The Fisherman and His Wife

There was once a fisherman who lived with his wife in a pigsty, close by the seaside. The fisherman used to go out all day long a-fishing; and one day, as he sat on the shore with his rod, looking at the sparkling waves and watching his line, all on a sudden his float was dragged away deep into the water: and in drawing it up he pulled out a great fish.

Dahulu kala hiduplah seorang nelayan bersama istrinya di sebuah kandang babi, tak jauh dari tepi laut. Nelayan itu biasa pergi memancing sepanjang hari; dan suatu hari, ketika ia duduk di pantai dengan pancingnya, memandangi ombak yang berkilauan dan mengawasi talinya, tiba-tiba pelampungnya terseret jauh ke dalam air: dan saat menariknya naik, ia menangkap seekor ikan besar.

But the fish said, ‘Pray let me live! I am not a real fish; I am an enchanted prince: put me in the water again, and let me go!’ ‘Oh, ho!’ said the man, ‘you need not make so many words about the matter; I will have nothing to do with a fish that can talk: so swim away, sir, as soon as you please!’ Then he put him back into the water, and the fish darted straight down to the bottom, and left a long streak of blood behind him on the wave.

Tetapi ikan itu berkata, 'Kumohon biarkan aku hidup! Aku bukan ikan sungguhan; aku adalah seorang pangeran yang terkena kutukan: masukkan aku kembali ke dalam air, dan biarkan aku pergi!' 'Oh, ho!' kata pria itu, 'kau tak perlu banyak bicara soal ini; aku tak mau berurusan dengan ikan yang bisa bicara: jadi berenanglah pergi, tuan, secepat yang kau mau!' Lalu ia memasukkannya kembali ke dalam air, dan ikan itu langsung meluncur ke dasar, meninggalkan jejak darah panjang di belakangnya di atas ombak.

When the fisherman went home to his wife in the pigsty, he told her how he had caught a great fish, and how it had told him it was an enchanted prince, and how, on hearing it speak, he had let it go again. ‘Did not you ask it for anything?’ said the wife, ‘we live very wretchedly here, in this nasty dirty pigsty; do go back and tell the fish we want a snug little cottage.’

Ketika nelayan itu pulang ke rumah menemui istrinya di kandang babi, ia menceritakan bagaimana ia menangkap seekor ikan besar, dan bagaimana ikan itu mengaku sebagai seorang pangeran yang terkena kutukan, dan bagaimana, setelah mendengarnya bicara, ia membiarkannya pergi lagi. 'Tidakkah kau memintanya sesuatu?' kata sang istri, 'kita hidup begitu menyedihkan di sini, di kandang babi yang kotor dan menjijikkan ini; pergilah kembali dan katakan pada ikan itu kita ingin sebuah pondok kecil yang nyaman.'

The fisherman did not much like the business: however, he went to the seashore; and when he came back there the water looked all yellow and green. And he stood at the water’s edge, and said:

Nelayan itu tidak begitu suka dengan urusan ini: namun, ia pergi ke tepi laut; dan ketika ia kembali ke sana, air lautnya tampak kekuning-kuningan dan kehijauan. Dan ia berdiri di tepi air, lalu berkata:

‘O man of the sea! Hearken to me! My wife Ilsabill Will have her own will, And hath sent me to beg a boon of thee!’

'Wahai penguasa laut! Dengarkanlah aku! Istriku Ilsabill Selalu ingin sesukanya sendiri, Dan mengutusku memohon sebuah karunia darimu!'

Then the fish came swimming to him, and said, ‘Well, what is her will? What does your wife want?’ ‘Ah!’ said the fisherman, ‘she says that when I had caught you, I ought to have asked you for something before I let you go; she does not like living any longer in the pigsty, and wants a snug little cottage.’ ‘Go home, then,’ said the fish; ‘she is in the cottage already!’ So the man went home, and saw his wife standing at the door of a nice trim little cottage.

Kemudian ikan itu datang berenang mendekatinya, dan berkata, 'Baiklah, apa keinginannya? Apa yang diinginkan istrimu?' 'Ah!' kata nelayan itu, 'ia bilang bahwa ketika aku menangkapmu, seharusnya aku meminta sesuatu darimu sebelum membiarkanmu pergi; ia tak suka lagi tinggal di kandang babi, dan ingin sebuah pondok kecil yang nyaman.' 'Pulanglah, kalau begitu,' kata ikan itu; 'ia sudah ada di pondok itu sekarang!' Maka pria itu pun pulang, dan melihat istrinya berdiri di depan pintu sebuah pondok kecil yang rapi.

‘Come in, come in!’ said she; ‘is not this much better than the filthy pigsty we had?’ And there was a parlour, and a bedchamber, and a kitchen; and behind the cottage there was a little garden, planted with all sorts of flowers and fruits; and there was a courtyard behind, full of ducks and chickens. ‘Ah!’ said the fisherman, ‘how happily we shall live now!’ ‘We will try to do so, at least,’ said his wife.

'Masuklah, masuklah!' kata sang istri; 'bukankah ini jauh lebih baik daripada kandang babi kotor yang dulu kita tinggali?' Dan di sana ada ruang tamu, dan kamar tidur, dan dapur; dan di belakang pondok itu ada sebuah kebun kecil, ditanami berbagai bunga dan buah; dan di belakangnya ada sebuah halaman, penuh dengan bebek dan ayam. 'Ah!' kata nelayan itu, 'betapa bahagianya kita akan hidup sekarang!' 'Setidaknya kita akan berusaha begitu,' kata istrinya.

Everything went right for a week or two, and then Dame Ilsabill said, ‘Husband, there is not near room enough for us in this cottage; the courtyard and the garden are a great deal too small; I should like to have a large stone castle to live in: go to the fish again and tell him to give us a castle.’ ‘Wife,’ said the fisherman, ‘I don’t like to go to him again, for perhaps he will be angry; we ought to be easy with this pretty cottage to live in.’ ‘Nonsense!’ said the wife; ‘he will do it very willingly, I know; go along and try!’

Segalanya berjalan baik selama seminggu atau dua minggu, dan kemudian Nyonya Ilsabill berkata, 'Suami, tidak ada cukup ruang bagi kita di pondok ini; halaman dan kebunnya terlalu kecil; aku ingin tinggal di sebuah kastil batu yang besar: pergilah lagi ke ikan itu dan katakan padanya agar memberi kita sebuah kastil.' 'Istriku,' kata nelayan itu, 'aku tak suka pergi lagi kepadanya, sebab mungkin ia akan marah; kita harus puas dengan pondok cantik ini untuk kita tinggali.' 'Omong kosong!' kata istrinya; 'ia pasti akan melakukannya dengan senang hati, aku tahu; pergilah dan cobalah!'

The fisherman went, but his heart was very heavy: and when he came to the sea, it looked blue and gloomy, though it was very calm; and he went close to the edge of the waves, and said:

Nelayan itu pun pergi, tetapi hatinya sangat berat: dan ketika ia tiba di laut, airnya tampak biru dan suram, meskipun sangat tenang; dan ia mendekat ke tepi ombak, lalu berkata:

‘O man of the sea! Hearken to me! My wife Ilsabill Will have her own will, And hath sent me to beg a boon of thee!’

'Wahai penguasa laut! Dengarkanlah aku! Istriku Ilsabill Selalu ingin sesukanya sendiri, Dan mengutusku memohon sebuah karunia darimu!'

‘Well, what does she want now?’ said the fish. ‘Ah!’ said the man, dolefully, ‘my wife wants to live in a stone castle.’ ‘Go home, then,’ said the fish; ‘she is standing at the gate of it already.’ So away went the fisherman, and found his wife standing before the gate of a great castle. ‘See,’ said she, ‘is not this grand?’

'Baiklah, apa yang ia inginkan sekarang?' kata ikan itu. 'Ah!' kata pria itu, sedih, 'istriku ingin tinggal di sebuah kastil batu.' 'Pulanglah, kalau begitu,' kata ikan itu; 'ia sudah berdiri di depan gerbangnya sekarang.' Maka pergilah nelayan itu, dan mendapati istrinya berdiri di depan gerbang sebuah kastil besar. 'Lihatlah,' katanya, 'bukankah ini megah?'

With that they went into the castle together, and found a great many servants there, and the rooms all richly furnished, and full of golden chairs and tables; and behind the castle was a garden, and around it was a park half a mile long, full of sheep, and goats, and hares, and deer; and in the courtyard were stables and cow-houses. ‘Well,’ said the man, ‘now we will live cheerful and happy in this beautiful castle for the rest of our lives.’ ‘Perhaps we may,’ said the wife; ‘but let us sleep upon it, before we make up our minds to that.’ So they went to bed.

Dengan itu mereka pun masuk bersama ke dalam kastil itu, dan mendapati banyak sekali pelayan di sana, dan ruangan-ruangan yang semuanya diperabot dengan mewah, dan penuh dengan kursi serta meja emas; dan di belakang kastil itu ada sebuah kebun, dan di sekelilingnya ada sebuah taman sepanjang setengah mil, penuh dengan domba, kambing, kelinci, dan rusa; dan di halaman itu ada kandang kuda dan kandang sapi. 'Nah,' kata pria itu, 'sekarang kita akan hidup riang dan bahagia di kastil indah ini seumur hidup kita.' 'Mungkin saja,' kata istrinya; 'tapi mari kita pikirkan dulu semalaman, sebelum kita memutuskan hal itu.' Maka mereka pun pergi tidur.

The next morning when Dame Ilsabill awoke it was broad daylight, and she jogged the fisherman with her elbow, and said, ‘Get up, husband, and bestir yourself, for we must be king of all the land.’ ‘Wife, wife,’ said the man, ‘why should we wish to be the king? I will not be king.’ ‘Then I will,’ said she. ‘But, wife,’ said the fisherman, ‘how can you be king—the fish cannot make you a king?’

Keesokan paginya ketika Nyonya Ilsabill terbangun hari sudah terang benderang, dan ia menyikut nelayan itu dengan sikunya, lalu berkata, 'Bangunlah, suamiku, dan bergegaslah, sebab kita harus menjadi raja atas seluruh negeri ini.' 'Istriku, istriku,' kata pria itu, 'mengapa kita harus ingin menjadi raja? Aku tidak mau menjadi raja.' 'Kalau begitu aku yang akan jadi raja,' katanya. 'Tapi, istriku,' kata nelayan itu, 'bagaimana kau bisa menjadi raja—ikan itu tak bisa menjadikanmu raja, bukan?'

‘Husband,’ said she, ‘say no more about it, but go and try! I will be king.’ So the man went away quite sorrowful to think that his wife should want to be king. This time the sea looked a dark grey colour, and was overspread with curling waves and the ridges of foam as he cried out:

'Suamiku,' katanya, 'jangan banyak bicara lagi soal itu, pergilah dan cobalah! Aku akan menjadi raja.' Maka pria itu pun pergi dengan hati yang sangat sedih memikirkan bahwa istrinya ingin menjadi raja. Kali ini laut tampak berwarna abu-abu gelap, dan dipenuhi ombak yang bergulung serta buih-buih yang menggunung ketika ia berseru:

‘O man of the sea! Hearken to me! My wife Ilsabill Will have her own will, And hath sent me to beg a boon of thee!’

'Wahai penguasa laut! Dengarkanlah aku! Istriku Ilsabill Selalu ingin sesukanya sendiri, Dan mengutusku memohon sebuah karunia darimu!'

‘Well, what would she have now?’ said the fish. ‘Alas!’ said the poor man, ‘my wife wants to be king.’ ‘Go home,’ said the fish; ‘she is king already.’

'Baiklah, apa yang ia inginkan sekarang?' kata ikan itu. 'Sungguh malang!' kata pria yang miskin itu, 'istriku ingin menjadi raja.' 'Pulanglah,' kata ikan itu; 'ia sudah menjadi raja sekarang.'

Then the fisherman went home; and as he came close to the palace he saw a troop of soldiers, and heard the sound of drums and trumpets. And when he went in he saw his wife sitting on a throne of gold and diamonds, with a golden crown upon her head; and on each side of her stood six fair maidens, each a head taller than the other. ‘Well, wife,’ said the fisherman, ‘are you king?’ ‘Yes,’ said she, ‘I am king.’

Maka nelayan itu pun pulang; dan ketika ia mendekati istana, ia melihat sepasukan prajurit, dan mendengar bunyi genderang serta terompet. Dan ketika ia masuk, ia melihat istrinya duduk di atas sebuah takhta emas dan berlian, dengan sebuah mahkota emas di kepalanya; dan di setiap sisi tubuhnya berdiri enam gadis cantik, masing-masing lebih tinggi setingkat kepala dari yang lain. 'Nah, istriku,' kata nelayan itu, 'apakah kau raja sekarang?' 'Ya,' katanya, 'aku raja.'

And when he had looked at her for a long time, he said, ‘Ah, wife! what a fine thing it is to be king! Now we shall never have anything more to wish for as long as we live.’ ‘I don’t know how that may be,’ said she; ‘never is a long time. I am king, it is true; but I begin to be tired of that, and I think I should like to be emperor.’

Dan setelah ia memandanginya lama, ia berkata, 'Ah, istriku! Betapa hebatnya menjadi raja! Sekarang kita tak akan pernah menginginkan apa pun lagi seumur hidup kita.' 'Aku tak tahu apakah begitu,' katanya; 'tak-pernah itu waktu yang panjang. Aku memang raja, itu benar; tapi aku mulai bosan dengan itu, dan kurasa aku ingin menjadi kaisar.'

‘Alas, wife! why should you wish to be emperor?’ said the fisherman. ‘Husband,’ said she, ‘go to the fish! I say I will be emperor.’ ‘Ah, wife!’ replied the fisherman, ‘the fish cannot make an emperor, I am sure, and I should not like to ask him for such a thing.’ ‘I am king,’ said Ilsabill, ‘and you are my slave; so go at once!’

'Sungguh malang, istriku! Mengapa kau ingin menjadi kaisar?' kata nelayan itu. 'Suamiku,' katanya, 'pergilah ke ikan itu! Kukatakan aku akan menjadi kaisar.' 'Ah, istriku!' jawab nelayan itu, 'ikan itu tak bisa menjadikan seseorang kaisar, aku yakin itu, dan aku tak suka memintanya hal seperti itu.' 'Aku ini raja,' kata Ilsabill, 'dan kau adalah budakku; jadi pergilah sekarang juga!'

So the fisherman was forced to go; and he muttered as he went along, ‘This will come to no good, it is too much to ask; the fish will be tired at last, and then we shall be sorry for what we have done.’ He soon came to the seashore; and the water was quite black and muddy, and a mighty whirlwind blew over the waves and rolled them about, but he went as near as he could to the water’s brink, and said:

Maka nelayan itu terpaksa pergi; dan ia bergumam sepanjang jalan, 'Ini tak akan berakhir baik, ini terlalu berlebihan untuk diminta; ikan itu akan lelah pada akhirnya, dan kita akan menyesali apa yang telah kita lakukan.' Ia pun segera tiba di tepi laut; dan airnya sangat hitam dan keruh, dan sebuah pusaran angin yang dahsyat bertiup di atas ombak dan mengaduknya, tetapi ia mendekat sedekat mungkin ke tepi air, dan berkata:

‘O man of the sea! Hearken to me! My wife Ilsabill Will have her own will, And hath sent me to beg a boon of thee!’

'Wahai penguasa laut! Dengarkanlah aku! Istriku Ilsabill Selalu ingin sesukanya sendiri, Dan mengutusku memohon sebuah karunia darimu!'

‘What would she have now?’ said the fish. ‘Ah!’ said the fisherman, ‘she wants to be emperor.’ ‘Go home,’ said the fish; ‘she is emperor already.’

'Apa yang ia inginkan sekarang?' kata ikan itu. 'Ah!' kata nelayan itu, 'ia ingin menjadi kaisar.' 'Pulanglah,' kata ikan itu; 'ia sudah menjadi kaisar sekarang.'

So he went home again; and as he came near he saw his wife Ilsabill sitting on a very lofty throne made of solid gold, with a great crown on her head full two yards high; and on each side of her stood her guards and attendants in a row, each one smaller than the other, from the tallest giant down to a little dwarf no bigger than my finger. And before her stood princes, and dukes, and earls: and the fisherman went up to her and said, ‘Wife, are you emperor?’ ‘Yes,’ said she, ‘I am emperor.’ ‘Ah!’ said the man, as he gazed upon her, ‘what a fine thing it is to be emperor!’

Maka ia pun pulang lagi; dan ketika ia mendekat, ia melihat istrinya Ilsabill duduk di atas sebuah takhta yang sangat tinggi terbuat dari emas murni, dengan sebuah mahkota besar di kepalanya setinggi dua meter penuh; dan di setiap sisinya berdiri para pengawal dan pelayannya berbaris, masing-masing lebih kecil dari yang lain, dari raksasa tertinggi hingga seorang kurcaci kecil tak lebih besar dari jariku. Dan di hadapannya berdiri para pangeran, adipati, dan bangsawan: dan nelayan itu mendekatinya dan berkata, 'Istriku, apakah kau kaisar sekarang?' 'Ya,' katanya, 'aku kaisar.' 'Ah!' kata pria itu, sambil menatapnya, 'betapa hebatnya menjadi kaisar!'

‘Husband,’ said she, ‘why should we stop at being emperor? I will be pope next.’ ‘O wife, wife!’ said he, ‘how can you be pope? there is but one pope at a time in Christendom.’ ‘Husband,’ said she, ‘I will be pope this very day.’ ‘But,’ replied the husband, ‘the fish cannot make you pope.’ ‘What nonsense!’ said she; ‘if he can make an emperor, he can make a pope: go and try him.’

'Suamiku,' katanya, 'mengapa kita harus berhenti hanya menjadi kaisar? Aku akan menjadi paus selanjutnya.' 'Oh istriku, istriku!' katanya, 'bagaimana kau bisa menjadi paus? Hanya ada satu paus pada satu waktu di seluruh dunia Kristen.' 'Suamiku,' katanya, 'aku akan menjadi paus hari ini juga.' 'Tapi,' jawab sang suami, 'ikan itu tak bisa menjadikanmu paus.' 'Omong kosong apa itu!' katanya; 'kalau ia bisa menjadikan seseorang kaisar, ia bisa menjadikan seseorang paus: pergi dan cobalah.'

So the fisherman went. But when he came to the shore the wind was raging and the sea was tossed up and down in boiling waves, and the ships were in trouble, and rolled fearfully upon the tops of the billows. In the middle of the heavens there was a little piece of blue sky, but towards the south all was red, as if a dreadful storm was rising. At this sight the fisherman was dreadfully frightened, and he trembled so that his knees knocked together: but still he went down near to the shore, and said:

Maka nelayan itu pun pergi. Tetapi ketika ia tiba di pantai, angin mengamuk dan laut terombang-ambing dalam gelombang yang mendidih, dan kapal-kapal dalam kesulitan, terguling menakutkan di puncak ombak. Di tengah langit ada sedikit potongan langit biru, tetapi ke arah selatan semuanya merah, seolah sebuah badai dahsyat akan datang. Melihat pemandangan ini nelayan itu sangat ketakutan, dan ia gemetar sampai lututnya saling berbenturan: tetapi ia tetap turun mendekati pantai, dan berkata:

‘O man of the sea! Hearken to me! My wife Ilsabill Will have her own will, And hath sent me to beg a boon of thee!’

'Wahai penguasa laut! Dengarkanlah aku! Istriku Ilsabill Selalu ingin sesukanya sendiri, Dan mengutusku memohon sebuah karunia darimu!'

‘What does she want now?’ said the fish. ‘Ah!’ said the fisherman, ‘my wife wants to be pope.’ ‘Go home,’ said the fish; ‘she is pope already.’

'Apa yang ia inginkan sekarang?' kata ikan itu. 'Ah!' kata nelayan itu, 'istriku ingin menjadi paus.' 'Pulanglah,' kata ikan itu; 'ia sudah menjadi paus sekarang.'

Then the fisherman went home, and found Ilsabill sitting on a throne that was two miles high. And she had three great crowns on her head, and around her stood all the pomp and power of the Church. And on each side of her were two rows of burning lights, of all sizes, the greatest as large as the highest and biggest tower in the world, and the least no larger than a small rushlight. ‘Wife,’ said the fisherman, as he looked at all this greatness, ‘are you pope?’ ‘Yes,’ said she, ‘I am pope.’

Maka nelayan itu pun pulang, dan mendapati Ilsabill duduk di atas sebuah takhta setinggi tiga kilometer. Dan ia memiliki tiga mahkota besar di kepalanya, dan di sekelilingnya berdiri segala kemegahan dan kekuasaan Gereja. Dan di setiap sisinya ada dua barisan lampu menyala, dari segala ukuran, yang terbesar sebesar menara tertinggi dan terbesar di dunia, dan yang terkecil tak lebih besar dari sebatang lilin kecil. 'Istriku,' kata nelayan itu, sambil memandangi segala keagungan ini, 'apakah kau paus sekarang?' 'Ya,' katanya, 'aku paus.'

‘Well, wife,’ replied he, ‘it is a grand thing to be pope; and now you must be easy, for you can be nothing greater.’ ‘I will think about that,’ said the wife. Then they went to bed: but Dame Ilsabill could not sleep all night for thinking what she should be next.

'Baiklah, istriku,' jawabnya, 'menjadi paus itu hal yang megah; dan sekarang kau harus puas, sebab tak ada lagi yang lebih besar darimu.' 'Aku akan memikirkannya,' kata istrinya. Lalu mereka pun pergi tidur: tetapi Nyonya Ilsabill tak bisa tidur semalaman karena memikirkan apa yang harus ia jadi selanjutnya.

At last, as she was dropping asleep, morning broke, and the sun rose. ‘Ha!’ thought she, as she woke up and looked at it through the window, ‘after all I cannot prevent the sun rising.’ At this thought she was very angry, and wakened her husband, and said, ‘Husband, go to the fish and tell him I must be lord of the sun and moon.’ The fisherman was half asleep, but the thought frightened him so much that he started and fell out of bed. ‘Alas, wife!’ said he, ‘cannot you be easy with being pope?’ ‘No,’ said she, ‘I am very uneasy as long as the sun and moon rise without my leave. Go to the fish at once!’

Akhirnya, ketika ia mulai terlelap, pagi pun tiba, dan matahari terbit. 'Ha!' pikirnya, ketika ia bangun dan melihatnya melalui jendela, 'bagaimanapun juga aku tak bisa mencegah matahari terbit.' Dengan pikiran ini ia menjadi sangat marah, dan membangunkan suaminya, lalu berkata, 'Suamiku, pergilah ke ikan itu dan katakan padanya aku harus menjadi penguasa matahari dan bulan.' Nelayan itu setengah tertidur, tetapi pikiran itu membuatnya begitu ketakutan sehingga ia tersentak dan jatuh dari ranjang. 'Sungguh malang, istriku!' katanya, 'tidakkah kau bisa puas menjadi paus saja?' 'Tidak,' katanya, 'aku sangat gelisah selama matahari dan bulan terbit tanpa izinku. Pergilah ke ikan itu sekarang juga!'

Then the man went shivering with fear; and as he was going down to the shore a dreadful storm arose, so that the trees and the very rocks shook. And all the heavens became black with stormy clouds, and the lightnings played, and the thunders rolled; and you might have seen in the sea great black waves, swelling up like mountains with crowns of white foam upon their heads. And the fisherman crept towards the sea, and cried out, as well as he could:

Maka pria itu pun pergi gemetar ketakutan; dan ketika ia turun menuju pantai, sebuah badai dahsyat muncul, sehingga pohon-pohon dan bahkan bebatuan pun berguncang. Dan seluruh langit menjadi hitam dengan awan badai, dan kilat menyambar-nyambar, dan guntur menggelegar; dan kau bisa melihat di laut ombak-ombak hitam besar, menggunung seperti gunung dengan mahkota buih putih di puncaknya. Dan nelayan itu merangkak mendekati laut, dan berseru sekuat tenaga:

‘O man of the sea! Hearken to me! My wife Ilsabill Will have her own will, And hath sent me to beg a boon of thee!’

'Wahai penguasa laut! Dengarkanlah aku! Istriku Ilsabill Selalu ingin sesukanya sendiri, Dan mengutusku memohon sebuah karunia darimu!'

‘What does she want now?’ said the fish. ‘Ah!’ said he, ‘she wants to be lord of the sun and moon.’ ‘Go home,’ said the fish, ‘to your pigsty again.’

'Apa yang ia inginkan sekarang?' kata ikan itu. 'Ah!' katanya, 'ia ingin menjadi penguasa matahari dan bulan.' 'Pulanglah,' kata ikan itu, 'kembali ke kandang babimu lagi.'

And there they live to this very day.

Dan di sanalah mereka hidup sampai hari ini.