Cerita Rakyat Dalam Negeri dan Luar Negeri Bahasa Inggris

The Real Story of Pinocchio

Once upon a time, Gepetto, an old woodsman, living in the great Italian pine forest, was lonely. He always dreamed about having a son. Each day, he went cutting woods for the town’s people. One day, an idea illuminated his mind, the idea of crafting a puppet, which he will call it Pinocchio. He crafted that puppet and during the night, the puppet becomes alive!

One year of happiness and thriller passed, on a Sunday morning, Gepetto told Pinocchio:

‘’It’s my birthday soon, my little son! I hope you didn’t forget it!’’

‘’Euh, sure, I didn’t!’’

Pinocchio felt awkward. He didn’t thought about that. Gepetto’s birthday was coming in only three days, and he hadn’t even a present.

After a long night of reflecting, Pinocchio finally decided to offer a homemade chocolate cake to him as a present. When the sun rose, Pinocchio was already ready to go outside find the ingredients. The main problem was he didn’t even known the in and the recipe.

So after school, he decided to go ask someone for the ingredients to bake a cake. During his walk, Pinocchio, the wooden puppet, met the town’s sorcerer.
‘’Hey, little boy, do you need some help for your chocolate cake?’’

‘’Hum…You can help me?’’, asked Pinocchio.

‘’Sure, I can. Follow me!’’

After walking few minutes so, Pinocchio saw a big, big, big candy house. They entered together and Pinocchio got caught by a big cage.

‘’Mouahahaha!!! I finally caught you! You’ll be mine, you’re gonna work for me!’’, said the evil sorcerer.

Pinocchio was so scared. When the guards came and took him out of the cage, he immediately ran away very fast and he succeeded to escape. At the same time, the evil sorcerer, calling all his troops with him, ran after him and he took out his magic wand. The evil devil changed the little wooden puppet into a chocolate cake!

When he came back home, he told the entire story to his father and they went to find the god fairy.

After a long trip, they finally find the god fairy and they got the magical potion for Pinocchio.

Tangkuban Perahu

Once upon a time in west Java, Indonesia lived a wise king who had a beautiful daughter.   Her name was Dayang Sumbi.  She liked weaving very much.  Once she was weaving a cloth when one of her tool fell to the ground.  She was very tired at the time so she was too lazy to take it.  Then she just shouted outloud.

‘Anybody there?  Bring me my tool.  I will give you special present.  If you are female,  I will consider you as my sister.  If you are male, I will marry you

Suddenly a male dog, its name was Tumang, came.  He brought her the falling tool.  Dayang Sumbi was very surprised.  She regretted her words but she could not deny it.  So she had to marry Tumang and leave her father.  Then they lived in a small village.  Several months later they had a son.  His name was Sangkuriang.  He was a handsome and healthy boy.

Sangkuriang liked hunting very much.  He often went hunting to the wood using his arrow.  When he went hunting Tumang always with him.  In the past there were many deer in Java so Sangkuriang often hunted for deer.

One day  Dayang Sumbi wanted to have deer’s heart so she asked Sangkuriang to hunt for a deer.   Then Sangkuriang went to the wood with his arrow and his faithful dog Tumang.  But after several days in the wood Sangkuriang could not find any deer.  They were all disappeared.  Sangkuriang was exhausted and desperate.  He did not want to disappoint her mother so he killed Tumang.  He did not know that Tumang was his father.  At home he gave Tumang’s heart to her mother.

But Dayang Sumbi knew that it was Tumang’s heart.  She was so angry that she could not control her emotion.  She hit Sangkuriang at his head.  Sangkuriang was wounded.  There was  a scar in his head.    She also repelled her son.   Sangkuriang left her mother in sadness.

Many years passed and Sangkuriang became a strong young man.  He wandered  everywhere.     One day he arrived at his own village but he did not realized it.  There he met Dayang Sumbi.  At the time Dayang Sumbi was given an eternal beauty by God so she stayed young forever.  Both of them did not know each other.  So they fell in love and then they decided to marry.

But then Dayang Sumbi recognized a scar on his Sangkuriang’s head.  She knew that Sangkuriang was his son.  It was impossible for them to marry.  She told him but he did not believe her.  He wished that they marry soon.  So Dayang Sumbi gave a very difficult condition.  She wanted Sangkuriang to build a lake and a boat in one night!  She said she needed that for honeymoon.

Sangkuriang agreed.  With the help of genie and spirits Sangkuriang tried to build them.  By midnight he had finished  the lake by building a dam in Citarum river.  Then he started building the boat.  It was almost dawn when he nearly finished it.  Meanwhile Dayang Sumbi kept watching on them.  She was very worried when she knew this.  So she made lights in the east.  Then the spirits thought that it was already dawn.  It was time for them to leave.  They left Sangkuriang alone.  Without their help he could not finish the boat.

Sangkuriang was very angry.  He kicked the boat.  Then the boat turned out to be Mount Tangkuban Perahu.  It means boat upside down.  From a distant it looks like a boat upside down.

Sleeping Beauty

Long time ago there lived a king and Queen who held a great feast to celebrate the birth of their baby daughter, Briar Rose. Invitations were sent to all the fairies to bless the princess except to one as it was presumed that she was dead. Each of them came to the king's feast bringing special gifts for the little princes. The fairies began to give their gifts. "She shall be beautiful, "said the first".”She shall be wise "said the second". "She shall be kind, "said the third". Only one fairy was left to give the gift when suddenly the room went dark. Then after a great flash of light the same the fairy who was left out, came in view.

She was furious as no one had invited her at the feast. Then she said, "Well heroes my blessing feast. Then she said, “well heroes my blessing that on her sixteenth birthday she will put her finger on a spinning wheel and die." Another flash of light came and the fairy was gone. Then another fairy who was there stepped forward. “My gift for the princess in still left." "My gift to her is life! When the spindle pricks her finger she will not die but will fall into a deep sleep. That will last for a hundred years. Only a kiss from her true love will wake her.

The following day the king issued a proclamation, ordering that all spinning wheels and spindles be destroyed. Over the years the princess grew into a lovely girl. On the sixteenth birthday everyone was preparing for the Party. The princess decided to go exploring the palace. "I wonder what is in the great south tower," she said and made her way to it.

She saw a small door with a key on it. She turned the key and the door opened. Then she saw some stairs and started climbing up. Meanwhile the king and Queen started looking for the princes. Everyone had seen her but nobody knew where she had been going. The princess had reached the top of the tower, where she saw another door that was slightly open. Then she heard a strange whirring sound, which she had never heard before. She went into the room and saw an old woman working at a spinning label. "What are you doing, asked Briar Rose, the princess?”I have never seen one of those before, what is it"? "It’s a spinning wheel said the old woman who was the wicked fairy in disguise.

The Princes asked her if she could try and spin on the wheel, in the spindle she went to sleep. And immediately everyone in the place also fell asleep, the cooks, the maids, the ministers everyone fell asleep. The princess was now known as sleeping beauty. Year passed…. A king's son would come to the famous Brior hedge to find out the mystery of the sleeping beauty.

One day the same charming prince, asked some villagers that where can he find the hedge? Just beyond the village young sir "said the villagers. The Prince went to strike at the hedge, but when his sword met the thorns great roses bloomed and a path opened for him. The prince entered the palace went to the tower room and saw the princess fast asleep. He lent over and gently kissed her. Brior rose, the sleeping beauty flickered her eyes and she woke up. When she saw the charming prince she fell in love with him. All round the palace people began to wake up from their sleep. The Prince and the princess got married. The royal wedding lasted for several days ending with a magnificent ball. The Prince and princess danced and danced all night.

Onion and Garlic

 

In the ancient time, lived a little family. The family consists of father, mother, and a beautiful girl named Garlic. They are a harmonious and happy family despite his father worked as an ordinary merchant. One day, the happiness in this family was lost because the mother died. Garlic was very sad because she was very fond of her mother. Her father was also so sad because he loved his wife so much.

After Garlic’s mother died, her house was visited frequently by a widow who had a daughter named Onion. The widow often came with Onion to the Garlic’s home by bringing food, helping to clean the house, and chatting with Garlic’s father. Finally, the father thinks that he should marry the widow and made the widow as a new mother for Garlic

He asked for consideration of the proposal to Garlic. After being allowed to get married by Garlic, then her father immediately carried out the marriage. They become a new family and lived in a house. At first, the mother and Onions behaved Garlic very well. However, the good behavior did not to be last long. Soon, the Onion and her mother began to show their bad attitude. Garlic was often scolded and given heavy works when the father went to trade. She had to do a lot of housework while the Onions just sit and did not work at all. However, the situation was never told by her to his father, so the Garlic continued to be treated badly by Onions and her mother.

One day, his father was sick and passed away. Since then, Garlic was treated worse than before. Garlic almost never had a break every day. In the morning, she had to get up in order to prepare breakfast and the water for Onion and her mother. Later, she also gave eating to the livestock, washing clothes, and even watering the entire garden. Although she should do so many works, she always did it happily. She hoped, with such sincerity, her mother would love her sincerely someday.

On the morning, Garlic went to the river to wash the clothes. She was so excited and washed vigorously. Because of getting too excited, she was not aware that there was a shirt that washed away. She realized that the shirt had been washed away when the flow carried it far enough. Later, she pursued but did not get the shirt. She felt hopeless and immediately went home.

The shirt was her mother’s favorite. Of course, the mother was angry and told her to look for the shirt until she could found it. Garlic came back to the river and walked to the west to seek her mother’s favorite shirt. She walked along the river up to tens of kilometers. After that, Garlic suddenly saw someone who was bathing the buffalo in the river. She asked the man about the clothes were washed away. Later, she was informed that the shirt drifting and it was not far from where she was standing. At that moment, Garlic immediately ran down the river to find the shirt.

It was getting dark and the Garlic found a home. Because of completely exhausted, she decided to take a break in the house. Apparently, it housed an old lady who had previously found the shirt. The old lady wanted to return the shirt to her, but she should accompany the old lady during a week. She agreed to stay with the lady for a week. Within a week, she made the old lady to be so happy because she was diligent and never complained even though felt so tired.

After accompanying for a week, she was given a pumpkin as the gift. When opening it, she was very surprised because there were so much gold and gems. She immediately went home and told the happening to her mother and also Onion. However, the gold and jewels that she got immediately seized and she was forced to tell where the jewelry could be obtained. Garlic immediately said that she got it from an old lady who lived near the river.

In the next day, Onion came to that house and stayed for a week like what Garlic did. However, because Onion was a lazy girl, the old lady gave a different pumpkin from Garlic. Onion did not care and Onion immediately went home to open the pumpkin with her mother. Apparently, the content was not gems or gold, but the venomous snake that bit of Onion and the mother. Both of them died because of their greed.

After the happening, Garlic was living alone, but she was more calm and lived happily with its gold and gems.

The Legend of Reog Ponorogo

Long time ago, there was a wise king who ruled a kingdom in Kediri. He had a beautiful daughter called Dewi Sanggalangit. When the princess grew up, her well-known beauty attracted princes and kings from neighboring kingdoms who asked for her hand to be their wife. Unfortunately, Dewi Sanggalangit seemed not keen enough to settle down. Her act of refusing marriage confusing her parents.

When her father asked, she answered, "Father, actually I'm not willing to get married yet, but if you insist me to settle down at the soonest, I'll do. However there are some conditions that have to be fulfilled by my spouse."

Then Dewi Sanggalangit stayed in her room for five days and five nights asking for God's guidance. On the sixth day, she told her parents, "My future husband should be able to present an exciting performance which has not existed before, kind of dance with gamelan accompaniment. Followed by a hundred and forty-four twin horses. And lastly, he must be able yo bring a two-headed beast."

At first the king confused. Then he announced his daughter proposal requirements although it looks like difficult to be completed. Many applicants who had been passionate to marry Dewi Sanggalangit were discouraged. They withdrew and gave up,

Finally only two men claimed being able to fulfilled the request. They are Singabarong, king of Lodaya Kingdom, and King of Bandarangin Kingdom, Kelanaswandana. Both of them were unique person. Singabarong was a tiger-headed man with fierce and cruel nature. However Kelanaswandana was a handsome and dashing one, but he had strange habits. He admired the boys and considered them as beautiful girl. King of kediri shocked. But he and her daughter couldn't derail the request that had been announced.

When both kings were working hard, one day King Singabarong sent his prime minister, Duke Iderkala to investigate King Kelanaswandana's preparation. Then Iderkala reported that his majesty's preparation was nothing to his majesty's rival. An evil plan came to Singabarong's head. He decided play unfair. He prepared his troops and learn the path Kelanaswandana would take to Kediri then rob his rival's work to be handed to DewiSanggalangit.

Before the evil plan began, fortunately Bandarangin's prime minister, Duke Pujanggelang had known it and reported it to King Kelanaswandana. He got so angry and assaulted Lodaya Kingdom before he would be attacked. With his magical power, he direct his hand into Singabarong's head and stuck it onto the head of a peacock that perched on his shoulder and turned them into a strange animal, two-headed beast, peacock and tiger. Then king kelanaswandana had completed the task and sent a message to Kediri.

Thus on the appointed day, Kelanaswandana came to Kediri with Reog Dance as accompaniment, coupled with a hundred and forty-four twin horses, and two-headed beast who dance wild but beautiful and interesting. With gamelan, kendang, and trumpet that caused strange mix of sound, resulted lilting melodious symphony.

Everyone who were watching became cheered with delight. King of Kediri and Dewi Sanggalangit were satisfied.

In the end, Dewi Sanggalangit became the empress of Bandarangin Kingdom. Since that day King Kelanaswandana never collected boys anymore.

Bandarangin that located in Wengker, now called Ponorogo. So at a later date, the dance named Reog Ponorogo.

Snow White

Once upon a time there lived a little girl named Snow White. She lived with her Aunt and Uncle because her parents were dead. 

One day she heard her Uncle and Aunt talking about leaving Snow White in the castle because they both wanted to go to America and they didn’t have enough money to take Snow White.

Snow White did not want her Uncle and Aunt to do this so she decided it would be best if she ran away. The next morning she ran away from home when her Aunt and Uncle were having breakfast. She ran away into the woods.

Then she saw this little cottage. She knocked but no one answered so she went inside and fell asleep.

Meanwhile, the seven dwarfs were coming home from work. They went inside. There they found Snow White sleeping. Then Snow White woke up. She saw the dwarfs. The dwarfs said, “what is your name?” Snow White said, “My name is Snow White.”

Doc, one of the dwarfs, said, “If you wish, you may live here with us.” Snow White said, “Oh could I? Thank you.” Then Snow White told the dwarfs the whole story and finally Snow White and the 7 dwarfs lived happily ever after.

Cindelaras Story

This story had been handed down from generation to generation among the Javanese people in Indonesia for hundred of years or maybe a thousand  years.   The setting is Kediri, east Java in the 11th century.  I heard this story from my mother when I was a kid.  Now I have told this story to my three daughters.  This is the story.

Long time ago in the island of Java there was a kingdom of Kediri.  The king was Raden Putra.  He was a rich and powerful king.  He liked cock fighting.  One of his wives told him that the queen had put poison in his food.  The king was very angry.  Without thinking deeply and without checking this information,    he immediately ordered his soldiers to bring the queen to a wood and kill her.  Soon the soldiers took her to the wood.  But when they were there the soldiers took a pity on her.  They did not want to kill her because she was a kind and wise queen and at that time she was pregnant.  So they built a house and let the queen live there.  Then they brought back to palace a deer’s heart to show the king that they had killed her.

Several months later the queen gave birth to a baby boy.  He was a healthy and handsome boy.  His name was Cinde Laras.  Then he grew up to be a strong and smart boy.  He liked to go to the wood.  One day he found an egg.  He brought it home and then  when it hatched it became a cock.  Like his father,  Cinde Laras like cock fighting.  He often went to neighboring villages to play cock fighting.  His cock was a strong cock so it won all fight.  He became famous.  Everybody in the whole kingdom knew him and his cock.

Finally the news of Cinde Laras and his cock reached the king.  He invited Cinde Laras to palace for a cock fight.  So Cinde Laras came to the palace.  In a fight his cock could easily beat the king’s cock.  Everybody was surprised.  They were even more surprised when Cinde Laras’ cock crowed.  It was a strange crow.

‘Cockledodo,  I am the cock of Cinde Laras, who lived in the wood, the son of Raden Putra’.

The king was very surprised.  He questioned Cinde Laras immediately.  Cinde Laras told him that he was the son of the queen who now lived in the wood.  After that the king went to see the queen in the wood.  She told him that she was a victim of palace politics.

The King regretted his unwise decision.  Then he brought them back to palace and he  punished to his evil wife.  Later on Cinde Laras would replace him as the king of Kediri.

Jack and the Beanstalk

Once upon a time there lived a boy named Jack. Jack and his mother were very poor. One day, Jack took their cow to the market to sell. On the way, he met a man. The man said, "I will give you magic beans for you cow." Jack took the beans and gave the cow to the man. Jack's mother was very angry. She threw the beans out the window. The next day, Jack looked out the window and saw a beanstalk. He climbed up the beanstalk. At the top he saw a huge house. He knocked on the door and the giant's wife opened the door. She gave him breakfast.

Suddenly, Jack heard, "Fee Fi Fo Fum. I smell the blood of an Englishman!" "Hurry," said the giant's wife. "Hide. He likes to eat boys!" The giant sat down and asked for his hen. The giant's hen laid golden eggs. When the giant went to sleep, Jack picked up the hen and climbed down the beanstalk.

The next morning, Jack climbed up the beanstalk again. This time, the giant asked for his golden harp. When the giant went to sleep Jack picked up the harp. The harp shouted, "Master! Wake up!" The giant woke up and roared, "Fee Fi Fo Fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman." Jack ran to the beanstalk and climbed down. The giant climbed down after him. "Mother, give me the ax" said Jack. Jack took the ax and chopped down the beanstalk. The giant fell into a big hole and disappeared. Jack and his mother lived happily ever after with the hen and the harp. -THE END-

Little Mermaid

Long long ago, in the Deep Sea kingdom, there lived the sea king with his five mermaid daughters. Sirenetta was the youngest and the loveliest among them. She had a beautiful voice and everybody from far and wide came to hear her sing and praised her voice and her beauty.

One day, while Sirenetta was swimming on the surface of the water and watching ships go by, she saw a young man falling off his ship. She swam swiftly to save him from drowning and dragged him to the shore. Soon, people found the man on the shore and Sirenetta swam away. This man was actually the prince of a kingdom. When he became conscious, the prince looked around for the girl who had saved him but no one knew who she was.

Sirenetta often thought of the young man and fell in love with the prince, but she was sad because she could never be like all the other ladies he knew. They had two feet and she had a fish tail!

In the Deep Sea lived a witch with magical powers. One day, Sirenetta went to beg her for human legs. The witch said, “I need your beautiful voice! Only then I shall give you legs! But you must remember, every time you set your feet on the ground, it will hurt very badly!” Sirenetta agreed. She did not mind the pain. All she wanted was to be with the prince. As soon as she got her two feet Sirenetta became dumb. When she was leaving, the witch said, “If your prince marries anybody else, you shall dissolve in the sea water. You can never become a mermaid again!”

With the witch’s magic spell, Sirenetta found herself lying on the beach and the prince looking down at her. He asked, “Where are you from?” But she could not reply. The prince took her to his palace and looked after her. They became good friends and had a wonderful time together. Every step Sirenetta took hurt, but she bore it all silently. She loved the prince but the prince was in love with the beautiful maiden who had saved him. The prince did not realise it had been Sirenetta and she couldn’t tell him.

Obeying the wishes of his father, the prince went to meet the daughter of a neighbouring king. Enchanted by her beauty the prince was convinced this was the same maiden who rescued him. He asked the princess to marry him. A grand wedding took place.

Sirenetta was heartbroken. That night, crying she ran to the seashore. There she saw four mermaids. Why, they were her sisters! One of them handed her a knife and said, “Here, Sirenetta! This is a magic knife! We gave our long hair locks to the witch of the Deep Sea and she gave this to us in return. Kill your prince and you shall turn into a mermaid again! Then you can come and live with us!”

Sirenetta took the magic knife and went to the prince’s room at night. But she loved him so much that she could not kill him. She knew that at dawn, she would vanish into the sea, just as the witch of the Deep Sea had told her earlier. She sat on the shore and wept silently.

Suddenly, from the sky came a pink cloud. It lifted her from the land into the sky. “Where am IT’ asked Sirenetta, for now she could talk. The beautiful fairies replied, “We are the air fairies. You are now one of us because you did a good deed for the person you love. Come with us.”

From then on, the little mermaid, Sirenetta, lived in the sky with the fairies.

Nyi Roro Kidul

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess named Kadita. Because of her beauty she was called Dewi Srengenge which mean The beautiful sun. Her father was King Munding Wangi. Although he had a beautiful daughter he always unhappy because he always expected to have a son. The King decided to merry Dewi Mutiara, and he had a son from her. He was very happy. Dewi Mutiara wanted her son to become a king in the future so she must make sure for it. Dewi mutiara came to the king and asked him to send away his daughter. Of course, the king did not agree. "It is ridiculous, I will not allow any body doing such cruel thing to my daughter", said King Munding Wangi. When she heard the answer, Dewi mutiara smiled and said a sweet thing until the king has not anger anymore. However, she kept her bad intention deep in her heart.

In the morning before the sun raised, Dewi Mutiara sent her maid to call a black magician. She wanted the black magician to curse Kadita, her step daughter. " I want her beautiful body full with scabies and itch. If you succeeded I will reward you with the present you never thought before". The black magician did the queen order, in the night Kadita body has been full with scabies and itch. When She waked up , she found her body was smell stinky and have a ulcer all over her body. The beautiful princess cried and did not know what to do. 

When The King heard he was very sad, he invited many physician to cure her daughter illness. Day by the day nobody could cure her daughter. He realized that her daughter illness it was not a ordinary illness someone must send a curse or magic spell. His problem became more difficult when the Queen Dewi Mutiara forced him to send away her daughter. "Your daughter will bring a bad luck to whole country, said Dewi Mutiara. The king did not want her daughter become a bad rumour in whole country. Finally he must agree to send her only daughter to leave the country. 

The poor princess went alone, she didn't know to where she should go. She almost could not cry anymore. She had a nobble heart. She did not have any bad feeling with her step mother, instead she always asked the God to accompany her passed her suffer.

Almost seven day and seven night she has walked until she came to south ocean. She looked at the ocean. It was so clean and clear, unlike other ocean which have a blue or green colour. She jumped onto the water and swim. Suddenly when the south ocean water touched her skin there was a miracle happened. Her ulcer has gone and there was no sign that she has ever had a scabies or itch. Even more she became more beautiful than before. Not only that she has a power to command whole of the south ocean. Now she became a fairy called Nyi Roro Kidul or The Queen of South Ocean who lived forever.

This is the most spectacular legend until now in the modern life even when you read this story, many people from Indonesia or from other country has admitted that they have met the beautiful fairy queen wear a traditional dress of Java. One of the famous beach hotel has made a suit room specially for her.