Geese and Turtle

Mendut Fable from Central Java (The story originally from India)

A turtle and two geese lived in a small pond. They were friends. Because of the seasons
change, the water in the pond sometimes shrank. Other times, the the pond filled with water.
When the pond full of water, they enjoyed themselves. But when the water shrank, they suffered.
They were even anxious if the pond dried.
Both geese said that they were bored to feel joy and sorrow from time to time. Both geese
just heard a good news. A bird said that there is a pond at the peak of the mountain.
"Pond of Happiness" with endlessly spring. Both geese wanted to fly toward "Pond of
Happiness" that can make them happy forever. The turtle interested of geese willing and intend
to follow. They flew to find a way. The Tortoise had an idea. Both geese agreed.
They advised the tortoise to always be watchful of the danger. Both geese grabbed a
piece of wood at the ends, and the Turtle bite at the middle.
Before flying they said to the turtles to focus on biting the wood and not to talk along the
way.
At the top of the field a couple of wolves said, "It's not a turtle biting the wood but a
buffalo dung for the gosling."
Above the village, the children amazed saw a turtle bite the wood carried by the geese.
The children waved their arms and shouted, "Look! How happy the Turtle is. A very rare
opportunity to fly."
At the palace garden, the princess surprised. They wanted to know how the Turtle got a
chance to did that.
The Turtle tried to explain it. Unfortunately, it lost the bite and fell to the ground. His
body split in two.
The king came with his advisor. The advisor explained why the Turtle fell at the palace.
The habit of talking too much caused careless and disaster. The King realized that the advisor
had long been advised him to talk less. There is a time to speak and a time to be silent. During
that time, the King had always dominated the conversation with the ministers. The Turtle's fate
made him understand his mistake.
 Angsa dan Penyu

Fabel Mendut dari Jawa Tengah (Kisah aslinya dari India)

Seekor kura-kura dan dua angsa tinggal di kolam kecil. Mereka adalah teman. Karena
musim berubah, air di kolam terkadang menyusut. Di waktu lain, kolam diisi dengan air. Ketika
kolam penuh air, mereka menikmati diri mereka sendiri. Tetapi ketika air menyusut, mereka
menderita. Mereka bahkan cemas jika kolam mengering.
Kedua angsa mengatakan bahwa mereka bosan untuk merasakan suka dan duka dari
waktu ke waktu. Kedua angsa baru saja mendengar kabar baik. Seekor burung berkata bahwa ada
sebuah kolam di puncak gunung.
"Pond of Happiness" dengan musim semi tanpa akhir. Kedua angsa ingin terbang menuju
"Pond of Happiness" yang bisa membuat mereka bahagia selamanya. Kura-kura tertarik angsa
bersedia dan berniat untuk mengikuti. Mereka terbang untuk menemukan jalan. Kura-kura punya
ide. Kedua angsa setuju.
Mereka menyarankan kura-kura untuk selalu waspada terhadap bahaya. Kedua angsa
mengambil sepotong kayu di ujungnya, dan Turtle menggigit di tengah.
Sebelum terbang, mereka berkata pada kura-kura untuk fokus menggigit kayu dan tidak
berbicara sepanjang jalan.
Di puncak lapangan, sepasang serigala berkata, "Ini bukan kura-kura yang menggigit
kayu, tetapi seekor kerbau kotoran untuk gosling."
Di atas desa, anak-anak kagum melihat seekor kura-kura menggigit kayu yang dibawa
oleh angsa.
Anak-anak melambaikan tangan dan berteriak, "Lihat! Betapa bahagianya Turtle.
Kesempatan yang sangat langka untuk terbang."
Di taman istana, sang putri terkejut. Mereka ingin tahu bagaimana Turtle mendapat
kesempatan untuk melakukan itu.
Kura-kura mencoba menjelaskannya. Sayangnya, ia kehilangan gigitan dan jatuh ke
tanah. Tubuhnya terbelah dua.
Raja datang dengan penasihatnya. Penasihat itu menjelaskan mengapa Turtle jatuh di
istana. Kebiasaan berbicara terlalu banyak menyebabkan kecerobohan dan bencana. Raja
menyadari bahwa penasehatnya sudah lama dinasihati untuk tidak banyak bicara. Ada waktu
untuk berbicara dan ada waktu untuk diam. Selama waktu itu, Raja selalu mendominasi
pembicaraan dengan para menteri. Nasib Penyu membuatnya mengerti kesalahannya.