Jack Hannaford

There was an old soldier who had been long in the wars—so long, that he was quite out-at-elbows, and he did not know where to go to find a living. So he walked up moors, down glens, till at last he came to a farm, from which the good man had gone away to market. The wife of the farmer was a very foolish woman, who had been a widow when he married her; the farmer was foolish enough, too, and it is hard to say which of the two was the more foolish. When you've heard my tale you may decide.

Dahulu ada seorang prajurit tua yang sudah lama ikut berperang—begitu lama, sampai pakaiannya lusuh dan compang-camping, dan dia tidak tahu ke mana harus pergi untuk mencari nafkah. Maka dia berjalan mendaki bukit, menuruni lembah, sampai akhirnya dia tiba di sebuah ladang, tempat suaminya yang baik sudah pergi ke pasar. Istri petani itu adalah perempuan yang sangat bodoh, yang dulunya seorang janda ketika menikah dengannya; petani itu sendiri juga cukup bodoh, dan sulit dikatakan siapa di antara keduanya yang lebih bodoh. Setelah kau mendengar kisahku, kau boleh memutuskan sendiri.

Now before the farmer goes to market says he to his wife: “Here is ten pounds all in gold, take care of it till I come home.” If the man had not been a fool he would never have given the money to his wife to keep. Well, off he went in his cart to market, and the wife said to herself: “I will keep the ten pounds quite safe from thieves;” so she tied it up in a rag, and she put the rag up the parlour chimney.

Sebelum petani itu pergi ke pasar, dia berkata kepada istrinya: “Ini sepuluh pound, semuanya emas, jaga baik-baik sampai aku pulang.” Kalau saja lelaki itu bukan orang bodoh, dia tidak akan pernah menyerahkan uang itu kepada istrinya untuk disimpan. Maka pergilah dia dengan keretanya ke pasar, dan istrinya berkata dalam hati: “Akan kujaga sepuluh pound ini baik-baik dari pencuri;” maka diikatnya uang itu dalam sepotong kain, dan diselipkannya kain itu ke dalam cerobong asap ruang tamu.

“There,” said she, “no thieves will ever find it now, that is quite sure.”

“Nah,” katanya, “tidak ada pencuri yang akan menemukannya sekarang, itu sudah pasti.”

Jack Hannaford, the old soldier, came and rapped at the door.

Jack Hannaford, prajurit tua itu, datang dan mengetuk pintu.

“Who is there?” asked the wife.

“Siapa itu?” tanya sang istri.

“Jack Hannaford.”

“Jack Hannaford.”

“Where do you come from?”

“Dari mana kau datang?”

“Paradise.”

“Dari Firdaus.”

“Lord a' mercy! and maybe you've seen my old man there,” alluding to her former husband.

“Ya Tuhan! Mungkin kau bertemu suamiku yang dulu di sana,” maksudnya suami pertamanya.

“Yes, I have.”

“Ya, aku bertemu dengannya.”

“And how was he a-doing?” asked the goody.

“Bagaimana keadaannya?” tanya perempuan baik itu.

“But middling; he cobbles old shoes, and he has nothing but cabbage for victuals.”

“Lumayan saja; dia menambal sepatu-sepatu tua, dan tidak punya makanan selain kubis.”

“Deary me!” exclaimed the woman. “Didn't he send a message to me?”

“Kasihan sekali!” seru perempuan itu. “Apakah dia tidak mengirim pesan untukku?”

“Yes, he did,” replied Jack Hannaford. “He said that he was out of leather, and his pockets were empty, so you were to send him a few shillings to buy a fresh stock of leather.”

“Ya, dia mengirim,” jawab Jack Hannaford. “Katanya dia kehabisan kulit, dan kantongnya kosong, jadi kau harus mengirimnya beberapa shilling untuk membeli persediaan kulit baru.”

“He shall have them, bless his poor soul!” And away went the wife to the parlour chimney, and she pulled the rag with the ten pounds in it from the chimney, and she gave the whole sum to the soldier, telling him that her old man was to use as much as he wanted, and to send back the rest.

“Dia akan mendapatkannya, semoga jiwanya yang malang diberkati!” Maka pergilah istri itu ke cerobong asap ruang tamu, dan ditariknya kain berisi sepuluh pound itu dari cerobong, lalu diberikannya seluruh uang itu kepada prajurit itu, sambil berpesan bahwa suaminya boleh memakai sebanyak yang dia perlukan, dan mengirim balik sisanya.

It was not long that Jack waited after receiving the money; he went off as fast as he could walk.

Tidak lama Jack menunggu setelah menerima uang itu; dia langsung pergi secepat kakinya melangkah.

Presently the farmer came home and asked for his money. The wife told him that she had sent it by a soldier to her former husband in Paradise, to buy him leather for cobbling the shoes of the saints and angels of Heaven. The farmer was very angry, and he swore that he had never met with such a fool as his wife. But the wife said that her husband was a greater fool for letting her have the money.

Tak lama kemudian petani itu pulang dan menanyakan uangnya. Istrinya memberitahunya bahwa dia telah mengirimkannya lewat seorang prajurit kepada suami pertamanya di Firdaus, untuk membeli kulit guna menambal sepatu para santo dan malaikat di Surga. Petani itu sangat marah, dan dia bersumpah bahwa dia belum pernah bertemu orang bodoh seperti istrinya. Tetapi istrinya berkata bahwa suaminya lebih bodoh lagi karena membiarkannya memegang uang itu.

There was no time to waste words; so the farmer mounted his horse and rode off after Jack Hannaford. The old soldier heard the horse's hoofs clattering on the road behind him, so he knew it must be the farmer pursuing him. He lay down on the ground, and shading his eyes with one hand, looked up into the sky, and pointed heavenwards with the other hand.

Tidak ada waktu untuk berdebat; maka petani itu menaiki kudanya dan berkuda mengejar Jack Hannaford. Prajurit tua itu mendengar derap kaki kuda di jalan di belakangnya, jadi dia tahu itu pasti petani yang mengejarnya. Dia berbaring di tanah, menaungi matanya dengan satu tangan, memandang ke langit, dan menunjuk ke atas dengan tangan yang lain.

“What are you about there?” asked the farmer, pulling up.

“Sedang apa kau di situ?” tanya petani itu sambil menghentikan kudanya.

“Lord save you!” exclaimed Jack: “I've seen a rare sight.”

“Tuhan memberkatimu!” seru Jack: “Aku baru saja melihat pemandangan yang langka.”

“What was that?”

“Apa itu?”

“A man going straight up into the sky, as if he were walking on a road.”

“Seorang lelaki berjalan lurus naik ke langit, seolah dia sedang berjalan di jalan raya.”

“Can you see him still?”

“Kau masih bisa melihatnya?”

“Yes, I can.”

“Ya, aku masih bisa.”

“Where?”

“Di mana?”

“Get off your horse and lie down.”

“Turunlah dari kudamu dan berbaringlah.”

“If you will hold the horse.”

“Kalau kau mau memegang kudanya.”

Jack did so readily.

Jack pun melakukannya dengan sigap.

“I cannot see him,” said the farmer.

“Aku tidak bisa melihatnya,” kata petani itu.

“Shade your eyes with your hand, and you'll soon see a man flying away from you.”

“Naungi matamu dengan tanganmu, dan kau akan segera melihat seorang lelaki terbang menjauh darimu.”

Sure enough he did so, for Jack leaped on the horse, and rode away with it. The farmer walked home without his horse.

Benar saja dia melakukannya, sebab Jack sudah melompat naik ke kuda itu, dan pergi membawanya kabur. Petani itu pulang berjalan kaki tanpa kudanya.

“You are a bigger fool than I am,” said the wife; “for I did only one foolish thing, and you have done two.”

“Kau lebih bodoh daripada aku,” kata istrinya; “sebab aku hanya melakukan satu perbuatan bodoh, sedangkan kau melakukan dua.”