Pada zaman dahulu, hiduplah seekor singa yang bijaksana dan bisa berbicara bahasa manusia. Dia dinamai singa kota. Suatu hari, singa kota berjalan-jalan. Si singa menyapa penduduk kota dan membiarkan kepalanya dielus oleh anak-anak kecil. (Once upon a time, there lived a wise lion who can talk like a human. He was called the town lion. One day, the town lion goes for a walk. He greets the townspeople and allows children to stroke his head.)
“Kau selalu nampak gagah, singa kota!” kata seorang anak laki-laki. “Tahukah kau bahwa si pematung membuat patungmu?” kata seorang anak perempuan. “Wah, aku senang sekali!” seru singa kota. (“You always look valiant, o town lion!” says a boy. “Did you know that the sculptor has made a statue out of you?” a little girl adds. “Wow, I’m very excited!” says the lion.)
Singa lalu berkunjung ke rumah si pematung. “Pematung, ini aku, singa kota!” serunya. “Singa kota, kejutan yang menyenangkan! Masuklah, ayo lihat karya-karya baruku!” kata si pematung. (The lion then visits the sculptor’s house. “Hey sculptor, it’s me, town lion!” he exclaims. “What a pleasant surprise! Come, look at my new works!” says the sculptor.)
Singa melihat-lihat karya patung baru si pematung. Semuanya indah dan menyenangkan untuk dilihat. Ada bunga, pohon, hewan, dan manusia. “Wah, apa ini?” tanya singa kota ketika dia melihat sebuah patung yang menarik perhatiannya. Patung itu menggambarkan seorang manusia yang sedang mengusir singa. (The lion then looks at the sculptors new works. All of them are beautiful and good to look at. There’s flower, tree, animal, and human. “Wow, what’s this?” asks the town lion when he sees a particular statue that draws his attention. The statue depicts a human chasing away a lion.)
“Ah, ini karyaku yang paling terkenal! Judulnya ‘Pengusiran Singa Liar’!” seru si pematung bangga. “Pematung, apakah kau sudah pernah bertemu dengan singa liar?” tanya singa kota. “Tentu saja belum, tapi aku yakin semua singa seperti dirimu, bijaksana dan jinak! Semua orang di kota ini mengatakan begitu,” kata pematung. (“Ah, this is my most renowned work! It’s called ‘The Wild Lion Eviction’!” shares the sculptor in pride. “Hey sculptor, have you met a wild lion?” asks the town lion. “Of course I haven’t, but I’m sure all lions are like you, wise and tame! Everyone in this town says so,” replies the sculptor.)
“Bagaimana kalau kita buktikan perkataanmu?” kata singa kota. Maka Singa kota mengajak si pematung pergi ke padang. Di sana mereka bertemu dengan singa liar. Si pematung mencoba mengusir singa liar. “Hush! Ayo pergi!” ucapnya. Singa liar sangat marah dan mengaum menakutkan. “Toloong!” ujar si pematung lari terbirit-birit. (“What if we prove your words then?” asks the town lion. And so, the town lion took the sculptor on a trip to a savanna. There, they meet a wild lion. The sculptor tries to chase it away. “Shoo! Go on!” he says. The wild lion is angry and shouts a frightening roar. “Heeelp!” says the sculptor as he runs for his life.)
“Bagaimana pematung?” tanya singa kota kemudian. “Oh singa kota! Bagaimana aku bisa begitu bodoh? Ternyata tidak semua singa seperti dirimu!” tangis si pematung. “Pematung yang lugu, kau punya hati yang baik. Karena itu berhati-hatilah dengan perkataan orang, karena tidak semua benar. Buktikan dulu perkataan mereka,” kata singa kota bijaksana. (“What now, sculptor?” asks the town lion. “Oh town lion, How could I be so ignorant? Not all lions are like you,” the sculptor says in tears. “Oh naïve sculptor, you have a good heart. Be careful of what people say, because not everything you hear is true. You should prove their words first,” the wise town lion advises.)
(Teks: Seruni/ Ilustrasi: Fika/ Translator: Yos)
