanah lapang.

Still he spoke to no one, spirit or human.

Ia tetap tak berbicara pada siapa pun, baik roh maupun manusia.

He was determined to avoid contact with those who had strayed

Ia bertekad untuk tidak menjalin kontak dengan mereka yang menyimpang

from the path and become polluted with kegare.

dari jalur yang seharusnya dan tercemari oleh kegare.

This taboo of defilement hung over the sick and deceased,

Larangan tabu ini juga berlaku untuk mereka yang sakit dan sudah tiada

as well as those who defiled the land or committed violent crimes.

juga bagi mereka yang mengotori tanah atau melakukan tindakan kriminal.

Of all of the threats to the scholar’s quest for spiritual purity,

Dari semua ancaman selama perjalanan spiritualnya,

kegare was by far the greatest.

kegare merupakan ancaman terbesar.

After paying his respects for the 80th time,

Setelah melakukan ziarah yang ke-80 kali,

he set out for home once more.

ia hendak kembali pulang.

But as darkness fell, he heard strained sobs in the night air.

Namun, seiring hari menjadi gelap, ia mendengar sebuah tangisan tak wajar.

The scholar tried to push forward and ignore the moans.

Pendeta itu berusaha terus berjalan dan mengabaikan rintihan tersebut.

But the desperate cries overwhelmed him.

Namun, tangisan putus asa membebaninya.

Grimacing, he left his path to follow the sound to its source.

Sambil meringis, ia pun keluar dari jalur dan mengikuti sumber suara itu.

He soon came to a cramped cottage, with a woman crumpled outside.

Ia kemudian sampai di sebuah gubuk kecil, dengan seorang wanita terkulai di luar.

Filled with pity, the scholar implored the woman to share her sorrow.

Merasa kasihan, sang pendeta meminta wanita tersebut mencurahkan kesedihannya.

She explained that her mother had just died—

Ia berkata ibunya baru saja wafat,

but no one would help her with the burial.

tetapi tidak seorang pun sudi membantu pemakamannya.

At that news, his heart sank.

Mendengarnya, hati sang pendeta hancur.

Touching the body would defile his spirit,

Menyentuh jenazah tersebut akan mencemari jiwanya,

draining his life force and leaving him forsaken by the kami.

menguras energi kehidupannya dan membuatnya diabaikan oleh Kami.

But as he listened to her cries, his sympathy soared.

Namun, seiring dengan tangisan wanita itu, simpatinya memuncak.

And so, they buried the old woman together,

Akhirnya, mereka mengubur jenazah wanita tua itu bersama,

to ensure her safe passage into the spirit world.

untuk memastikan perjalanannya menuju dunia roh baik-baik saja.

The burial was complete, but the taboo of death weighed heavily on the scholar.

Pemakaman selesai, tetapi pantangan itu amat membebani sang pendeta.

How could he have been so foolish,

Bagaimana bisa ia bersikap begitu egois,

to shirk his most important rule and corrupt his divine journey?

sampai melalaikan peraturan penting dan merusak perjalanan sucinya?

After a tormented night,

Setelah merasa tersiksa semalaman,

he resolved to go back to the shrine to cleanse himself.

ia memutuskan kembali ke kuil untuk menyucikan dirinya.

To his surprise, the usually quiet temple was filled with people,

Betapa terkejutnya ia, kuil sepi yang biasa ia datangi kini dipenuhi orang,

all gathering around a medium who communicated directly with the kami.

berkumpul mengelilingi seorang perantara yang berkomunikasi dengan Kami.

The man hid himself, not daring approach in case anyone glimpse his polluted soul.

Pria itu bersembunyi, enggan mendekat, takut jiwanya yang tercemar terlihat.

But the medium had other ways of seeing, and called him forward from the crowd.

Namun, sang perantara dapat melihatnya, dan memanggilnya keluar dari kerumunan.

Ready to be forsaken, the scholar approached the holy woman.

Siap diabaikan, si pendeta pun mendekati sang wanita suci.

But the medium merely smiled.

Namun, sang perantara hanya tersenyum.

She took his impure hand in hers,

Ia menggenggam tangan kotor pendeta itu,

and whispered a blessing only he could hear—

dan membisikkan berkat yang hanya bisa didengar sang pendeta—

thanking him for his kindness.

ia berterima kasih atas kebaikannya.

In that moment, the scholar discovered a great spiritual secret:

Saat itulah sang pendeta menemukan sebuah rahasia spiritual:

contamination and corruption are two very different things.

kontaminasi dan kerusakan adalah dua hal yang amat berbeda.

Filled with insight, the scholar set himself back on his journey.

Merasa terilhami, sang pendeta kembali melakukan perjalanan.

But this time, he stopped to help those he met.

Namun, kali ini, ia berhenti untuk membantu mereka yang ia temui.

He began to see the beauty of the spirit world everywhere he went,

Ia mulai melihat keindahan dunia roh ke mana pun ia pergi,

even in the city he'd previously shunned.

bahkan di kota yang sebelumnya ia hindari.

Others cautioned that he risked kegare—

Banyak yang memperingatkan bahwa ia tercemar kegare,

but he never told them why he so freely mingled

tetapi ia tidak pernah menjelaskan alasan ia bergaul

with the sick and disadvantaged.

dengan mereka yang sakit dan malang.

For he knew that people could only truly understand harae

Karena ia yakin seseorang hanya akan memahami harae sepenuhnya

through a journey of their own.

dari perjalanan mereka sendiri.