She was always called the bad girl, for she had once, when she was very little, put out her tongue at the postman. She lived alone with her grandmother and her three brothers in the cottage beyond the field, and the girls in the village took no notice of her. The bad girl did not mind this, for she was always thinking of the cuckoo clock. The clock stood in one corner of the cottage, and every hour a door opened at the top of its face, and a little cuckoo came out and called its name just the same number of times that the clock ought to have struck, and called it so loudly and in so much haste that the clock was afraid to strike at all. The bad girl was always wondering whether it was worse for the clock to have a cupboard in its forehead, and a bird that was always hopping in and out, or for the poor cuckoo to spend so much time in a dark little prison. "If it could only get away to the woods," she said to herself, " who knows but its voice might grow sweet, and even life itself might come to it!"
She thought of the clock so much that her grandmother used to say, "Ah, lassie, if you would only think of me sometimes! "
But the bad girl would answer,"You are not in prison, granny dear, and you have not even a bee in your bonnet, let alone a bird in your head. Why should I think of you?”
One day, close by the farm, she saw the big girls from the school gathering flowers.
“Give me one," she said; "perhaps the cuckoo would like it." But they all cried, "No, no!" and tried to frighten her away. "They are for the little one's birthday. To-morrow she will be seven years old," they said,” and she is to have a crown of flowers and a cake, and all the afternoon we shall play merry games with her."
“Is she unhappy, that you are taking so much trouble for her?“ asked the bad girl.
"Oh, no; she is very happy: but it will be her birthday, and we want to make her happier.”
"Why?"
“Because we love her," said one;
“Because she is so little," said another;
“Because she is alive," said a third.
“Are all things that live to be loved and cared for? " the bad girl asked, but they were too busy to listen, so she went on her way thinking; and it seemed as if all things round the birds, and bees, and the rustling leave*, and the little tender wild flowers, half hidden in the grass answered, as she went along
"Yes, they are all to be cared for and made happier, if it be possible."
“The cuckoo clock is not alive," she thought.
"Oh, no; it is not alive," the trees answered; "but many things that do not live have voices, and many others are just sign-posts, pointing the way."
“The way ! The way to what, and where?”
“We find out for ourselves; we must all find out for ourselves," the trees sighed and whispered to each other.
As the bad girl entered the cottage, the cuckoo called out its name eleven times, but she did not even look up. She walked straight across to the chair by the fireside, and kneeling down, kissed her granny's hands.
Indonesian:
Dia selalu dipanggil gadis nakal, itu semua karena kejadian di masa kecilnya, saat masih kecil, ia menjulurkan lidah pada tukang pos. Dia tinggal sendirian dengan neneknya dan tiga saudara laki-lakinya berada di pemondokan diseberang ladang, dan gadis-gadis di desa itu tidak menaruh perhatian padanya. Gadis nakal itu tidak perduli, karena ia lebih suka berpikir tentang jam kukok. Benda itu terletak di sudut rumah, dan setiap jam pintunya terbuka diatas mukanya, seekor burung kecil datang serta memanggil namanya sesuai dengan jam saat itu. Suaranya yang keras dan tampak terburu-buru seperti takut keluar. Gadis nakal itu selalu berpikir bahwa adalah hal buruk bagi jam itu memiliki kotak di dahinya dan seekor burung berusaha keluar-masuk, atau sangat disayangkan bahwa ada burung menghabiskan waktunya di penjaran kecil yang gelap. "Anda dia dibiarkan keluar ke hutan," dia berkata pada dirinya sendiri, "siapa tahu suaranya lebih merdu dan mungkin saja ia beranak."
Dia terlalu memikirkan jam kukok itu sampai neneknya pernah berkata, "Ah, lassie, kalau saja kamu memikirkan nenek sekali-kali! "
Tapi gadis nakal itu akan menjawab,"Kamu tidak di penjara, nenekku sayang, bahkan tak seekor lebah di tudung topimu, atau membiarkan burung sendirian di kepalamu. Kenapa aku harus memikirkanmu?”
Suatu hari, dekat ladang, dia melihat gadis berbadan besar dari sebuah sekolah sedang mengumpulkan bunga..
“Aku minta satu," dia berkata, "mungkin kukok akan suka."
Tapi mereka semua berteriak, "Tidak, tidak!" dan berusaha mengusirnya. "Bunga-bunga ini untuk ulang tahun si Kecil. Besok dia berumur 7 tahun," mereka berkata, ”dan dia akan punya mahkota bunga dan kue, dan sepanjang sore kita akan bermain dengannya."
“Apakah dia tidak bahagia, sehingga kalian harus berusaha seperti itu?“ tanya gadis nakal itu.
"Oh, tidak; dia sangat bahagia, tapi ini adalah ulang tahunnya, dan kami ingin membuatnya lebih bahagia.”
"Kenapa?"
“Karena kami sayang padanya," sahut salah satu dari mereka.
“Karena dia masih kecil," sahut yang lain.
“Karena dia makhluk hidup," kata yang ketiga.
“Apakah segala yang hidup harus dicintai dan diperhatikan?" tanya gadis nakal itu, tapi mereka terlalu sibuk dengan diri mereka sendiri, lantas ia terpekur dengan dirinya sendiri dan sepertinya segala yang dilewatinya membantunya menjawab pertanyaannya sendiri.
"Ya, mereka harus diperhatikan dan dibahagiakan, dengan sekuat tenaga."
“Jam kukok tidak hidup," pikirnya.
"Oh, tidak; tentu saja tidak hidup," pohon-pohon menjawab,"tapi banyak benda mati mempunyai suara, dan beberapa diantaranya hanya sekedar tanda, mau menuju kemana."
“Jalannya! Jalan apa, dan kemana?”
“Kita harus menemukannya sendiri; kita harus menemukannya sendiri," pohon-pohon mendesah dan berbisik satu sama lain.
Saat gadis nakal itu memasuki pondok, burung kukok berkikuk sebanyak sebelas kali, tapi ia tidak memperhatikan. Dia berjalan ke arah kursi dekat perapian, dan berlutut untuk mencium tangan neneknya.
*gambar dari: houseofmaria.com
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