The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse

Johnny Town-mouse was born in a cupboard. Timmy Willie was born in a garden. Timmy Willie was a little country mouse who went to town by mistake in a hamper. The gardener sent vegetables to town once a week by carrier; he packed them in a big hamper.

Johnny Town-mouse lahir di dalam sebuah lemari. Timmy Willie lahir di sebuah kebun. Timmy Willie adalah seekor tikus kecil dari desa yang tanpa sengaja pergi ke kota di dalam sebuah keranjang. Tukang kebun mengirim sayuran ke kota sekali seminggu lewat kurir; ia mengemasnya di dalam sebuah keranjang besar.

The gardener left the hamper by the garden gate, so that the carrier could pick it up when he passed. Timmy Willie crept in through a hole in the wicker-work, and after eating some peas—Timmy Willie fell fast asleep.

Tukang kebun meninggalkan keranjang itu di dekat pintu gerbang kebun, supaya kurir bisa mengambilnya saat lewat. Timmy Willie menyelinap masuk lewat sebuah lubang di anyaman keranjang itu, dan setelah memakan beberapa kacang polong—Timmy Willie tertidur pulas.

He awoke in a fright, while the hamper was being lifted into the carrier's cart. Then there was a jolting, and a clattering of horse's feet; other packages were thrown in; for miles and miles—jolt—jolt—jolt! and Timmy Willie trembled amongst the jumbled up vegetables.

Ia terbangun dengan ketakutan, saat keranjang itu sedang diangkat ke atas gerobak kurir. Lalu terasa guncangan, dan derap kaki kuda; bungkusan-bungkusan lain dilemparkan masuk; selama bermil-mil—guncang—guncang—guncang! dan Timmy Willie gemetar di antara sayur-sayuran yang teraduk-aduk.

At last the cart stopped at a house, where the hamper was taken out, carried in, and set down. The cook gave the carrier sixpence; the back door banged, and the cart rumbled away. But there was no quiet; there seemed to be hundreds of carts passing. Dogs barked; boys whistled in the street; the cook laughed, the parlour maid ran up and down-stairs; and a canary sang like a steam engine.

Akhirnya gerobak itu berhenti di sebuah rumah, tempat keranjang itu diturunkan, dibawa masuk, dan diletakkan. Juru masak memberi kurir itu enam pence; pintu belakang dibanting, dan gerobak itu bergemuruh pergi. Tapi tidak ada ketenangan; sepertinya ada ratusan gerobak yang lewat. Anjing-anjing menggonggong; anak-anak lelaki bersiul di jalan; juru masak tertawa, pelayan ruang tamu berlari naik turun tangga; dan seekor burung kenari bernyanyi seperti mesin uap.

Timmy Willie, who had lived all his life in a garden, was almost frightened to death. Presently the cook opened the hamper and began to unpack the vegetables. Out sprang the terrified Timmy Willie.

Timmy Willie, yang seumur hidupnya tinggal di sebuah kebun, hampir mati ketakutan. Tak lama kemudian juru masak membuka keranjang itu dan mulai mengeluarkan sayuran-sayuran. Timmy Willie yang ketakutan pun melompat keluar.

Up jumped the cook on a chair, exclaiming "A mouse! a mouse! Call the cat! Fetch me the poker, Sarah!" Timmy Willie did not wait for Sarah with the poker; he rushed along the skirting board till he came to a little hole, and in he popped.

Juru masak melompat naik ke atas kursi, sambil berseru "Seekor tikus! seekor tikus! Panggil kucingnya! Ambilkan aku alat pengorek api, Sarah!" Timmy Willie tidak menunggu Sarah dengan alat pengorek apinya; ia berlari sepanjang papan pinggir dinding sampai menemukan sebuah lubang kecil, dan langsung menyelinap masuk.

He dropped half a foot, and crashed into the middle of a mouse dinner party, breaking three glasses.—"Who in the world is this?" inquired Johnny Town-mouse. But after the first exclamation of surprise he instantly recovered his manners.

Ia jatuh sekitar setengah kaki, dan menghantam tepat di tengah sebuah pesta makan malam para tikus, memecahkan tiga gelas.—"Siapa ini sebenarnya?" tanya Johnny Town-mouse. Tapi setelah seruan keterkejutan pertamanya, ia langsung memulihkan sopan santunnya.

With the utmost politeness he introduced Timmy Willie to nine other mice, all with long tails and white neckties. Timmy Willie's own tail was insignificant. Johnny Town-mouse and his friends noticed it; but they were too well bred to make personal remarks; only one of them asked Timmy Willie if he had ever been in a trap?

Dengan sopan santun yang luar biasa ia memperkenalkan Timmy Willie kepada sembilan tikus lainnya, semuanya berekor panjang dan berdasi putih. Ekor Timmy Willie sendiri tampak tidak seberapa. Johnny Town-mouse dan teman-temannya memperhatikan hal itu; tapi mereka terlalu berbudi untuk membuat komentar pribadi; hanya satu dari mereka yang bertanya kepada Timmy Willie apakah ia pernah terjebak dalam perangkap?

The dinner was of eight courses; not much of anything, but truly elegant. All the dishes were unknown to Timmy Willie, who would have been a little afraid of tasting them; only he was very hungry, and very anxious to behave with company manners. The continual noise upstairs made him so nervous, that he dropped a plate. "Never mind, they don't belong to us," said Johnny.

Makan malam itu terdiri dari delapan hidangan; jumlahnya tidak banyak, tapi benar-benar elegan. Semua hidangan itu asing bagi Timmy Willie, yang mungkin akan sedikit takut mencicipinya; hanya saja ia sangat lapar, dan sangat ingin bersikap sopan sebagai tamu. Suara berisik yang terus-menerus dari atas membuatnya begitu gugup, sampai ia menjatuhkan sebuah piring. "Tidak apa-apa, itu bukan milik kita," kata Johnny.

"Why don't those youngsters come back with the dessert?" It should be explained that two young mice, who were waiting on the others, went skirmishing upstairs to the kitchen between courses. Several times they had come tumbling in, squeaking and laughing; Timmy Willie learnt with horror that they were being chased by the cat. His appetite failed, he felt faint. "Try some jelly?" said Johnny Town-mouse.

"Kenapa anak-anak muda itu belum kembali dengan hidangan penutupnya?" Perlu dijelaskan bahwa dua tikus muda, yang sedang melayani yang lain, sesekali menyelinap naik ke dapur di antara hidangan. Beberapa kali mereka datang tergelincir masuk, sambil mencicit dan tertawa; Timmy Willie mengetahui dengan ngeri bahwa mereka sedang dikejar kucing. Selera makannya hilang, ia merasa lemas. "Coba sedikit agar-agar?" kata Johnny Town-mouse.

"No? Would you rather go to bed? I will show you a most comfortable sofa pillow."

"Tidak? Apakah kau lebih suka pergi tidur? Aku akan menunjukkan bantal sofa yang sangat nyaman."

The sofa pillow had a hole in it. Johnny Town-mouse quite honestly recommended it as the best bed, kept exclusively for visitors. But the sofa smelt of cat. Timmy Willie preferred to spend a miserable night under the fender.

Bantal sofa itu ada lubangnya. Johnny Town-mouse dengan sangat jujur merekomendasikannya sebagai tempat tidur terbaik, yang khusus disediakan untuk para tamu. Tapi sofa itu berbau kucing. Timmy Willie lebih memilih menghabiskan malam yang menyedihkan di bawah pagar perapian.

It was just the same next day. An excellent breakfast was provided—for mice accustomed to eat bacon; but Timmy Willie had been reared on roots and salad. Johnny Town-mouse and his friends racketted about under the floors, and came boldly out all over the house in the evening. One particularly loud crash had been caused by Sarah tumbling downstairs with the tea-tray; there were crumbs and sugar and smears of jam to be collected, in spite of the cat.

Keesokan harinya pun sama saja. Sarapan yang lezat disediakan—untuk tikus-tikus yang terbiasa makan daging asap; tapi Timmy Willie dibesarkan dengan akar-akaran dan selada. Johnny Town-mouse dan teman-temannya berlarian ribut di bawah lantai, dan keluar dengan berani ke seluruh rumah pada malam harinya. Satu suara gaduh yang sangat keras disebabkan oleh Sarah yang terjatuh menuruni tangga sambil membawa baki teh; ada remah-remah, gula, dan noda selai yang bisa dikumpulkan, meski ada kucing berkeliaran.

Timmy Willie longed to be at home in his peaceful nest in a sunny bank. The food disagreed with him; the noise prevented him from sleeping. In a few days he grew so thin that Johnny Town-mouse noticed it, and questioned him. He listened to Timmy Willie's story and inquired about the garden. "It sounds rather a dull place? What do you do when it rains?"

Timmy Willie sangat merindukan rumahnya, sarangnya yang damai di tepian yang cerah. Makanan itu tidak cocok dengan perutnya; suara berisik itu membuatnya tidak bisa tidur. Dalam beberapa hari ia menjadi begitu kurus sehingga Johnny Town-mouse memperhatikannya, dan menanyainya. Ia mendengarkan cerita Timmy Willie dan bertanya soal kebunnya. "Kedengarannya tempat yang cukup membosankan? Apa yang kau lakukan saat hujan?"

"When it rains, I sit in my little sandy burrow and shell corn and seeds from my Autumn store. I peep out at the throstles and blackbirds on the lawn, and my friend Cock Robin. And when the sun comes out again, you should see my garden and the flowers—roses and pinks and pansies—no noise except the birds and bees, and the lambs in the meadows."

"Kalau hujan, aku duduk di dalam liangku yang berpasir dan mengupas jagung serta biji-bijian dari simpanan musim gugurku. Aku mengintip keluar melihat burung-burung throstle dan jalak hitam di halaman rumput, dan sahabatku Cock Robin. Dan ketika matahari bersinar lagi, kau harus melihat kebunku dan bunga-bunganya—mawar dan bunga anyelir serta bunga pansi—tak ada suara berisik kecuali burung dan lebah, serta anak-anak domba di padang rumput."

"There goes that cat again!" exclaimed Johnny Town-mouse. When they had taken refuge in the coal-cellar he resumed the conversation; "I confess I am a little disappointed; we have endeavoured to entertain you, Timothy William."

"Itu kucingnya lagi!" seru Johnny Town-mouse. Ketika mereka telah berlindung di gudang batu bara, ia melanjutkan percakapan itu; "Aku mengakui aku agak kecewa; kami sudah berusaha menghiburmu, Timothy William."

"Oh yes, yes, you have been most kind; but I do feel so ill," said Timmy Willie.

"Oh iya, iya, kalian sudah sangat baik hati; tapi aku sungguh merasa tidak enak badan," kata Timmy Willie.

"It may be that your teeth and digestion are unaccustomed to our food; perhaps it might be wiser for you to return in the hamper."

"Mungkin gigi dan pencernaanmu belum terbiasa dengan makanan kami; barangkali akan lebih bijak kalau kau kembali naik keranjang itu."

"Oh? Oh!" cried Timmy Willie.

"Oh? Oh!" seru Timmy Willie.

"Why of course for the matter of that we could have sent you back last week," said Johnny rather huffily—"did you not know that the hamper goes back empty on Saturdays?"

"Sebenarnya kami bisa saja mengirimmu pulang sejak minggu lalu," kata Johnny agak tersinggung—"apakah kau tidak tahu bahwa keranjang itu kembali kosong setiap hari Sabtu?"

So Timmy Willie said good-bye to his new friends, and hid in the hamper with a crumb of cake and a withered cabbage leaf; and after much jolting, he was set down safely in his own garden.

Maka Timmy Willie mengucapkan selamat tinggal kepada teman-teman barunya, dan bersembunyi di dalam keranjang itu bersama sepotong remah kue dan selembar daun kubis layu; dan setelah banyak guncangan, ia diturunkan dengan selamat di kebunnya sendiri.

Sometimes on Saturdays he went to look at the hamper lying by the gate, but he knew better than to get in again. And nobody got out, though Johnny Town-mouse had half promised a visit.

Kadang-kadang pada hari Sabtu ia pergi melihat keranjang itu tergeletak di dekat gerbang, tapi ia tahu lebih baik tidak masuk lagi ke dalamnya. Dan tak ada seorang pun yang keluar, meskipun Johnny Town-mouse sudah setengah berjanji akan berkunjung.

The winter passed; the sun came out again; Timmy Willie sat by his burrow warming his little fur coat and sniffing the smell of violets and spring grass. He had nearly forgotten his visit to town. When up the sandy path all spick and span with a brown leather bag came Johnny Town-mouse!

Musim dingin pun berlalu; matahari bersinar lagi; Timmy Willie duduk di dekat liangnya menghangatkan mantel bulunya yang kecil dan mengendus aroma bunga violet serta rumput musim semi. Ia hampir lupa akan kunjungannya ke kota. Ketika di jalan setapak berpasir itu, rapi jali dengan tas kulit cokelat, datanglah Johnny Town-mouse!

Timmy Willie received him with open arms. "You have come at the best of all the year, we will have herb pudding and sit in the sun."

Timmy Willie menyambutnya dengan tangan terbuka. "Kau datang di waktu terbaik sepanjang tahun, kita akan makan puding herba dan duduk di bawah sinar matahari."

"H'm'm! it is a little damp," said Johnny Town-mouse, who was carrying his tail under his arm, out of the mud.

"Hmm! agak lembap di sini," kata Johnny Town-mouse, yang membawa ekornya terselip di bawah lengannya, menjauhkan dari lumpur.

"What is that fearful noise?" he started violently.

"Suara mengerikan apa itu?" ia tersentak kaget.

"That?" said Timmy Willie, "that is only a cow; I will beg a little milk, they are quite harmless, unless they happen to lie down upon you. How are all our friends?"

"Itu?" kata Timmy Willie, "itu cuma sapi; aku akan meminta sedikit susu, mereka sama sekali tidak berbahaya, kecuali kalau kebetulan mereka berbaring menimpamu. Bagaimana kabar semua teman kita?"

Johnny's account was rather middling. He explained why he was paying his visit so early in the season; the family had gone to the sea-side for Easter; the cook was doing spring cleaning, on board wages, with particular instructions to clear out the mice. There were four kittens, and the cat had killed the canary.

Kabar dari Johnny lumayan biasa saja. Ia menjelaskan mengapa ia berkunjung begitu awal di musim itu; keluarga itu sudah pergi ke tepi laut untuk liburan Paskah; juru masaknya sedang melakukan bersih-bersih musim semi, dengan gaji harian, dengan instruksi khusus untuk membasmi para tikus. Ada empat anak kucing, dan kucing itu telah membunuh burung kenarinya.

"They say we did it; but I know better," said Johnny Town-mouse. "Whatever is that fearful racket?"

"Mereka bilang kami yang melakukannya; tapi aku lebih tahu," kata Johnny Town-mouse. "Suara berisik mengerikan apa lagi itu?"

"That is only the lawn-mower; I will fetch some of the grass clippings presently to make your bed. I am sure you had better settle in the country, Johnny."

"Itu cuma mesin pemotong rumput; aku akan mengambil beberapa potongan rumput sebentar lagi untuk membuatkan tempat tidurmu. Aku yakin kau sebaiknya menetap di desa saja, Johnny."

"H'm'm—we shall see by Tuesday week; the hamper is stopped while they are at the sea-side."

"Hmm—kita lihat saja sampai hari Selasa depan; keranjangnya berhenti beroperasi selama mereka di tepi laut."

"I am sure you will never want to live in town again," said Timmy Willie.

"Aku yakin kau tidak akan pernah mau tinggal di kota lagi," kata Timmy Willie.

But he did. He went back in the very next hamper of vegetables; he said it was too quiet!!

Tapi ternyata ia mau. Ia kembali dengan keranjang sayuran berikutnya; katanya di desa terlalu sepi!!

One place suits one person, another place suits another person. For my part I prefer to live in the country, like Timmy Willie.

Satu tempat cocok untuk satu orang, tempat lain cocok untuk orang lain. Kalau aku sendiri, lebih suka tinggal di desa, seperti Timmy Willie.