The tale of the doctor who defied Death - Iseult Gillespie

Translator: Rini Anawati Reviewer: Elda Indria Sari

In their ramshackle hut on the edge of the woods,

Di dalam gubuk reyot mereka di tepi hutan,

a husband and wife were in despair.

sepasang suami dan istri sedang berputus asa.

The woman had just given birth to their thirteenth child,

Sang wanita baru saja melahirkan anak ketiga belas mereka,

and the growing family was quickly running out of food and money.

dan keluarga besar itu dengan cepat kehabisan makanan dan uang.

The father walked into the woods to ponder their problem.

Sang ayah pergi ke hutan untuk merenungkan masalah mereka.

After hours spent wandering through the trees,

Setelah berjam-jam mengembara melalui pepohonan.

he encountered two shadowy silhouettes.

dia berjumpa dengan dua sosok bayangan.

The first figure appeared to be the man’s God,

Sosok pertama yang muncul adalah jelmaan Tuhan,

while the second resembled the Devil.

sementara yang kedua menyerupai Iblis.

Both figures offered to lighten the man’s burden,

Kedua sosok menawarkan untuk meringankan beban pria itu,

and act as Godfather to his most recent child.

dan menjadi Ayah baptis untuk anak terakhirnya.

But the man refused their offer—

Tapi sang pria menolak tawaran mereka—

he wouldn’t entrust his son to those who passed judgment on human life.

dia tidak akan memercayakan anaknya kepada mereka yang menilai hidup manusia.

He ventured deeper into the tangled thicket.

Dia pergi lebih dalam ke semak belukar.

Here in the darkest part of the woods, the father made out a third figure.

Di sini, di bagian paling dalam hutan, sang ayah bertemu sosok ketiga.

Sunken eyes stared out of its gaunt face, which broke into a crooked smile.

Mata cekung menatap dari wajah tirusnya yang tersenyum licik.

This was Death himself, come to offer his services as Godfather.

Dia adalah Kematian, datang menawarkan jasanya sebagai Ayah baptis.

He promised to return when the child came of age,

Dia berjanji dia akan kembali saat anak itu sudah cukup umur,

to bring him happiness and prosperity.

untuk memberikannya kebahagiaan dan kemakmuran.

The father— knowing that all people are equal in the eyes of Death—

Sang ayah— mengetahui bahwa semua orang sama di mata Kematian—

accepted his offer.

menerima tawarannya.

Years later, when the child had grown into an ambitious young man,

Beberapa tahun kemudian, saat anak itu tumbuh menjadi pemuda yang ambisius,

his skeletal Godfather came for his promised visit.

Ayah baptis kerangkanya datang sesuai yang dijanjikan.

In his gnarled hand he held a flask containing the cure

Di tangannya yang keriput dia memegang botol berisi obat

for all human ailments.

untuk semua penyakit manusia.

Death had brought this flask for his Godson,

Kematian membawa botol ini untuk Putra baptisnya,

promising to make him a successful doctor.

berjanji menjadikannya dokter yang sukses.

But the powerful potion came with very strict rules.

Tapi obat yang manjur itu disertai peraturan yang sangat sulit.

If his Godson encountered a sick person

Jika Anak baptisnya bertemu dengan orang yang sakit

and Death was hovering at the top of their bed,

dan Kematian melayang di atas tempat tidur mereka,

the doctor could heal them with just a waft of the antidote’s fumes.

sang dokter bisa menyembuhkan mereka hanya dengan aroma asap penawarnya.

But if Death lingered at the foot of the bed,

Tetapi jika Kematian menunggu di kaki tempat tidur,

he’d already claimed the patient as his own—

dia telah mengklaim pasien itu sebagai miliknya—

and the doctor could do nothing for them.

dan sang dokter tidak bisa berbuat apa-apa bagi mereka.

In time, the doctor’s potent potion and uncanny instincts

Akhirnya ramuan ampuh sang dokter dan insting anehnya

became known throughout the land.

dikenal di seluruh negeri.

He grew rich and famous, casting off the hardships of his early life.

Dia menjadi kaya dan terkenal, melupakan kesulitan dari kehidupan sebelumnya.

When the king fell ill, he summoned the famous physician to treat him.

Saat raja jatuh sakit, dia memanggil dokter terkenal untuk mengobatinya.

The doctor swept into the palace, ready to show off his skills.

Sang dokter tiba di istana, siap memamerkan kemampuannya.

But when he entered the king’s chamber,

Tapi ketika dia memasuki kamar raja,

he was dismayed to see Death settled at the foot of the bed.

dia kecewa melihat Kematian duduk di kaki tempat tidur.

The doctor desperately wanted the glory of saving the king—

Sang dokter sangat mendambakan kemuliaan karena menyelamatkan raja—

even if it meant deceiving his Godfather.

meskipun harus mengkhianati Ayah baptisnya.

And so, he swiftly spun the bed around and reversed Death’s position,

Lalu, dia dengan cepat memutar tempat tidur dan membalik posisi Kematian,

leaving the doctor free to administer the antidote.

sehingga sang dokter dengan mudah memberikan penawarnya.

Death was livid.

Kematian amat murka.

He warned his arrogant Godson that if he ever cheated Death again,

Dia memperingatkan Anak baptisnya yang sombong jika dia mencurangi Kematian lagi,

he would pay for it with his life.

dia akan membayarnya dengan nyawanya.

Death and the doctor continued their travels.

Kematian dan sang dokter melanjutkan perjalanan mereka.

After some time, the king’s messengers came to collect the doctor yet again.

Setelah beberapa waktu, utusan raja datang untuk menjemput dokter itu lagi.

The princess was gravely ill,

Sang putri sedang sakit parah,

and the king had promised incredible riches to anyone who could cure her.

dan raja menjanjikan kekayan melimpah untuk siapa pun yang bisa mengobatinya.

The doctor approached the princesses’ chamber with gold in his eyes.

Sang dokter menuju kamar sang putri dengan gembira.

But upon seeing the sleeping princess, his greed fell away.

Tapi ketika dia melihat sang putri, keserakahannya lenyap.

He was so struck by her grace,

Dia terpesona oleh keanggunannya,

that he failed to notice Death lurking by her feet.

hingga dia tidak menyadari Kematian mengintai di kakinya.

He swiftly healed the princess,

Dengan cepat dia mengobati sang putri,

but before she could even utter her thanks,

tapi sebelum dia sempat berterima kasih padanya,

Death had dragged his lovesick Godson away.

Kematian menyeret Anak baptisnya yang dimabuk cinta menjauh.

In an instant, the palace dissolved around them.

Dalam sekejap, istana lenyap di sekeliling mereka.

The doctor found himself in an immense cave

Dokter itu menemukan dirinya berada di sebuah gua besar

lined with countless quivering candles, each representing the duration of a life.

dikelilingi api lilin yang bergoyang, yang masing-masing mewakili durasi kehidupan.

As punishment for his Godson’s foolish attempt to master mortality,

Sebagai hukuman untuk upaya bodoh Anak baptisnya untuk menguasai kematian,

Death whittled his candle down to its wick.

Kematian memangkas sumbu lilinnya.

Seeing his own dwindling light,

Melihat cahayanya yang semakin menipis,

the doctor felt the fear he’d often glimpsed in his patients’ eyes.

sang dokter merasakan ketakutan yang sering dia lihat di mata pasiennya.

Desperately, he begged Death to transfer his dying light onto a new candle.

Dengan putus asa, dia memohon Kematian agar memindahkan cahayanya ke lilin baru

His Godfather considered the request— but the doctor’s betrayal was too great.

Ayah baptisnya memikirkan permintaannya-- tapi pengkhianatannya terlalu besar.

He loosened his bony grip, and his Godson’s candle fell to the floor.

Dia melonggarkan genggamannya, dan lilin Anak baptisnya jatuh ke lantai.

Death stood motionless,

Kematian berdiri diam,

his inscrutable face fixed on the sputtering flame—

wajahnya yang hampa terpaku pada api yang berkelap-kelip—

until all that was left of the doctor was a wisp of smoke.

hingga semua yang tersisa dari sang dokter hanyalah kepulan asap.