Colorless Tiger (Harimau yang Tidak Berwarna)
Once upon a time, there was a colourless tiger. All his shades were greys, blacks and whites. So much so, that he seemed like something out of an old black and white movie. His lack of colour had made him so famous that the world's greatest painters had come to his zoo to try to put some colour on him. None of them succeeded, as the colours would always just drip down off his skin.
Suatu ketika, ada seekor harimau yang tidak berwarna. Semua warna kulitnya adalah abu-abu, hitam, dan putih. Warna seperti itu membuat dia terlihat seperti film lama hitam putih. Kulitnya yang kekurangan warna membuat dia sangat terkenal sehingga pelukis-pelukis terhebat dunia datang ke kebun binatang tempat dia berada untuk mencoba memberikan warna kepadanya. Tidak ada satupun yang berhasil karena warna-warna yang diberikan selalu lepas dari kulitnya.
Then along came Van Cough the crazy painter. He was a strange guy who travelled all about, happily painting with his brush. Well, it would be more accurate to say that he moved his brush about, as if to paint; because he never put any paint on his brush, and neither did he use canvas or paper. He painted the air, and that's why they called him Van Cough. So, when he said he wanted to paint the colourless tiger, everyone had a good laugh.
Lalu datanglah Van Cough si pelukis gila. Dia adalah orang aneh yang selalu berkeliling sambil bahagia mewarna dengan kuasnya. Ya, lebih tepatnya disebut dia seolah-olah melukis dengan kuasnya; karena dia tidak pernah menaruh cat apapun di kuasnya, dan tidak juga menggunakan kanvas atau kertas. Dia melukis di udara, dan itulah sebabnya orang-orang memanggil dia Van Cough. Jadi, ketika dia mengatakan ingin mewarnai harimau yang tak berwarna itu, semua orang tertawa.
When entering the tiger's cage he began whispering in the animal's ear, and moving his dry brush up and down the tiger's body. And to everyone's surprise, the tiger's skin started to take on colour, and these were the most vivid colours any tiger had ever had. Van Cough spent a long time whispering to the animal, and making slight adjustments to his painting. The result was truly beautiful.
Ketika memasuki kandang si harimau, Van Cough mulai berbisik di telinga binatang itu, dan menggerakkan kuas keringnya ke atas dan bawah ke badan si harimau. Mengejutkan semua orang, kulit harimau itu mulai berwarna dan warnanya merupakan warna paling terang yang harimau lain pernah punya. Van Cough menghabiskan waktu lama berbisik ke binatang itu dan membuat sedikit penyesuaian untuk lukisannya. Hasilnya sangat indah.
Everyone wanted to know what the painter's secret was. He explained to them that his brush was only good for painting real life, and that to do that he needed no colours. He had managed to paint the tiger using a phrase he kept whispering in its ear: "In just a few days you will be free again, you shall see."
Semua orang ingin mengetahui apa rahasia Van Cough. Dia menjelaskan ke mereka kalau kuasnya hanya bisa melukis makhluk hidup, dan untuk itu dia tidak membutuhkan warna apapun. Dia berhasil untuk mewarnai si harimau dengan kata-kata yang terus diucapkan ke telinganya: “Dalam beberapa hari lagi kamu akan bebas kembali, kamu akan lihat.”
And seeing how sad the tiger had been in his captivity, and how joyful the tiger now seemed at the prospect of freedom, the zoo authorities transported him to the forest and set him free, where never again would he lose his colour.
Dan melihat betapa sedihnya si harimau di kurungan, dan betapa bahagianya dia sekarang hendak mengharapkan kebebasan, penanggungjawab kebun binatang memindahkan dia ke hutan dan melepaskannya, di mana dia tidak akan pernah lagi kehilangan warnanya.
Freedom is a fundamental part of life, what gives it its colour. That should always be respected.
Kebebasan adalah hal penting dalam kehidupan, yang memberikan warna dalam hidup. Hal itu harus selalu dihormati.