"I want to work at my picture," he said, and went into the field. The little sister went too, and stood by him watching while he painted.
"The trees are not quite straight," she said, presently, "and oh, dear brother, the sky is not blue enough."
"It- will all come right soon," he answered. "Will it be of any good?"
"Oh yes," she said, wondering that he should even ask, "it will make people happy to look at it. They will feel as if they were in the field."
"If I do it badly, will it make them unhappy?"
“Not if you do your very best," she answered; "for they will know how hard you have tried. Look up," she said suddenly, "look up at the light upon the hills," and they stood together looking at all he was trying to paint, at the trees and the field, at the deep shadows and the hills beyond, and the light that rested upon them. "It is a beautiful world," the girl said." It is a great honour to make things for it."
"It is a beautiful world," the boy echoed sadly." It is a sin to disgrace it with things that are badly done."
“But you will do things well?”
"I get so tired," he said, "and long to leave off so much. What do you do when you want to do your best, - your very, very best?" he asked, suddenly."
I think that I am doing it for the people I love," she answered. “It makes you very strong if you think of them; you can bear pain, and walk far, and do all manner of things, and you don't get tired so soon."
He thought for a moment. “Then I shall paint my picture for you," he said;" I shall think of you all the time I am doing it."
Once more they looked at the hills that seemed to rise up out of the deep shadows into the light, and then together they went home.
Soon afterwards a great sorrow came to the boy. While the little sister slept, she wandered into another world, and journeyed on so far that she lost the clue to earth, and came back no more. The boy painted many pictures before he saw the field again, but in the long hours, as he sat and worked, there came to him a strange power that answered more and more truly to the longing in his heart the longing to put into the world something of which he was not ashamed, something which should make it, if only in the person of its meanest, humblest citizen, a little happier or better.
At last, when he knew that his eye was true and his touch sure, he took up the picture he had promised to paint for the dear sister, and worked at it until he was finished.
"This is better than all he has done before," the beholders said. "It is surely beautiful, for it makes one happy to look at it."
"And yet my heart ached as I did it," the boy said, as he went back to the field." I thought of her all the time I worked, it was sorrow that gave me power." It seemed as if a soft voice, that spoke only to his heart, answered back
“Not sorrow but love, and perfect love has all things in its gift, and of it are all things born save happiness, and though that may be born too”
“How does one find happiness?" interrupted the boy.
"It is a strange chase," the answer seemed to be; "to find it for one's own self, one must seek it for others. We all throw the ball for each other."
“But it is so difficult to seize."
"Perfect love helps one to live without happiness," his own heart answered to himself;" and above all things it helps one to work and to wait."
"But if it gives one happiness too?" he asked eagerly.
"Ah, then it is called Heaven.”
Indonesian:
"Aku ingin menggambar," dia berkata, dan pergi ke lapangan. Adik perempuannya pergi juga, dan berdiri di sampingnya, melihat kakaknya melukis.
"Pohonnya tidak terlalu lurus," dia berkata saat itu, "dan oh, Kak, langitnya kurang biru."
"Aku akan segera mengubahnya," kakaknya mejawab. "Apa bisa, ya?"
"Tentu saja," sahut adiknya sambil bertanya-tanya dalam hati kenapa kakaknya bertanya tentang hal itu, "mereka akan menyukai gambaranmu saat melihat. Mereka akan merasa seakan-akan ada di tanah lapang."
"Kalau gambarku jelek apa mereka tidak suka?"
“Tidak kalau kamu berusaha sebaik mungkin," jawabnya, "karena mereka tahu seberapa keras kamu berusaha. Lihat disana," dia berkata tiba-tiba, "lihat cahaya diatas bukit itu," dan mereka berdiri bersama melihat hasil usahanya melukis, mereka melihat pepohonan dan tanah lapang, pada kedalaman bayangan dan seberang bukit seberangnya, dan cahaya yang bersemayam diatasnya. "Dunia yang indah," katanya, " Adalah suatu kehormatan bisa melakukan sesuatu untuknya."
"Dunia yang indah," gaung anak laki-laki itu sedih, "Adalah dosa jika mempermalukannya dengan perlakuan yang buruk."
“Tapi kamu akan mengerjakan dengan baik, kan?”
"Aku lelah," katanya, "dan sudah lama tidak melakukannya. Apa yang kamu lakukan ketika kamu ingin mengerjakan segala sesuatunya sebaik-baiknya?" dia bertanya, tiba-tiba.
"Aku rasa aku akan mengerjakannya untuk orang yang aku sayangi," dia menjawab. “Kamu pasti akan berusaha sebaik-baiknya jika kamu kerjakan untuk mereka; kamu sanggup menahan perih, dan akan berjalan sejauh mungkin, dan rela melakukan apa saja, dan kamu tidak akan cepat lelah."
Anak laki-laki itu berpikir sesaat. “Kalau begitu aku akan menggambar buat kamu," dia mengatakan;" aku akan memikirkanmu sepanjang aku mengerjakannya."
Sekali lagi mereka melihat ke arah bukit yang tampakya menenggelamkan bayangan ke dalam cahaya, dan mereka pulang bersama-sama.
Segera setelah itu kemalangan menghampiri anak laki-laki itu. Saat adik perempuannya tidur, ia mengembara ke dunia lain, dan perjalanannya demikian jauh sampai ia lupa jalan pulang ke bumi, dan tidak pernah kembali. Kakaknya melukis banyak gambar sebelum dirinya melihat tanah lapang lagi, namun setelah sekian lama, saat dia duduk dan bekerja, ada sesuatu mendatanginya dengan kekuatan yang aneh yang merupakan jawaban yang lebih baik daripada rasa kehilangan dalam hatinya yang membuatnya tidak malu-malu lagi, sesuatu yang harus dibuatnya, tak perduli apakah ia orang yang jahat, sederhana, sedikit bahagia, atau lebih dari itu.
Akhirnya , setelah yakin dengan dirinya sendiri, ia mengambil gambar yang ia janjikam untuk saudara perempuannya yang sangat disayanginya,dan bekerja sampai selesai.
"Ini lebih baik dari yang sudah-sudah," pengamat berkata. "Sangat indah, karena orang akan bahagia hanya dengan melihatnya."
"Dan saya sedang berduka ketika mengerjakannya," anak laki-laki itu berkata, ketika ia kembali mengunjungi tanah lapang. "Aku selalu memikirkannya saat aku mengerjakannya. Adalah rasa kehilangan yang membuatku kuat."
Ada sebuah suara lembut berbicara dari dalam hatinya, menjawabnya.“Bukan duka tapi cinta, dan cinta sempurna akan membuat orang memiliki segalanya, and kesemuanya menciptakan kebahagiaan, dan dengan demikian akan berbuah juga.”
“Bagaimana cara seseorang menemukan kebahagiaan?" sergah anak laki-laki itu.
"Caranya aneh untuk mendapatkannya," suara itu berkata; "untuk mendapatkannya, orang harus mencarinya pada orang lain. Kita saling melempar bola satu sama lain."
“Tapi itu susah diperoleh."
"Cinta sempurna akan membantu seseorang hidup tanpa kebahagiaan," hatinya sendiri menjawab, "dan yang terpenting dari semua itu itu akan membantu seseorang bekerja dan menunggu."
"Apakah itu memberikan orang kebahagiaan juga?" dia bertanya dengan tidak sabar.
"Ah, jika demikian itu disebut Surga.”
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