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English to Indonesian: La Chateau Rouge General field: Art/Literary
Source text - English They had seen her one morning as she left her bungalow hidden among the rose bushes and set out on mountain trails damp with dew and soft with moss. And they had followed her, drawn by the spellbinding power of her beauty.
They walked along, softly singing, amid the rays of the sun that made her hair shine and surrounded her like a halo of light. Seen in this way, radiant, with all the gold around her head, she seemed to be a vision from a dream, impossible in reality.
After a long walk, she found herself once again in front of her bungalow. In their contemplation, they hadn’t noticed that they had come too close. So she glanced over at them, seeing these men so singular in their persons and dress, she paused a moment, dismayed. Then she laughed suddenly and disappeared among the roses.
They were left speechless, with a final vision of gold and white, and with the ringing laughter that continued to tinkle in their ears.
La Chateau Rouge rose in an utterly desolate clearing in the mountains. It was already an ancient ruin, picturesque and melancholy. It was beautiful in its collapse, covered in ivy and moss with dense undergrowth as a background, so thick that it extended as far as the eye could see. The mountaineers from the surrounding countryside shunned these places with the customary fear of ghosts, and so solitude and silence reigned there. It was night. The moon illuminated the castle with a picturesque play of shadows. One saw dark spaces, menacing battlements, massive iron gates; and the ear waited for the sound of a mandolin or the warning of a sentry.
Suddenly, strange profiles sand out in the semi-darkness. Whistles are heard, footsteps, and then silence.
We are in the underground passages of the castle; a singular assembly of people is gathered there. One of them speaks: “Comrades, I have noticed that you are disturbed. I have seen the admiration in your eyes. This woman is a symbol for us, she must be ours, and this will be. But, comrades, are you certain that no individual selfishness is beginning to develop, and that none of you desires her to be his and his alone? Because then our little world would be forced to disappear for the sake of a woman. Think about it, comrades.”
There was silence. A shudder passed through the men. A sob was heard. It was the youngest of them who wept. No one was surprised. They all felt a bit of this sadness within themselves. The weeper stepped forward:“Listen to me, Maggot; listen to me, comrades. I am a vile creature. I have let myself be bewitched by this female and I feel that I would do anything for her. I would even betray you. Comrades, punish me.”
He stood there waiting.
A deep emotion filled them all. No one dared to reproach. Those words and that anguish were in all of their hearts. Maggot stood up and said:
“You will have to leave it to me to do this. Consider, however, that I will lock you in this passage until I return.”
They all clasped his hand wistfully and he departed. They sat in melancholy reverie as the sparkling torches wasted away.
Two weeks went by, and in the underground passage, the suspense was gnawing at everyone. They paced feverishly, ears pricked. Fear, anxiety and suspicion raised commotion in everyone’s mind.
But around eleven o’clock at night, they heard the locks squeak. Everyone jumped.
Maggot entered. By the light of the torches, everyone noticed a change in him. He was more bent than ever, with dark circles under his eyes and a sad and ironic curl to his lips. Everyone clasped his hands in silence.
“Comrades, it is all done. I managed to recognize her and followed her into the stormy city that we caused to tremble. And I learned who she was... She was a courtesan. A famous courtesan, privilege of the high bourgeoisie. Yes, comrades, that beauty gave herself away in exchange for banknotes. When I learned this, I was horrified. Like all of us I have no prejudices, but that symbol of beauty that we pursued had to be something pure, something superior...
“Once again, reality was victorious. I saw her on the boulevard hand in hand with a stupid vain financier, smiling at his sugarcoated foolishness as it rolled off his tongue. I saw her half — naked at suppers and revelries, rousing lust at the feast.
“And I was filled with disgust when I learned that this women’s lover was a deformed horror about whom she was crazy!
“Imagine, comrades, that the filthy natural deformity on the divine breast of that woman... ?!”
The sharp, implacable voice hammered the words with hatred and malice. The listeners shuddered. He went on:
“I saw all this, and at that moment I wanted to be a god in order to strike down the disgusting society that sullies our illusions in this way. I was no god, but I acted just the same. Suddenly she disappeared. Her lover was found murdered in his bed.
“The city was in an uproar, then in the fury of the event everything was forgotten.
“She was with me in a shack a little ways beyond the developed areas. She was my prisoner.”
The voice took on a joyful, triumphant tone; the others listened with baited breath.
“She was my prisoner. I saw her in all her beauty, nude, with long blonde hair flowing over her shoulders. One night as she sleeping and I kept watch over her, I removed all of her clothes and kissed her all over her body in an orgy of adoration.
“She woke up with triumph in her eyes.
“But at the thought of the mercenary kisses that had passed over her body before mine, the poet rebelled, it rebelled and I killed her.”
The voice howled this last phrase tragically. The motionless listeners saw everything as if in a dream and gasped.
The sepulchral voice continued: “I killed her with a quick poison. I watched her writhe and die... It was then that I triumphed. And now lie is ours. You will see her.”
He went out and whistled. Two men entered with a box on their shoulders. They laid her down. Without removing the veil that covered her, Maggot continued:
“Comrades, I give you the greatest gift. Pure beauty alone is feminine. I have purified the courtesan with the fever of my thought.”
Suddenly, he tore off the veils. Behind the glass, her nude body still appeared to be alive. Everyone fell on their knees and gazed at her, murmuring incoherently, their eyes filled with a new light. Maggot pronounced the final words triumphantly, joyfully, with a new melodious lilt to his voice:
“Comrades, here she is, immortal, pure, ours. Our eyes will be able to rest on her without disgust because she now belongs to the dream and lives within it. She is among the Cavaliers of illusion!”
The seasons followed one another without interruption on those mountains, and gales and tempests howled around La Chateau Rouge. The bungalow of roses is inhabited by tranquil bourgeoisie, and the beautiful young lady, as the mountaineers called her, is forgotten.
From time to time, whatever the season, strange individuals climb up the cliffs to the castle.
We can say that they are the Moles and Gallants who come to forget the powdered and vulgar mugs that they see in the city, admiring the pure beauty, the bodiless beauty, the beauty that lives in the dream.
Translation - Indonesian Mereka menyaksikan seorang wanita meninggalkan bungalo yang tersembunyi diantara semak-semak mawar. Kemudian mereka berjalan di jalur pegunungan yang basah oleh embun serta lembut diselimuti lumut. Mereka telah mengikuti sang wanita, terhela oleh kecantikannya yang menghipnotis.
Mereka bersenandung, berjalan bersama di tengah-tengah cahaya mentari yang membuat rambut sang wanita berkilau dan mengelilinginya bak sinar halo. Demikian nampak berseri dengan semburat emas di sekitar kepalanya, Ia seperti sebuah adegan dalam mimpi, mustahil dalam realita.
Setelah lama berjalan-jalan, sang wanita mendapati dirinya di depan bungalo. Mereka termenung dan tak sadar telah berada terlalu dekat. Sang wanita memandang mereka, melihat para pria itu berperawakan serta berpakaian ganjil, kemudian terdiam, resah. Ia mendadak tertawa kemudian menghilang di antara mawar-mawar.
Mereka termangu oleh bayangan terakhir penuh warna keemasan dan putih, serta derai tawa yang terus berdenting di telinga.
La Chateau Rouge-Kastil Merah menjulang di antara tanah lapang yang sangat terpencil. Bangunan itu sudah menjadi puing-puing kuno, elok namun suram. Ia permai dalam reruntuhannya, berselimutkan tanaman rambat dan lumut dengan semak rimbun pada pelatarannya, sedemikian rimbun hingga nampak sejauh mata memandang. Para pendaki gunung dari desa sekitar menjauhinya karena dianggap angker, maka kesendirian serta kesunyian menguasai tempat tersebut. Ketika itu malam. Rembulan menerangi kastil dengan permainan bayang-bayang nan elok. Orang dapat melihat sudut-sudut gelap, dinding benteng yang tampak mengancam, gerbang besi yang besar dan kokoh; dan telinga seolah menunggu terdengarnya suara mandolin atau peringatan seorang prajurit.
Tiba-tiba raut ganjil perlahan muncul di tengah keremangan. Siulan terdengar, langkah-langkah kaki, kemudian hening.
Kami berada di jalur bawah tanah kastil; sekelompok orang berkumpul di sana. Salah satunya berucap:
“Kawan-kawan, Saya dapat melihat bahwa kau sedang gelisah. Saya menyaksikan kekaguman di matamu. Wanita ini adalah lambang bagi kita, Ia harus jadi milik kita, dan ini akan terjadi. Tapi, kawan-kawan, yakinkah kau bahwa tak ada alasan pribadi egoismu yang muncul, dan tak ada dari kau sekalian yang menginginkannya untukmu sendiri? Bilamana demikian maka dunia kecil kita terpaksa harus lenyap demi seorang wanita. Renungkan itu, kawan-kawan.”
Senyap. Rasa ngeri beriak menembus para lelaki. Isak tangis terdengar. Adalah yang paling muda di antara mereka yang tersedu. Tidak ada yang terkejut. Mereka merasakan kepiluan ini dalam diri masing-masing. Yang tersedu kemudian melangkah maju:
“Dengarkan aku, Maggot; dengarkan aku, kawan-kawan. Akulah makhluk busuk. Aku membiarkan diriku jatuh dalam pesona wanita ini dan merasa aku akan melakukan apapun untuknya. Bahkan menghianatimu. Kawan, hukumlah aku.”
Ia berdiri menunggu.
Perasaan mendalam memenuhi mereka semua. Tak satupun berani [mencelakan/menegur/menyalahkan]. Kata-kata tersebut beserta kepedihan ada dalam masing-masing hati mereka. Maggot berdiri dan berkata:
“Kau pasrahkan saja untuk aku melakukannya. Namun pikirkan, bahwa aku akan menguncimu di sini hingga aku kembali.”
Mereka mengatupkan tangan dalam sendu dan ia pergi. Mereka duduk melamunkan kesedihan di kilauan obor yang semakin redup.
Dua minggu berlalu, dan di dalam jalur bawah tanah itu ketegangan menggerogoti semua orang. Mereka mondar-mandir gelisah, telinga mereka bergidik. Rasa ngeri, was-was dan curiga menimbulkan kekacauan dalam pikiran setiap orang.
Tetapi sekitar pukul sebelas malam, mereka mendengar kunci berderik. Semuanya terkejut.
Maggot masuk. Diterangi nyala obor, mereka melihat perbedaan pada dirinya. Ia lebih buruk dari sebelumnya, dengan lingkaran hitam di bawah mata dan lengkung senyum yang nampak muram dan ironi. Semua mengatupkan tangan dalam diam.
“Kawan-kawan, semuanya telah usai. Saya berhasil mengenalinya dan membuntutinya menuju kota ramai yang kita getarkan. Saya mencari tahu siapa Ia… Ia seorang wanita tunasusila. Tunasusila tenar yang istimewa untuk kaum borjuis tinggi. Ya, kawan, si cantik menukarkan dirinya untuk uang. Saat saya mengetahui ini, saya merasa ngeri. Seperti kita semua saya tidak berprasangka, tapi lambang keelokan yang kita kejar seharusnya sesuatu yang murni, sesuatu yang lebih…”
“Sekali lagi, kenyataanlah yang menang. Saya melihat Ia bergandengan di jalan dengan seorang pemodal perlente, tersenyum pada kebodohan yang meluncur dari lidahnya yang dipermanis. Saya melihatnya setengah telanjang pada makan malam dan pesta-pesta, mendebarkan gairah pada perjamuan.”
“Dan Saya merasa sangat jijik ketika saya tahu bahwa kekasih wanita ini adalah seorang buruk cacat yang sangat digilai sang wanita!”
“Bayangkan, kawan-kawan, si cacat yang menjijikkan pada dada molek wanita itu…?!”
Suaranya yang tajam dan ngotot menghujam tiap kata-kata dengan penuh dendam dan dengki. Mereka yang mendengarkan bergidik. Ia melanjutkan:
“Saya menyaksikan semua ini, dan ketika itu saya ingin menjadi dewa agar mampu menjatuhkan masyarakat menjijikan yang menodai angan-angan kita. Saya bukan dewa, tapi saya bertindak sepertinya. Seketika wanita itu menghilang. Kekasihnya ditemukan tewas di ranjangnya.”
“Kota tersebut gempar, kemudian di tengah puncak kegaduhan tersebut semuanya terlupakan.”
“Wanita itu bersamaku dalam gubuk tak jauh dari area padat kota. Ia menjadi tawananku.”
Suara tersebut kemudian terdengar senang dan jaya; yang lain menyimak dengan napas tertahan.
“Ia menjadi tawananku. Saya melihatnya cantik seutuhnya, telanjang, dengan rambut pirang panjang terurai melewati bahunya. Suatu malam selagi ia tertidur dan saya menjaganya, saya melucuti semua pakaiannya dan mencumbu seluruh tubuhnya dalam pemujaan penuh sukacita.”
“Wanita itu terbangun dengan sorot mata penuh kemenangan.”
“Tapi dengan memikirkan ciuman belian yang telah terjejak di tubuhnya sebelum ciumanku, penyair (dalam diriku) memberontak, ia memberontak dan aku membunuh wanita itu.”
Suara itu melolong tragis pada kalimat terakhirnya. Pendengar tak bergerak, menyaksikan segalanya seolah berada dalam mimpi dan terkejut.
Suara yang muram melanjutkan: “Saya membunuhnya dengan racun yang cepat. Saya menyaksikannya menggeliat dan tewas… Saat itulah saya menang. Dan kini yang terbaring adalah milik kita. Engkau akan melihatnya.”
Pria itu keluar dan bersiul. Dua pria lain masuk dan memanggul sebuah kotak pada bahu. Mereka menurunkannya. Tanpa menyingkap selubung yang menutupi, Maggot berkata:
“Kawan-kawan, Saya persembahkan hadiah nan agung. Kecantikan murni sendiri itu feminin. Saya mensucikan tunasusila ini dengan luapan pikiran saya.”
Seketika ia menyibakkan selubung. Di balik kaca, tubuh telanjang wanita itu seakan nampak hidup. Semua orang jatuh berlutut dan menatapnya, berbisik tak jelas, mata mereka bercahaya. Maggot menyerukan kata-kata terakhir penuh kejayaan, sukacita, dengan irama merdu pada suaranya:
“Kawan-kawan, inilah ia, abadi, murni, milik kita. Kita akan memandangnya tanpa rasa jijik karena ia kini milik angan-angan dan hidup di dalamnya. Ia berada di antara Kavaleri ilusi!”
Musim silih berganti tanpa tersendat di pegunungan itu, dan badai topan meraung-raung di sekitar Kastil Merah. Bungalo penuh mawar dihuni borjuis yang tenang, dan sang wanita cantik seperti para pendaki menyebutnya, telah terlupakan.
Dari waktu ke waktu, musim apapun, orang-orang aneh mendaki tebing untuk melihat kastil.
Kita dapat menyebut mereka si Spion dan si Perlente yang datang untuk melupakan orang bodoh cabul berbedak tebal yang mereka lihat di kota, untuk mengagumi kemolekan murni, tak bertubuh, kecantikan yang hidup dalam angan.
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Years of experience: 11. Registered at ProZ.com: Sep 2014.
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