The Irish myth of the Giant's Causeway - Iseult Gillespie

Translator: Alrilo Witwicky Reviewer: Ade Indarta

On the coast of Northern Ireland,

Di pantai Irlandia Utara,

a vast plateau of basalt slabs and columns

terdapat kumpulan dataran tinggi lempengan basal dan kolom

called the Giant’s Causeway

yang dinamakan Giant's Causeway

stretches into the ocean.

yang membentang ke laut.

The scientific explanation for this

Ada penjelasan ilmiah mengenai hal ini

is that it’s the result of molten lava contracting and fracturing

yaitu akibat lava cair yang berkontraksi dan retak

as it cooled in the wake of a volcanic eruption.

saat lava mendingin setelah gunung api meletus.

But an ancient Irish myth has a different accounting.

Tapi mitos Irlandia kuno mempercayai hal berbeda.

According to legend,

Menurut legenda,

the giant Finn MacCool lived happily on the North Antrim coast

seorang raksasa bernama Finn MacCool hidup bahagia di pantai utara Antrim

with his wife Oonagh.

bersama istrinya Oonagh.

Their only disturbance came from the taunts and threats

Satu-satunya gangguan mereka hanyalah ejekan serta ancaman

of the giant Benandonner,

dari raksasa Benandonner

or the red man, who lived across the sea in Scotland.

atau si manusia merah, yang tinggal di seberang laut di Skotlandia.

The two roared insults and hurled rocks at each other

Mereka saling hina dan saling melempar batu

in dramatic shows of strength.

dengan pertunjukan kekuatan yang sangat dramatis.

Once, Finn tore up a great clump of land and heaved it at his rival,

Finn pernah mengeruk gumpalan tanah yang sangat besar

dan melemparkan ke arah lawannya

but it fell short of reaching land.

tapi gagal mengenai daratan.

Instead, the clump became the Isle of Man,

dan menjadi Isle of Man,

and the crater left from the disturbed earth filled with water

dan kawah yang terbentuk akibat kerukan terisi air

to become Lough Neagh.

menjadi danau Lough Neagh.

The giants’ tough talk continued,

Permusuhan kedua raksasa itu terus berlanjut,

until one day Benandonner challenged Finn to a fight, face to face.

hingga suatu hari Benandonner menantang Finn untuk bertarung,

secara tatap muka.

And so the Irish giant tossed enough boulders into the sea

Raksasa Irlandia itu melemparkan beberapa batuan besar ke laut

to create a bridge of stepping stones to the Scottish coast.

untuk membuat sebuah jembatan batu menuju pantai Skotlandia

Finn marched across in a fit of rage.

Finn berlari menyebrang dengan penuh amarah.

When Scotland loomed before him,

Ketika Scotlandia sudah dekat,

he made out the figure of Benandonner from afar.

Dia melihat sosok Benandonner dari jauh,

Finn was a substantial size,

Finn memang bertubuh besar,

but at the sight of his colossal enemy thundering towards him,

tapi setelah melihat sosok musuh yang menyerbu ke arahya,

his courage faltered.

nyalinya menciut.

With one look at Benandonner’s thick neck and crushing fists, Finn turned and ran.

hanya sekilas melihat leher Benandonner dan kepalan tinjunya,

Finn berbalik dan berlari.

Back home, with Benandonner fast approaching,

Sampai di rumah, dengan Benandonnar yang semakin mendekat,

Finn trembled as he described his enemy’s bulk to Oonagh.

Finn gemetar bercerita tentang musuh raksasanya kepada Oognah.

They knew that if he faced Benandonner head on,

Mereka tahu jika dia menghadapinya sendiri,

he’d be crushed.

dia akan kalah.

And so Oonagh hatched a cunning plan -

Oognah memiliki rencana licik --

they needed to create an illusion of size,

mereka hanya perlu menciptakan ilusi,

to suggest Finn was a mountain of a man whilst keeping him out of sight.

bahwa Finn berukuran sebesar gunung sementara dia bersembunyi.

As Benandonner neared the end of the bridge,

Saat Benandonner berada di ujung jembatan,

Oonagh stuffed her husband in a huge cradle.

Oognah memasukkan suaminya dalam buaian besar

Disguised as an enormous baby,

menyamar sebagai bayi yang sangat besar,

Finn lay quiet as Benandonnner pounded on the door.

Finn berbaring dan terdiam saat Benandonner mengetuk pintu.

The house shook as he stepped inside.

seisi rumah pun bergetar saat dia masuk.

Oonagh told the enraged visitor that her husband wasn’t home,

Oonagh memberi tahu tamunya yang marah bahwa suaminya sedang pergi,

but welcomed him to sit and eat while he waited.

tapi dia mempersilakan nya masuk serta menjamunya sambil menunggu.

When Benandonner tore into the cakes placed before him,

Ketika Benandonner menggigit kue yang disuguhkan untuknya,

he cried out in pain

dia menjerit kesakitan

for he’d shattered his teeth on the metal Oonagh had concealed inside.

giginya tanggal saat dia menggigit logam yang diletakkan Oonagh dalam kue.

She told him that this was Finn’s favorite bread,

Dia berkata itu adalah kue kegemaran Finn,

sowing a seed of doubt in Benandonner’s mind

dalam benaknya Benandonner sedikit ragu

that he was any match for his rival.

apakah dia setara dengan musuhnya.

When Finn let out a squawk,

Ketika Finn merengek,

Benandonner’s attention was drawn to the gigantic baby in the corner.

Perhatian Benandonner tertuju pada bayi raksasa di sudut ruangan.

So hefty was the infant swaddled under piles of blankets,

Bayi kekar yang dibedong di bawah bantalan selimut,

Benandonner shuddered at the thought of what the father would look like.

Benandonner bergidik memikirkan bagaimana rupa ayahnya.

He decided he’d rather not find out.

Dia memutuskan untuk tidak mengetahuinya.

As he fled, Benandonner tore up the rocks connecting the shores,

Ketika dia melarikan diri, Benandonner menghancurkan bebatuan

yang menghubungkan pantai,

breaking up the causeway.

memecah jalan pintas.

What remains are two identical rock formations:

Menyisakan dua formasi batuan yang identik:

one on the North Antrim coast of Ireland

satu di pantai Antrim Utara Irlandia

and one at Fingal’s Cave in Scotland, right across the sea.

dan satu lagi di Gua Fingal di Skotlandia tepat di seberang lautan.