Hans yang Beruntung

Beberapa orang dilahirkan beruntung: semua yang mereka lakukan atau coba lakukan berjalan lancar—semua yang jatuh ke tangan mereka menjadi keuntungan besar—semua angsa mereka menjadi angsa putih yang indah—semua kartu mereka adalah kartu truf—lemparkan mereka ke arah mana pun, mereka akan selalu, seperti kucing yang malang, mendarat di atas kaki mereka, dan hanya akan melangkah lebih cepat.

Some men are born to good luck: all they do or try to do comes right—all that falls to them is so much gain—all their geese are swans—all their cards are trumps—toss them which way you will, they will always, like poor puss, alight upon their legs, and only move on so much the faster.

Dunia mungkin saja tidak selalu memandang mereka seperti mereka memandang diri mereka sendiri, tetapi apa peduli mereka terhadap dunia? Apa yang bisa diketahui dunia tentang hal itu?

The world may very likely not always think of them as they think of themselves, but what care they for the world? what can it know about the matter?

Salah satu dari orang-orang beruntung itu adalah tetangga Hans. Tujuh tahun yang panjang ia telah bekerja keras untuk tuannya. Akhirnya ia berkata, “Tuan, waktu saya sudah habis; saya harus pulang dan melihat ibu saya yang malang sekali lagi: jadi tolong bayar upah saya dan biarkan saya pergi.”

One of these lucky beings was neighbour Hans. Seven long years he had worked hard for his master. At last he said, ‘Master, my time is up; I must go home and see my poor mother once more: so pray pay me my wages and let me go.’

Dan tuannya berkata, “Kamu telah menjadi pelayan yang setia dan baik, Hans, jadi upahmu akan sangat pantas.” Lalu ia memberinya sebongkah perak sebesar kepalanya.

And the master said, ‘You have been a faithful and good servant, Hans, so your pay shall be handsome.’ Then he gave him a lump of silver as big as his head.

Hans mengeluarkan saputangannya, menaruh bongkahan perak itu ke dalamnya, melemparkannya ke atas bahunya, dan berjalan santai di jalannya menuju rumah.

Hans took out his pocket-handkerchief, put the piece of silver into it, threw it over his shoulder, and jogged off on his road homewards.

Ketika ia berjalan malas-malasan, menyeret kakinya satu demi satu, seorang pria terlihat, berderap riang di atas seekor kuda yang bagus. “Ah!” kata Hans keras-keras, “betapa senangnya menunggang kuda!

As he went lazily on, dragging one foot after another, a man came in sight, trotting gaily along on a capital horse. ‘Ah!’ said Hans aloud, ‘what a fine thing it is to ride on horseback!

Di sana ia duduk senyaman dan sebahagia seolah-olah ia berada di rumah, di kursi dekat perapiannya; ia tidak tersandung batu apa pun, menghemat kulit sepatu, dan maju tanpa ia sadari bagaimana caranya.”

There he sits as easy and happy as if he was at home, in the chair by his fireside; he trips against no stones, saves shoe-leather, and gets on he hardly knows how.’

Hans tidak berbicara begitu pelan sehingga penunggang kuda itu mendengar semuanya, dan berkata, “Nah, kawan, mengapa Anda berjalan kaki kalau begitu?” “Ah!”

Hans did not speak so softly but the horseman heard it all, and said, ‘Well, friend, why do you go on foot then?’ ‘Ah!’

katanya, “Saya membawa beban ini: memang benar ini perak, tetapi ini begitu berat sehingga saya tidak bisa menegakkan kepala saya, dan Anda harus tahu bahwa ini sangat menyakiti bahu saya.” “Bagaimana kalau kita bertukar?” kata penunggang kuda itu.

said he, ‘I have this load to carry: to be sure it is silver, but it is so heavy that I can’t hold up my head, and you must know it hurts my shoulder sadly.’ ‘What do you say of making an exchange?’ said the horseman.

“Saya akan memberi Anda kuda saya, dan Anda memberi saya perak itu; yang akan membebaskan Anda dari banyak kesulitan membawa beban seberat itu ke mana-mana.”

‘I will give you my horse, and you shall give me the silver; which will save you a great deal of trouble in carrying such a heavy load about with you.’

“Dengan sepenuh hati,” kata Hans: “tetapi karena Anda begitu baik kepada saya, saya harus memberi tahu Anda satu hal—Anda akan mendapat tugas yang melelahkan untuk membawa perak itu ke mana-mana.”

‘With all my heart,’ said Hans: ‘but as you are so kind to me, I must tell you one thing—you will have a weary task to draw that silver about with you.’

Namun, penunggang kuda itu turun, mengambil perak tersebut, membantu Hans naik, memberikan kekang ke satu tangan dan cambuk ke tangan yang lain, lalu berkata, “Jika Anda ingin melaju sangat cepat, kecapkan bibir Anda keras-keras, dan berserulah ‘Jip!’”

However, the horseman got off, took the silver, helped Hans up, gave him the bridle into one hand and the whip into the other, and said, ‘When you want to go very fast, smack your lips loudly together, and cry “Jip!”’

Hans sangat senang saat duduk di atas kuda, menegakkan tubuhnya, merentangkan sikunya, mengarahkan jari-jari kakinya ke luar, melecutkan cambuknya, dan berkuda dengan riang, satu menit bersiul lagu ceria, dan menit berikutnya bernyanyi,

Hans was delighted as he sat on the horse, drew himself up, squared his elbows, turned out his toes, cracked his whip, and rode merrily off, one minute whistling a merry tune, and another singing,

“Tanpa cemas dan tanpa duka, Masa bodoh hari esok tiba! Mari tertawa dan bersukaria, Bernyanyi gembira sepanjang masa!”

‘No care and no sorrow, A fig for the morrow! We’ll laugh and be merry, Sing neigh down derry!’