Shorty July: The Masque of the Red Death

Why did I read the story? It's not on my to-read list, and I'm not a fan of Poe's prose works. To be honest, Phantom brought me there. I heard that the story inspires Phantom's masquerade costume, so I read the story. But i have nothing to regret. It's a good story, and I'd like to share my thoughts about it.

In Bahasa:

Alkisah ada sebuah wabah bernama “Red Death”, yang telah menelan begitu banyak korban. Wabah ini tidak pandang bulu, dan dengan mudah merebak, membunuh siapapun yang terjangkit. Seorang bangsawan, bernama Prospero, tidak ingin terkena wabah mematikan ini. Ia dan beberapa temannya akhirnya mengungsi ke sebuah rumah yang mewah, lengkap dengan segala sarana yang nyaman, demi menghindari wabah tersebut.

Suatu hari, ia mengadakan pesta topeng, dan ke pesta itu datanglah seorang tamu tidak dikenal, mengenakan kostum yang sangat mirip dengan korban “Red Death”. Prospero marah besar, dan memerintahkan agar tamu bertopeng tersebut ditangkap. Namun akhirnya..

Kisah ini sebenarnya menandaskan bahwa tidak seorang pun di dunia ini dapat mencurangi kematian, atau bersembunyi darinya. Prospero seolah mencoba cara terakhir untuk menyembunyikan diri dari maut, namun ke situ pulalah maut menjemput. Penyajian cerita yang gelap dan kelam khas Poe juga menambah ketegangan ketika membaca kisah ini. Jelaslah, kisah ini bukan kisah pengantar tidur (pengantar begadang, mungkin?). Silakan dicoba.

In English:

Prospero was a rich nobleman who tried to escape the “Red Death” - a plague that impartially and effectively killed people in the area. This plague was terrible, marked with pain and blood. Terrified by the possibility of contracted by the disease, he and some of his friends retired to a house far from the plague. He entertained his guest in every means possible, and even held parties for them.

Once he held a masquerade, in 7 different rooms with 7 different colours. In that party, an uninvited guest came. He wore a mask resembling a victim of the Red Death, thus scaring Prospero so much that he ordered the guest to be immediately captured – with no success.

The story tells us how impossible it is to cheat death or run away or hide form it. No matter how you try, it will come and catch you one day. Poe's dark and gloomy writing style adds more thrill to the story, gives it gothic elements in it, which is fun, but not that fun for a bedtime story.  

Shorty July: The Adventure of the Dying Detective by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Aha! It has been a while since I wrote anything about Sherlock Holmes, right? I mean, I love him so much, and yet I don't talk much about him. But today, for the Shorty July and Short Stories on Wednesday this week, I'd like to write about The Adventure of the Dying Detective, which is Sherlock Holmes, by Conan Doyle. As usual I will write in two languages, so here we go.

In Bahasa:

“Ia sekarat, Dr. Watson.”

Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes

Hanya dengan kalimat sederhana itu Mrs. Hudson membuat panik para Sherlockian yang membaca cerita ini untuk pertama kalinya. Bagaimana bisa kita membayangkan Sherlock Holmes, terbaring pasrah di ranjangnya, sekarat, menit demi menit menanti ajal menjemput? Tidak terbayangkan. Namun itulah yang Watson dapati terjadi pagi itu.

Kisah ini diawali dengan deskripsi singkat mengenai Sherlock Holmes sebagai “anak kos terburuk” di seluruh Inggris. Bagaimana tidak? Holmes memiliki berbagai kebiasaan-kebiasaan aneh nan menyebalkan, seperti menembaki pintu dan dinding kamar, melakukan eksperimen-eksperimen aneh (yang seharusnya dilakukan di laboratorium) di dalam kamar, dan main biola subuh-subuh. Tapi, bukankah keanehannya ini yang membuat banyak orang menyukainya?

Kalau pembaca menganggap bahwa berurusan dengan Sherlock Holmes yang sehat sudah cukup menguji kesabaran, silakan coba berurusan dengan pria ini sewaktu sedang sakit. Dijamin, pengalaman itu akan menjadi uji kesabaran yang tidak terlupakan. Detektif sekarat itu, bukannya menerima kebaikan hati temannya, malah menolak semua nasihat medis yang Watson berikan, bahkan meragukan kecakapan sang dokter dalam bidangnya tersebut. Bukan itu saja, dia malah memberikan perintah ini itu pada sang dokter, sambil mengoceh tidak jelas tentang koin, kerang, dan hal-hal lain. Seolah belum cukup, dia juga sempat membentak Watson hanya gara-gara perkara sebuah kotak kecil.

Ya sudahlah. Cerita ini pada dasarnya menonjolkan kualitas-kualitas seorang teman yang sangat baik dalam diri Watson. Dia sabar, perhatian, dan rela melakukan apa yang diminta Sherlock tidak soal seberapa menjengkelkannya temannya itu. Dan soal penyakit Sherlock Holmes, dapatkah Watson menemukan “obat” yang cocok bagi temannya?

In English:

“He’s dying, Dr. Watson.”

Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke
as Holmes and Watson

Alright. Those words are enough to make any Sherlockian tremble in fear when he reads it for the first time. To think about Sherlock Holmes, lying on his bed, half-dead, counting his last minutes on earth would be terrifying. But that was exactly how Watson found Holmes that day.

I don't want to give any spoiler, because perhaps some of the readers have this story as a part of their to-read list, but let me tell you this: this is a beautiful story. In this story we can see how irritating Holmes could be, and how patient, kind and loyal Watson was to him.

Even at the beginning of the story, Sherlock is described as the “worst tenant in London” with his mad, annoying habits (note that I'm using plural) such as shooting the wall, playing the violin at dawn, and doing scientific experiments in his room, while such thing should be done in laboratory. And yet, that's exactly what we love about him.

The doctor, on the other hand, is perhaps the best and kindest man anyone could find in London. Sometimes I pity him being so close to Sherlock Holmes instead of some less eccentric being. But he loved the thrill of adventures that surrounded the sleuth, and had proven every now and then that he was a valuable partner and a loyal companion of him.

And in this short story, Watson proves himself to be a great, kind, and long-suffering friend. How so? Well, just imagine. If you think dealing with a healthy Holmes is trying enough, you should never consider getting near the house when he's ill. Being almost dead, Holmes became so absurd. He wouldn't let Watson touch him, and refused any kind of medication, even doubting Watson's medical capability. He talked about oysters, coins, and other crazy stuff, while giving Watson specific instruction about the man he wanted to come to cure him. And to add on more thing on the list of his oddity, he even got mad over just a little box.

Would he die? Or would Watson find the sole remedy for his illness?

Shorty July: Ali Cogia and the Merchant from Arabian Nights

Yes, I read Arabian Nights stories. I have always loved fairy tales, and Arabian Nights is just a perfect choice for one such as I. Most of the stories, as you perhaps know, are about Genies, and Princes, and ghosts, and witched so on, but some little of them tell about just our ordinary lives in this ordinary world. Ali Cogia is one of those stories.

As the other post, I will write billingually. Here I go.

In Bahasa:

Ali Cogia adalah seorang pedagang, yang berniat untuk pergi ke tanah suci. Dia menitipkan kepada temannya, sesama pedagang, sebuah kendi berisi emas yang ditutupi dengan zaitun. Kendi tersebut diletakkan di rumah sang pedagang dengan janji bahwa ia tidak akan menyentuh barang milik Ali. Ali pun pergi ke tanah suci, namun sambil berkelana dan berdagang juga, sehingga akhirnya seluruh perjalanannya memakan waktu 7 tahun.

Sementara itu, sang pedagang ingin memakan zaitun yang ada di kendi Ali, sehingga akhirnya ia membuka kendi itu. Namnu, yang ia temukan ternyata bukan sekadar zaitun, melainkan emas dalam jumlah banyak. Akhirnya ia mengambil emas itu, dan mengganti zaitun yang ada dengan zaitun yang baru.

Sewaktu Ali pulang dan mendapati emasnya dicuri, ia meminta penjelasan dari snag pedagang, yang mengaku tidak tahu menahu soal itu. Ali pun meminta Kalifah Harun Al-Rasyid menjadi hakim bagi perkaranya. Sang Kalifah pun setuju.

Sore itu, pada hari sebelum pengadilan, sang Khalifah berjalan-jalan di kota dengan pakaian rakyat biasa, seperti kebiasaannya (kebiasaan yang baik, tentu saja, sehingga ia bisa melihat kehidupan rakyat jelata dengan mata kepalanya sendiri). Ia melihat anak-anak bermain. Sebuah kelompok anak-anak ternyata memainkan perkara Ali Cogia dan pedagang itu. Seorang anak lelaki yang masih kecil berperan sebagai Khalifah dan mengadili dengan sangat bijak sehingga Khalifah pun terkagum-kagum. (Kalau mau tahu lengkapnya, silakan baca sendiri kisah ini, menarik lho)

Sang Khalifah akhirnya memanggil anak itu dan menyuruhnya mengadili Ali dan pedagang itu. Anak ini pun melakukannya, tanpa lupa menyerahkan keputusan terakhir ke tangan sang Khalifah.

Cerita ini mengajarkan kita bahwa janji adalah hal yang serius, kebohongan pada akhirnya akan diketahui, dan bahwa bahkan orang-orang besar pun kadang-kadang perlu mendengar dari kebijaksanaan anak-anak. Saya secara pribadi menyukai sang Khalifah, karena ia adalah sosok pemimpin yang baik bagi orang-orang yang berada di bawah kekuasaannya.

In English:

So it's a story about Ali Cogia, who wanted to go in pilgrimage to Holy Land. Before he went, he put a large vase filled with gold, but covered with olives on its top, into his friend's confidence, a merchant as well. He promised him that he wouldn't touch it or open it. His journey proved to be a long adventure, for he sold and buy along the way, and made money as he came home. At last, after spending seven years on journey, he went home.

Meanwhile, the merchant wanted to eat olives, so he opened the vase and look! He found a great sum of gold inside. His greed prevailed over his good intention, so he took out the gold and replaced it with new olives.

When Ali came back and found no gold in his vase, he asked his friend what he had done with it. But the friend said he knew nothing about any gold. So Ali went to the Caliph, Harun Al-Rasyid, and stated his case. The Caliph agreed to judge his case.

The afternoon before the appointed day for the trial, the Caliph went to the city disguised as commoner, and watched the children played. One of the group played tha case of Ali Cogia, and the one acting as Caliph jugded wisely. So the Caliph asked him to judge the case the next day. The child did so, and the wicked merchant got what he deserved.

This story teaches us that even great people sometimes need to listen to the wisdom of a child. I especially like the Caliph for being a good leader of his people.

Shorty July: Oscar Wilde's The Young King

I knew I had to write some Oscar Wilde the first time I joined this meme. I've been thinking of writing about something from The House of Pomegranates, but I have to leave out Fisherman and His Soul today, for I'm not emotionally strong enough to tell my thoughts decently. So I come to the less-heartbreaking story, which is the story of The Young King.

In Bahasa:

Cerita ini mirip dengan cerita-cerita dongeng pada umumnya, bercerita tentang seorang raja yang masih muda dan berasal dari kalangan biasa. Sang raja begitu menyenangi barang-barang yang indah dan terobsesi dengan hobinya itu. Sang raja akan dilantik, dan ia sudah memesan pakaian, mahkota, dan tongkat kerajaan yang begitu megah dan indah untuknya.

Pada malam sebelum ia dimahkotai, sang raja mendapat tiga mimpi. Ketiga mimpi ini memperlihatkan kepada sang raja harga yang harus dibayar orang lain untuk memuaskan keinginan egoisnya. Sang raja pun terbangun, shock dan merasa bersalah.

Ia akhirnya memilih untuk tidak mengenakan satu pun dari barang-barang yang telah ia pesan. Sang raja berangkat dengan mengenakan baju biasa yang ia pakai sebelum menjadi raja, dan mahkota dari jalinan daun dan tongkat kayu. Orang-orang menertawakannya, namun ia tidak peduli. Sang uskup menolak memulai upacara tersebut, dan beberapa kesatria ingin membunuh sang raja, yang mereka nilai menghina negara mereka dengan penampilannya. Namun, saat sang raja berbalik, ia terlihat begitu agung, karena Tuhan sendiri yang memahkotainya.

Cerita ini sebenarnya sangat sederhana, namun mengandung pelajaran yang berharga. Beberapa kalimat terus melekat dalam benakku, seperti:

“'Will they not know me for a king if I have not a king’s raiment?' 'They will not know thee, My Lord'”

Kalimat itu tampak begitu kontras dengan kutipan terkenal dari William Shakespeare, “My crown is in my heart, and not on my head.”

“‘Shall Joy wear what Grief has fashioned?’”

Cerita pendek ini begitu penuh dengan pertanyaan-pertanyaan yang menggelitik hati kita untuk melihat apa yang sebenarnya terjadi di dunia ini, tempat si kaya dan si miskin begitu jauh berbeda, dan masing-masing saling tidak peduli pada yang lainnya.

In English:

This is a story about a young king who loved beautiful and rich things, and for his coronation , he asked the best that he could get for his garments, his sceptre and his crown. But at the night before his coronation, he saw three dreams, each showing him what the others must pay for his luxury. He woke up in horror and guilt after seeing such a dreadful nightmare.

In the morning, he refused to wear the clothes, sceptre, and crown, beautiful as they were, but he chose to wear a simple raiment instead. His servants protested, as they thought it would not befit a king to be crowned in such appearance. Even the bishop that was to crown him refused him. But in the end, the Lord himself crowned the young king with great splendour.

The story is actually very simple, easy to understand, but contains so many precious lessons for us. I can't throw away some sentences from my mind, such as:

“Will they not know me for a king if I have not a king’s raiment?”

“Are not the rich and the poor brothers?”

“Shall Joy wear what Grief has fashioned?”

In this world where the rich and the poor live in different dimension, each neither think nor understand each other's problem and sufferings, those questions I found very touching.  

Shorty July: Tolstoy's “Two Old Men”

So this prompt is held by BacaKlasik, and must be written in Bahasa. For my international readers, I will provide the English version of my writing as well, below the review in Bahasa. This month, we will read a lot of classic short stories from all around the world (hopefully) and blog about it.

In Bahasa

Cerita pendek karangan penulis dan filsuf Rusia kenamaan Leo Tolstoy yang akan saya bahas kali ini adalah “Two Old Men (Dua Pria Tua)”. Cerita ini mengisahkan perjalanan ziarah dua orang pria Rusia ke tanah suci di Timur Tengah. Kisah yang sederhana namun indah ini mengingatkan kita arti ibadat yang sesungguhnya.

Alkisah ada dua orang pria, Efim dan Elisha. Keduanya bersumpah untuk mengadakan ziarah ke tanah suci suatu hari nanti. Keduanya membuat persiapan yang matang, namun Elisha memiliki tekad yang kuat untuk pergi, bahkan siap membuat pengorbanan untuk itu, sementara Efim tampak agak menunda-nunda. Begitu banyak hal mengisi kepalanya.

Namun akhirnya, mereka pergi juga. Di jalan, Elisha secara tidak sengaja menemukan sebuah keluarga yang berada di ambang kematian akibat kemiskinan. Mereka kelaparan sampai tidak memiliki tenaga untuk bekerja. Karena kasihan, Elisha pun membelikan makanan untuk mereka, dan bahkan memastikan bahwa mereka akan punya pekerjaan dan sumber penghasilan sepeninggalnya ia. Tetapi, apa yang ia lakukan menghabiskan waktu serta uangnya, sehingga ia tidak bisa melanjutkan perjalanannya. Ia pun pulang, namun dengan hati yang tenang.

Di lain pihak, Efim meneruskan perjalanan dan akhirnya berziarah. Di tanah suci, ia tiga kali melihat Elisha, namun tidak benar-benar bertemu dengan temannya itu. Di perjalanan pulang, ia masuk ke gubuk tempat keluarga yang ditolong Elisha tinggal, dan mengetahui apa yang terjadi. Ia pun sadar bahwa ibadat yang sesungguhnya bukanlah sekadar mengunjungi tempat suci, namun mengamalkan perintah Tuhan.

Cerita ini sebenarnya sangat sederhana, bahkan bisa dikonsumsi anak-anak, namun mengandung pelajaran moral yang berharga. Ibadat ritual yang kita lakukan akan sia-sia tanpa praktek. Kebaikan yang kita tunjukkan kepada orang lain merupakan salah satu bentuk ibadat kita juga pada Allah.

In English:

It's a wonderful, wonderful short story, both simple and deep. It's about two men going on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land: Efim and Elisha. One of them is rich, and has many things to worry about, while the other is not so rich, but has less to think about, and is more determined to go as soon as possible. The latter doesn't mind making sacrifices to fulfill his oath to God, and after convincing his friend to set out, they both start the journey.

On the journey Elisha meets a family so poor and miserable. They are starving and have nothing to eat. Moreover, they don't have any energy left. They are just waiting for death. Moved in heart, Elisha takes care of teh family, even gives them the means to have a life once more. Doing so, Elisha spends all his money and cancels his journey. He goes home instead, a bit disappointed, but with peace of mind.

Efim, on the other hand, continues his journey, and does what he wants to do. There he thinks he sees Elisha, three times, in the Holy Land, but he can't meet him. On the journey home, he stays the night at the house where the family that Elisha helped lives. He learns that his friend cancels his journey on an honourable ground, and realises that Elisha is the one that does the pilgrimage better.

The story highlights that the real worship to God isn't the visible rituals that we do every period of time, but the effect of our faith in our lives. Does it make us better persons? The kindness we show to people around us is also a form of our worship to God.

I read the story online here.