Sang Pendongeng

Saat itu sore yang panas, dan gerbong kereta api pun terasa pengap, dan pemberhentian berikutnya adalah di Templecombe, hampir satu jam lagi. Penumpang di gerbong itu adalah seorang gadis kecil, seorang gadis yang lebih kecil, dan seorang anak laki-laki kecil.

It was a hot afternoon, and the railway carriage was correspondingly sultry, and the next stop was at Templecombe, nearly an hour ahead. The occupants of the carriage were a small girl, and a smaller girl, and a small boy.

Seorang bibi dari anak-anak tersebut menempati satu kursi sudut, dan kursi sudut lebih jauh di sisi yang berlawanan ditempati oleh seorang pria lajang yang tidak mereka kenal, tetapi kedua gadis kecil dan bocah laki-laki kecil itu benar-benar menguasai kompartemen tersebut.

An aunt belonging to the children occupied one corner seat, and the further corner seat on the opposite side was occupied by a bachelor who was a stranger to their party, but the small girls and the small boy emphatically occupied the compartment.

Baik sang bibi maupun anak-anak terus berbicara dengan cara yang terbatas namun gigih, mengingatkan orang pada gangguan lalat rumah yang tak mau diusir.

Both the aunt and the children were conversational in a limited, persistent way, reminding one of the attentions of a housefly that refuses to be discouraged.

Sebagian besar ucapan sang bibi tampaknya dimulai dengan “Jangan,” dan hampir semua ucapan anak-anak dimulai dengan “Mengapa?” Pria lajang itu tidak mengatakan apa pun dengan suara keras.

Most of the aunt’s remarks seemed to begin with “Don’t,” and nearly all of the children’s remarks began with “Why?” The bachelor said nothing out loud.

“Jangan, Cyril, jangan,” seru sang bibi, ketika bocah laki-laki kecil itu mulai memukul-mukul bantal kursi, menimbulkan kepulan debu di setiap pukulan.

“Don’t, Cyril, don’t,” exclaimed the aunt, as the small boy began smacking the cushions of the seat, producing a cloud of dust at each blow.

“Ayo kemari dan lihat ke luar jendela,” tambahnya.

“Come and look out of the window,” she added.

Anak itu bergerak dengan enggan ke jendela. “Mengapa domba-domba itu digiring keluar dari padang rumput itu?” tanyanya.

The child moved reluctantly to the window. “Why are those sheep being driven out of that field?” he asked.

“Bibi rasa mereka digiring ke padang rumput lain yang rumputnya lebih banyak,” kata sang bibi dengan lemah.

“I expect they are being driven to another field where there is more grass,” said the aunt weakly.

“Tapi ada banyak rumput di padang rumput itu,” protes anak laki-laki itu; “tidak ada apa-apa selain rumput di sana. Bibi, ada banyak rumput di padang rumput itu.”

“But there is lots of grass in that field,” protested the boy; “there’s nothing else but grass there. Aunt, there’s lots of grass in that field.”

“Mungkin rumput di padang rumput yang lain lebih bagus,” saran sang bibi dengan konyol.

“Perhaps the grass in the other field is better,” suggested the aunt fatuously.

“Mengapa lebih bagus?” muncullah pertanyaan yang cepat dan tak terelakkan.

“Why is it better?” came the swift, inevitable question.

“Oh, lihat sapi-sapi itu!” seru sang bibi. Hampir setiap padang rumput di sepanjang jalur itu berisi sapi atau lembu jantan muda, tetapi dia berbicara seolah-olah sedang menarik perhatian pada sesuatu yang langka.

“Oh, look at those cows!” exclaimed the aunt. Nearly every field along the line had contained cows or bullocks, but she spoke as though she were drawing attention to a rarity.

“Mengapa rumput di padang rumput yang lain lebih bagus?” desak Cyril.

“Why is the grass in the other field better?” persisted Cyril.

Kerutan di wajah pria lajang itu semakin dalam menjadi cemberut. Dia orang yang keras dan dingin, sang bibi memutuskan dalam hatinya. Dia sama sekali tidak mampu memberikan keputusan yang memuaskan tentang rumput di padang rumput yang lain.

The frown on the bachelor’s face was deepening to a scowl. He was a hard, unsympathetic man, the aunt decided in her mind. She was utterly unable to come to any satisfactory decision about the grass in the other field.