Desa Panyalahan

Desa Panyalahan

Pada Jaman dahulu, di Tasikmalaya ada sepasang suami isteri di daerah itu. Kehidupan mereka cukup tentram dan bahagia.  Pada suatu hari mereka menemukan seekor harimau kecil yang ditinggal mati oleh induknya.  Harimau itu dipelihara oleh mereka, dididik dan diperlakukan seperti anggota keluarga sendiri.  Ternyata hewan itu tahu diri, ia menjadi penurut kepada sepasang suami istri itu.  Harimau itu tumbuh menjadi besar, ia cerdas dan tangkas.  Harimau itu diberi nama si Loreng.

Demikian erat hubungan si Loreng dengan suami isteri itu sehingga ia dapat mengerti kata-kata yang diucapkan suami isteri itu.  Kalau ia disuruh pasti menurut dan mengerjakan perintah suami isteri itu dengan baik.Suami isteri yang bekerja sebagai petani itu semakin berbahagia ketika lahir anak mereka, seorang bayi laki-laki yang sehat dan menyenangkan.  Inilah saat bahagia yang mereka tunggu-tunggu sejak lama.  Apabila mereka pergi bekerja di sawah, bayinya ditinggal di rumah.  Si Loreng ditugaskan untuk menjaga keselamatan anak mereka.

Pada suatu siang yang terik, isteri petani pergi ke sawah untuk mengirim makanan kepada suaminya.  Melihat kedatangan isterinya si suami segera menghentikan pekerjaannya.  Ia segera menghampiri isterinya di dangau.  Di sana si suami melahap makanan yang dihindangkan isterinya. Baru saja selesai makan dan minum, tiba-tiba mereka mendengar suara  gerangan si Loreng.  Si Loreng nampak lari pontang-panting, melewati pematan sawah terus menuju ke dangau.  Si Loreng mengibaskan ekornya berkali-kali dengan lembut sembari menggosok-gosokkan badannya kepada suami isteri itu.

 “Kakang, (sebutan untuk suami) mengapa tingkah si Loreng tidak seperti biasanya?” Tanya sang isteri.  “ Iya, Isteriku…aneh sekali.  Ada apa gerangan?” sahut sang suami.  “Kakang! Lihat…!” teriak sang isteri.” Mulut Loreng penuh dengan darah!” Sang suami tesentak kaget, mulut si Loreng memang berlumuran darah segar. “Loreng…? Kata sang suami.” Jangan-jangan kau telah menerkam anakku.  Kau telah membunuh anakku!”

Si Loreng menggeleng-gelengkan kepalanya.  Sehingga darah di bagian mulutnya berhamburan, si suami seketika meluap marahnya.  Ia segera mencabut goloknya dan memenggal kepala si Lorong!.  Si Loreng yang tak menduga diserang tak sempat mengelak.  Harimau itu mengerang kesakitan, ia tidak melawannya, sepasang matanya memandang ke arah sepasang suami isteri itu dengan penuh rasa penasaran.  Karena hewan itu belum mati si suami segera mengayunkan goloknya dengan penuh kemarahan sehingga tiga kali, putuslah leher si Loreng dari badannya.  Binatang itu tewas dengan cara mengenaskan.

“Kakang ! Cepat kita pulang !” Mereka segera berlari ke rumahnya. Sampai di dalam rumahnya, mereka mendapati anaknya masih berada di dalam ayunan. Bayi itu nampak tertidur nyenyak.  Dirabanya tubuh anaknya itu, diguncang-guncang tubuhnya.  Si bayi pun terbangun dan tersenyum melihat kedatangan orang tuanya.

Kedua suami isteri itu bersyukur karena bayinya selamat dan masih hidup. Setelah puas memandangi anak bayinya, setelah merasa lega atas keselamatan anaknya, kini mereka mengedarkan pandangan ke sekeliling ruangan dalam rumah mereka, perhatian mereka terpusat pada tempat sekitar ayunan anaknya bagian bawah. Mereka mendapatkan bangkai seekor ular yang sangat besar berlumuran darah tergeletak di bawah ayunan.  Sadarlah kedua suami isteri itu bahwa si Loreng telah berjasa menyelamatkan jiwa anaknya dari bahaya yaitu dari serangan ular besar. Suami isteri sangat menyesal, terlebih si suami, karena telah tergesa-gesa membunuh harimau kesayangannya.  Hal tersebut membuatnya salah terka.Dalam bahasa Sunda, salah terka disebut nyalahan.

Untuk mengenang peristiwa tersebut, maka tempat tinggal suami isteri itu dinamakan "Panyalahan". Lama kelamaan Panyalahan makin banyak penduduknya sampai menjadi sebuah desa yang ramai.

Once upon a time in Tasikmalaya, there lived a wife and a husband. Their life was quite peaceful and happy. One day, they found a stray tiger cub left by its dead mother. The tiger cub was cared by them, being educated and treated like their own family member. In fact, the tiger was appreciative, it became obedient to the couple. The tiger grew into a big tiger, he was clever and tough. The tiger was named Loreng.

The relationship between Loreng and the couple was so close, that Loreng was able to understand every words said by the couple. If he was asked to do something he would obey and did what he was asked. The couple, who were farmers, were even happier when their child was born, a healthy son. This was the happy moment they had waited for a long time. When they went to the field  to work, the baby was left in the house. Loreng was asked to look after their son’s safety.

In a sweltering afternoon, the wife of the farmer went to the field to send the foods for her husband’s lunch. Seeing her wife’s arrival, the husband immediately ceased his work. He quickly approached his wife in the lake. There, the husband ate the foods served by his wife. As the husband finished eating and drinking, they suddenly heard Loreng’s roar. Loreng then seemed to run hurriedly, through the field into the lake. Loreng flicked his tail repeatedly and softly as he rubbed his body to the couple.

“Kakang (a call for the husband), why does Loreng’s behavior is not as he usually is?” asked thee wife. “Yes, my wife, how strange. I wonder, what happened?: said the husband. “Kakang! Look!” Shouted the wife. “Loreng’s mouth is full of blood!” The husband was startled, Loreng’s mouth was indeed stained with fresh blood. “Loreng...?” Said the husband. “Don’t tell me you have pounced my son. You have killed my son!”

Loreng shook his head, which it made the blood on his mouth splattered, the husband got even angrier. He quickly drew his machete and chopped Loreng’s head! Loreng, which he did not expect to be attacked, did not manage to evade. The tiger groaned in pain, he did not fight back, one of his eye stared at the couple curiously. Because the beast was not dead just yet, the husband swung his machete three times immediately and angrily, Loreng’s head was chopped off of his body. The beast died a tragic death.

The couple was grateful since their baby was safe and still alive. After satisfied staring at their baby and felt relieved of their son’s safety, they began to look around the room on their house, their attention was focused on the place below their son’s cradle. They realized that Loreng had saved their son’s life from danger, namely from the attack of a giant snake. The couple regretted it, especially for the husband since he hurriedly killed his dear tiger. This caused a misunderstanding for him. In Sundanese, misunderstanding was known as Nyalahan.

“Kakang! Let’s go home quickly!” They run to their house as soon as possible. Arrived at their house, they got their son laid down in the craddle peacefully. The baby seemed to sleep soundly. They touched their son’s body and shook it. The boy woke up and smiled upon his parent’s arrival.

In memory of that incident, the place where the couple lived then was named “Panyalahan”. As the time past, Panyalahan was getting crowded which it became a busy village.

Synopsis:

The story is about a happy and peaceful couple lived in Tasikmalaya, West Java, which one day they found a tiger cub and decided to take care of it. The couple educated and treated the tiger like their own family, which it made the tiger into an obedient tiger. The passed, the tiger became a big clever and tough tiger. The tiger then was named Loreng by the couple. Loreng was so close to the couple, they could ask Loreng to do their favor and Loreng obeyed. One day, the wife bore a baby. That moment was the happy moment they had waited for so long. Therefore, when the couple went to the field, Loreng would look after their baby. In an afternoon, the wife went to the field to send meals for her husband’s lunch. After the husband finished eating his lunch, they heard Loreng’s roar, and then Loreng ran hurrily towards them. The couple were curious because Loreng behaved differently from before. Seeing fresh blood on Loreng’s mouth, they suspected Loreng to have killed their baby. Angered by this, the husband drew his machette and killed Loreng. Afterwards, they immediately rushed towards their house to see whether the baby was safe. The baby was, they were relieved. However, they found out there was a snake trying to prey upon their baby. They realized Loreng was actually trying to save their baby and succeeded. They, especially the husband, regretted to have killed the beast which was truly loyal and faithful to them.

Criticism:

-       Once they had a son, or even when Loreng grew into a big tiger, they should have returned Loreng to where he belonged. Keeping Loreng would scare the people around the couple. Not to mention, the couple having a child was the moment they had waited for so long, which implied they would prioritize the baby more than they do to Loreng, this would cause jealousy towards Loreng even though he was just a mere animal, which this would return his true nature as a tiger.

-       If they decided to keep Loreng, Loreng should have never been asked to look after the children. Instead, it should have been Loreng who sent the meals to the husband, by putting the meals on the neck or else. If anything did happen to the wife and the baby, like a giant snake trying to attack, the wife should run away from the house carrying the baby into the lake where the husband and Loreng were. Then Loreng would approach the wife to know what happened, then killed the giant snake.

-       The couple should have thought that something must happen as Loreng roared. They did hear Loreng’s roar, but they only wondered instead of doing something. Not to mention the fact that they could hear Loreng’s roar, a tiger’s roar can be heard from a radius of 200m, and the fact that they could see Loreng running hurriedly means the distance between the house and the lake was not quite far. They or at least one of them should have checked to the house on what happened in the house instead of only wondering what happened.