Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves

In a town in Persia there dwelt two brothers, one named Cassim, the other Ali Baba. Cassim was married to a rich wife and lived in plenty, while Ali Baba had to maintain his wife and children by cutting wood in a neighboring forest and selling it in the town. One day, when Ali Baba was in the forest, he saw a troop of men on horseback, coming toward him in a cloud of dust. He was afraid they were robbers, and climbed into a tree for safety. When they came up to him and dismounted, he counted forty of them. They unbridled their horses and tied them to trees. The finest man among them, whom Ali Baba took to be their captain, went a little way among some bushes, and said: “Open, Sesame!” so plainly that Ali Baba heard him. A door opened in the rocks, and having made the troop go in, he followed them, and the door shut again of itself. They stayed some time inside, and Ali Baba, fearing they might come out and catch him, was forced to sit patiently in the tree. At last the door opened again, and the Forty Thieves came out. As the Captain went in last he came out first, and made them all pass by him; he then closed the door, saying: “Shut, Sesame!” Every man bridled his horse and mounted, the Captain put himself at their head, and they returned as they came.

Di sebuah kota di Persia tinggallah dua orang bersaudara, yang seorang bernama Kasim, dan yang lainnya Ali Baba. Kasim menikah dengan seorang wanita kaya dan hidup serbakecukupan, sedangkan Ali Baba harus menafkahi istri dan anak-anaknya dengan menebang kayu di hutan terdekat dan menjualnya di kota. Suatu hari, ketika Ali Baba sedang berada di hutan, ia melihat sepasukan penunggang kuda datang ke arahnya di tengah kepulan debu. Ia takut mereka adalah para penyamun, lalu memanjat pohon demi keselamatan dirinya. Ketika mereka tiba di dekatnya dan turun dari kuda, ia menghitung jumlah mereka ada empat puluh orang. Mereka melepas kekang kuda-kuda mereka dan menambatkannya ke pohon-pohon. Pria paling gagah di antara mereka, yang dikira Ali Baba sebagai pemimpin mereka, berjalan sedikit di antara semak-semak, dan berkata: “Buka, Simsalabim!” begitu jelasnya hingga terdengar oleh Ali Baba. Sebuah pintu terbuka di bebatuan, dan setelah menyuruh pasukannya masuk, ia menyusul mereka, lalu pintu itu tertutup kembali dengan sendirinya. Mereka tinggal beberapa saat di dalam, dan Ali Baba, karena takut mereka keluar lalu menangkapnya, terpaksa duduk dengan sabar di atas pohon. Akhirnya pintu itu terbuka lagi, dan Empat Puluh Penyamun itu keluar. Karena Pemimpin itu masuk paling akhir, ia keluar paling awal, dan menyuruh mereka semua melewatinya; ia kemudian menutup pintu itu, seraya berkata: “Tutup, Simsalabim!” Setiap orang memasang kekang kudanya lalu naik ke pelana, Pemimpin menempatkan dirinya di depan mereka, dan mereka pun kembali lewat jalan yang sama saat mereka datang.

Then Ali Baba climbed down and went to the door concealed among the bushes, and said: “Open, Sesame!” and it flew open. Ali Baba, who expected a dull, dismal place, was greatly surprised to find it large and well lighted, hollowed by the hand of man in the form of a vault, which received the light from an opening in the ceiling. He saw rich bales of merchandise--silk, stuff-brocades, all piled together, and gold and silver in heaps, and money in leather purses. He went in and the door shut behind him. He did not look at the silver, but brought out as many bags of gold as he thought his asses, which were browsing outside, could carry, loaded them with the bags, and hid it all with fagots. Using the words: “Shut, Sesame!” he closed the door and went home.

Lalu Ali Baba turun dari pohon dan menghampiri pintu yang tersembunyi di antara semak-semak, lalu berkata: “Buka, Simsalabim!” dan pintu itu pun terbuka lebar. Ali Baba, yang mengira tempat itu suram dan kelam, sangat terkejut mendapatinya luas dan terang benderang, dipahat oleh tangan manusia menyerupai kubah, yang menerima cahaya dari sebuah celah di langit-langit. Ia melihat bal-bal barang dagangan yang mewah--sutra, kain brokat tebal, semuanya bertumpuk rapi, serta emas dan perak menggunung, juga uang dalam kantong-kantong kulit. Ia melangkah masuk dan pintu itu tertutup di belakangnya. Ia tidak memedulikan perak itu, melainkan membawa keluar sebanyak mungkin kantong emas yang sekiranya dapat diangkut oleh keledai-keledainya yang sedang merumput di luar, memuati mereka dengan kantong-kantong tersebut, dan menyembunyikan semuanya dengan tumpukan kayu bakar. Dengan mengucapkan kata-kata: “Tutup, Simsalabim!” ia menutup pintu itu lalu pulang.

Then he drove his asses into the yard, shut the gates, carried the money-bags to his wife, and emptied them out before her. He bade her keep the secret, and he would go and bury the gold. “Let me first measure it,” said his wife. “I will go borrow a measure of someone, while you dig the hole.” So she ran to the wife of Cassim and borrowed a measure. Knowing Ali Baba’s poverty, the sister was curious to find out what sort of grain his wife wished to measure, and artfully put some suet at the bottom of the measure. Ali Baba’s wife went home and set the measure on the heap of gold, and filled it and emptied it often, to her great content. She then carried it back to her sister, without noticing that a piece of gold was sticking to it, which Cassim’s wife perceived directly her back was turned. She grew very curious, and said to Cassim when he came home: “Cassim, your brother is richer than you. He does not count his money, he measures it.” He begged her to explain this riddle, which she did by showing him the piece of money and telling him where she found it. Then Cassim grew so envious that he could not sleep, and went to his brother in the morning before sunrise. “Ali Baba,” he said, showing him the gold piece, “you pretend to be poor and yet you measure gold.” By this Ali Baba perceived that through his wife’s folly Cassim and his wife knew their secret, so he confessed all and offered Cassim a share. “That I expect,” said Cassim; “but I must know where to find the treasure, otherwise I will discover all, and you will lose all.” Ali Baba, more out of kindness than fear, told him of the cave, and the very words to use. Cassim left Ali Baba, meaning to be beforehand with him and get the treasure for himself. He rose early next morning, and set out with ten mules loaded with great chests. He soon found the place, and the door in the rock. He said: “Open, Sesame!” and the door opened and shut behind him. He could have feasted his eyes all day on the treasures, but he now hastened to gather together as much of it as possible; but when he was ready to go he could not remember what to say for thinking of his great riches. Instead of “Sesame,” he said: “Open, Barley!” and the door remained fast. He named several different sorts of grain, all but the right one, and the door still stuck fast. He was so frightened at the danger he was in that he had as much forgotten the word as if he had never heard it.

Kemudian ia menggiring keledai-keledainya ke halaman, menutup gerbang, membawa kantong-kantong uang itu kepada istrinya, dan menumpahkannya di hadapan sang istri. Ia berpesan agar istrinya menjaga rahasia itu, sementara ia akan pergi menggali lubang untuk mengubur emas tersebut. “Biarkan aku menakarnya terlebih dahulu,” kata istrinya. “Aku akan pergi meminjam alat takar kepada seseorang, selagi kamu menggali lubang.” Maka ia berlari ke rumah istri Kasim dan meminjam sebuah alat takar. Mengetahui kemiskinan Ali Baba, iparnya itu penasaran ingin tahu jenis biji-bijian apa yang hendak ditakar oleh istri Ali Baba, lalu dengan licik mengoleskan sedikit lemak gajih di dasar alat takar tersebut. Istri Ali Baba pulang ke rumah dan meletakkan alat takar itu di atas tumpukan emas, lalu mengisi dan mengosongkannya berulang kali, dengan perasaan sangat puas. Ia kemudian mengembalikannya kepada iparnya, tanpa menyadari ada sekeping emas yang menempel di dasarnya, yang langsung dilihat oleh istri Kasim begitu punggungnya berbalik. Istri Kasim menjadi sangat penasaran, dan berkata kepada Kasim ketika suaminya pulang: “Kasim, adikmu lebih kaya daripadamu. Dia tidak menghitung uangnya, melainkan menakarnya.” Kasim memohon agar istrinya menjelaskan teka-teki itu, yang kemudian ditunjukkannya kepingan uang tersebut seraya menceritakan tempat ia menemukannya. Kasim pun menjadi sangat iri hati sampai-sampai ia tidak bisa tidur, lalu pergi mendatangi adiknya pada pagi hari sebelum matahari terbit. “Ali Baba,” katanya, sambil menunjukkan kepingan emas itu, “kamu berpura-pura miskin, tetapi nyatanya kamu menakar emas.” Dari hal itu Ali Baba menyadari bahwa akibat kecerobohan istrinya, Kasim dan istrinya telah mengetahui rahasia mereka, maka ia menceritakan semuanya dan menawarkan bagian kepada Kasim. “Itu memang kuharapkan,” kata Kasim; “tetapi aku harus tahu di mana mendapatkan harta karun itu, jika tidak, aku akan membongkar semuanya, dan kamu akan kehilangan segalanya.” Ali Baba, lebih karena kebaikan hati daripada rasa takut, memberitahukan tentang gua itu dan kata-kata persis yang harus diucapkan. Kasim meninggalkan Ali Baba dengan niat mendahuluinya dan mengambil harta karun itu untuk dirinya sendiri. Ia bangun pagi-pagi keesokan harinya, dan berangkat membawa sepuluh bagal yang dimuati peti-peti besar. Ia segera menemukan tempat itu dan pintu di bebatuan. Ia berkata: “Buka, Simsalabim!” maka pintu pun terbuka lalu tertutup di belakangnya. Ia bisa saja memanjakan matanya sepanjang hari memandangi harta karun itu, tetapi kini ia bergegas mengumpulkan sebanyak mungkin barang berharga; namun ketika ia sudah siap untuk pergi, ia tidak dapat mengingat apa yang harus diucapkan karena terus memikirkan kekayaannya yang melimpah. Alih-alih mengucapkan “Simsalabim,” ia justru berkata: “Buka, Jelai!” dan pintu itu tetap tertutup rapat. Ia menyebutkan berbagai jenis biji-bijian, semuanya selain yang benar, dan pintu itu tetap bergeming. Ia begitu ketakutan akan bahaya yang mengancamnya sehingga ia sama sekali lupa pada kata itu seolah-olah ia belum pernah mendengarnya.