Why should you read "Don Quixote"? - Ilan Stavans

Translator: Elda Indria Sari Reviewer: Reno Kanti Riananda

Mounting his skinny steed,

Menunggangi kuda kurusnya,

the protagonist of Don Quixote

pahlawan kita Don Quixote

charges an army of giants.

menyerang sekawanan raksasa.

In his eyes, it is his duty

Baginya, sudah menjadi tugasnya

to vanquish these behemoths

untuk menaklukkan kumpulan jahanam ini

in the name of his beloved lady, Dulcinea.

demi wanita yang dicintainya, Dulcinea.

However, this act of valor is ill conceived.

Namun, tindakan beraninya ini salah sasaran.

As his squire Sancho Panza explains to him

Pelayannya, Sancho Panza, berulang kali menjelaskan,

time and again, these aren’t giants;

itu bukan raksasa;

they are merely windmills.

mereka hanya kincir angin.

Don Quixote is undeterred,

Don Quixote tidak peduli,

but his piercing lance

tetapi ujung tombaknya

is soon caught in their sails.

tak lama kemudian tersangkut di layarnya.

Never discouraged,

Tak gentar,

the knight stands proudly, and becomes

sang kesatria berdiri gagah,

even more convinced of his mission.

dan semakin yakin akan misinya.

This sequence encapsulates

Adegan ini merangkum

much of what is loved about Don Quixote,

semua yang begitu disukai dari Don Quixote,

the epic, illogical, and soulful tale of

kisah epik, tak masuk akal, dan menggetarkan jiwa

Alonso Quijano,

tentang Alonso Quijano,

who becomes the clumsy but valiant

yang menjadi si ceroboh tapi gagah berani

Don Quixote of la Mancha, known as

Don Quixote dari la Mancha, dikenal juga sebagai

the Knight of the Sorrowful Countenance.

Kesatria Berwajah Pilu.

Originally published in two volumes,

Aslinya diterbitkan dalam dua volume,

the narrative follows Don Quixote

kisahnya mengikuti Don Quixote

as he travels through central and northern Spain

saat dia berkelana melalui Spanyol tengah dan utara

fighting the forces of evil.

melawan kekuatan jahat.

Despite Don Quixote’s lofty imagination,

Walau Don Quixote berimajinasi tinggi,

his creator, Miguel de Cervantes,

penciptanya, Miguel de Cervantes,

could never have imagined his book would

tak pernah membayangkan bahwa bukunya

become the best-selling novel of all time.

akan menjadi novel terlaris sepanjang masa.

Barring 5 years as a soldier,

Selain 5 tahun pengabdiannya sebagai prajurit,

and 5 more enslaved by pirates,

dan 5 tahun diperbudak perompak,

Cervantes spent most of his life

Cervantes menghabiskan sebagian besar hidupnya

as a struggling poet and playwright.

sebagai penyair dan dramawan melarat.

It wasn’t until his late 50’s

Baru di penghujung usia 50-an

that he published his greatest creation:

dia menerbitkan karyanya yang terbesar:

an epic satire of chivalry novels.

novel kesatria satire yang epik.

At this time,

Pada saat itu,

medieval books chronicling the adventures

buku abad pertengahan tentang hikayat petualangan

of knights and their moral code

para kesatria dan kode moralnya

dominated European culture.

mendominasi budaya Eropa.

While Cervantes was a fan,

Walaupun Cervantes menggemarinya,

he was weary of these repetitive tomes,

dia jenuh dengan buku-buku repetitif,

which focused more on listing heroic feats

yang hanya berfokus pada sifat heroik

than character development.

daripada pengembangan karakter.

To challenge them, he wrote Don Quixote,

Sebagai bentuk penentangan, dia menulis Don Quixote,

the story of a hidalgo, or idle nobleman,

kisah seorang hidalgo, atau bangsawan pemalas,

who spends his days and nights

yang menghabiskan siang malam

reading chivalry novels.

membaca novel kesatria.

Driven mad by these stories,

Dirasuki oleh kisah-kisah tersebut,

he fashions himself a champion for the downtrodden.

dia melabeli dirinya sebagai jawara kaum tertindas.

Everyone in his village

Semua orang di desanya

tries to convince him to give up his lunacy,

berusaha menyadarkannya,

going so far as to burn some of the

sampai-sampai membakar

beberapa buku seram di perpustakaan pribadinya.

lurid books in his personal library.

But Don Quixote is unstoppable.

Namun Don Quixote tak bisa dihentikan.

He dresses up in old shining armor,

Dia mengenakan baju zirah tuanya yang mengilap,

mounts his skinny horse,

menunggangi kuda kurusnya,

and leaves his village in search of glory.

dan meninggalkan desanya demi mencari kejayaan.

Cervantes’ novel

Novel Cervantes

unfolds as a collection of episodes

terdiri dari sekumpulan episode

detailing the mishaps of the valiant knight.

yang mengisahkan kemalangan si kesatria gagah berani.

Yet unlike the chivalry books

Namun tidak seperti buku kesatria

and perhaps all other prior fiction,

dan kisah-kisah fiksi terdahulu,

Cervantes’ story deeply investigates

cerita Cervantes menyelami secara dalam

the protagonist’s inner life.

kehidupan batin sang protagonis.

Don Quixote matures as the narrative develops,

Don Quixote berkembang seiring jalannya cerita,

undergoing a noticeable transformation.

dan mengalami perubahan yang kentara.

This literary revelation

Ilham kesusastraan ini

has led many scholars to call Don Quixote

menyebabkan banyak akademisi menjuluki Don Quixote

the first modern novel.

sebagai novel modern pertama.

And this character development

Perkembangan karakter ini

doesn’t happen in isolation.

tidak terjadi dalam kesendirian.

Early on, Don Quixote is joined

Sejak awal, Don Quixote didampingi

by a villager-turned-squire

oleh penduduk desa yang menjadi pelayannya

named Sancho Panza.

bernama Sancho Panza.

Sancho and Don Quixote

Sancho dan Don Quixote

are a study in opposites:

adalah sebuah studi tentang antitesis:

with one as the grounded realist

yang satunya realis

to the other’s idealism.

terhadap idealisme yang lain.

Their lively, evolving friendship is often credited

Persahabatan mereka yang dinamis dan terus berkembang sering disebut

as the original hero and sidekick duo,

sebagai duo pahlawan dan pendamping tulen,

inspiring centuries of fictional partnerships.

yang menginspirasi kemitraan fiksi selama berabad-abad.

Don Quixote was a huge success.

Don Quixote sangat sukses.

Numerous editions were published across Europe

Banyak edisi diterbitkan di Eropa

in the seventeenth century.

di abad ke tujuh belas.

Even in the Americas,

Bahkan di Amerika,

where the Church banned all novels

di mana Gereja melarang semua novel

for being sinful distractions,

karena dianggap dosa yang mengganggu,

audiences were known to enjoy pirated editions.

para penggemar tetap menikmati edisi bajakannya.

The book was so well received that

Buku itu begitu diterima luas

readers clamored for more.

hingga pembaca menuntut lebih.

After a rival author attempted to cash in

Setelah penulis saingan mencoba meraih keuntungan

on a fake follow-up, Cervantes released

dari sekuel palsu, Cervantes merilis

the official sequel in response.

sekuel resminya sebagai balasan.

Now published alongside the first volume

Kini setelah diterbitkan dengan volume pertama

as a completed text, this second volume picks up

sebagai teks yang utuh, volume kedua melanjutkan

where the original left off,

cerita buku pertama,

only now Don Quixote and Sancho have become folk heroes.

hanya saja sekarang Don Quixote dan Sancho telah menjadi pahlawan rakyat.

Just as in real-life, Cervantes included

Seperti di kehidupan nyata, Cervantes menyertakan

his novel’s success in the world of his characters.

kesuksesan novelnya di dunia para karakternya.

This unconventional meta-awareness

Atensi meta yang tak lazim ini

created philosophical complexity,

menimbulkan kompleksitas filosofis,

as the knight and his squire ponder

saat sang kesatria dan pelayannya

the meaning of their story.

merenungkan kisah mereka.

Unfortunately, Cervantes had sold

Sayangnya, Cervantes menjual

the book’s publishing rights for very little.

hak cipta bukunya dengan sangat murah.

He died rich in fame alone.

Dia meninggal hanya dalam ketenaran.

But his treatise on the power of creativity

Namun risalahnya tentang kekuatan kreativitas

and individualism has inspired

dan individualisme telah menginspirasi

art,

seni,

literature,

sastra,

popular culture,

budaya populer,

and even political revolution.

bahkan revolusi politik.

Don Quixote argues

Don Quixote membuktikan

that our imagination greatly informs our actions,

imajinasi kita sangat menggambarkan tindakan kita,

making us capable of change,

membuat kita bisa berubah,

and, indeed, making us human.

dan, bahwasanya, membuat kita lebih manusiawi.