The Chinese myth of the immortal white snake - Shunan Teng

Translator: Sabrina Go Reviewer: Ade Indarta

The talented young herbalist named Xu Xian was in trouble.

Penjual jamu yang berbakat bernama Xu Xian sedang dalam masalah.

It should have been a victorious moment–

Seharusnya ini adalah momen yang bahagia-

he had just opened his very own medicine shop.

ia baru saja mulai membuka toko obatnya sendiri.

But he bought his supplies from his former employer,

Namun ia membeli bahan-bahannya dari mantan majikannya,

and the resentful man sold him rotten herbs.

dan pria tamak itu menjual tanaman obat busuk.

As Xu Xian wondered what to do with this useless inventory,

Sementara Xu Xian berpikir harus diapakan barang-barang ini,

patients flooded into his shop.

pasien berdatangan ke tokonya.

A plague had stricken the city,

Wabah menjangkiti kota,

and he had nothing to treat them.

dan ia tidak punya apapun untuk mengobati mereka.

Just as he was starting to panic,

Saat ia mulai panik,

his wife, Bai Su Zhen, produced a recipe to use the rotten herbs as medicine.

istrinya, Bai Su Zhen, membuat resep menggunakan tanaman busuk sebagai obat.

Her remedy cured all the plague-afflicted citizens immediately.

Obatnya seketika menyembuhkan semua warga yang terjangkiti wabah.

Xu Xian’s former boss even had to buy back some of the rotten herbs

Bahkan mantan majikan Xu Xian sampai membeli kembali tanaman obat busuk

to treat his own family.

untuk mengobati keluarganya.

Shortly after, a monk named Fa Hai approached Xu Xian,

Tak lama kemudian, seorang pendeta bernama Fa Hai menghampiri Xu Xian,

warning him that there was a demon in his house.

memperingatkannya bahwa ada siluman di dalam rumahnya.

The demon, he said, was Bai Su Zhen.

Siluman itu, katanya, adalah Bai Su Zhen.

Xu Xian laughed.

Xu Xian tertawa.

His kindhearted, resourceful wife was not a demon.

Istrinya yang baik hati dan banyak akal bukan siluman.

Fa Hai insisted.

Fa Hai bersikeras.

He told Xu Xian to serve his wife realgar wine on the 5th day of the 5th month,

Ia menyuruh Xu Xian meminumkan anggur realgar di hari kelima di bulan kelima,

when demons’ powers are weakest.

saat siluman dalam keadaan terlemahnya.

If she wasn’t a demon, he explained, it wouldn’t hurt her.

Jika ia bukan siluman, jelasnya, ini tidak akan menyakitinya.

Xu Xian dismissed the monk politely,

Xu Xian mengabaikan si pendeta dengan sopan,

with no intention of serving Bai Su Zhen the wine.

tanpa bermaksud menyajikan anggur itu pada Bai Su Zhen.

But as the day approached, he decided to try it.

Namun dengan berlalunya hari, ia memutuskan untuk mencobanya.

As soon as the wine touched Bai Su Zhen’s lips,

Segera saat anggur itu menyentuh bibir Bai Su Zhen.

she ran to the bedroom, claiming she wasn’t feeling well.

ia lari ke kamar, berkata ia sedang tidak enak badan.

Xu Xian prepared some medicine and went to check on her.

Xu Xian menyiapkan obat dan pergi melihat keadaannya.

But instead of his wife,

Namun alih-alih istrinya,

he found a giant white serpent with a bloody forked tongue in the bed.

ia melihat ular raksasa dengan lidah merah bercabang di atas tempat tidur.

He collapsed, killed by the shock.

Ia jatuh, saking terkejutnya ia mati.

When Bai Su Zhen opened her eyes,

Ketika Bai Su Zhen membuka matanya,

she realized immediately what must have happened.

sadarlah ia akan apa yang telah terjadi.

The truth was that Bai Su Zhen was an immortal snake

Yang sebenarnya adalah, Bai Su Zhen adalah ular abadi

with formidable magical powers.

dengan kekuatan gaib yang sakti.

She had used her powers to take a human form

Ia menggunakan kekuatannya untuk menjadi manusia

and improve her and her husband’s fortunes.

dan memperbaiki keberuntungannya dan suaminya.

Her magic couldn’t revive Xu Xian,

Kekuatannya tidak bisa menghidupkan Xu Xian,

but she had one more idea to save him:

tapi ia punya satu ide lagi untuk menyelamatkannya:

an herb that could grant longevity and even bring the dead back to life,

tanaman obat yang memberikan umur panjang dan bahkan membangkitkan orang mati,

guarded by the Old Man of the South Pole

dijaga oleh Orang Tua di Kutub Selatan

in the forbidden peaks of the Kun Lun Mountains.

di puncak terlarang di Pegunungan Kun Lun.

She rode to the mountains on a cloud,

Ia mendaki gunung dengan menunggang awan,

then continued on foot passed gateways and arches

lalu lanjut berjalan kaki melewati gerbang dan gapura

until she reached one marked “beyond mortals”

hingga sampailah ia di tempat bertanda "untuk yang abadi"

hanging over a silver bridge.

tergantung di atas jembatan perak.

On the other side,

Di sisi lain,

two of the Old Man’s disciples guarded the herb.

dua dari murid Orang Tua menjaga tanaman obat itu.

Bai Su Zhen disguised herself as a monk

Bai Su Zhen menyamar menjadi pendeta

and told them she’d come to invite the Old Man to a gathering of the gods.

dan berkata pada mereka ia mengundang Orang Tua ke perkumpulan para dewa.

While they relayed her message,

Saat pesannya sedang disampaikan,

she plucked some leaves from the herb and ran.

ia memetik beberapa helai daun tanaman obat dan lari.

The servants realized they had been tricked and chased her.

Para penjaga sadar mereka ditipu dan mengejarnya.

Bai Su Zhen coughed up a magic ball and threw it at one.

Bai Su Zhen memuntahkan bola ajaib dan melempar seorang pengejar.

As the other closed in on her,

Sementara yang satunya semakin mendekat,

she put the herb under her tongue for safekeeping,

ia meletakkan tanaman obat itu di bawah lidahnya agar aman.

but its magic forced both of them into their true forms.

namun kekuatan tanaman itu memaksa mereka kembali ke wujud asal mereka.

As the crane’s long beak clamped around her,

Saat paruh panjang burung bangau mencapit tubuhnya,

the Old Man appeared.

Orang Tua itu muncul.

Why, he asked, would she risk her life to steal his herb

Mengapa, tanyanya, ia mau mengorbankan nyawa mencuri tanaman obat

when she was already immortal?

sementara ia sendiri sudah abadi?

Bai Su Zhen explained her love for Xu Xian.

Bai Su Zhen menjelaskan rasa cintanya pada Xu Xian.

Even if he didn’t want to be with her now that he knew she was a demon,

Bahkan jika ia tidak lagi mau bersamanya karena tahu dirinya siluman,

she was determined to bring him back to life.

ia bertekad untuk menghidupkannya kembali.

The two had a karmic connection dating back more than a thousand years.

Keduanya memiliki hubungan karma sejak lebih dari ribuan tahun.

When Bai Su Zhen was a small snake,

Ketika Bai Su Zhen masih seekor ular kecil,

a beggar was about to kill her,

seorang gelandangan hendak membunuhnya,

but a kind passerby rescued her.

namun pejalan kaki yang baik menyelamatkannya.

Her rescuer was Xu Xian in a past life.

Penyelamatnya itu adalah Xu Xian di kehidupan sebelumnya.

Touched by her willingness to risk her life for him,

Tersentuh oleh kerelaannya berkorban nyawa demi suaminya,

the Old Man permitted her to leave the mountain with the immortal herb.

si Orang Tua itu mengizinkannya pergi dengan tanaman keabadian.

Bai Su Zhen returned home to revive Xu Xian.

Bai Su Zhen pulang ke rumah untuk membangkitkan Xu Xian.

When he opened his eyes,

Saat ia membuka matanya,

the terrified look frozen on his face became a smile.

ekspresi ketakutan di wajahnya berubah menjadi senyum.

Demon or not,

Siluman atau bukan,

he was still happy to see his wife.

ia tetap bahagia bertemu istrinya.