The myth of Arachne - Iseult Gillespie

Translator: Haura Callista Reviewer: Lanny Yunita

From sailors who were turned into pigs,

Mulai dari pelaut yang menjelma menjadi babi,

nymphs that sprouted into trees,

gadis yang menjelma menjadi pohon,

and a gaze that converted the beholder to stone,

hingga tatapan yang mengubah orang yang melihatnya menjadi batu,

Greek mythology brims with shape-shifters.

mitologi Yunani dipenuhi oleh makhluk yang bisa berubah wujud.

The powerful gods usually changed their own forms at will,

Para dewa biasanya berubah wujud sesuka hati.

Namun bila manusia berubah wujud, sering kali itu di luar kehendak mereka.

but for mortals, the mutations were often unwanted.

One such unnerving transformation befell the spinner Arachne.

Salah satunya menimpa seorang penenun bernama Arakhne.

Arachne was the daughter of a tradesman

Arakhne adalah anak seorang pedagang

who spent his days dying cloth the deepest shades of purple.

yang menghabiskan harinya mewarnai kain dengan warna ungu tua.

She had a flair for spinning the finest threads,

Ia mahir memintal benang yang paling tipis sekalipun,

menenunnya menjadi kain,

weaving them into flowing fabric,

hingga jadilah permadani yang indah.

and creating magnificent tapestries.

People flocked to watch her hands flying across her loom,

Orang-orang datang untuk melihat kebolehannya menenun,

as if thread sprung directly from her fingertips.

seolah benang muncul dari jarinya.

But as praise for her work grew, so did her pride.

Namun makin pujian yang didapat, makin angkuh pula ia.

Arachne could often be heard boasting about her skills,

Arakhne sering membangga-banggakan keterampilannya,

bahwa bakatnya melebihi siapa pun, baik manusia maupun dewa.

declaring that her talent surpassed anyone else’s—mortal or divine.

She refused to see weaving as a gift from the gods.

Dia tak mau mengakui bahwa menenun adalah karunia dari dewa.

Rather, she flaunted it as her own personal genius.

Malahan, ia menganggapnya kemampuan dirinya sendiri.

Sayangnya, pernyataan Arakhne sampai ke telinga Athena,

Unfortunately, the goddess of wisdom and crafts, Athena,

overheard Arachne making these claims.

dewi kebijaksanaan dan keterampilan.

Planning to teach the ungrateful girl a lesson,

Berniat memberi pelajaran pada Arakhne,

Athena disguised herself as an old woman and stole amongst the mortals.

Athena menjelma jadi wanita tua dan menyelinap di antara kerumunan.

She berated Arachne in public—

Ia menghardik Arakhne di depan umum,

how dare the weaver claim herself greater than the gods?

beraninya kau mengaku lebih hebat dari para dewa!

But Arachne only laughed, barely looking up from her loom.

Namun Arakhne hanya tertawa tanpa menatap sedikit pun.

Provoked, the old woman threw off her cloak to reveal her true form.

Merasa kesal, ia melepaskan jubahnya dan menampakkan wujud aslinya.

If Arachne insisted on defaming the gods,

Karena Arakhne tetap merendahkan dewa,

Athena would challenge her to a contest directly.

Athena menantangnya saat itu juga.

Masking her shock at the appearance of the grey-eyed goddess,

Untuk menutupi rasa kagetnya di hadapan sang dewi,

Arachne accepted the challenge.

Arakhne menerima tantangan tersebut.

Athena drew up her own glittering loom as a great crowd gathered to watch.

Athena menyiapkan mesin tenunnya di depan khalayak ramai.

The weavers began, eyes fixed and shuttles blurring.

Keduanya pun mulai berkonsentrasi menenun.

Athena conjured wisps of cloud from above

Athena menyulap gumpalan awan dan helai rumput

and slender threads of grass from below in a spectacle of strength.

dengan kekuatannya yang memukau.

She wove tremendous scenes that showed the power of the gods:

Dia menenun kain yang bertemakan kekuatan para dewa:

Poseidon riding the waves,

Poseidon mengendarai awan,

Zeus firing thunderbolts,

Zeus menembakkan halilintar,

and Apollo hurtling across the sky.

dan Apollo meluncur di angkasa.

In Athena’s splendid tapestry, the glory of the gods dwarfed mortal life.

Pada permadani Athena, dewa digambarkan dengan saat agung.

But Arachne had no interest in boosting godly egos.

Namun Arakhne enggan memamerkan keagungan dewa.

Her tapestry showed the gods abusing their power:

Justru ia menunjukkan para dewa menyalahgunakan kekuatan mereka:

squabbling amongst themselves,

saling bertengkar,

drinking and bragging,

minum-minum dan tukang pamer,

and meddling in the lives of mortals.

serta ikut campur urusan manusia.

She represented Zeus as a philanderer, transfiguring himself to ensnare women:

Zeus digambarkan gemar berubah wujud untuk memikat wanita:

a swan for Leda,

menjadi angsa untuk Leda,

a bull for Europa,

banteng untuk Europa,

a shower of gold for Danae.

dan hujan emas untuk Danae.

Kemudian Arakhne menggambarkan perbuatan tercela dewa lainnya,

Arachne then turned to the misdemeanors of other gods,

from Pluto’s abduction of Persephone

mulai dari Pluto yang menculik Persephone,

to Bacchus’s wild pursuit of Erigone.

hingga Bacchus yang terobsesi pada Erigone.

Walaupun dewa digambarkan dengan citra yang buruk,

Even though she cast the gods in the most unflattering light,

Arachne’s work shone with her dazzling skill.

karya tersebut menunjukkan kemampuan Arakhne yang luar biasa.

Her tapestry was almost alive,

Permadaninya terlihat hidup,

filled with movement and lustrous colors

seolah bergerak dan dipenuhi kilau warna yang memikat mata.

that winked triumphantly.

When Athena saw Arachne's undeniably better and flagrantly subversive work,

Begitu Athena melihat karya Arakhne yang subversif dan lebih bagus,

she flew into a rage and turned on the human weaver.

ia murka lalu mengutuk Arakhne.

Arachne’s glee dimmed as she felt her body shrinking and contorting.

Keceriaan Arakhne sirna seraya tubuhnya menciut.

Her fingers waved wildly as her arms stuck to her sides,

Ia meronta-ronta selagi tangannya terkunci di samping tubuhnya,

and black hair sprouted all over her body.

dan bulu hitam tumbuh di sekujur tubuhnya.

The goddess left Arachne with a single spool of thread unfurling from her belly,

Sang dewi memberikan sehelai benang pintal yang menjuntai dari perutnya,

a slim reminder of her human talent.

sebagai pengingat akan bakatnya saat masih jadi manusia.

For challenging the assumption that the gods were untouchable,

Athena mengutuk lawannya menjadi laba-laba pertama,

Athena had shrunk her adversary into the first spider.

karena berani membangkang dewa yang seharusnya tak tertandingi.

To this day, Arachne and her children spin out her penance—

Hingga kini, Arakhne dan anak-anaknya masih menenun untuk menebus dosa,

or is it undaunted persistence?—

atau karena keras kepala,

in the shadows of giants.

di balik bayangan para raksasa.

Bila menyukai kisah Arakhne, saksikan kisah seru lainnya di sini!