The Ass, the Table, and the Stick

A lad named Jack was once so unhappy at home through his father's ill-treatment, that he made up his mind to run away and seek his fortune in the wide world.

Seorang pemuda bernama Jack dulu begitu sengsara di rumah karena perlakuan buruk ayahnya, sampai ia memutuskan untuk kabur dan mencari peruntungan di dunia luas.

He ran, and he ran, till he could run no longer, and then he ran right up against a little old woman who was gathering sticks. He was too much out of breath to beg pardon, but the woman was good-natured, and she said he seemed to be a likely lad, so she would take him to be her servant, and would pay him well. He agreed, for he was very hungry, and she brought him to her house in the wood, where he served her for a twelvemonths and a day.

Ia berlari, dan terus berlari, sampai tidak sanggup berlari lagi, lalu ia menabrak seorang nenek tua yang sedang mengumpulkan ranting. Ia terlalu terengah-engah untuk minta maaf, tapi nenek itu berhati baik, dan berkata bahwa Jack tampak seperti pemuda yang cakap, jadi ia akan mengangkatnya jadi pelayan, dan akan membayarnya dengan baik. Jack setuju, sebab ia sangat lapar, dan nenek itu membawanya ke rumahnya di hutan, tempat ia mengabdi selama setahun lebih satu hari.

When the year had passed, she called him to her, and said she had good wages for him. So she presented him with an ass out of the stable, and he had but to pull Neddy's ears to make him begin at once to ee—aw! And when he brayed there dropped from his mouth silver sixpences, and half crowns, and golden guineas.

Setelah setahun berlalu, nenek itu memanggilnya, dan berkata ia punya upah yang bagus untuknya. Maka ia memberinya seekor keledai dari kandang, dan Jack hanya perlu menarik telinga si keledai untuk membuatnya langsung berbunyi hee-haw! Dan setiap kali ia mengembik, dari mulutnya jatuh koin perak sixpence, setengah crown, dan guinea emas.

The lad was well pleased with the wage he had received, and away he rode till he reached an inn. There he ordered the best of everything, and when the innkeeper refused to serve him without being paid beforehand, the boy went off to the stable, pulled the ass's ears and obtained his pocket full of money. The host had watched all this through a crack in the door, and when night came on he put an ass of his own for the precious Neddy of the poor youth. So Jack without knowing that any change had been made, rode away next morning to his father's house.

Pemuda itu sangat senang dengan upah yang ia terima, dan ia pun menunggangi keledainya sampai tiba di sebuah penginapan. Di sana ia memesan yang terbaik dari segalanya, dan ketika pemilik penginapan menolak melayaninya tanpa dibayar dulu, pemuda itu pergi ke kandang, menarik telinga keledainya dan mendapatkan sakunya penuh uang. Sang pemilik penginapan mengintip semua ini lewat celah pintu, dan ketika malam tiba ia menukar keledai berharga milik pemuda malang itu dengan keledai miliknya sendiri. Maka Jack, tanpa tahu telah terjadi pertukaran, menunggang pergi keesokan paginya menuju rumah ayahnya.

Now, I must tell you that near his home dwelt a poor widow with an only daughter. The lad and the maiden were fast friends and true loves; but when Jack asked his father's leave to marry the girl, “Never till you have the money to keep her,” was the reply.

Nah, harus kuceritakan bahwa dekat rumahnya tinggal seorang janda miskin dengan seorang anak perempuan semata wayang. Pemuda itu dan gadis itu bersahabat karib dan saling mencintai dengan tulus; tapi ketika Jack meminta izin ayahnya untuk menikahi gadis itu, "Tidak akan pernah, sampai kau punya uang untuk menghidupinya," begitu jawabnya.

“I have that, father,” said the lad, and going to the ass he pulled its long ears; well, he pulled, and he pulled, till one of them came off in his hands; but Neddy, though he hee-hawed and he hee-hawed let fall no half crowns or guineas. The father picked up a hay-fork and beat his son out of the house. I promise you he ran. Ah! he ran and ran till he came bang against the door, and burst it open, and there he was in a joiner's shop.

"Aku punya itu, Ayah," kata pemuda itu, lalu pergi ke keledainya dan menarik telinganya yang panjang; ia menarik, dan terus menarik, sampai salah satu telinga itu copot di tangannya; tapi si keledai, meski terus mengembik dan mengembik, tak menjatuhkan satu pun setengah crown atau guinea. Sang ayah mengambil garpu jerami dan mengusir anaknya keluar rumah dengan pukulan. Percayalah, ia lari. Ah! Ia berlari dan terus berlari sampai menabrak sebuah pintu, dan mendobraknya terbuka, dan ternyata ia berada di bengkel seorang tukang kayu.

“You're a likely lad,” said the joiner; “serve me for a twelvemonths and a day and I will pay you well.” So he agreed, and served the carpenter for a year and a day. “Now,” said the master, “I will give you your wage;” and he presented him with a table, telling him he had but to say, “Table, be covered,” and at once it would be spread with lots to eat and drink.

"Kau pemuda yang cakap," kata tukang kayu itu; "abdilah aku selama setahun lebih satu hari dan aku akan membayarmu dengan baik." Maka ia setuju, dan mengabdi pada tukang kayu itu selama setahun lebih satu hari. "Sekarang," kata sang majikan, "akan kuberikan upahmu;" dan ia memberinya sebuah meja, memberitahunya bahwa ia hanya perlu berkata, "Meja, siapkan hidangan," dan seketika meja itu akan tersaji penuh makanan dan minuman.

Jack hitched the table on his back, and away he went with it till he came to the inn. “Well, host,” shouted he, “my dinner to-day, and that of the best.”

Jack mengikat meja itu di punggungnya, dan pergi membawanya sampai tiba di penginapan. "Nah, tuan rumah," serunya, "makan siangku hari ini, yang terbaik ya."

“Very sorry, but there is nothing in the house but ham and eggs.”

"Maaf sekali, tapi di rumah ini hanya ada ham dan telur."

“Ham and eggs for me!” exclaimed Jack. “I can do better than that.—Come, my table, be covered!”

"Ham dan telur untukku!" seru Jack. "Aku bisa lebih baik dari itu.—Ayo, mejaku, siapkan hidangan!"

At once the table was spread with turkey and sausages, roast mutton, potatoes, and greens. The publican opened his eyes, but he said nothing, not he.

Seketika meja itu tersaji penuh kalkun dan sosis, daging domba panggang, kentang, dan sayuran hijau. Si pemilik kedai membelalak, tapi ia tak berkata apa-apa, sama sekali tidak.

That night he fetched down from his attic a table very like that of Jack, and exchanged the two. Jack, none the wiser, next morning hitched the worthless table on to his back and carried it home. “Now, father, may I marry my lass?” he asked.

Malam itu ia mengambil dari lotengnya sebuah meja yang sangat mirip milik Jack, dan menukar keduanya. Jack, tanpa curiga sedikit pun, esok paginya mengikat meja yang tak berguna itu di punggungnya dan membawanya pulang. "Sekarang, Ayah, bolehkah aku menikahi gadisku?" tanyanya.

“Not unless you can keep her,” replied the father. “Look here!” exclaimed Jack. “Father, I have a table which does all my bidding.”

"Tidak, kecuali kau bisa menghidupinya," jawab sang ayah. "Lihat ini!" seru Jack. "Ayah, aku punya meja yang menuruti semua perintahku."

“Let me see it,” said the old man.

"Coba perlihatkan," kata sang orang tua.

The lad set it in the middle of the room, and bade it be covered; but all in vain, the table remained bare. In a rage, the father caught the warming-pan down from the wall and warmed his son's back with it so that the boy fled howling from the house, and ran and ran till he came to a river and tumbled in.

Pemuda itu meletakkannya di tengah ruangan, dan menyuruhnya menyiapkan hidangan; tapi sia-sia saja, meja itu tetap kosong. Dengan murka, sang ayah mengambil alat pemanas tempat tidur dari dinding dan menghangatkan punggung anaknya dengan itu sampai pemuda itu lari melolong dari rumah, dan berlari terus sampai tiba di sebuah sungai dan tercebur ke dalamnya.

A man picked him out and bade him assist him in making a bridge over the river; and how do you think he was doing it? Why, by casting a tree across; so Jack climbed up to the top of the tree and threw his weight on it, so that when the man had rooted the tree up, Jack and the tree-head dropped on the farther bank.

Seorang pria mengangkatnya keluar dan memintanya membantu membangun jembatan di atas sungai itu; dan menurutmu bagaimana caranya? Yaitu dengan merobohkan sebuah pohon melintang; maka Jack memanjat ke puncak pohon itu dan menjatuhkan berat badannya di sana, sehingga ketika pria itu berhasil mencabut pohon itu, Jack beserta puncak pohon jatuh di seberang sungai.

“Thank you,” said the man; “and now for what you have done I will pay you;” so saying, he tore a branch from the tree, and fettled it up into a club with his knife. “There,” exclaimed he; “take this stick, and when you say to it, 'Up stick and bang him,' it will knock any one down who angers you.”

"Terima kasih," kata pria itu; "dan sekarang sebagai balasan atas apa yang telah kau lakukan aku akan membayarmu;" sambil berkata begitu, ia merobek sebatang cabang dari pohon itu, dan mengukirnya menjadi sebatang tongkat dengan pisaunya. "Nah," serunya; "ambil tongkat ini, dan kalau kau bilang padanya, 'Bangkit tongkat dan hajar dia,' ia akan menjatuhkan siapa pun yang membuatmu marah."

The lad was overjoyed to get this stick—so away he went with it to the inn, and as soon as the publican, appeared, “Up stick and bang him!” was his cry. At the word the cudgel flew from his hand and battered the old publican on the back, rapped his head, bruised his arms, tickled his ribs, till he fell groaning on the floor; still the stick belaboured the prostrate man, nor would Jack call it off till he had got back the stolen ass and table.

Pemuda itu sangat gembira mendapat tongkat ini—maka ia pun pergi membawanya ke penginapan, dan begitu si pemilik kedai muncul, "Bangkit tongkat dan hajar dia!" serunya. Pada kata itu tongkat kayu terbang dari tangannya dan menghajar punggung pemilik kedai yang tua itu, memukul kepalanya, memar lengannya, menggelitik rusuknya, sampai ia jatuh mengerang di lantai; tongkat itu masih terus menghajar orang yang tersungkur itu, dan Jack tak mau menyuruhnya berhenti sampai ia mendapatkan kembali keledai dan meja yang dicuri.

Then he galloped home on the ass, with the table on his shoulders, and the stick in his hand. When he arrived there he found his father was dead, so he brought his ass into the stable, and pulled its ears till he had filled the manger with money.

Lalu ia berkuda pulang di atas keledainya, dengan meja di pundaknya, dan tongkat di tangannya. Ketika tiba di rumah ia mendapati ayahnya telah meninggal, maka ia membawa keledainya ke kandang, dan menarik telinganya sampai palungan penuh dengan uang.

It was soon known through the town that Jack had returned rolling in wealth, and accordingly all the girls in the place set their caps at him. “Now,” said Jack, “I shall marry the richest lass in the place; so tomorrow do you all come in front of my house with your money in your aprons.”

Tak lama tersiar kabar di seluruh kota bahwa Jack telah kembali bergelimang harta, dan seketika semua gadis di tempat itu berlomba menarik perhatiannya. "Sekarang," kata Jack, "aku akan menikahi gadis terkaya di tempat ini; jadi besok datanglah kalian semua ke depan rumahku dengan uang kalian di dalam celemek kalian."

Next morning the street was full of girls with aprons held out, and gold and silver in them; but Jack's own sweetheart was among them, and she had neither gold nor silver, nought but two copper pennies, that was all she had.

Keesokan paginya jalanan penuh dengan gadis-gadis yang menyodorkan celemek, berisi emas dan perak; tapi kekasih Jack sendiri ada di antara mereka, dan ia tak punya emas maupun perak, tak ada apa-apa selain dua keping tembaga, itu saja yang ia punya.

“Stand aside, lass;” said Jack to her, speaking roughly. “Thou hast no silver nor gold—stand off from the rest.” She obeyed, and the tears ran down her cheeks, and filled her apron with diamonds.

"Menyingkirlah, Nak," kata Jack padanya, dengan nada kasar. "Kau tak punya perak maupun emas—menyingkirlah dari yang lain." Ia menurut, dan air mata mengalir di pipinya, hingga memenuhi celemeknya dengan berlian.

“Up stick and bang them!” exclaimed Jack; whereupon the cudgel leaped up, and running along the line of girls, knocked them all on the heads and left them senseless on the pavement. Jack took all their money and poured it into his truelove's lap. “Now, lass,” he exclaimed, “thou art the richest, and I shall marry thee.”

"Bangkit tongkat dan hajar mereka!" seru Jack; maka tongkat itu pun melompat, berlari menyusuri barisan gadis-gadis itu, memukuli kepala mereka semua dan membuat mereka rebah tak sadarkan diri di trotoar. Jack mengambil semua uang mereka dan menuangkannya ke pangkuan kekasih sejatinya. "Sekarang, Nak," serunya, "kaulah yang terkaya, dan aku akan menikahimu."