THE NAIL

A merchant had done well at the fair. He had sold all his wares, and filled his moneybag with gold and silver. He now wanted to make his way toward home, and to be in his own house before nightfall. So he loaded his duffel bag with the money onto his horse, and rode away.

Seorang pedagang telah sukses berjualan di Pekan Raya. Dia berhasil menjual semua barang dagangannya, dan kini kantong uangnya penuh terisi oleh emas dan perak. Sekarang, dia ingin bergegas pulang agar bisa sampai di rumah sebelum malam hari tiba. Dia pun menaikkan tas nya yang berisi uang ke punggung kudanya, dan memulai perjalanannya.

At noon made a rest stop in a town. When he was about to continue on his way, a servant brought him his horse and said, "Sir, a nail is missing from the shoe on his left hind hoof."

Saat siang tiba, dia beristirahat di sebuah kota. Saat dia akan melanjutkan perjalanannya, seorang pelayan yang membawakan kudanya berkata "Pak, paku dari sepatu kuda anda yang sebelah kiri belakang ada yang hilang."

"Let it be," answered the merchant. "The shoe will certainly stay on for the six hours that I still have to ride. I am in a hurry."

"Biarkan saja," jawab si pedagang. Sepatu kuda itu tidak akan lepas setidaknya untuk 6 jam perjalanan yang akan aku tempuh. Aku sedang terburu-buru."

That afternoon, when he dismounted once again and had his horse fed, a servant came into the inn and said, "Sir, a shoe is missing from your horse's left hind hoof. Shall I take him to the blacksmith?"

Saat sore tiba, si pedagang beristirahat lagi di sebuah kota, dan kudanya pun diberi makan. Kemudian, seorang pelayan masuk ke penginapan tempat dia beristirahat dan berkata, "Pak, sepatu kuda anda yang sebelah kiri belakang hilang. Perlukah saya bawa ke pandai besi?"

"Let it be," answered the man. "The horse can manage for the few hours that I still have to ride. I am in a hurry."

"Biarkan saja," jawab si pedagang. "Kuda itu tetap dapat berjalan sampai beberapa jam lagi. Aku sedang terburu-buru."

He rode on, but before long the horse began to limp. It did not limp long before it began to stumble, and it did not stumble long before it fell down and broke a leg. The merchant had to leave the horse where it was, and unbuckle the duffel bag, load it onto his shoulder, and walk home on foot, not arriving there until very late that night.

Si pedagang kemudian melanjutkan perjalanannya. Tidak lama kemudian, kudanya pun mulai pincang, dan terjatuh. Kaki kuda itu pun patah. Si pedagang terpaksa meninggalkan kudanya dan berjalan sambil memanggul tasnya yang berat. Si pedagang baru sampai di rumahnya saat sudah larut malam.

"All this bad luck," he said to himself, "was caused by that cursed nail."

"Semua ini adalah kesialan," kata si pedagang kepada dirinya sendiri. "Ini karena paku yang terkutuk itu."

Haste makes waste.

Tergesa-gesa dapat mengakibatkan segalanya jadi runyam/sia-sia.