What Is It?

What Is It

Apakah Ini?

What is that ugly thing I see
Apakah yang kulihat ini,
 Which follows, follows, follows me,
Yang selalu mengikuti,  
 Which ever way I turn or go?
Kemanapun aku pergi,
What is that thing? I want to know.
Apapun itu ingin kuketahui.

***

If I but turn to left or right

Aku kiri atau ke kanan,
 It does the same with all its might;
 Sama persis ia lakukan,
 It looks so ugly and so black
Hitam menakutkan warnanya,
When o'er my shoulder I look back.

Saat ke belakang kumenengoknya.
***
Sometimes it runs ahead of me,
Kadang ia lari di depanku,
Sometimes quite short it seems to be,
Kadang tertinggal di belakangku,
 And then again it's very tall;
Kemudian tinggi melampauiku,
I don't know what it is at all.
Apapun itu aku tak tahu.
***
I'll climb into my little bed,
Ke tempat tidur aku melompat,
And on my pillow lay my bead,
Karena bantalku adalah obat,
For when I'm there I never see
Di situ tak pernah dapat kupandang,
That thing in front or back of me.
Dia di depanku atau di belakang.

Sumber : Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper and Other Stories, www.guttenberg.org

Interpretasi puisi dalam bahasa Indonesia oleh Raqim.

Jawabannya dibaca terbalik, ya! = nagnayab.