Dongeng dari Amerika Selatan (A Tale from South America)
Di suatu daerah, tepatnya kawasan Barat Laut di Amerika Selatan, ada seekor anjing hutan yang keinginannya selalu dikabulkan oleh Dewa-dewa. ( a region, precisely in the Northwest region of South America, there was a coyote whose wishes always granted by gods.)
Suatu hari, anjing hutan yang bernama Moldi itu, sedang berjalan-jalan. “Cuaca panas sekali, betapa enaknya kalau ada awan,” celetuk Moldi. (One day, the coyote named Moldi, was taking a walk. “The weather is very hot, it will be good if there’s a cloud,” says Moldi.)
Tiba-tiba, ada awan di atas kepala Moldi. Namun Moldi menginginkan awan yang lebih besar. Sesaat kemudian, awan gelap menggantung. (Suddenly, a cloud appeared over Moldi’s head. However Moldi wanted a larger cloud. A moment later, a dark cloud appears.)
“Betapa enaknya kalau hujan rintik-rintik sehingga aku bisa membersihkan bulu-buluku,” ucap Moldi. Dewa pun mengabulkan keinginan Moldi dengan memberikan hujan rintik-rintik. (“It’ll be good if there’s a light rain so that I can clean my furs,” says Moldi. Gods granted Moldi’s wish by providing him a light rain.)
Akan tetapi, Moldi tidak juga merasa puas. “Aku ingin hujan yang lebat!” seru Moldi. (However, Moldi didn’t feel satisfied. “I want a heavy rain!” exclaims Moldi.)
Sementara itu, di bawah pohon asem yang sudah tua, hidup sepasang tupai yang heran melihat tingkah Moldi. “Mengapa si Moldi tidak pernah merasa puas ya?” tanya tupai perempuan. Tupai laki-laki hanya menggelengkan kepala sembari bekerja mengumpulkan makanan. (Meanwhile, under the old tamarind tree, there lived two squirrels that looked astonished seeing Moldi’s behavior. “How come Moldi never feel satisfied?” asks the female squirrel. The male squirrel only shook his head as he worked collecting food.)
Hujan lebat di hutan Amerika Selatan itu pun makin deras seperti permintaan Moldi. Kondisi tersebut membuat banyak binatang sibuk mencari tempat berlindung. (The heavy rain in that jungle of South America got even heavier as Moldi wished. That condition made many animals busy looking for shelter.)
Moldi tidak juga puas dengan kondisi hujan yang cukup lebat. “Aku ingin ada sungai kecil yang mengalir sehingga aku bisa bermain air,” pinta Moldi. (Moldi still didn’t feel satisfied with the heavy rain. “I want a small river that flows so that I can play with the water,” pleads Moldi.)
Tak berapa lama, sungai kecil pun mengalir. “Tapi, betapa enaknya kalau aku bisa bermain di sungai yang lebih besar lagi!” kata Moldi. (Not long after, a small river flew. “But, how good it is if I could play in the larger river!” says Moldi.)
Permintaan Moldi kali ini pun kembali dikabulkan Dewa. Sungai kecil itu berubah menjadi sungai yang sangat lebar dengan arus yang sangat deras. (Moldi’s request was granted again by god. The small river turned into a very wide river with a very swift flow.)
“Oh tidaaak…! Aku terbawa arus sungai ini!” teriak Moldi yang kemudian tenggelam. Moldi berusaha menyelamatkan diri ke tepi dan kemudian pingsan. (“Oh Noooo …! I get drowned by the river flow!” shouts Moldi before he drowned. Moldi tried to save himself and then he fainted.)
Sore harinya Moldi terbangun dan ia melihat di sekelilingnya banyak burung pemakan bangkai. “Aku belum mati!” teriak Moldi buru-buru berdiri dan berlalu dari hadapan burung-burung itu. (At the evening, Moldi woke up and saw vultures around him. “I’m not dead yet!” shouts Moldi rushed to stand on his feet and went away from the birds.)
Sejak saat itu, Moldi tidak tamak lagi. Ia selalu mensyukuri apa yang telah diberikan kepadanya. (Since then, Moldi is not greedy anymore. He is always grateful for whatever has been given to him.)
Cerita: JFK Ilustrasi: JFK
