Mengapa Laut Asin
Oleh Suzanne Crowder Han
Hundreds of years ago there was a king who had a very unusual stone hand mill. It looked like any other stone hand mill but it had special powers. All one had to do was say what one wanted and turn it and out would come what had been requested. If gold was requested, gold would come out. If rice was requested, rice would come out. Whatever was requested, the small hand mill would produce it.
Berabad-abad yang lalu, ada seorang raja yang memiliki sebuah penggilingan tangan batu yang sangat unik. Penggilingan itu terlihat seperti penggilingan tangan batu biasa, tetapi memiliki kekuatan khusus. Yang perlu dilakukan hanyalah mengucapkan apa yang diinginkan dan memutarnya, maka apa yang diminta akan keluar. Jika emas yang diminta, emas akan keluar. Jika beras yang diminta, beras akan keluar. Apa pun yang diminta, penggilingan tangan kecil itu akan memproduksinya.
A thief made up his mind to steal the hand mill because once he had heard of it he couldn't get it out of his mind. For days and days he thought about how to steal it but he could not come up with a plan.
Seorang pencuri memutuskan untuk mencuri penggilingan tangan itu karena setelah mendengar tentangnya, ia tidak bisa melupakannya. Berhari-hari ia memikirkan cara mencuri penggilingan itu, tetapi ia tidak bisa menemukan rencana yang tepat.
Then one day he dressed like a scholar and visited a court official who had access to the royal palace. They chatted about this and that and finally the thief said, "I heard that the King buried his strange hand mill in the ground because he doesn't trust his ministers."
Suatu hari, ia berpakaian seperti seorang cendekiawan dan mengunjungi seorang pejabat istana yang memiliki akses ke istana kerajaan. Mereka mengobrol tentang ini dan itu, dan akhirnya pencuri itu berkata, "Aku mendengar bahwa Raja mengubur penggilingan tangan anehnya di tanah karena dia tidak percaya pada menterinya."
"What's that? The King doesn't trust his ministers? Where did you hear such talk?"
“Apa itu? Raja tidak percaya pada menterinya? Dari mana kamu mendengar omong kosong itu?”
"That's what they say in the countryside," said the thief, happy he had sparked the man's interest. "They say the King dug a deep hole and buried the hand mill because he is so afraid that someone will steal it."
“Itu yang mereka katakan di pedesaan,” kata pencuri itu, senang karena telah menarik minat pria tersebut. "Mereka mengatakan Raja menggali lubang dalam dan mengubur penggilingan tangan karena dia sangat takut seseorang akan mencuri."
"That's nonsense!" said the official. "The King's hand mill is beside the lotus pond in the inner court."
“Itu omong kosong!” kata pejabat itu. "Penggilingan tangan Raja ada di samping kolam teratai di istana dalam."
"Oh, is that so?" said the thief, trying to control his excitement.
“Oh, begitu ya?” kata pencuri itu, berusaha menahan kegembiraannya.
"No one would dare try to steal the King's hand mill," said the official. "Who would even think of trying when the thing is lying right beside the lotus pond where there is always lots of people coming and going."
“Tidak ada yang berani mencoba mencuri penggilingan tangan Raja,” kata pejabat itu. "Siapa yang berani mencoba saat benda itu berada tepat di samping kolam teratai di mana selalu ada banyak orang yang datang dan pergi."
The thief was so excited that all he could say was "Yes" and "That's right" until he was able to leave.
Pencuri itu begitu bersemangat hingga yang bisa dia katakan hanyalah “Ya” dan “Benar” hingga dia bisa pergi.
For many days the thief studied the situation. Then one very dark night, he climbed the palace wall and stole the hand mill from beside the lotus pond.
Selama berhari-hari, pencuri itu mempelajari situasi. Lalu pada suatu malam yang sangat gelap, dia memanjat tembok istana dan mencuri penggilingan tangan dari samping kolam teratai.
He was brimming with pride and confidence as he made his way back to the wall. But once outside the palace, he was overcome with fear of being discovered. His heart skipped a beat every time he met someone on the street. He decided to steal a boat and go to his hometown to hide because he knew that once the theft was discovered, everyone in the city and on the roads would be questioned.
Dia penuh dengan kebanggaan dan keyakinan saat dia berjalan kembali ke tembok. Tapi begitu dia keluar dari istana, dia diliputi rasa takut akan ketahuan. Hatinya berdebar setiap kali dia bertemu seseorang di jalan. Dia memutuskan untuk mencuri perahu dan pergi ke kampung halamannya untuk bersembunyi karena dia tahu bahwa begitu pencurian itu terungkap, semua orang di kota dan di jalan-jalan akan diinterogasi.
Once at sea the thief lay back against the bow of the boat and laughed. Then he began to sing and dance as he thought about how rich he was going to be. Then he thought about what to request from the hand mill. He did not want to ask for something common and easy to obtain.
Setelah berada di laut, pencuri itu berbaring di bagian depan perahu dan tertawa. Lalu dia mulai bernyanyi dan menari sambil memikirkan betapa kaya dia akan menjadi. Lalu dia memikirkan apa yang akan dia minta dari penggilingan tangan. Dia tidak ingin meminta sesuatu yang biasa dan mudah didapatkan.
"Salt! Salt!" he suddenly shouted. "I'll ask for salt! Everyone needs salt. I can sell it and become a rich man. I'll be the richest man in the country."
“Garam! Garam!” ia tiba-tiba berteriak. "Aku akan meminta garam! Semua orang membutuhkan garam. Aku bisa menjualnya dan menjadi orang kaya. Aku akan menjadi orang terkaya di negara ini."
He fell down on his knees and began turning the hand mill, singing as he did, Salt! Salt! Make some salt! Then he began dancing and singing about being a rich man.
Ia berlutut dan mulai memutar penggilingan tangan, bernyanyi sambil melakukannya, Garam! Garam! Buatlah garam! Lalu ia mulai menari dan bernyanyi tentang menjadi orang kaya.
And the hand mill kept turning and turning. Salt spilled over the sides of the small boat but the thief just kept dancing and singing and laughing, all the time thinking about the big house he was going to have and the numerous servants who would serve him lavish meals.
Dan penggilingan tangan terus berputar dan berputar. Garam tumpah dari sisi perahu kecil tetapi pencuri itu terus menari, bernyanyi, dan tertawa, sambil terus memikirkan rumah besar yang akan dia miliki dan para pelayan yang akan menyajikan makanan mewah bagi dia.
Finally the boat was so full of salt that it sank to the bottom of the sea. And, since no one has ever told the hand mill to stop, it is still turning and making salt, which is why the sea is salty.
Akhirnya perahu itu begitu penuh dengan garam hingga tenggelam ke dasar laut. Dan, karena tidak ada yang pernah memerintahkan penggilingan tangan untuk berhenti, ia terus berputar dan membuat garam, itulah sebabnya laut menjadi asin.