The myth of the moon goddess - Cynthia Fay Davis

Translator: Mutia Bida Reviewer: Maria Nainggolan

The moon goddess, Ix Chel, patiently watched a spider at work.

Dewi Bulan, Ix Chel, dengan sabar memperhatikan laba-laba sedang bekerja.

She could make use of it skills, she thought.

Dia bisa memanfaatkan bakat laba-laba itu, pikirnya.

Through careful observation and imitation, she soon became a skilled weaver.

Dengan observasi dan meniru, dia pun menjadi penenun handal.

The sun god, Kinich Ahau, was impressed with her work,

Dewa Matahari, Kinich Ahau, takjub dengan usahanya,

and admired her from afar.

dan mengaguminya dari kejauhan.

But the goddess’ grandfather was very possessive

Tapi kakek dari dewi itu sangat posesif

and would not let the sun god anywhere near his beloved granddaughter.

dan tidak membiarkan Dewa Matahari mendekati cucu tercintanya sedikit pun.

To get past the grandfather, the sun god disguised himself

Agar bisa melewati Sang Kakek, Dewa Matahari pun menyamar

as a hummingbird.

menjadi burung kolibri.

As he took a drink of tobacco flower honey,

Ketika dia meminum sari bunga tembakau,

the moon goddess spotted him and asked her grandfather

Dewi Bulan melihatnya dan meminta Sang Kakek

to capture the bird for her.

untuk menangkap burung itu.

The grandfather shot the disguised sun god with a blow dart, stunning him.

Sang Kakek menembak Dewa Matahari yang menyamar dengan sumpitan.

Ix Chel nursed the wounded bird back to health,

Ix Chel merawat burung yang terluka itu hingga pulih,

and soon, he was able to spread his wings and fly again.

dan, dia pun bisa mengepakkan sayapnya dan kembali terbang.

He transformed back into the sun god and invited the moon goddess

Dia berubah kembali menjadi Dewa Matahari dan mengajak Dewi Bulan

to escape with him.

untuk kabur bersamanya.

The two rowed away in a canoe,

Keduanya mengayuh sampan,

but the grandfather called upon the powerful storm god

tapi Sang Kakek memanggil Dewa Badai Yang Perkasa

to help him stop them.

untuk menghentikan mereka.

Sensing danger, the moon goddess jumped from the canoe into the water below

Merasakan bahaya, Dewi Bulan melompat turun dari sampan ke lautan

and transformed into a crab.

dan berubah menjadi kepiting.

But the storm god had already thrown a lightning bolt,

Tapi Dewa Petir terlanjur menghempaskan sambaran petir,

which hit the crab and pierced her through her heart, killing her.

yang mengenai kepiting, menembus jantungnya, lalu membunuhnya.

Hundreds and hundreds of dragonflies gathered,

Ratusan capung berkumpul,

buzzing songs and fluttering their transparent wings.

mendengungkan lagu dan mengepakkan sayap mereka.

They formed a thick, magical cloud over the moon goddess’ body.

Mereka membentuk awan tebal magis di atas tubuh Dewi Bulan.

For thirteen days the dragonflies cut, cleaned, and hollowed thirteen logs.

Selama tiga belas hari mereka memotong, membersihkan dan mengosongkan batang kayu.

On the thirteenth night, the logs burst open,

Di malam ke tiga belas, batangan kayu itu terbuka,

and the moon goddess emerged— alive and more brilliant than ever.

dan Dewi Bulan pun muncul — hidup dan lebih berkilau.

The sun god wasted no time in proposing marriage.

Dewa Matahari segera melamarnya untuk menikah.

The moon goddess happily agreed.

Dewi Bulan dengan senang hati setuju.

Side-by-side, they were ready to light up the sky with their powerful rays.

Berdampingan, mereka siap menerangi langit dengan kuatnya cahaya mereka.

Unfortunately, the story doesn’t end there.

Sayangnya, cerita ini belum berakhir.

The sun god’s brother visited often.

Saudara Dewa Matahari sering berkunjung.

Sensing he was also in love with Ix Chel, the sun god grew jealous,

Tahu bahwa dia juga cinta kepada Ix Chel, Sang Dewa Matahari cemburu,

and began to mistreat her.

dan mulai menganiaya Dewi Bulan.

One day, Ix Chel was sitting on the riverbank,

Suatu hari, Ix Chel sedang duduk di pinggiran sungai,

furious at her husband.

geram pada suaminya.

A huge bird came gliding down

Seekor burung raksasa meluncur turun

and offered to take her to the high mountain peaks.

dan menawarkan untuk membawanya ke puncak gunung tinggi.

To get away from the cruel sun god, she agreed.

Demi terbebas dari kejamnya Dewa Matahari, dia pun setuju.

There, she met the king of the vultures.

Di sana, dia bertemu dengan Raja Burung Bangkai.

The vulture king was kind and fun-loving—

Raja Burung Bangkai rendah hati dan menyukai kesenangan—

a much better partner than the violent sun god.

pasangan yang jauh lebih baik dari Dewa Matahari yang kasar.

The moon goddess made a new home with him in the mountains.

Dewi Bulan membuat rumah baru dengannya di pegunungan.

When the sun god heard, he was distraught.

Ketika Dewa Matahari mengetahuinya, dia putus asa.

He hid inside a deer carcass until a hungry vulture came swooping down,

Dia bersembunyi di dalam bangkai rusa sampai burung bangkai yang lapar datang

then hopped onto its back and rode to the mountain kingdom

lalu melompat naik ke punggungnya dan menungganginya ke kerajaan gunung

where the moon goddess now lived with the vulture king.

di mana Dewi Bulan tinggal bersama Raja Burung Bangkai.

He begged her to come home with him, apologizing for how he had treated her.

Dia memohon Dewi Bulan pulang bersamanya, meminta maaf atas perlakuannya.

The kind and forgiving goddess took pity on him and agreed to go back.

Dewi yang rendah hati dan pemaaf itu mengasihaninya dan setuju untuk pulang.

But Kinich Ahau soon began to show his true nature again.

Tapi Kinich Ahau segera menunjukkan sifat aslinya lagi.

He struck her, scarring her face and dimming her bright rays.

Dia memukul Dewi Bulan, melukai wajahnya dan meredupkan cahaya cemerlangnya.

Ix Chel flew off into the dark.

Ix Chel terbang menuju kegelapan.

From then on, she vowed to appear only at night.

Sejak itulah, dia bersumpah untuk muncul hanya pada malam hari.

She befriended the stars, and combined her pale blue rays with their light

Dia berteman dengan bintang-bintang, menyatukan cahaya redupnya dengan mereka

to guide night travelers to safety.

untuk memandu pelancong malam agar selamat.

She used her healing gift,

Dia menggunakan bakat penyembuhannya,

which she had once used on the wounded sun god,

yang pernah dia gunakan pada Dewa Matahari yang terluka,

to cure people who were ill.

untuk menyembuhkan orang sakit.

Today, Ix Chel is so widely known

Saat ini, Ix Chel umum dikenal

that she’s become a symbol of Maya culture.

hingga dia menjadi simbol bagi Peradaban Maya.

But archeological evidence suggests that for the ancient Maya

Tapi bukti arkeologi memberi kesan bahwa bagi Peradaban Maya Kuno

Ix Chel and the moon goddess were separate deities.

Ix Chel dan Dewi Bulan adalah dua dewa yang berbeda.

In the retellings of Maya people and the records of anthropologists,

Dalam penceritaan kembali Suku Maya dan catatan sejarah antropolog,

the two have merged so that Ix Chel’s story extends

keduanya bersatu sehingga kisah Ix Chel dapat berkembang

beyond the limits of the historical record.

melampaui catatan sejarah.

Her story, like all myths, isn’t just one story:

Kisahnya, seperti kisah lainnya, bukan hanya satu kisah:

the variations, ancient and modern, speak to what people value,

variasi, kuno dan modern, mewakilkan nilai yang orang junjung,

and how they see themselves in their mythological heroes.

dan bagaimana mereka melihat dirinya dalam pahlawan mitologi mereka.