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.