献给列翁&#183;维尔特
     我向那些可能会阅读这本书的孩子们恳请原谅，允许我把这本书题献给一个大人。我有一个很重要的理由：这个大人是我在这个世界上最好的朋友。我的另一个理由是：这个大人他理解一切，甚至包括给小孩子看的书籍。我的第三个理由是：这个大人住在法国，那里又冷、又饿。他很需要安慰。如果这些理由还不够充分的话，那么我将把这本书献给这个人曾经当过的那个孩子。所有的大人曾经最开始都是孩子（但很少有人还记得）。因此，我把献词改为：
    献给还是小男孩时的列翁·维尔特！ 

第一章
    小时候，那时我还只有6岁，看到一本描写原始森林壮观景象的书，名叫《真实的故事》。书里有一幅很精彩的插画，画的是一条大蟒蛇正在吞食一只动物，下面就是那幅插画的复制品。
    这本书上说：“大蟒蛇把它们的猎物不加咀嚼地整个吞下去，之后，就再也不动了，然后通过长达六个月的睡眠来消化掉这些食物。”
    我想了很多热带丛林的冒险，几经思索，我拿起彩色铅笔终于成功地完成了我人生中的第一幅绘画。我的第一号作品，它是这样的：
    我把这幅杰作拿给大人们看，我问他们我的画是否让他们感到恐惧。
    他们回答我说：“一顶帽子有什么害怕的呢？”
    但是，我画的不是一顶帽子，画里代表的是一条蟒蛇正在消化着一头大象。为了让这些大人们能够理解，我只好又画了一张画：我把大蟒蛇肚子里的情况画了出来——这些大人们总是需要解释。我的第二号作品是这样的：
    这次大人们做出的反应是：他们建议我把这些画着看起来好像敞开肚皮的蟒蛇的图画放在一边，然后把精力放在地理、历史、计算和语法上。这就是为什么，在我六岁时，我放弃了成为一名职业画家的美丽梦想。第一号、第二号作品的不成功，令我十分沮丧。这些大人们自己什么都不懂，还需要孩子们不断地、不断地解释给他们听，这真是令人感到厌烦。
    所以从那时起，我选择了另外一个职业，我学会了开飞机。我几乎飞遍了世界的每个角落。的确，地理学对我非常有用。飞过世界各地的我一眼就能分辨出中国和亚利桑那州。要是夜里迷失了航向，这样的知识是很有价值的。
    在这样的生活轨道中，我邂逅过许许多多一直在关心重要事情的人。我有足够多的在大人们中间生活的经历。我近距离亲密地观察过他们。这些都没有显著提高我对他们的评价。
    每当遇到一个在我看来头脑稍微清楚的大人时，我就拿出随身带着的我那第一号作品来测试他。我想知道他是否真的有理解能力。可是，不管我测试的人是谁，他或者她都会说：“这是顶帽子。”因此，我也就不和他们谈大蟒蛇啊、原始森林啊，或者星星之类的事。我会把自己降低到他们的水平，和他们谈些桥牌啊、高尔夫球啊、政治啊、领带啊这些。于是大人们就十分高兴能认识我这样一个通情达理的人。
    Chapter 1
    Once when I was six years old I saw a magnificent picture in a book, called True Stories from Nature, about the primeval forest. It was a picture of a boa constrictor in the act of swallowing an animal. Here is a copy of the drawing.
    In the book it said: &quot;Boa constrictors swallow their prey whole, without chewing it. After that they are not able to move, and they sleep through the six months that they need for digestion.&quot;I pondered deeply, then, over the adventures of the jungle. And after some work with a colored pencil I succeeded in making my first drawing. My Drawing Number One. It looked like this:
    I showed my masterpiece to the grown-ups, and asked them whether the drawing frightened them.
    But they answered: &quot;Frighten Why should any one be frightened by a hat&quot;My drawing was not a picture of a hat. It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. But since the grown-ups were not able to understand it, I made another drawing: I drew the inside of the boa constrictor, so that the grown-ups could see it clearly. They always need to have things explained. My Drawing Number Two looked like this:
    The grown-ups' response, this time, was to advise me to lay aside my drawings of boa constrictors, whether from the inside or the outside, and devote myself instead to geography, history, arithmetic and grammar. That is why, at the age of six, I gave up what might have been a magnificent career as a painter. I had been disheartened by the failure of my Drawing Number One and my Drawing Number Two. Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.
    So then I chose another profession, and learned to pilot airplanes. I have flown a little over all parts of the world; and it is true that geography has been very useful to me. At a glance I can distinguish China from Arizona. If one gets lost in the night, such knowledge is valuable.
    In the course of this life I have had a great many encounters with a great many people who have been concerned with matters of consequence. I have lived a great deal among grown-ups. I have seen them intimately, close at hand. And that hasn't much improved my opinion of them.
    Whenever I met one of them who seemed to me at all clear-sighted, I tried the experiment of showing him my Drawing Number One, which I have always kept. I would try to find out, so, if this was a person of true understanding. But, whoever it was, he, or she, would always say:&quot;That is a hat.&quot;Then I would never talk to that person about boa constrictors, or primeval forests, or stars. I would bring myself down to his level. I would talk to him about bridge, and golf, and politics, and neckties. And the grown-up would be greatly pleased to have met such a sensible man. 

第二章
    我就这样独自一个人生活着，没有一个能真正谈得来的人，直到六年前我驾驶飞机陷落在撒哈拉沙漠上。飞机引擎坏掉了。由于当时既没有机械师也没有任何乘客和我一起飞行，所以我只好自己独自尝试完成这个困难的维修工作。于我而言，这是一个关乎生死的问题：剩余的饮用水仅仅够我维持八天的时间。
    第一天晚上，我就睡在这远离人间烟火的沙漠上，我比大海中浮在小木筏上的遇难水手还要孤独。因此，你们可以想象到，当我在第二天拂晓时被一个奇怪而微小的声音吵醒时是有多么吃惊。这个小小的声音说：“请你给我画一只绵羊，好吗？”
    “什么！”
    “给我画一只绵羊！”
    像是被闪电击中般，我跳着脚站起来，使劲揉了揉眼睛，仔细地循声望去。我看见一个十分奇怪的小家伙正站在那里严肃地打量着我。这是后来我给他画出来的最好的一幅画像。可惜，我的画要比他本人的模样逊色得多。这不是我的过错。六岁时，大人们让我对自己的画家生涯丧失了勇气，除了画过开着肚皮和闭着肚皮的蟒蛇，我后来再没有学过画别的东西。
    对于这个突然出现的小家伙，我感到万分惊奇。我记得，当时我坠机的地方是一个远离人烟、千里之外的地方。然而，这个小家伙看起来既不像迷了路，也没有半点疲乏、饥渴、害怕的神情。种种迹象显示，他是一个迷失在空旷无人烟的大沙漠中的孩子。当我终于静下心可以说出话来时，我对他说道：“我说，你在这儿干什么呢？”
    他慢慢地好像在讲述一件非常重要的事情一般，对我重复说道：“请……给我画一只绵羊……”
    当一种神秘的东西把你镇住的时候，没人敢不服从。在这空旷无人烟的沙漠上，面临死亡的危险的情况下，尽管这看起来非常荒谬，我还是掏出了一张纸和一支钢笔。这时我却又记起，我的学习是怎样集中在地理、历史、计算和语法上的，我对这个小家伙说（也有一点生气）我不知道如何画。他回答我说：“没有关系，给我画一只绵羊吧！”
    因为我从来没有画过羊，我就给他画我常常画的那幅闭着肚皮的巨蟒，然后我非常震惊地听到这个小家伙说：“不！不！我不要一个在蟒蛇肚子里的大象。”
    “蟒蛇太危险，大象非常笨重。我住的地方，一切都非常小，我需要的是一只绵羊。给我画一只绵羊。”
    我就给他画了。
    他仔细地看了下，随后又说：“我不要，这只绵羊已经病得很重了。给我重新画一只。”
    我又另外画了一只。
    我的这位朋友温和放任地笑了。
    “你自己看看，”他说，“你画的不是绵羊，是头公羊，还有两个角呢。”
    于是我又重新画了一张。
    这幅画同前几幅一样又被拒绝了。
    “这一只羊太老了。我想要一只长寿的绵羊。”
    这次，我不耐烦了，因为我急于要检修发动机，于是就草草画了这张画，随手扔给他：“这是一只箱子，你要的绵羊就在里面。”
    这时，我十分惊讶地看到我的这位小评判员喜笑颜开。
    “这正是我想要的……你说这只羊需要很多草吗？”
    “为什么问这个呢？”
    “因为我住的地方，一切都非常小……”
    “我确定会有足够的草给它。”我说，“我给你的是一只非常小的绵羊。”
    他歪着脑袋靠近这张画。
    “并不像你说的那么小……瞧！它睡着了……”
    就这样，我认识了小王子。
    Chapter 2
    So I lived my life alone, without anyone that I could really talk to, until I had an accident with my plane in the Desert of Sahara, six years ago. Something was broken in my engine. And as I had with me neither a mechanic nor any passengers, I set myself to attempt the difficult repairs all alone. It was a question of life or death for me: I had scarcely enough drinking water to last a week.
    The first night, then, I went to sleep on the sand, a thousand miles from any human habitation. I was more isolated than a shipwrecked sailor on a raft in the middle of the ocean. Thus you can imagine my amazement, at sunrise, when I was awakened by an odd little voice. It said:&quot;If you please, draw me a sheep!&quot;&quot;What!&quot;
    &quot;Draw me a sheep!&quot;
    I jumped to my feet, completely thunderstruck. I blinked my eyes hard. I looked carefully all around me. And I saw a most extraordinary small person, who stood there examining me with great seriousness. Here you may see the best potrait that, later, I was able to make of him. But my drawing is certainly very much less charming than its model.
    That, however, is not my fault. The grown-ups discouraged me in my painter’s career when I was six years old, and I never learned to draw anything, except boas from the outside and boas from the inside.
    Now I stared at this sudden apparition with my eyes fairly starting out of my head in astonishment. Remember, I had crashed in the desert a thousand miles from any inhabited region. And yet my little man seemed neither to be straying uncertainly among the sands, nor to be fainting from fatigue or hunger or thirst or fear. Nothing about him gave any suggestion of a child lost in the middle of the desert, a thousand miles from any human habitation. When at last I was able to speak, I said to him: &quot;But, what are you doing here&quot;And in answer he repeated, very slowly, as if he were speaking of a matter of great consequence: &quot;If you please, draw me a sheep...&quot;When a mystery is too overpowering, one dare not disobey. Absurd as it might seem to me, a thousand miles from any human habitation and in danger of death, I took out of my pocket a sheet of paper and my fountain-pen. But then I remembered how my studies had been concentrated on geography, history, arithmetic, and grammar, and I told the little chap (a little crossly, too) that I did not know how to draw. He answered me:&quot;That doesn’t matter. Draw me a sheep...&quot;But I had never drawn a sheep. So I drew for him one of the two pictures I had drawn so often. It was that of the boa constrictor from the outside. And I was astounded to hear the little fellow greet it with, &quot;No, no, no! I do not want an elephant inside a boa constrictor. A boa constrictor is a very dangerous creature, and an elephant is very cumbersome. Where I live, everything is very small. What I need is a sheep. Draw me a sheep.&quot;So then I made a drawing.
    He looked at it carefully, then he said: &quot;No. This sheep is already very sickly. Make me another.&quot;So I made another drawing.
    My friend smiled gently and indulgenty. &quot;You see yourself,&quot; he said, &quot;that this is not a sheep. This is a ram. It has horns.&quot;So then I did my drawing over once more.
    But it was rejected too, just like the others. &quot;This one is too old. I want a sheep that will live a long time.&quot;By this time my patience was exhausted, because I was in a hurry to start taking my engine apart. So I tossed off this drawing.
    And I threw out an explanation with it.
    &quot;This is only his box. The sheep you asked for is inside.&quot;I was very surprised to see a light break over the face of my young judge:&quot;That is exactly the way I wanted it! Do you think that this sheep will have to have a great deal of grass&quot;&quot;Why&quot;
    &quot;Because where I live everything is very small...&quot;&quot;There will surely be enough grass for him,&quot; I said. &quot;It is a very small sheep that I have given you.&quot;He bent his head over the drawing:&quot;Not so small that—Look! He has gone to sleep...&quot;And that is how I made the acquaintance of the little prince. 

第三章
    我花了好长时间才明白他是从哪里来的。小王子问我很多问题，我有很多疑惑，可是，对我提出的问题，小王子好像压根儿没有听见似的。一点一点的，偶然间他无意中吐露的一些只言片语逐渐使我搞清了他的来历。例如，当他第一次看见我的飞机时（我就不画出我的飞机了，因为这种图画对我来说太复杂），他问我道：“这是个什么玩意儿呀？”
    “这不是‘玩意儿’。它能飞。这是飞机，是我的飞机。”
    我当时很骄傲地告诉他我能飞。他听到后疑惑地大声说：“什么！你是从天上掉下来的？”
    “是的。”我谦逊地答道。
    “哦！这真不可思议。”
    此时小王子可爱地笑了起来。这让我很生气。我不希望自己严肃的痛苦受到别人嘲笑。然后，他又说道：“那么，你也是从天上来的了！你是哪个星球上的？”
    这时，我忽然有点明白他为什么会在这里，对于他神秘出现这个费解的秘密，我隐约发现了一点线索。于是，我中断了他的提问，迫不及待地问道：“你是从另一个星球上来的吗？”
    可是他不回答我的问题。他轻轻摇晃着脑袋，眼睛一直盯着我的飞机，接着说道：“乘坐它，你不可能是从很远的地方来的……”
    你们可以想见这种关于“别的星球”似是而非的话语使我心里多么好奇。因此我竭力地想知道其中更多的奥秘。
    “你是从哪里来的，我的小家伙？你说的‘我住的地方’是指什么？你要把你的小绵羊带到哪里去？”
    他沉思了一会儿，然后回答我说：“好在有你给我的那只箱子，夜晚可以给小羊当房子用。”
    “那当然。如果你听话的话，我再给你画一根绳子，白天可以拴住它。再加上一个木桩。”
    但是，我的建议看来有点儿使小王子震惊。
    “拴住它？多么奇怪的主意啊！”
    “如果你不拴住它，”我说，“它就到处跑，会跑丢的。”
    我的这位朋友又发出响亮的笑声：“你想它能跑到哪里去呀？”
    “任何地方。它一直往前跑……”
    这时，小王子郑重其事地说：
    “这没有什么关系，我那里一切都很小很小。”
    接着，他或许略带伤感地又补充了一句：“一直朝前走，也不会走出多远……”
    Chapter 3
    It took me a long time to learn where he came from. The little prince, who asked me so many questions, never seemed to hear the ones I asked him. It was from words dropped by chance that, little by little, everything was revealed to me.
    The first time he saw my airplane, for instance (I shall not draw my airplane; that would be much too complicated for me), he asked me: &quot;What is that object&quot;&quot;That is not an object. It flies. It is an airplane. It is my airplane.&quot; And I was proud to have him learn that I could fly.
    He cried out, then: &quot;What! You dropped down from the sky&quot;&quot;Yes,&quot; I answered, modestly.
    &quot;Oh! That is funny!&quot;
    And the little prince broke into a lovely peal of laughter, which irritated me very much. I like my misfortunes to be taken seriously.
    Then he added: &quot;So you, too, come from the sky! Which is your planet&quot;At that moment I caught a gleam of light in the impenetrable mystery of his presence; and I demanded, abruptly: &quot;Do you come from another planet&quot;But he did not reply. He tossed his head gently, without taking his eyes from my plane: &quot;It is true that on that you can’t have come from very far away...&quot;And he sank into a reverie, which lasted a long time. Then, taking my sheep out of his pocket, he buried himself in the contemplation of his treasure.
    You can imagine how my curiosity was aroused by this half-confidence about the &quot;other planets.&quot; I made a great effort, therefore, to find out more on this subject.
    “My little man, where do you come from What is this ‘where I live,’ of which you speak Where do you want to take your sheep”
    After a reflective silence he answered: &quot;The thing that is so good about the box you have given me is that at night he can use it as his house.&quot;&quot;That is so. And if you are good I will give you a string, too, so that you can tie him during the day, and a post to tie him to.&quot;But the little prince seemed shocked by this offer: &quot;Tie him! What a queer idea!&quot;“But if you don’t tie him,” I said, “he will wander off somewhere, and get lost.”
    My friend broke into another peal of laughter: &quot;But where do you think he would go&quot;&quot;Anywhere. Straight ahead of him.&quot;Then the little prince said, earnestly: &quot;That doesn’t matter. Where I live, everything is so small!&quot;And, with perhaps a hint of sadness, he added: &quot;Straight ahead of him, nobody can go very far...&quot; 

第四章
    我还了解到第二件重要的事，就是小王子所在的那个星球比一座房子大不了多少。
    这倒并没有使我感到太奇怪。我知道除地球、木星、火星、金星这几个有名称的大行星以外，还有数以百计别的星球，它们有的小得很，就是用望远镜也很难看见。当一个天文学者发现了其中一个星球，他不会给它一个名字，而是给它编上一个号码，例如把它称做“325小行星”。
    我有理由相信小王子所在的那个星球是小行星B-612。这颗小行星仅仅在1909年被一个土耳其天文学家用望远镜看见过一次。
    随后，他在一次国际天文学家代表大会上对他的发现做了重要的论证。但由于他所穿衣服是土耳其的服装，所以没有人相信他。那些大人们就是这样。
    幸好，为了小行星B-612的声誉，土耳其的一个统治者，制定法律迫使他的人民都要穿欧式服装，否则就处以死刑。1920年，这位天文学家穿了一身非常雅致的服装，又在大会上重新做了一次论证。这一次所有的人都接受他的看法。
    如果我给你们讲关于小行星B-612的这些细节，并且告诉你们它的编号，这是由于这些大人和他们行为方式的缘故。大人们喜欢数字。当你对他们说你交了一个新朋友时，他们从来不向你提出实质性的问题。他们从来不讲：“他说话声音像什么？他最喜爱什么样的游戏？他是否收集蝴蝶标本？”相反，他们会问你：“他多大年纪呀？弟兄几个呀？体重多少磅呀？他父亲挣多少钱呀？”只有从这些数字信息，他们才觉得他们了解了他。如果你对大人们说：“我看到一幢用玫瑰色的砖盖成的漂亮的房子，窗台上摆着天竺葵，屋顶上还有鸽子……”他们无法对这个房子有任何感觉。如果你这样对他们说：“我看见了一幢价值十万法郎的房子。”那么他们就惊叫道：“多么漂亮的房子啊！”
    就像这样，要是你对他们说：“小王子存在的证据就是他非常漂亮，他笑着，想要一只羊。如果有人想要一只绵羊，那就是他存在的证明。”这样告诉他们的结果是什么呢？他们一定会耸耸肩膀，不以为然，把你当作小孩子看待。但是，如果你对他们说“小王子来自的星球就是小行星B-612”，那么他们就十分信服，就不会提出一大堆问题来和你纠缠。
    他们就是这样的。一定不要因为这样去攻击他们，小孩子们对大人们应该宽厚些。
    当然，对我们这些懂得生活的人来说，我们才不在乎那些编号呢！我真愿意像讲童话那样来开始这个故事，我真想这样开头：“从前，有一个小王子，他住在一个和他身体差不多大的星球上，他渴望拥有一个朋友……”对懂得生活的人来说，这样说就可能显得更加真实。
    我可不希望人们漫不经心地读我的书。在讲述这些往事时，我已承受了太多悲伤。我的朋友带着他的小绵羊已经离去六年了。我之所以在这里尽力把他描写出来，就是为了不要忘记他。忘记一个朋友，这太叫人悲伤了。并不是所有的人都有过一个朋友。再说，如果我忘记他，我也可能变成那些大人那样，只对数字感兴趣。
    也正是因为这个缘故，我买了一盒颜料和一些铅笔。现在，重新再来画画，真困难啊！像我这样年纪的人，而且除了六岁时画过闭着肚皮的和敞开肚皮的巨蟒外，别的什么也没有尝试过。当然，我一定要把这些画尽量地画得逼真，但我自己也没有把握成功。一张画得还可以，另一张就不像了。还有身材比例大小，我画得有点不准确。在这个地方小王子画得大了些，另一个地方又画得小了些。对他衣服的颜色我也拿不准。于是我就摸索着试试这改改那，反正我就这么笨手笨脚地画了大概。我很可能在某些重要的细节上画错了。这就得请大家原谅我了。因为我的这个朋友从来也不加说明解释。他认为我同他一样。可是，我却不知道如何透过盒子看见小绵羊。我大概有点像大人们了。我肯定自己变老了。
    Chapter 4
    I had thus learned a second fact of great importance: this was that the planet the little prince came from was scarcely any larger than a house!
    But that did not really surprise me much. I knew very well that in addition to the great planets— such as the Earth, Jupiter, Mars, Venus— to which we have given names, there are also hundreds of others, some of which are so small that one has a hard time seeing them through the telescope. When an astronomer discovers one of these he does not give it a name, but only a number. He might call it, for example, &quot;Asteroid 325.&quot;I have serious reason to believe that the planet from which the little prince came is the asteroid known as B-612. This asteroid has only once been seen through the telescope. That was by a Turkish astronomer, in 1909.
    On making his discovery, the astronomer had presented it to the International Astronomical Congress, in a great demonstration. But he was in Turkish costume, and so nobody would believe what he said.
    Grown-ups are like that...
    Fortunately, however, for the reputation of Asteroid B-612, a Turkish dictator made a law that his subjects, under pain of death, should change to European costume. So in 1920 the astronomer gave his demonstration all over again, dressed with impressive style and elegance. And this time everybody accepted his report.
    If I have told you these details about the asteroid, and made a note of its number for you, it is on account of the grown-ups and their ways. When you tell them that you have made a new friend, they never ask you any questions about essential matters.
    They never say to you, &quot;What does his voice sound like What games does he love best Does he collect butterflies&quot;Instead, they demand: &quot;How old is he How many brothers has he How much does he weigh How much money does his father make&quot; Only from these figures do they think they have learned anything about him.
    If you were to say to the grown-ups: &quot;I saw a beautiful house made of rosy brick, with geraniums in the windows and doves on the roof,&quot; they would not be able to get any idea of that house at all. You would have to say to them: &quot;I saw a house that cost $20,000.&quot; Then they would exclaim: &quot;Oh, what a pretty house that is!&quot;Just so, you might say to them: &quot;The proof that the little prince existed is that he was charming, that he laughed, and that he was looking for a sheep. If anybody wants a sheep, that is a proof that he exists.&quot; And what good would it do to tell them that They would shrug their shoulders, and treat you like a child.
    But if you said to them: &quot;The planet he came from is Asteroid B-612,&quot; then they would be convinced, and leave you in peace from their questions.
    They are like that. One must not hold it against them. Children should always show great forbearance toward grown-up people.
    But certainly, for us who understand life, figures are a matter of indifference. I should have liked to begin this story in the fashion of the fairy-tales. I should have like to say: &quot;Once upon a time there was a little prince who lived on a planet that was scarcely any bigger than himself, and who had need of a sheep...&quot;To those who understand life, that would have given a much greater air of truth to my story.
    For I do not want any one to read my book carelessly. I have suffered too much grief in setting down these memories. Six years have already passed since my friend went away from me, with his sheep. If I try to describe him here, it is to make sure that I shall not forget him. To forget a friend is sad. Not every one has had a friend. And if I forget him, I may become like the grown-ups who are no longer interested in anything but figures...
    It is for that purpose, again, that I have bought a box of paints and some pencils. It is hard to take up drawing again at my age, when I have never made any pictures except those of the boa constrictor from the outside and the boa constrictor from the inside, since I was six. I shall certainly try to make my portraits as true to life as possible. But I am not at all sure of success. One drawing goes along all right, and another has no resemblance to its subject. I make some errors, too, in the littl e prince’s height: in one place he is too tall and in another too short. And I feel some doubts about the color of his costume. So I fumble along as best I can, now good, now bad, and I hope generally fair-to-middling.
    In certain more important details I shall make mistakes, also. But that is something that will not be my fault. My friend never explained anything to me. He thought, perhaps, that I was like himself. But I, alas, do not know how to see sheep through t he walls of boxes. Perhaps I am a little like the grown-ups. I have had to grow old. 

第五章
    每天我都了解到一些关于小王子的星球、他的出走和旅行等事情。这些都是偶然和他交谈中不经意慢慢得到的。就这样，在遇到小王子的第三天，我就了解到关于猴面包树的危险。
    这一次，我还要再次感谢那只绵羊，因为小王子好像是非常担心地问我道：“绵羊吃矮小的灌木，这是真的吗？”
    “是的，是真的。”
    “啊，我真高兴。”
    我不明白绵羊吃矮小灌木这件事为什么如此重要。可小王子又补充说道：“那么，它们也吃猴面包树吗？”
    我对小王子指出说，猴面包树可不是什么小灌木，而是像城堡那么大的大树，即便是带回一群大象，也啃不了一棵猴面包树。
    一群大象这种想法使小王子大笑起来：“那可得把这些大象叠起来才行。”
    然后，他又给出了一个非常聪敏的评论：“猴面包树在长大之前，开始也是小小的。”
    “不错。”我说，“可是为什么你想叫你的羊去吃小猴面包树呢？”
    他立刻回答我道：“哦，行了，行了。”似乎这是不言而喻的，我自己却被迫要费很大的脑力来解决这个问题。
    的确，正如我之前了解到的，在小王子居住的星球上，也和别的星球一样，存在着好的植物和坏的植物，因此，也就存在来自好的植物的好的种子，和来自坏的植物的坏的种子。但是，我们是看不见种子的。
    它们安静地沉睡在泥土中，直到其中的一粒忽然想要苏醒过来……于是它就伸展开身子，先是害羞地朝着太阳长出一棵秀丽可爱的小嫩苗。如果是小萝卜或是玫瑰的嫩苗，就任由它去恣意地生长。如果是一棵坏苗，一旦被辨认出来，就应该马上把它拔掉。
    因为在小王子的星球上，有些非常可怕的种子……就是猴面包树的种子，这种种子多得成灾，它们会入侵整个星球的土地。而一棵猴面包树苗，假如你拔得太迟，就再也无法把它清除掉。它会盘踞整个星球。它会长出很多树根。如果星球很小，而猴面包树很多，它就把整个星球搞得支离破碎。
    “这是个规矩问题。”小王子后来向我解释道，“每天早上洗漱完毕以后，必须非常仔细地给星球做清洁和打扮。你必须规定自己按时去拔掉猴面包树苗。这种树苗小的时候与玫瑰苗长得差不多，一旦你把它们认出来，就要把它拔掉。这是一件非常乏味的工作，但也很容易。”
    有一天，小王子劝我不妨画一幅漂亮的图画，好让地球上的孩子们对于猴面包树的危害有一个深刻的印象。“如果他们出外旅行的时候，”他对我说，“你的画对他们是很有用的。有时候，人们把自己的工作延迟到以后去做，并没有什么危害，但要遇到拔猴面包树苗这种事，拖延就非造成大灾难不可。我了解到一个星球，上面住着一个懒惰的家伙，他忽视了三棵小猴面包树苗……”
    于是，根据小王子的描述，我把这个有三棵猴面包树的星球画了下来。我非常不情愿以道德楷模自居，可是猴面包树的危险大家都不大了解，对迷失在小行星上的人来说，危险性非常之大，因此这一回，我贸然打破了我的这种不喜欢教训人的惯例，我简单直白地说：“孩子们，要当心那些猴面包树呀！”像我一样很长时间以来都避开了这个危险的朋友们，甚至都不知道这种危险的存在。因此为了他们，我花了很大的工夫画了这幅画。通过这种方式让大家学到的这节课，所有过程中的麻烦都值得了。你们也许要问，为什么这本书中别的画都没有这幅猴面包树的画那么壮观并且印象深刻呢？回答很简单：别的画我也曾经试图画得好些，却没成功。而当我画猴面包树时，有一种急切的心情在驱动着我。
    Chapter 5
    As each day passed I would learn, in our talk, something about the little prince’s planet, his departure from it, his journey. The information would come very slowly, as it might chance to fall from his thoughts. It was in this way that I heard, on the third day, about the catastrophe of the baobabs.
    This time, once more, I had the sheep to thank for it. For the little prince asked me abruptly— as if seized by a grave doubt— &quot;It is true, isn’t it, that sheep eat little bushes&quot;&quot;Yes, that is true.&quot;
    &quot;Ah! I am glad!&quot;
    I did not understand why it was so important that sheep should eat little bushes. But the little prince added:&quot;Then it follows that they also eat baobabs&quot;I pointed out to the little prince that baobabs were not little bushes, but, on the contrary, trees as big as castles; and that even if he took a whole herd of elephants away with him, the herd would not eat up one single baobab.
    The idea of the herd of elephants made the little prince laugh.
    &quot;We would have to put them one on top of the other,&quot; he said.
    But he made a wise comment:
    &quot;Before they grow so big, the baobabs start out by being little.&quot;&quot;That is strictly correct,&quot; I said. &quot;But why do you want the sheep to eat the little baobabs&quot;He answered me at once, &quot;Oh, come, come!&quot;, as if he were speaking of something that was self-evident. And I was obliged to make a great mental effort to solve this problem, without any assistance.
    Indeed, as I learned, there were on the planet where the little prince lived— as on all planets— good plants and bad plants. In consequence, there were good seeds from good plants, and bad seeds from bad plants. But seeds are invisible.
    They sleep deep in the heart of the earth’s darkness, until some one among them is seized with the desire to awaken. Then this little seed will stretch itself and begin— timidly at first— to push a charming little sprig inoffensively upward toward the sun.
    If it is only a sprout of radish or the sprig of a rose-bush, one would let it grow wherever it might wish. But when it is a bad plant, one must destroy it as soon as possible, the very first instant that one recognizes it.
    Now there were some terrible seeds on the planet that was the home of the little prince; and these were the seeds of the baobab. The soil of that planet was infested with them.
    A baobab is something you will never, never be able to get rid of if you attend to it too late. It spreads over the entire planet. It bores clear through it with its roots. And if the planet is too small, and the baobabs are too many, they split it in pieces...
    &quot;It is a question of discipline,&quot; the little prince said to me later on. &quot;When you’ve finished your own toilet in the morning, then it is time to attend to the toilet of your planet, just so, with the greatest care. You must see to it that you pull up regularly all the baobabs, at the very first moment when they can be distinguished from the rosebushes which they resemble so closely in their earliest youth. It is very tedious work,&quot; the little prince added, &quot;but very easy.&quot;And one day he said to me: &quot;You ought to make a beautiful drawing, so that the children where you live can see exactly how all this is. That would be very useful to them if they were to travel some day. Sometimes,&quot; he added, &quot;there is no harm in putting off a piece of work until another day.
    But when it is a matter of baobabs, that always means a catastrophe. I knew a planet that was inhabited by a lazy man. He neglected three little bushes...&quot;So, as the little prince described it to me, I have made a drawing of that planet. I do not much like to take the tone of a moralist. But the danger of the baobabs is so little understood, and such considerable risks would be run by anyone who might get lost on an asteroid, that for once I am breaking through my reserve. &quot;Children,&quot; I say plainly, &quot;watch out for the baobabs!&quot;My friends, like myself, have been skirting this danger for a long time, without ever knowing it; and so it is for them that I have worked so hard over this drawing. The lesson which I pass on by this means is worth all the trouble it has cost me.
    Perhaps you will ask me, &quot;Why are there no other drawing in this book as magnificent and impressive as this drawing of the baobabs&quot;The reply is simple. I have tried. But with the others I have not been successful. When I made the drawing of the baobabs I was carried beyond myself by the inspiring force of urgent necessity. 

第六章
    小王子啊，就这样，我逐渐了解了你那充满忧伤的生活。原来在过去很长的时间里，你唯一的乐趣就是静默地观赏那夕阳西下的温柔晚景。这个新的细节是我在第四天早晨知道的。当时你对我说：“我喜欢日落。我们一起去看日落吧……”
    “可是我们需要等待……”
    “等什么？”
    “等太阳落山。”
    开始，你显得很惊讶，随后你笑自己的糊涂，然后说：“我总以为是在自己的星球呢！”
    确实，大家都知道，美国的正午时分在法国正夕阳西下，只要在一分钟内赶到法国就可看到日落。可惜法国是那么的遥远。而在你那样的小行星上，我的小王子，你只要把你的椅子挪动几步就行了。这样，你便可随时看到你想看的夕阳余晖……
    Chapter 6
    Oh, little prince! Bit by bit I came to understand the secrets of your sad little life... For a long time you had found your only entertainment in the quiet pleasure of looking at the sunset. I learned that new detail on the morning of the fourth day, when you said to me: &quot;I am very fond of sunsets. Come, let us go look at a sunset now.&quot;&quot;But we must wait.&quot; I said.
    &quot;Wait For what&quot;
    &quot;For the sunset. We must wait until it is time.&quot;At first you seemed to be very much surprised. And then you laughed to yourself. You said to me:&quot;I am always thinking that I am at home!&quot;Just so. Everybody knows that when it is noon in the United States the sun is setting over France.
    If you could fly to France in one minute, you could go straight into the sunset, right from noon. Unfortunately, France is too far away for that. But on your tiny planet, my little prince, all you need do is move your chair a few steps. You can see the day end and the twilight falling whenever you like...
    &quot;One day,&quot; you said to me, &quot;I saw the sunset forty-three times!&quot;And a little later you added:
    &quot;You know— one loves the sunset, when one is so sad...&quot;&quot;Were you so sad, then&quot; I asked, &quot;on the day of the forty-three sunsets&quot;But the little prince made no reply. 

第七章
    第五天，还是托绵羊的福，我揭开了小王子生活的秘密。突然，没有任何征兆，就好像问题是来自长时间静静地对他自己问题的冥想，他向我发问：“一只绵羊，如果它要是吃小灌木，它也要吃花吗？”
    “它碰到什么吃什么。”
    “连有刺的花也吃吗？”
    “有刺的也吃。”
    “那么刺有什么用呢？”
    我不知道该怎么回答。那会儿我正忙着要从发动机上卸下一颗拧得太紧的螺丝。我发现机器故障似乎很严重，饮水也快完了，担心可能发生最坏的情况，心里很着急。
    “那么刺有什么用呢？”
    小王子一旦提出了问题，从来不会放过。这颗该死的螺丝使我很恼火，我于是就按照大脑中的第一反应，随便回答了他一句：“刺什么用都没有，花儿们的刺只是为了故意伤害别人。”
    “噢！”
    可是他沉默了一会儿之后，怀着不满的心情冲我说：“我不信！花是弱小的、淳朴的，它们总是设法保护自己，以为有了刺就可以显出自己的厉害……”
    我没回答。我当时想的是，如果这颗螺丝再和我作对，我就一锤子敲掉它。小王子又来打搅我的思绪了：“你却认为花……”
    “我什么也不认为！我是随便回答你的。我可有正经事要做！”
    他惊讶地看着我。
    “正经事？”
    他瞅着我手拿锤子，手指沾满了油污，伏在一个在他看来丑不可言的机件上。
    “你说话就和那些大人一样！”
    这话使我有点难堪。可是他又尖刻无情地继续说道：“你把什么都混在一起……你把一切都搞乱了。”
    他着实恼火。他甩动脑袋，金黄色的头发随风颤动着。
    “我到过一个星球，上面住着一个红脸先生。他从来没闻过一朵花。他从来没有看过一颗星星。他什么人也没有喜欢过。除了算账以外，他什么也没有做过。他整天同你一样自言自语：‘我有正经事要做！我是个正经的人！’这使他傲气十足。但他不是个人，他是个蘑菇！”
    “是个什么？”
    “是个蘑菇！”
    小王子气得脸色发白。
    “几百万年以来花儿都有刺，几百万年以来绵羊都在吃带刺的花。要搞清楚为什么花儿费那么大劲给自己长了没有什么用的刺，这难道不是正经事？难道绵羊和花之间的战争不重要？这难道不比那个大胖子红脸先生的账目更重要？如果我认识一朵人世间唯一的花，只有我的星球上有它，别的地方都不存在，而一只小绵羊在某个早上一口就能把它毁掉，这难道不重要？”
    他的脸变红了，接着说道：
    “如果有人爱上了在这亿万颗星星中独一无二的一株花，当他看着这些星星的时候，这就足以使他感到幸福。他可以对自己说：‘我的那朵花就在其中的一颗星星上……’但是如果羊吃掉了这朵花，对他来说，好像所有的星星一下子全都熄灭了一样！这难道也不重要吗？”
    他无法再说下去了，突然泣不成声。
    夜幕已经降临。我放下手中的工具。我把锤子、螺钉、饥渴、死亡全都抛在脑后。在一颗星球上，在一颗行星上，在我的行星上，在地球上有一个小王子需要安慰！我把他抱在怀里。我摇着他，对他说：“你爱的那朵花没有危险……我会给你的小绵羊画一个口套……我会给你的花画一圈护栏……我会……”
    我也不太知道该说些什么。我觉得自己太笨拙，并且犯了大错。我不知道应该如何接近他，如何理解他的话，如何重新和他手拉手，走在一起。
    泪水的世界是多么神秘啊！
    Chapter 7
    On the fifth day— again, as always, it was thanks to the sheep— the secret of the little prince’s life was revealed to me. Abruptly, without anything to lead up to it, and as if the question had been born of long and silent meditation on his problem, he demanded:&quot;A sheep— if it eats little bushes, does it eat flowers, too&quot;&quot;A sheep,&quot; I answered, &quot;eats anything it finds in its reach.&quot;&quot;Even flowers that have thorns&quot;&quot;Yes, even flowers that have thorns.&quot;&quot;Then the thorns— what use are they&quot;I did not know. At that moment I was very busy trying to unscrew a bolt that had got stuck in my engine. I was very much worried, for it was becoming clear to me that the breakdown of my plane was extremely serious. And I had so little drinking-water left that I had to fear for the worst.
    &quot;The thorns— what use are they&quot;The little prince never let go of a question, once he had asked it. As for me, I was upset over that bolt. And I answered with the first thing that came into my head:&quot;The thorns are of no use at all. Flowers have thorns just for spite!&quot;&quot;Oh!&quot;
    There was a moment of complete silence. Then the little prince flashed back at me, with a kind of resentfulness:&quot;I don’t believe you! Flowers are weak creatures. They are name. They reassure themselves as best they can. They believe that their thorns are terrible weapons...&quot;I did not answer. At that instant I was saying to myself: &quot;If this bolt still won’t turn, I am going to knock it out with the hammer.&quot; Again the little prince disturbed my thoughts.
    &quot;And you actually believe that the flowers--&quot;&quot;Oh, no!&quot; I cried. &quot;No, no no! I don’t believe anything. I answered you with the first thing that came into my head. Don’t you see— I am very busy with matters of consequence!&quot;He stared at me, thunderstruck.
    &quot;Matters of consequence!&quot;
    He looked at me there, with my hammer in my hand, my fingers black with engine-grease, bending down over an object which seemed to him extremely ugly...
    &quot;You talk just like the grown-ups!&quot;That made me a little ashamed. But he went on, relentlessly:&quot;You mix everything up together... You confuse everything...&quot;He was really very angry. He tossed his golden curls in the breeze.
    &quot;I know a planet where there is a certain red-faced gentleman. He has never smelled a flower. He has never looked at a star. He has never loved any one. He has never done anything in his life but add up figures. And all day he says over and over, just like you: ‘I am busy with matters of consequence!‘ And that makes him swell up with pride. But he is not a man— he is a mushroom!&quot;&quot;A what&quot;
    &quot;A mushroom!&quot;
    The little prince was now white with rage.
    &quot;The flowers have been growing thorns for millions of years. For millions of years the sheep have been eating them just the same. And is it not a matter of consequence to try to understand why the flowers go to so much trouble to grow thorns which are never of any use to them Is the warfare between the sheep and the flowers not important Is this not of more consequence than a fat red-faced gentleman’s sums And if I know— I, myself— one flower which is unique in the world, which grows nowhere but on my planet, but which one little sheep can destroy in a single bite some morning, without even noticing what he is doing— Oh! You think that is not important!&quot;His face turned from white to red as he continued:“If some one loves a flower, of which just one single blossom grows in all the millions and millions of stars, it is enough to make him happy just to look at the stars. He can say to himself, ’Somewhere, my flower is there... ’ But if the sheep eats the flower, in one moment all his stars will be darkened... And you think that is not important!” He could not say anything more. His words were choked by sobbing.
    The night had fallen. I had let my tools drop from my hands. Of what moment now was my hammer, my bolt, or thirst, or death On one star, one planet, my planet, the Earth, there was a little prince to be comforted. I took him in my arms, and rocked him. I said to him:&quot;The flower that you love is not in danger. I will draw you a muzzle for your sheep. I will draw you a railing to put around your flower. I will—&quot;I did not know what to say to him. I felt awkward and blundering. I did not know how I could reach him, where I could overtake him and go on hand in hand with him once more.
    It is such a secret place, the land of tears. 

第八章
    很快我就进一步了解了这朵花儿。在小王子的星球上，过去一直都生长着一些只有一圈花瓣的很普通的花。这些花非常小，一点也不占地方，从来也不会去打搅任何人。她们早晨在草丛中开放，晚上就平静地凋谢了。但是突然有一天，不知从哪里来了一颗种子，长出了一种新的花朵。小王子特别仔细地监视着这棵与星球上其他任何植物都不同的小苗，它说不定是一种新的猴面包树。
    但是，这棵小苗不久就不再长了，而是开始冒出了花苞，孕育了一个花朵。看到花苞长出一个很大的花蕾，小王子相信它一定会开出一朵出奇漂亮的花。然而这朵花藏在它那绿茵茵的房间里，迟迟不肯露出美丽的容颜，她用了很长的时间来打扮自己。她精心挑选她将来的颜色，慢腾腾地装扮着，一片片地调整花瓣的位置，她不希望自己仿佛野地里的虞美人那样一出世就满脸皱纹。她要让自己光艳夺目地来到世间。是的，她是非常在乎漂亮的。她用很多天时间天仙般地梳妆打扮。然后，在一天的早晨，恰好在太阳升起的时候，她露出了自己的真面目。
    她已经精细地做了那么长的准备工作，却打着哈欠说道：“真不好意思呀……我刚刚起床……瞧我的头发还是乱蓬蓬的……”
    小王子这时再也控制不住自己的爱慕心情：
    “哦，你真漂亮！”
    “当然了，”花儿悠然自得地回应说，“我是与太阳同时出生的……”
    小王子非常容易地就能看出这花儿不太谦虚，可是她确实漂亮动人。
    片刻之后，她补充说道：“我想现在该是吃早点的时候了吧，不知您是否可以帮我……”
    小王子很不好意思，赶紧拿来喷壶，打来了一壶清清的凉水，浇灌着花儿。
    于是，就这样，这朵花儿就以她那有点敏感多疑的虚荣心开始折磨着小王子。例如，有一天，她对小王子讲起她身上长的四根刺：“老虎要来就来吧，我可不怕它的爪子！”
    “在我这个星球上没有老虎。”小王子轻声反对说，“而且，老虎是不会吃草的。”
    “我并不是草呀。”花儿娇柔地说。
    “真对不起……”
    “我并不怕什么老虎，可我讨厌风产生的气流。你有没有屏风？”
    小王子思忖着：“讨厌风……这对一株植物来说，真不走运，这朵花儿的心事太复杂了……”
    “晚上我希望您能把我放到一个玻璃罩里面。你这地方太冷。我原来住的那个地方……”
    但她没有说下去。她来的时候是颗种子。她哪里见过什么别的地方。如此天真的谎言差点被小王子拆穿，她有点羞怒，立刻假装咳嗽了两三声。这么做是要小王子处于有过失的地位，她说：“屏风呢？”
    “你刚才跟我说的时候，我就准备去拿……”
    于是花儿放开嗓门咳嗽了几声，就是要使小王子后悔自己的过失。
    所以，小王子本来诚心诚意地喜欢这朵花，可是，这一来，却使他马上对她产生了怀疑。小王子对一些无关紧要的话看得太认真，这让他很苦恼。
    有一天他告诉我说：“我不该把她的话当真，不应听信那些花儿的话。我们只要欣赏花的样子，看看花，闻闻它就得了。我的花让我的星球布满芬芳，可我却不为此高兴，不会享受它。花说的关于老虎爪子的事让我很生气，其实她只是在撒娇，却反而使我恼火……”
    他还告诉我说：
    “我那时什么也不懂！我应该根据她的行为，而不是听她的话来判断她。她芳香四溢，让我的生活芬芳多彩，我真不该离开她跑出来。我早该猜到，在她那令人爱怜的小把戏后面隐藏着多少柔情啊。花的心事多么自相矛盾！我当时太年轻，还不懂得爱她。”
    Chapter 8
    I soon learned to know this flower better. On the little prince’s planet the flowers had always been very simple. They had only one ring of petals; they took up no room at all; they were a trouble to nobody. One morning they would appear in the grass, and by night they would have faded peacefully away. But one day, from a seed blown from no one knew where, a new flower had come up; and the little prince had watched very closely over this small sprout which was not like any other small sprouts on his planet. It might, you see, have been a new kind of baobab.
    The shrub soon stopped growing, and began to get ready to produce a flower. The little prince, who was present at the first appearance of a huge bud, felt at once that some sort of miraculous apparition must emerge from it. But the flower was not satisfied to complete the preparations for her beauty in the shelter of her green chamber. She chose her colours with the greatest care. She adjusted her petals one by one. She did not wish to go out into the world all rumpled, like the field poppies. It was only in the full radiance of her beauty that she wished to appear. Oh, yes! She was a coquettish creature! And her mysterious adornment lasted for days and days.
    Then one morning, exactly at sunrise, she suddenly showed herself.
    And, after working with all this painstaking precision, she yawned and said:&quot;Ah! I am scarcely awake. I beg that you will excuse me. My petals are still all disarranged...&quot;But the little prince could not restrain his admiration:&quot;Oh! How beautiful you are!&quot;
    &quot;Am I not&quot; the flower responded, sweetly. &quot;And I was born at the same moment as the sun...&quot;The little prince could guess easily enough that she was not any too modest— but how moving— and exciting— she was!
    &quot;I think it is time for breakfast,&quot; she added an instant later. &quot;If you would have the kindness to think of my needs—&quot;And the little prince, completely abashed, went to look for a sprinkling-can of fresh water. So, he tended the flower.
    So, too, she began very quickly to torment him with her vanity— which was, if the truth be known, a little difficult to deal with. One day, for instance, when she was speaking of her four thorns, she said to the little prince:&quot;Let the tigers come with their claws!&quot;&quot;There are no tigers on my planet,&quot; the little prince objected. &quot;And, anyway, tigers do not eat weeds.&quot;&quot;I am not a weed,&quot; the flower replied, sweetly.
    &quot;Please excuse me...&quot;
    &quot;I am not at all afraid of tigers,&quot; she went on, &quot;but I have a horror of drafts. I suppose you wouldn’t have a screen for me&quot;&quot;A horror of drafts— that is bad luck, for a plant,&quot; remarked the little prince, and added to himself, &quot;This flower is a very complex creature...&quot;&quot;At night I want you to put me under a glass globe. It is very cold where you live. In the place I came from—&quot;But she interrupted herself at that point. She had come in the form of a seed. She could not have known anything of any other worlds. Embarassed over having let herself be caught on the verge of such a naive untruth, she coughed two or three times, in order to put the little prince in the wrong.
    &quot;The screen&quot;
    &quot;I was just going to look for it when you spoke to me...&quot;Then she forced her cough a little more so that he should suffer from remorse just the same.
    So the little prince, in spite of all the good will that was inseparable from his love, had soon come to doubt her. He had taken seriously words which were without importance, and it made him very unhappy.
    &quot;I ought not to have listened to her,&quot; he confided to me one day. &quot;One never ought to listen to the flowers. One should simply look at them and breathe their fragrance. Mine perfumed all my planet. But I did not know how to take pleasure in all her grace. This tale of claws, which disturbed me so much, should only have filled my heart with tenderness and pity.&quot;And he continued his confidences:&quot;The fact is that I did not know how to understand anything! I ought to have judged by deeds and not by words. She cast her fragrance and her radiance over me. I ought never to have run away from her... I ought to have guessed all the affection that lay behind her poor little strategems. Flowers are so inconsistent! But I was too young to know how to love her...&quot; 

第九章
    我想小王子大概是利用一群野生鸟类迁徙的机会离开的。在他出发的那天清晨，他把他的星球收拾得整整齐齐，把它上头的活火山打扫得干干净净。他有两个活火山，早上热早餐很方便。他还有一座死火山。就像他所说的：“以后的事情谁说得清呢！”所以，他也把它打扫干净。他想，说不定以后它还会活动呢！清理干净了，它就可以慢慢地、有规律地燃烧，而不会突然喷发。火山喷发就像烟囱里的火焰一样。当然，在我们地球上，我们人显得太小了，不能清理火山，所以火山给我们带来很多很多麻烦。
    小王子带着沮丧的心情，还把剩下的最后几棵猴面包树苗全拔了。他以为他再也不会想回来了。但是，在那个最后的早晨，所有这些再熟悉不过的事情使他感到特别珍贵。当他最后一次浇花时，准备把她放到玻璃罩里面保护起来时。他觉得自己马上要哭出来了。
    “再见了。”他对花儿说道。
    可是花儿没有回应。
    “再见了。”他又说了一遍。
    花儿咳嗽了一阵，但并不是由于感冒。
    她终于对他说道：“过去我真傻。请你原谅我。希望你能幸福。”
    花儿居然没有责怪他，小王子感到很惊讶。他举着罩子，不知所措地伫立在那里。他不明白她为什么会这样温柔恬静。
    “的确，我爱你，”花儿对他说道，“但由于我的过错，你一直都不知道我爱你。这已经不重要了。不过，你也和我一样的笨。希望你今后能幸福。把罩子放在一边吧，我用不着它了。”
    “要是风来了怎么办？”
    “我的感冒并不那么重……夜晚的凉风对我倒有好处。我是一朵花。”
    “要是有虫子野兽呢？”
    “我想认识蝴蝶，所以忍受不了两三只毛毛虫的存在是不行的。听说那些蝴蝶看起来非常美丽。如果没有蝴蝶和毛毛虫，还有谁来看我呢？你就要到远方去了。至于大动物，我并不怕，我有我的爪子。”
    于是，她天真地显露出她那四根刺，随后又说道：“别这么磨蹭了。你既然决定离开这儿，就不要让我难过，那么，快走吧！”
    她这样说是因为怕小王子看见她流泪。她可是一朵非常骄傲的花……
    Chapter 9
    I believe that for his escape he took advantage of the migration of a flock of wild birds. On the morning of his departure he put his planet in perfect order. He carefully cleaned out his active volcanoes. He possessed two active volcanoes; and they were very convenient for heating his breakfast in the morning. He also had one volcano that was extinct. But, as he said, &quot;One never knows!&quot; So he cleaned out the extinct volcano, too. If they are well cleaned out, volcanoes burn slowly and steadily, without any eruptions. Volcanic eruptions are like fires in a chimney.
    On our earth we are obviously much too small to clean out our volcanoes. That is why they bring no end of trouble upon us.
    The little prince also pulled up, with a certain sense of dejection, the last little shoots of the baobabs. He believed that he would never want to return. But on this last morning all these familiar tasks seemed very precious to him. And when he watered the flower for the last time, and prepared to place her under the shelter of her glass globe, he realised that he was very close to tears.
    &quot;Goodbye,&quot; he said to the flower.
    But she made no answer.
    &quot;Goodbye,&quot; he said again.
    The flower coughed. But it was not because she had a cold.
    &quot;I have been silly , &quot; she said to him, at last. &quot;I ask your forgiveness. Try to be happy...&quot;He was surprised by this absence of reproaches. He stood there all bewildered, the glass globe held arrested in mid-air. He did not understand this quiet sweetness.
    &quot;Of course I love you,&quot; the flower said to him. &quot;It is my fault that you have not known it all the while. That is of no importance. But you— you have been just as foolish as I. Try to be happy... let the glass globe be. I don’t want it any more.&quot;&quot;But the wind—&quot;
    &quot;My cold is not so bad as all that... the cool night air will do me good. I am a flower.&quot;&quot;But the animals—&quot;
    &quot;Well, I must endure the presence of two or three caterpillars if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflies. It seems that they are very beautiful. And if not the butterflies— and the caterpillars— who will call upon me You will be far away... as for the large animals— I am not at all afraid of any of them. I have my claws.&quot;And, navely, she showed her four thorns. Then she added:&quot;Don’t linger like this. You have decided to go away. Now go!&quot;For she did not want him to see her crying. She was such a proud flower... 

第十章
    他发现邻近自己的星球还有小行星325、326、327、328、329和330。因此，小王子通过拜访这些邻居星球，开始了他的远行，这样做是为了找到合适的职业，也为了增长知识。
    小王子拜访的第一颗小行星上住着一个国王。国王穿着用紫色貂皮装饰的大袍子，坐在很简单却又十分威严的宝座上。
    “啊！来了一个子民。”国王看见小王子时，惊喜地喊了起来。
    小王子疑惑：“他从来也没有见过我，怎么会认识我呢？”
    他不知道，对于一个国王来说，世界非常简单。所有的人都是他的子民。
    国王十分自豪，因为他终于成了某个人的国王，他对小王子说：“走近些，让我好好看看你。”
    小王子看看四周，想找个地方坐下来，可是整个星球被国王华丽的貂皮长袍占满了。小王子只好继续站在那里，但是他太累了，他打起哈欠来。
    国王对他说：“在一个君主面前打哈欠是违反礼仪的。我禁止你打哈欠。”
    “我实在忍不住，”小王子羞愧地说，“我长途跋涉来到这里，还没有睡觉呢。”
    “那好吧，我命令你打哈欠。”国王说，“好些年来我没有看见过别人打哈欠。对我来说，打哈欠倒是新奇的事。来吧，再打几个哈欠！这是命令。”
    “这倒叫我有点害怕……我打不出哈欠来了……”小王子低声说，他现在感觉很窘迫。
    “嗯！嗯！”国王回答，“那么我……命令你有时候可以打哈欠，有时候……”
    他嘟嘟囔囔，似乎有点恼怒。
    国王最在意的是要保持他的权威受到尊重。他不能容忍别人违抗命令。他是一位绝对的君主。可是，他却很善良，他下的命令都是合情合理的。
    他给小王子举了一个例子说：“如果我命令一位将军变成海鸟，而这位将军并没有服从我的命令，那么这就不是将军的过错，而是我的过错。”
    小王子腼腆地试探道：“我可以坐下吗？”
    “我命令你坐下。”国王一边回答，一边庄重地把他那貂皮长袍挪动了一下。
    可是小王子感到很奇怪。这么小的行星，国王有什么需要进行统治呢？
    他对国王说：“陛下……请原谅，我想问您一个问题……”
    国王急忙抢着说道：“我命令你问我一个问题。”
    “陛下……你在统治什么呢？”
    国王简单明了地说：“我统治一切。”
    “一切？”
    国王轻轻地用手指着他的行星和其他的行星，以及所有的星星。
    小王子问道：“统治这一切？”
    “统治这一切。”
    看来他不仅是一个绝对的君主，而且是整个宇宙之王。
    “那么，星星都听话吗？”
    “那当然！”国王对他说，“它们立即就得服从纪律。我不允许反抗。”
    这样的权力使小王子惊叹不已。如果他掌握了这样的权力，那么，他一天就能够不只是看到四十三次日落，而可以看到七十二次，甚至一百次，或是二百次日落，也不必要去挪动椅子了！由于他想起了他那被遗弃的小星球，心里有点难过，他鼓起勇气向国王提出了一个请求：“我想看日落，请求您……命令太阳落山吧……”
    国王说：“假如我命令一个将军像蝴蝶那样在花丛中飞来飞去，或者命令他写作一部悲剧，或者变成一只海鸟，而这位将军接到命令不执行的话，那么，是谁的错误呢？”
    “是您的错。”小王子肯定地回答。
    “一点也不错，”国王接着说，“向每个人提出的要求应该是他们所能做到的。权威首先应该建立在理性的基础上。如果命令你的百姓去跳海，他们就会发起革命。我有权要求别人服从，是因为我的命令是合理的。”
    “那么我提出的日落呢？”小王子一旦提出一个问题，他是不会忘记这个问题的。
    “你会看到日落的。我会命令太阳落山的，不过按照科学统治方式，我得等到条件成熟的时候。”
    “这要等到什么时候呢？”小王子问。
    国王翻阅了一本厚厚的日历，一边慢慢说道：“嗯！嗯！日落大约……大约……在今晚七时四十分的时候！你会看到我的命令被很好地得到服从的。”
    小王子又打起哈欠来了。他遗憾没有看到日落，并且他开始感到有些无聊了。
    他对国王说：“我在这儿已经没有什么事情可做了，我应该继续赶路了。”
    “别走，”因为刚刚有了一个子民，国王十分骄傲，“别走，我将任命你做我的大臣。”
    “什么大臣？”
    “嗯……司法大臣！”
    “可是，这儿一个人都没有，审判谁啊！”
    “很难说呀，”国王说，“我还没有完整地巡视过我的王国。我很老了，我这地方又小，没有放马车的地方，另外，走起路来我就累。”
    “噢！可是我已经看过了，”小王子探身朝星球的那一侧看了看，“那边也和这边一样，没有一个人……”
    “你可以审判自己，”国王回答说，“这可是世上最难的事情。审判自己比审判别人要难得多啊！如果你能正确地审判自己，你就是一个真正智慧的人。”
    “是的，”小王子说，“但是我可以在任何地方审判我自己，我没有必要留在这个星球上。”
    国王又说：“嗯！嗯！我想，这个星球的某个地方有一只老鼠。夜里，我听见它的声音。你可以审判它，每隔一段时间你就判处它死刑。因此它的生命取决于你的判决。但是，你每次判刑后都要赦免它，我们必须有节制地对待这只老鼠，因为我们只有这一只老鼠。”
    “可是我不愿判任何人死刑，我想我还是应该走。”小王子回答道。
    “不行。”国王说。
    小王子做好离开的准备之后，他不想让这位老国主难过。
    “如果国王陛下想要迅速地得到服从，你可以给我下一个合理的命令。比如说，你可以命令我，一分钟之内必须离开。我认为这个条件是成熟的……”
    国王没有回答。小王子有些犹疑不决，随后叹了口气，就离开了……“我委任你当我的大使。”国王匆忙地喊道。
    国王显出非常有权威的样子。
    小王子继续他的旅途，心里想：“这些大人真奇怪。”
    Chapter 10
    He found himself in the neighborhood of the asteroids 325, 326, 327, 328, 329, and 330. He began, therefore, by visiting them, in order to add to his knowledge.
    The first of them was inhabited by a king. Clad in royal purple and ermine, he was seated upon a throne which was at the same time both simple and majestic.
    &quot;Ah! Here is a subject,&quot; exclaimed the king, when he saw the little prince coming.
    And the little prince asked himself:&quot;How could he recognize me when he had never seen me before&quot;He did not know how the world is simplified for kings. To them, all men are subjects.
    &quot;Approach, so that I may see you better,&quot; said the king, who felt consumingly proud of being at last a king over somebody.
    The little prince looked everywhere to find a place to sit down; but the entire planet was crammed and obstructed by the king's magnificent ermine robe. So he remained standing upright, and, since he was tired, he yawned.
    &quot;It is contrary to etiquette to yawn in the presence of a king,&quot; the monarch said to him. &quot;I forbid you to do so.&quot;&quot;I can't help it. I can't stop myself,&quot; replied the little prince, thoroughly embarrassed. &quot;I have come on a long journey, and I have had no sleep...&quot;&quot;Ah, then,&quot; the king said. &quot;I order you to yawn. It is years since I have seen anyone yawning. Yawns, to me, are objects of curiosity. Come, now! Yawn again! It is an order.&quot;&quot;That frightens me... I cannot, any more...&quot; murmured the little prince, now completely abashed.
    &quot;Hum! Hum!&quot; replied the king. &quot;Then I— I order you sometimes to yawn and sometimes to—&quot;He sputtered a little, and seemed vexed.
    For what the king fundamentally insisted upon was that his authority should be respected. He tolerated no disobedience. He was an absolute monarch. But, because he was a very good man, he made his orders reasonable.
    &quot;If I ordered a general,&quot; he would say, by way of example, &quot;if I ordered a general to change himself into a sea bird, and if the general did not obey me, that would not be the fault of the general. It would be my fault.&quot;&quot;May I sit down&quot; came now a timid inquiry from the little prince.
    &quot;I order you to do so,&quot; the king answered him, and majestically gathered in a fold of his ermine mantle.
    But the little prince was wondering... The planet was tiny. Over what could this king really rule &quot;Sire,&quot; he said to him, &quot;I beg that you will excuse my asking you a question—&quot;&quot;I order you to ask me a question,&quot; the king hastened to assure him.
    &quot;Sire— over what do you rule&quot;&quot;Over everything,&quot; said the king, with magnificent simplicity.
    &quot;Over everything&quot;
    The king made a gesture, which took in his planet, the other planets, and all the stars.
    &quot;Over all that&quot; asked the little prince.
    &quot;Over all that,&quot; the king answered.
    For his rule was not only absolute: it was also universal.
    &quot;And the stars obey you&quot;
    &quot;Certainly they do,&quot; the king said. &quot;They obey instantly. I do not permit insubordination.&quot;Such power was a thing for the little prince to marvel at. If he had been master of such complete authority, he would have been able to watch the sunset, not forty-four times in one day, but seventy-two, or even a hundred, or even two hundred times, with out ever having to move his chair. And because he felt a bit sad as he remembered his little planet which he had forsaken, he plucked up his courage to ask the king a favor:&quot;I should like to see a sunset... do me that kindness... Order the sun to set...&quot;&quot;If I ordered a general to fly from one flower to another like a butterfly, or to write a tragic drama, or to change himself into a sea bird, and if the general did not carry out the order that he had received, which one of us would be in the wrong&quot; the king demanded. &quot;The general, or myself&quot;&quot;You,&quot; said the little prince firmly.
    &quot;Exactly. One much require from each one the duty which each one can perform,&quot; the king went on. &quot;Accepted authority rests first of all on reason. If you ordered your people to go and throw themselves into the sea, they would rise up in revolution. I have the right to require obedience because my orders are reasonable.&quot;&quot;Then my sunset&quot; the little prince reminded him: for he never forgot a question once he had asked it.
    &quot;You shall have your sunset. I shall command it. But, according to my science of government, I shall wait until conditions are favorable.&quot;&quot;When will that be&quot; inquired the little prince.
    &quot;Hum! Hum!&quot; replied the king; and before saying anything else he consulted a bulky almanac. &quot;Hum! Hum! That will be about— about— that will be this evening about twenty minutes to eight. And you will see how well I am obeyed.&quot;The little prince yawned. He was regretting his lost sunset. And then, too, he was already beginning to be a little bored.
    &quot;I have nothing more to do here,&quot; he said to the king. &quot;So I shall set out on my way again.&quot;&quot;Do not go,&quot; said the king, who was very proud of having a subject. &quot;Do not go. I will make you a Minister!&quot;&quot;Minister of what&quot;
    &quot;Minster of— of Justice!&quot;
    &quot;But there is nobody here to judge!&quot;&quot;We do not know that,&quot; the king said to him. &quot;I have not yet made a complete tour of my kingdom. I am very old. There is no room here for a carriage. And it tires me to walk.&quot;&quot;Oh, but I have looked already!&quot; said the little prince, turning around to give one more glance to the other side of the planet. On that side, as on this, there was nobody at all...
    &quot;Then you shall judge yourself,&quot; the king answered. &quot;that is the most difficult thing of all. It is much more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others. If you succeed in judging yourself rightly, then you are indeed a man of true wisdom.&quot;&quot;Yes,&quot; said the little prince, &quot;but I can judge myself anywhere. I do not need to live on this planet.
    &quot;Hum! Hum!&quot; said the king. &quot;I have good reason to believe that somewhere on my planet there is an old rat. I hear him at night. You can judge this old rat. From time to time you will condemn him to death. Thus his life will depend on your justice. But you will pardon him on each occasion; for he must be treated thriftily. He is the only one we have.&quot;&quot;I,&quot; replied the little prince, &quot;do not like to condemn anyone to death. And now I think I will go on my way.&quot;&quot;No,&quot; said the king.
    But the little prince, having now completed his preparations for departure, had no wish to grieve the old monarch.
    &quot;If Your Majesty wishes to be promptly obeyed,&quot; he said, &quot;he should be able to give me a reasonable order. He should be able, for example, to order me to be gone by the end of one minute. It seems to me that conditions are favorable...&quot;As the king made no answer, the little prince hesitated a moment. Then, with a sigh, he took his leave.
    &quot;I made you my Ambassador,&quot; the king called out, hastily.
    He had a magnificent air of authority.
    &quot;The grown-ups are very strange,&quot; the little prince said to himself, as he continued on his journey. 

第十一章
    小王子到达的第二个行星上，住着一个狂妄自负的人。
    “喔唷！一个崇拜我的人来拜访了！”这个人见到小王子从远处过来，赶忙喊起来。
    在那些狂妄自负的人眼里，所有其他人都是他们的崇拜者。
    “你好！”小王子说，“你戴的帽子很奇怪。”
    “这是一顶礼帽。”狂妄自负的人回答道，“当人们向我欢呼的时候，我就用帽子向他们致意。可惜，没有一个人经过这里。”
    “什么？”小王子说，他不知道这个狂妄自负的人在说什么。
    “请鼓掌，左右手掌相互拍合。”这个狂妄自负的人现在指导小王子如何给他鼓掌。
    小王子拍起巴掌来。这位狂妄自负者谦逊地举起帽子向小王子致意。
    小王子心想：“这比访问那位国王有趣。”于是他又拍起巴掌来。狂妄自负者又举起帽子来向他致意。
    小王子这样做了五分钟，之后对这种单调的游戏有点厌倦了。
    “要想叫你把帽子摘掉，该怎么做呢？”他问道。
    但这位狂妄自负者听不进他的话，因为凡是狂妄自负的人只听得进赞美的话。
    他问小王子：“你真的这么钦佩我吗？”
    “钦佩是什么意思？”
    “钦佩么，就是承认我是世界上最优秀、衣服最漂亮、最富有、最聪明的人。”
    “可您是您的星球上唯一的人呀！”
    “让我高兴吧，请你来钦佩我！”
    小王子轻轻地耸了耸肩，说道：“我钦佩你，可是，这有什么让你觉得有趣的？”
    小王子走开了。
    “这些大人真是非常奇怪啊。”小王子继续自己的旅程。
    Chapter 11
    The second planet was inhabited by a conceited man.
    &quot;Ah! Ah! I am about to receive a visit from an admirer!&quot; he exclaimed from afar, when he first saw the little prince coming.
    For, to conceited men, all other men are admirers.
    &quot;Good morning,&quot; said the little prince. &quot;That is a queer hat you are wearing.&quot;&quot;It is a hat for salutes,&quot; the conceited man replied. &quot;It is to raise in salute when people acclaim me. Unfortunately, nobody at all ever passes this way.&quot;&quot;Yes&quot; said the little prince, who did not understand what the conceited man was talking about.
    &quot;Clap your hands, one against the other,&quot; the conceited man now directed him.
    The little prince clapped his hands. The conceited man raised his hat in a modest salute.
    &quot;This is more entertaining than the visit to the king,&quot; the little prince said to himself. And he began again to clap his hands, one against the other. The conceited man against raised his hat in salute.
    After five minutes of this exercise the little prince grew tired of the game's monotony.
    &quot;And what should one do to make the hat come down&quot; he asked.
    But the conceited man did not hear him. Conceited people never hear anything but praise.
    &quot;Do you really admire me very much&quot; he demanded of the little prince.
    &quot;What does that mean— 'admire'&quot;&quot;To admire mean that you regard me as the handsomest, the best-dressed, the richest, and the most intelligent man on this planet.&quot;&quot;But you are the only man on your planet!&quot;&quot;Do me this kindness. Admire me just the same.&quot;&quot;I admire you,&quot; said the little prince, shrugging his shoulders slightly, &quot;but what is there in that to interest you so much&quot;And the little prince went away.
    &quot;The grown-ups are certainly very odd,&quot; he said to himself, as he continued on his journey. 

第十二章
    小王子所访问的下一个星球上住着一个酒鬼。这次访问时间非常短，可它却让小王子伤感很久。
    “你在干什么？”小王子问酒鬼，这个酒鬼默默地坐在桌边，身旁有一堆酒瓶子，有的装满酒，有的是空的。
    “我在喝酒。”他忧郁地回答，语气有些悲伤。
    “你为什么喝酒？”小王子问道。
    “这样能让我忘却。”酒鬼回答。
    “忘却什么呢？”小王子询问，他已经为这个酒鬼感到难过了。
    酒鬼垂下脑袋坦白道：“为了忘却我的羞愧。”
    “你羞愧什么呢？”小王子刨根问底，他想帮助这个人。
    “我羞愧我喝酒。”酒鬼说完以后就再也不开口了。
    小王子迷惑不解地离开了。
    继续踏上旅途，小王子心里一直在想：“这些大人确实非常奇怪啊。”
    Chapter 12
    The next planet was inhabited by a tippler. This was a very short visit, but it plunged the little prince into deep dejection.
    &quot;What are you doing there&quot; he said to the tippler, whom he found settled down in silence before a collection of empty bottles and also a collection of full bottles.
    &quot;I am drinking,&quot; replied the tippler, with a lugubrious air.
    &quot;Why are you drinking&quot; demanded the little prince.
    &quot;So that I may forget,&quot; replied the tippler.
    &quot;Forget what&quot; inquired the little prince, who already was sorry for him.
    &quot;Forget that I am ashamed,&quot; the tippler confessed, hanging his head.
    &quot;Ashamed of what&quot; insisted the little prince, who wanted to help him.
    &quot;Ashamed of drinking!&quot; The tippler brought his speech to an end, and shut himself up in an impregnable silence.
    And the little prince went away, puzzled.
    &quot;The grown-ups are certainly very, very odd,&quot; he said to himself, as he continued on his journey. 

第十三章
    小王子到达的第四个星球属于一个商人。这个人忙得不可开交，小王子到来的时候，他甚至连头都没有抬一下。
    小王子对他说：“您好。您的烟熄灭了。”
    “三加二等于五。五加七等于十二。十二加三等于十五。你好。十五加七等于二十二。二十二加六等于二十八。我没有时间重新点着它。二十六加五，三十一。哎哟！一共是五亿零一百六十二万二千七百三十一。”
    “五亿什么呀？”
    “嗯？你还待在这儿？五亿零一百万……我也不知道是什么了。我的事情很多……我是个正经的人，没有工夫去闲聊！二加五等于七……”
    “五亿零一百万什么呀？”小王子坚持问道。他提出问题之后，没有答案是从来不会放弃的。
    这位商人抬起头，说：
    “我生活在这个星球上五十四年以来，只被打搅过三次。第一次是二十二年前，不知从哪里掉下来一只蚱蜢。上帝知道，它发出一种可怕的噪音，害得我在一笔账目中出了四个差错。第二次，在十一年前，由于我缺乏锻炼所致，风湿病发作。我没有工夫闲逛。我很认真地做事，现在……这是第三次！我刚计算出五亿零一百万……”
    “几百万什么？”
    这位商人突然意识到如果不回答这个问题，他就得不到安宁。
    “几百万个小东西，这些小东西有时出现在天上。”
    “苍蝇吗？”
    “不是，是些闪闪发亮的小东西。”
    “蜜蜂吗？”
    “不是，是金黄色的小东西，这些小东西可以让人们胡思乱想。我是个正经的人。我没有时间胡思乱想。”
    “啊，星星吗？”
    “是的，就是星星。”
    “你要这五亿多的星星做什么？”
    “五亿零一百六十二万二千七百三十一颗星星。我是正经的人，我注重精确。”
    “你要这些星星做什么？”
    “我要它做什么？”
    “是呀。”
    “什么也不做。它们都是属于我的。”
    “这么多星星属于你？”
    “是的。”
    “可是我已经见到过一个国王，他……”
    “国王并不拥有，他们只是进行‘统治’。这是不同的一码事。”
    “你要这许多星星有什么用？”
    “这可以让我变得富有。”
    “那变得富有了，又有什么用？”
    “富了就可以去买更多的星星，如果有人发现了这些星星的话。”
    小王子想：“这个人想问题有点像那个酒鬼。”
    不管这些，小王子还有更多的问题。
    “你怎么样占有星星呢？”
    “那你说星星是谁的呀？”商人不高兴地反驳小王子。
    “我不知道，应该不属于任何人。”
    “那么，它们就属于我，因为是我第一个想到这件事情的。”
    “这也行吗？”
    “那当然。如果你发现了一颗无主的钻石，这颗钻石就属于你。如果你发现一个无主的岛，这个岛就属于你。如果你首先想出一个创意，并且申请了专利，这个创意就属于你。既然在我之前不曾有任何人想到要占有这些星星，那么这些星星就属于我。”
    “是这样的。可是你用星星来干什么？”小王子说。
    “我经营管理它们。我一遍又一遍地计算它们的数目。这很困难。但我是一个正经的人！”
    小王子仍然还不满足，他说：
    “如果我有一条围巾，我可以围在脖子上带走它。如果我有一朵花，我可以摘下花朵带走它。可你却不能从天上摘下这些星星呀！”
    “是的，我不能摘下来，但我可以把它们存在银行里。”
    “存银行是什么意思？”
    “这是说，我把星星的数目写在纸上，然后把这张重要的纸锁在一个抽屉里。”
    “这样就行了吗？”
    “这样就行了。”
    “这倒很有诗意，也很好玩，可是，这并不算是了不起的正经事啊。”小王子想。
    关于什么是正经事，小王子的看法与大人们的看法非常不同：“我有一朵花，我每天都给她浇水。我还有三座火山，我每星期清理它们，连死火山也清理。谁知道它会不会再复活呢！我拥有火山和花，这对我的火山有益处，对我的花也有益处。但是你对星星并没有用处……”
    这个商人张口结舌、无言以对。于是小王子离开了。
    再次开始自己的旅程，小王子心想：“这些大人们真是很特别，全部都奇怪极了。”
    Chapter 13
    The fourth planet belonged to a businessman. This man was so much occupied that he did not even raise his head at the little prince's arrival.
    &quot;Good morning,&quot; the little prince said to him. &quot;Your cigarette has gone out.&quot;&quot;Three and two make five. Five and seven make twelve. Twelve and three make fifteen. Good morning. Fifteen and seven make twenty-two. Twenty-two and six make twenty-eight. I haven't time to light it again. Twenty-six and five make thirty-one. Phew! Then that makes five-hundred-and-one-million, six-hundred-twenty-two-thousand, seven-hundred-thirty-one.&quot;&quot;Five hundred million what&quot; asked the little prince.
    &quot;Eh Are you still there Five-hundred-and-one million— I can't stop... I have so much to do! I am concerned with matters of consequence. I don't amuse myself with balderdash. Two and five make seven...&quot;&quot;Five-hundred-and-one million what&quot; repeated the little prince, who never in his life had let go of a question once he had asked it.
    The businessman raised his head.
    &quot;During the fifty-four years that I have inhabited this planet, I have been disturbed only three times. The first time was twenty-two years ago, when some giddy goose fell from goodness knows where. He made the most frightful noise that resounded all over the place, and I made four mistakes in my addition. The second time, eleven years ago, I was disturbed by an attack of rheumatism. I don't get enough exercise. I have no time for loafing. The third time— well, this is it! I was saying, then, five -hundred-and-one millions—&quot;&quot;Millions of what&quot;
    The businessman suddenly realized that there was no hope of being left in peace until he answered this question.
    &quot;Millions of those little objects,&quot; he said, &quot;which one sometimes sees in the sky.&quot;&quot;Flies&quot;
    &quot;Oh, no. Little glittering objects.&quot;&quot;Bees&quot;
    &quot;Oh, no. Little golden objects that set lazy men to idle dreaming. As for me, I am concerned with matters of consequence. There is no time for idle dreaming in my life.&quot;&quot;Ah! You mean the stars&quot;
    &quot;Yes, that's it. The stars.&quot;
    &quot;And what do you do with five-hundred millions of stars&quot;&quot;Five-hundred-and-one million, six-hundred-twenty-two thousand, seven-hundred-thirty-one. I am concerned with matters of consequence: I am accurate.&quot;&quot;And what do you do with these stars&quot;&quot;What do I do with them&quot;
    &quot;Yes.&quot;
    &quot;Nothing. I own them.&quot;
    &quot;You own the stars&quot;
    &quot;Yes.&quot;
    &quot;But I have already seen a king who—&quot;&quot;Kings do not own, they reign over. It is a very different matter.&quot;&quot;And what good does it do you to own the stars&quot;&quot;It does me the good of making me rich.&quot;&quot;And what good does it do you to be rich&quot;&quot;It makes it possible for me to buy more stars, if any are ever discovered.&quot;&quot;This man,&quot; the little prince said to himself, &quot;reasons a little like my poor tippler...&quot;Nevertheless, he still had some more questions.
    &quot;How is it possible for one to own the stars&quot;&quot;To whom do they belong&quot; the businessman retorted, peevishly.
    &quot;I don't know. To nobody.&quot;
    &quot;Then they belong to me, because I was the first person to think of it.&quot;&quot;Is that all that is necessary&quot;&quot;Certainly. When you find a diamond that belongs to nobody, it is yours. When you discover an island that belongs to nobody, it is yours. When you get an idea before any one else, you take out a patent on it: it is yours. So with me: I own the stars, because nobody else before me ever thought of owning them.&quot;&quot;Yes, that is true,&quot; said the little prince. &quot;And what do you do with them&quot;&quot;I administer them,&quot; replied the businessman. &quot;I count them and recount them. It is difficult. But I am a man who is naturally interested in matters of consequence.&quot;The little prince was still not satisfied.
    &quot;If I owned a silk scarf,&quot; he said, &quot;I could put it around my neck and take it away with me. If I owned a flower, I could pluck that flower and take it away with me. But you cannot pluck the stars from heaven...&quot;&quot;No. But I can put them in the bank.&quot;&quot;Whatever does that mean&quot;
    &quot;That means that I write the number of my stars on a little paper. And then I put this paper in a drawer and lock it with a key.&quot;&quot;And that is all&quot;
    &quot;That is enough,&quot; said the businessman.
    &quot;It is entertaining,&quot; thought the little prince. &quot;It is rather poetic. But it is of no great consequence.&quot;On matters of consequence, the little prince had ideas which were very different from those of the grown-ups.
    &quot;I myself own a flower,&quot; he continued his conversation with the businessman, &quot;which I water every day. I own three volcanoes, which I clean out every week (for I also clean out the one that is extinct; one never knows). It is of some use to my volcanoes, and it is of some use to my flower, that I own them. But you are of no use to the stars...&quot;The businessman opened his mouth, but he found nothing to say in answer. And the little prince went away.
    &quot;The grown-ups are certainly altogether extraordinary,&quot; he said simply, talking to himself as he continued on his journey. 

第十四章
    小王子访问的第五颗星球非常奇怪，这个星球是这些星星中最小的一颗。星球上刚好只能容得下一盏路灯和一个点路灯的人。小王子无法理解，这个坐落在天空某一角落，既没有房屋又没有居民的行星上，要一盏路灯和一个点灯的人做什么用。
    但他还是对自己说：“可能这个人思想不正常。但他比起国王，比起那个狂妄自负的人、那个商人和酒鬼，却要好些。至少他的工作还有点意义。当他点着了他的路灯时，就像他点亮了一颗星星，或是一朵花。当他熄灭了路灯时，就像是让星星或花朵睡着了似的。这差事真美妙，那就是真正有用的了。”
    小王子一到了这个行星上，就很尊敬地向点灯的人敬礼打招呼：“早上好。你刚才为什么把路灯灭了呢？”
    “早上好。这是命令。”点灯人回答道。
    “命令是什么？”
    “就是熄掉我的路灯。晚上好。”
    于是他又点燃了路灯。
    “那么为什么你又把它点着了呢？”
    “这是命令。”点灯人回答道。
    “我不明白。”小王子说。
    “这不需要明白，命令就是命令。”点灯人回答说，“早上好。”
    于是他又熄灭了路灯。
    然后他拿一块有红方格子的手绢擦着额头。
    “我干的是一种可怕的职业。以前还说得过去，早上熄灯，晚上点灯，剩下时间，白天我就休息，夜晚我就睡觉……”
    “那么，后来命令改变了，是吗？”
    点灯的人说：“命令没有改，悲剧在这里了。这颗行星一年比一年转得更快，而命令却没有改。”
    “结果呢？”小王子问。
    “结果现在每分钟转一圈，我连一秒钟的休息时间都没有了。每分钟我就要点一次灯，熄一次灯！”
    “真有趣，你居住的地方，一分钟就是一天。”
    “一点趣味也没有，”点灯人说，“我们俩说话这段时间，一个月已经过去了。”
    “一个月？”
    “对。三十分钟。三十天！晚上好。”
    于是他又点着了他的路灯。
    小王子看着他，他喜欢这个点灯人如此忠守命令。这时，他想起了他自己从前挪动椅子寻找日落的事。他很想帮助他的这位朋友。
    “你知道吗，我可以告诉你一种能使你休息的办法，你要什么时候休息都可以。”
    “我总是想休息。”点灯人说。
    对于一个人来说，保持忠诚的同时又懒惰，这是可能的。
    小王子接着解释：
    “你的这颗行星这样小，你三步就可以绕它一圈。你只要慢慢地走，就可以一直在太阳的照耀下，你想休息的时候，你就这样走……那么，你要白天有多长它就有多长。”
    “这办法帮不了我多少，生活中我喜欢的就是睡觉。”点灯人说。
    “那你真不走运。”小王子说。
    “真不走运。”点灯人说，“早上好。”
    于是他又熄灭了路灯。
    小王子在他继续往前旅行的途中，自言自语地说道：“这个人一定会被其他那些人，国王呀，狂妄自负的人呀，酒鬼呀，商人呀，所瞧不起。可是唯有他不使我感到荒唐可笑。这可能是因为他所关心的是别的事，而不是他自己。”
    他惋惜地叹了口气，并且又对自己说道：“这个人是所有人当中唯一可能和我交朋友的，可是他的星球确实太小了，住不下两个人……”
    小王子没有勇气承认，他之所以在离开这颗星球时感到最不舍，是因为这里每一个被祝福的日子里，有一千四百四十次日落！
    Chapter 14
    The fifth planet was very strange. It was the smallest of all. There was just enough room on it for a street lamp and a lamplighter. The little prince was not able to reach any explanation of the use of a street lamp and a lamplighter, somewhere in the heavens, on a planet which had no people, and not one house. But he said to himself, nevertheless:&quot;It may well be that this man is absurd. But he is not so absurd as the king, the conceited man, the businessman, and the tippler. For at least his work has some meaning. When he lights his street lamp, it is as if he brought one more star to life, or one flower. When he puts out his lamp, he sends the flower, or the star, to sleep. That is a beautiful occupation. And since it is beautiful, it is truly useful.&quot;When he arrived on the planet he respectfully saluted the lamplighter.
    &quot;Good morning. Why have you just put out your lamp&quot;&quot;Those are the orders,&quot; replied the lamplighter. &quot;Good morning.&quot;&quot;What are the orders&quot;
    &quot;The orders are that I put out my lamp. Good evening.&quot;And he lighted his lamp again.
    &quot;But why have you just lighted it again&quot;&quot;Those are the orders,&quot; replied the lamplighter.
    &quot;I do not understand,&quot; said the little prince.
    &quot;There is nothing to understand,&quot; said the lamplighter. &quot;Orders are orders. Good morning.&quot;And he put out his lamp.
    Then he mopped his forehead with a handkerchief decorated with red squares.
    &quot;I follow a terrible profession. In the old days it was reasonable. I put the lamp out in the morning, and in the evening I lighted it again. I had the rest of the day for relaxation and the rest of the night for sleep.&quot;&quot;And the orders have been changed since that time&quot;&quot;The orders have not been changed,&quot; said the lamplighter. &quot;That is the tragedy! From year to year the planet has turned more rapidly and the orders have not been changed!&quot;&quot;Then what&quot; asked the little prince.
    &quot;Then— the planet now makes a complete turn every minute, and I no longer have a single second for repose. Once every minute I have to light my lamp and put it out!&quot;&quot;That is very funny! A day lasts only one minute, here where you live!&quot;&quot;It is not funny at all!&quot; said the lamplighter. &quot;While we have been talking together a month has gone by.&quot;&quot;A month&quot;
    &quot;Yes, a month. Thirty minutes. Thirty days. Good evening.&quot;And he lighted his lamp again.
    As the little prince watched him, he felt that he loved this lamplighter who was so faithful to his orders. He remembered the sunsets which he himself had gone to seek, in other days, merely by pulling up his chair; and he wanted to help his friend.
    &quot;You know,&quot; he said, &quot;I can tell you a way you can rest whenever you want to...&quot;&quot;I always want to rest,&quot; said the lamplighter.
    For it is possible for a man to be faithful and lazy at the same time.
    The little prince went on with his explanation:&quot;Your planet is so small that three strides will take you all the way around it. To be always in the sunshine, you need only walk along rather slowly. When you want to rest, you will walk— and the day will last as long as you like.&quot;&quot;That doesn't do me much good,&quot; said the lamplighter. &quot;The one thing I love in life is to sleep.&quot;&quot;Then you're unlucky,&quot; said the little prince.
    &quot;I am unlucky,&quot; said the lamplighter. &quot;Good morning.&quot;And he put out his lamp.
    &quot;That man,&quot; said the little prince to himself, as he continued farther on his journey, &quot;that man would be scorned by all the others: by the king, by the conceited man, by the tippler, by the businessman. Nevertheless he is the only one of them all who does not seem to me ridiculous. Perhaps that is because he is thinking of something else besides himself.&quot;He breathed a sigh of regret, and said to himself, again:&quot;That man is the only one of them all whom I could have made my friend. But his planet is indeed too small. There is no room on it for two people...&quot;What the little prince did not dare confess was that he was sorry most of all to leave this planet, because it was blest every day with 1440 sunsets! 

第十五章
    小王子访问的第六颗星球比上一颗要大十倍。这颗星球上面住着一位老先生，他写了一本巨大的书。
    “在这里！瞧！来了一位探险家。”老先生看到小王子时喊道。
    小王子在桌旁坐下，有点气喘吁吁。他这次旅行有点久。
    “你从哪里来的呀？”老先生问小王子。
    “这一大本厚厚的是什么书？你在这里干什么？”小王子问道。
    “我是地理学家。”老先生说。
    “什么是地理学家？”
    “地理学家就是一种学者，他知道哪里有海洋，哪里有河流、城市、山脉、沙漠。”
    “这太有趣了。”小王子说，“最后在这里终于遇见一个人有真正的专业啦。”他瞥了一眼这位地理学家星球的四周。他还从来没有见过一颗如此雄伟的行星。
    “这是美丽的星球。上面有海洋吗？”
    “我不知道。”地理学家说。
    “啊！”小王子大失所望，“那么，山脉呢？”
    “我不知道。”地理学家说。
    “那么，有城市、河流、沙漠吗？”
    “我知道的不多。”地理学家说。
    “可您还是地理学家呢！”
    “一点不错，”地理学家说，“但是我不是探险家。我手下一个探险家都没有。地理学家是不去计算城市、河流、山脉、海洋、沙漠的。地理学家很重要，不能到处跑。他不能离开他的办公室。但他可以在办公室里接见探险家。他询问探险家，把他们的回忆记录下来。如果他认为其中有个探险家的回忆是有意思的，那么地理学家就对这个探险家的品德做一番调查。”
    “这是为什么呢？”
    “因为一个说假话的探险家会给地理书带来灾难性的后果。同样，一个太爱喝酒的探险家也是如此。”
    “这又是为什么？”小王子说。
    “因为喝醉了酒的人把一个看成两个，那么，地理学家就会把只有一座山的地方写成两座山。”
    “我认识一个人，他要是搞探险的话，就很可能是个不好的探险员。”小王子说。
    “这是可能的。因此，如果探险家的品德不错，就调查他的发现。”
    “去实地考察吗？”
    “不。那太复杂了。但是要求探险家提出证据来。例如，假使他发现了一座大山，就要求他带来一些大石头。”
    地理学家忽然兴奋地忙乱起来。
    “正好，你是从远方来的！你是个探险家！你来给我介绍一下你的星球吧！”
    于是，已经打开记事簿的地理学家，削起他的铅笔来。他首先是用铅笔记下探险家的叙述，等到探险家提出了证据以后再用墨水笔记下来。
    “怎么样？”地理学家充满期待地询问道。
    “啊！我那里，”小王子说道，“没有多大意思，那儿什么都很小。我有三座火山，两座是活的，一座是熄灭了的。但是也很难说它还会不会喷发。”
    “这确实难说。”地理学家说道。
    “我还有一朵花。”
    “我们是不记载花卉的。”地理学家说。
    “这是为什么？这朵花是我的星球上最美丽的东西！”
    “我们不记录它们，”地理学家说，“因为花卉是短暂的。”
    “什么叫短暂？”
    “地理学书籍是最严谨的书。”地理学家说道，“这类书是从不会过时。很少会发生一座山变换位置，很少会出现一个海洋干涸的现象。我们记录永恒的东西。”
    “但是熄灭的火山也可能会再复苏的。”小王子打断了地理学家，“什么叫短暂？”
    “火山是熄灭了的也好，苏醒的也好，这对我们这些人来讲都是一回事。”地理学家说，“对我们来说，重要的是山。山是不会变换位置的。”
    “但是，‘短暂’是什么意思？”小王子再三地问道。他一旦提出一个问题是从不放过的。
    “意思就是有很快就会消失的危险。”
    “我的花是很快就会消失的吗？”
    “那当然。”
    小王子自言自语地说：“我的花是短暂的，而且她只有四根刺来对抗这个世界！可我还把她独自留在我的星球上！”
    这是他第一次产生了后悔，但他又重新振作起来：“您是否能建议我下一站去什么地方看看？”小王子问道。
    “地球，”地理学家回答他说，“它很出名……”
    于是小王子就走了，他一边走一边想着他的花。
    Chapter 15
    The sixth planet was ten times larger than the last one. It was inhabited by an old gentleman who wrote voluminous books.
    &quot;Oh, look! Here is an explorer!&quot; he exclaimed to himself when he saw the little prince coming.
    The little prince sat down on the table and panted a little. He had already traveled so much and so far!
    &quot;Where do you come from&quot; the old gentleman said to him.
    &quot;What is that big book&quot; said the little prince. &quot;What are you doing&quot;&quot;I am a geographer,&quot; the old gentleman said to him.
    &quot;What is a geographer&quot; asked the little prince.
    &quot;A geographer is a scholar who knows the location of all the seas, rivers, towns, mountains, and deserts.&quot;&quot;That is very interesting,&quot; said the little prince. &quot;Here at last is a man who has a real profession!&quot; And he cast a look around him at the planet of the geographer. It was the most magnificent and stately planet that he had ever seen.
    &quot;Your planet is very beautiful,&quot; he said. &quot;Has it any oceans&quot;&quot;I couldn't tell you,&quot; said the geographer.
    &quot;Ah!&quot; The little prince was disappointed. &quot;Has it any mountains&quot;&quot;I couldn't tell you,&quot; said the geographer.
    &quot;And towns, and rivers, and deserts&quot;&quot;I couldn't tell you that, either.&quot;&quot;But you are a geographer!&quot;
    &quot;Exactly,&quot; the geographer said. &quot;But I am not an explorer. I haven’t a single explorer on my planet. It is not the geographer who goes out to count the towns, the rivers, the mountains, the seas, the oceans, and the deserts. The geographer is much too important to go loafing about. He does not leave his desk. But he receives the explorers in his study. He asks them questions, and he notes down what they recall of their travels. And if the recollections of any one among them seem interesting to him, the geographer orders an inquiry into that explorer’s moral character.&quot;&quot;Why is that&quot;
    &quot;Because an explorer who told lies would bring disaster on the books of the geographer. So would an explorer who drank too much.&quot;&quot;Why is that&quot; asked the little prince.
    &quot;Because intoxicated men see double. Then the geographer would note down two mountains in a place where there was only one.&quot;&quot;I know some one,&quot; said the little prince, &quot;who would make a bad explorer.&quot;&quot;That is possible. Then, when the moral character of the explorer is shown to be good, an inquiry is ordered into his discovery.&quot;&quot;One goes to see it&quot;
    &quot;No. That would be too complicated. But one requires the explorer to furnish proofs. For example, if the discovery in question is that of a large mountain, one requires that large stones be brought back from it.&quot;The geographer was suddenly stirred to excitement.
    &quot;But you— you come from far away! You are an explorer! You shall describe your planet to me!&quot;And, having opened his big register, the geographer sharpened his pencil. The recitals of explorers are put down first in pencil. One waits until the explorer has furnished proofs, before putting them down in ink.
    &quot;Well&quot; said the geographer expectantly.
    &quot;Oh, where I live,&quot; said the little prince, &quot;it is not very interesting. It is all so small. I have three volcanoes. Two volcanoes are active and the other is extinct. But one never knows.&quot;&quot;One never knows,&quot; said the geographer.
    &quot;I have also a flower.&quot;
    &quot;We do not record flowers,&quot; said the geographer.
    &quot;Why is that The flower is the most beautiful thing on my planet!&quot;&quot;We do not record them,&quot; said the geographer, &quot;because they are ephemeral.&quot;&quot;What does that mean— ‘ephemeral'&quot;&quot;Geographies,&quot; said the geographer, &quot;are the books which, of all books, are most concerned with matters of consequence. They never become old-fashioned. It is very rarely that a mountain changes its position. It is very rarely that an ocean empties itself of its waters. We write of eternal things.&quot;&quot;But extinct volcanoes may come to life again,&quot; the little prince interrupted. &quot;What does that mean— ‘ephemeral'&quot;&quot;Whether volcanoes are extinct or alive, it comes to the same thing for us,&quot; said the geographer. &quot;The thing that matters to us is the mountain. It does not change.&quot;&quot;But what does that mean— ‘ephemeral'&quot; repeated the little prince, who never in his life had let go of a question, once he had asked it.
    &quot;It means, ‘which is in danger of speedy disappearance.'&quot;&quot;Is my flower in danger of speedy disappearance&quot;&quot;Certainly it is.&quot;
    &quot;My flower is ephemeral,&quot; the little prince said to himself, &quot;and she has only four thorns to defend herself against the world. And I have left her on my planet, all alone!&quot;That was his first moment of regret. But he took courage once more.
    &quot;What place would you advise me to visit now&quot; he asked.
    &quot;The planet Earth,&quot; replied the geographer. &quot;It has a good reputation.&quot;And the little prince went away, thinking of his flower. 

第十六章
    所以，小王子访问的第七个星球就是地球了。
    地球可不是一颗普通的行星！它上面有一百一十一个国王（当然，包括非洲黑人国王）、七千个地理学家、九十万个商人、七百五十万个酒鬼、三亿一千一百万个狂妄自负的人，也就是说，大约有二十亿的大人。
    为了让你们对地球的大小有一个清楚了解，我想要告诉你们，在发明电之前，在六大洲上，为了点路灯，需要有一支为数四十六万二千五百一十一人的大军。
    从远处看来，这是非常壮丽辉煌的。这支军队的行动就像歌剧院的芭蕾舞动作一样有条不紊。首先出现的是新西兰和澳大利亚的点灯人。点亮了灯，随后他们就去睡觉了。然后就轮到中国和西伯利亚的点灯人走上舞台。他们也很快退到幕布后面去了。于是就又轮到俄罗斯和印度的点灯人了。接着就是非洲和欧洲的。然后是南美的，再就是北美的。他们从来也不会搞错他们上场的次序。真了不起。
    北极仅有一盏路灯，南极也只有一盏，唯独北极的点灯人和他南极的同事，过着闲逸、逍遥的生活：他们每年只工作两次。
    Chapter 16
    So then the seventh planet was the Earth.
    The Earth is not just an ordinary planet! One can count, there 111 kings (not forgetting, to be sure, the Negro kings among them), 7000 geographers, 900,000 businessmen, 7,500,000 tipplers, 311,000,000 conceited men— that is to say, about 2,000,000,000 grown-ups.
    To give you an idea of the size of the Earth, I will tell you that before the invention of electricity it was necessary to maintain, over the whole of the six continents, a veritable army of 462,511 lamplighters for the street lamps.
    Seen from a slight distance, that would make a splendid spectacle. The movements of this army would be regulated like those of the ballet in the opera. First would come the turn of the lamplighters of New Zealand and Australia. Having set their lamps alight, these would go off to sleep. Next, the lamplighters of China and Siberia would enter for their steps in the dance, and then they too would be waved back into the wings. After that would come the turn of the lamplighters of Russia and the Indies; then those of Africa and Europe, then those of South America; then those of South America; then those of North America. And never would they make a mistake in the order of their entry upon the stage. It would be magnificent.
    Only the man who was in charge of the single lamp at the North Pole, and his colleague who was responsible for the single lamp at the South Pole— only these two would live free from toil and care: they would be busy twice a year. 

第十七章
    当人们想卖弄他的机智时，通常会偏离一点真相。在给你们讲点灯人的时候，我就不那么忠实，很可能给不了解我们这个星球的人们造成一个错误的概念。其实在地球上，人们所占的空间非常小。如果住在地球上的二十亿居民全部站着，就像参加聚会一样靠得紧些，那么一个二十海里见方的广场上就可以宽松地容纳。也就是说可以把整个人类集中在太平洋中一个最小的岛屿上。
    当然，大人们是不会相信你们的。他们自以为占据了很大地方，他们把自己看得像猴面包树那样了不起。你们可以建议他们计算一下。这样会使他们很高兴，因为他们崇拜数字。但是你无须浪费时间去做这种无聊的连篇累牍的演算。这没有必要。你们可以完全相信我。
    小王子到达地球时一个人都看不到，他感到非常奇怪，当一圈金黄色的月亮的光芒，闪耀在沙地上时，他开始害怕他来到了一个错误的星球。
    小王子很有礼貌地说：“晚上好。”
    “晚上好。”蛇说道。
    “我落在什么星球上了？”小王子问道。
    “在地球上，这里是非洲。”蛇回答道。
    “噢……难道说地球上没有人吗？”
    “这里是沙漠，沙漠中没有人。地球是很大的。”蛇说。
    小王子坐在一块石头上，抬眼望着天空。
    “我有些疑惑，”他说，“是否这些在天空点亮的星星是为了有一天，让我们每个人都可以重新找到自己原来的星球……看，我那颗行星。它恰好在我们头顶上……可是，它离我们好远哟！”
    “它很美。”蛇说，“你到这里来干什么呢？”
    “我和一朵花闹了别扭。”小王子说。
    “啊！”蛇说道。
    于是他们都沉默下来。
    “人在什么地方？”小王子终于又开口，“在沙漠上，真有点孤独……”
    “在人群里也一样孤独的。”蛇说。
    小王子久久地看着蛇。
    “你是个奇怪的动物，和手指头一般大……”小王子终于说道。
    “但我比一个国王的手指更有威力。”蛇说道。
    小王子微笑着说：
    “你并不那么有威力……你连脚都没有……你甚至都不能旅行……”
    “我可以把你带到很远的地方去，比任何一只船能去的地方还要远。”蛇说道。
    蛇就盘结在小王子的脚腕子上，像一只金镯子。
    “任何人被我碰触，我就把他送回他来的地方。”蛇还说，“可是你是纯洁的、真实的，而且是从另一个星球上来的……”
    小王子什么也没有回答。
    “在这个冷酷无情的地球上，你这么弱小，我很可怜你。如果你非常怀念你的星球，那时我可以帮助你。我可以……”
    “啊！我很明白你的意思。”小王子说，“但是你为什么说话总是像让人猜谜语似的？”
    “这些谜语我都能解开的。”蛇说。
    于是他们又都沉默起来。
    Chapter 17
    When one wishes to play the wit, he sometimes wanders a little from the truth. I have not been altogether honest in what I have told you about the lamplighters. And I realize that I run the risk of giving a false idea of our planet to those who do not k now it. Men occupy a very small place upon the Earth. If the two billion inhabitants who people its surface were all to stand upright and somewhat crowded together, as they do for some big public assembly, they could easily be put into one public square twenty miles long and twenty miles wide. All humanity could be piled up on a small Pacific islet.
    The grown-ups, to be sure, will not believe you when you tell them that. They imagine that they fill a great deal of space. They fancy themselves as important as the baobabs. You should advise them, then, to make their own calculations. They adore fig ures, and that will please them. But do not waste your time on this extra task. It is unnecessary. You have, I know, confidence in me.
    When the little prince arrived on the Earth, he was very much surprised not to see any people. He was beginning to be afraid he had come to the wrong planet, when a coil of gold, the color of the moonlight, flashed across the sand.
    &quot;Good evening,&quot; said the little prince courteously.
    &quot;Good evening,&quot; said the snake.
    &quot;What planet is this on which I have come down&quot; asked the little prince.
    &quot;This is the Earth; this is Africa,&quot; the snake answered.
    &quot;Ah! Then there are no people on the Earth&quot;&quot;This is the desert. There are no people in the desert. The Earth is large,&quot; said the snake.
    The little prince sat down on a stone, and raised his eyes toward the sky.
    &quot;I wonder,&quot; he said, &quot;whether the stars are set alight in heaven so that one day each one of us may find his own again... Look at my planet. It is right there above us. But how far away it is!&quot;&quot;It is beautiful,&quot; the snake said. &quot;What has brought you here&quot;&quot;I have been having some trouble with a flower,&quot; said the little prince.
    &quot;Ah!&quot; said the snake.
    And they were both silent.
    &quot;Where are the men&quot; the little prince at last took up the conversation again. &quot;It is a little lonely in the desert...&quot;&quot;It is also lonely among men,&quot; the snake said.
    The little prince gazed at him for a long time.
    &quot;You are a funny animal,&quot; he said at last. &quot;You are no thicker than a finger...&quot;&quot;But I am more powerful than the finger of a king,&quot; said the snake.
    The little prince smiled.
    &quot;You are not very powerful. You haven't even any feet. You cannot even travel...&quot;&quot;I can carry you farther than any ship could take you,&quot; said the snake.
    He twined himself around the little prince's ankle, like a golden bracelet.
    &quot;Whomever I touch, I send back to the earth from whence he came,&quot; the snake spoke again. &quot;But you are innocent and true, and you come from a star...&quot;The little prince made no reply.
    &quot;You move me to pity— you are so weak on this Earth made of granite,&quot; the snake said. &quot;I can help you, some day, if you grow too homesick for your own planet. I can—&quot;&quot;Oh! I understand you very well,&quot; said the little prince. &quot;But why do you always speak in riddles&quot;&quot;I solve them all,&quot; said the snake.
    And they were both silent. 

第十八章
    小王子穿过沙漠。他只见过一朵花，一株有着三枚花瓣的花朵，一朵很不起眼的小花……“你好。”小王子说。
    “你好。”花说。
    “人在什么地方？”小王子有礼貌地问道。
    这朵花曾看见一支骆驼商队走过。
    “人吗？我想大约有六七个人，几年前，我见过他们。可是，不知道去什么地方找他们。风吹着他们到处跑。他们没有根，这让他们的生活非常困难。”
    “再见了。”小王子说。
    “再见。”花说。
    Chapter 18
    The little prince crossed the desert and met with only one flower. It was a flower with three petals, a flower of no account at all.
    &quot;Good morning,&quot; said the little prince.
    &quot;Good morning,&quot; said the flower.
    &quot;Where are the men&quot; the little prince asked, politely.
    The flower had once seen a caravan passing.
    &quot;Men&quot; she echoed. &quot;I think there are six or seven of them in existence. I saw them, several years ago. But one never knows where to find them. The wind blows them away. They have no roots, and that makes their life very difficult.&quot;&quot;Goodbye,&quot; said the little prince.
    &quot;Goodbye,&quot; said the flower. 

第十九章
    之后，小王子爬上一座高山。过去他所见过的山就是那三座只有他膝盖那么高的火山，并且他把那座熄灭了的火山当作垫脚的凳子。小王子想：“站在这么高的山上，我一眼可以看到整个星球，以及所有的人。”但是他什么都没有看到，只是一些像针一样锋利的峭壁岩石。
    “你好。”小王子试探地问道。
    “你好……你好……你好……”回音在回答道。
    “你们是什么人？”小王子问。
    “你们是什么人……你们是什么人……你们是什么人……”回音又回答道。
    “请你们做我的朋友吧，我很孤独。”他说。
    “我很孤独……我很孤独……我很孤独……”回音又回答着。
    小王子想道：“这颗行星真奇怪！它上面全是干巴巴的、尖尖的，险峻并且令人生畏，人们一点想象力都没有。他们只是重复别人对他们说的话……在我的家乡，我有一朵花。她总是自己先说话……”
    Chapter 19
    After that, the little prince climbed a high mountain. The only mountains he had ever known were the three volcanoes, which came up to his knees. And he used the extinct volcano as a footstool. &quot;From a mountain as high as this one,&quot; he said to himself, &quot;I shall be able to see the whole planet at one glance, and all the people...&quot;But he saw nothing, save peaks of rock that were sharpened like needles.
    &quot;Good morning,&quot; he said courteously.
    &quot;Good morning— ood morning— Good morning,&quot; answered the echo.
    &quot;Who are you&quot; said the little prince.
    &quot;Who are you— Who are you— Who are you&quot; answered the echo.
    &quot;Be my friends. I am all alone,&quot; he said.
    &quot;I am all alone— all alone— all alone,&quot; answered the echo.
    &quot;What a queer planet!&quot; he thought. &quot;It is altogether dry, and altogether pointed, and altogether harsh and forbidding. And the people have no imagination. They repeat whatever one says to them... On my planet I had a flower; she always was the first to speak...&quot; 

第二十章
    在沙漠、岩石和雪地上行走了很长的时间以后，小王子终于来到一条大路。所有的大路都是通往人住的地方的。
    “你们好。”小王子说。
    他正站在一个花园前面，里面玫瑰盛开。
    “你好。”玫瑰花说道。
    小王子仔细看着这些花，她们全都和他的那朵花一样。
    “你们是什么花？”小王子惊奇地问。
    “我们是玫瑰花。”花儿们说道。
    他感到自己非常伤心。他的那朵花曾对他说她是整个宇宙中独一无二的花。可是，仅在这一座花园里就有五千朵和她完全一样的花！
    小王子心想：“如果她看到这些，她一定会很羞愧……她会咳嗽得更厉害，并且为避免让人耻笑，她会佯装死去。那么，我还得装着去护理她，因为如果不这样的话，不去卑躬屈膝，她可能会真的死去……”
    接着他又想：“我还以为我很富有，我有一朵全世界独一无二的花，可我有的仅是一朵普通的花。这朵花，再加上三座只有我膝盖那么高的火山，而且其中一座还可能是永远熄灭了的，这一切不会使我成为一个了不起的王子……”
    于是，他趴在草丛中哭泣起来。
    Chapter 20
    But it happened that after walking for a long time through sand, and rocks, and snow, the little prince at last came upon a road. And all roads lead to the abodes of men.
    &quot;Good morning,&quot; he said.
    He was standing before a garden, all a-bloom with roses.
    &quot;Good morning,&quot; said the roses.
    The little prince gazed at them. They all looked like his flower.
    &quot;Who are you&quot; he demanded, thunderstruck.
    &quot;We are roses,&quot; the roses said.
    And he was overcome with sadness. His flower had told him that she was the only one of her kind in all the universe. And here were five thousand of them, all alike, in one single garden!
    &quot;She would be very much annoyed,&quot; he said to himself, &quot;if she should see that... she would cough most dreadfully, and she would pretend that she was dying, to avoid being laughed at. And I should be obliged to pretend that I was nursing her back to life— for if I did not do that, to humble myself also, she would really allow herself to die...&quot;Then he went on with his reflections: &quot;I thought that I was rich, with a flower that was unique in all the world; and all I had was a common rose. A common rose, and three volcanoes that come up to my knees— and one of them perhaps extinct forever... that doesn’t make me a very great prince...&quot;And he lay down in the grass and cried. 

第二十一章
    此时，跑来了一只狐狸。
    “你好。”狐狸说。
    “你好。”小王子很有礼貌地回答。他转过身，却什么也没见到。
    “我在这儿，我是说，苹果树下。”
    “你是谁？”小王子说，“你很漂亮。”
    “我是一只狐狸。”狐狸说。
    “来和我一起玩吧？”小王子建议，“我是如此的悲伤……”
    “我不能和你一起玩，”狐狸说，“我还没有被驯服呢。”
    “啊！真对不起。”小王子说。
    思索了一会儿，他又说道：
    “什么叫‘驯服’呀？”
    “你不是这里人。”狐狸说，“你来寻找什么？”
    “我来找人。”小王子说，“什么叫‘驯服’呢？”
    “人，”狐狸说，“他们有枪，他们还打猎，这真碍事！他们也饲养鸡，这些就是他们全部兴趣，你是来寻找鸡的吗？”
    “不，”小王子说，“我是来找朋友的。什么叫‘驯服’呢？”
    “这是常常被忽略的事情，”狐狸说，“它的意思就是‘建立联系’。”
    “建立联系？”
    “一点不错，”狐狸说，“对我来说，你无非是个小男孩，就和其他千万个小男孩一样。我不需要你，你也同样不需要我。对你来说，我也不过是一只狐狸，和其他千万只狐狸一样。但是，如果你驯服了我，我们就互相不可缺少了。对我来说，你就是世界上唯一的了，我对你来说也是世界上唯一的了。”
    “我有点明白了。”小王子说，“有一朵花……我想，她把我驯服了……”
    “这是可能的。”狐狸说，“地球上什么样的事都可能看到……”
    “哦，这不是在地球上的事。”小王子说。
    狐狸感到迷惑，但却十分好奇。
    “在另一个星球上？”
    “是的。”
    “在那个星球上，有猎人吗？”
    “没有。”
    “这很有意思。那么，有鸡吗？”
    “没有。”
    “没有十全十美的。”狐狸叹息地说道。
    狐狸又把话题拉回来：
    “我的生活很单调。我捕捉鸡，而人又猎杀我。所有的鸡全都一样，所有的人也全都一样。因此，我感到有些厌烦了。但是，如果你要是驯服了我，我的生活将充满阳光。我会辨认出一种与众不同的脚步声。别人的脚步声会使我躲到地下去，而你的脚步声就会像音乐一样让我从洞里走出来。再说，你看！你看到那边的麦田吗？我不吃面包，麦子对我来说，一点用也没有。麦田不会让我有任何感想。而这真使人扫兴。但是，你有金黄色的头发。那么，一旦你驯服了我，这就会十分美妙。麦子是金黄色的，它就会使我想起你。到时，我甚至会喜欢那风吹麦浪的声音……”
    狐狸久久地看着小王子。
    “请你驯服我吧！”他说。
    “我是很愿意的。”小王子回答道，“可我的时间不多了。我还要去寻找朋友，还有许多事物要了解。”
    “只有被驯服了的事物，才会被了解。”狐狸说，“人再也不会花时间去了解任何东西的。他们总是到商店那里去购买现成的东西。因为世界上还没有购买朋友的商店，所以人也就没有朋友。如果你想要一个朋友，那就驯服我吧！”
    “那么我应当做些什么呢？”小王子说。
    “首先要耐心。”狐狸回答道，“开始你就这样坐在离我稍微远些的草丛中。我用眼角偷偷看着你，你什么也不要说。语言是误会的根源。但是，每天，你要坐得靠我更近些……”
    第二天，小王子又来了。
    “最好是在相同的那个时间来。”狐狸说，“比如说，你下午四点钟来，那么从三点钟起，我就开始感到幸福。时间越临近，我就越感到幸福。到了四点钟的时候，我就会坐立不安；我应该向你展示我有多么开心。但是，如果你随便什么时候来，我就不知道在什么时候该准备好我的心情……应当有一定的仪式。”
    “仪式是什么？”小王子问道。
    “这也是一种常常被忽略的事。”狐狸说，“它就是使某一天与其他日子不同，使某一时刻与其他时刻不同。比如说，那些猎人就有一种仪式。他们每星期四都和村子里的姑娘们跳舞。于是，星期四就是一个美好的日子！我可以一直散步到葡萄园去。如果猎人们不在固定的时间跳舞，天天又全都一样，那么我也就没有假日了。”
    就这样，小王子驯服了狐狸，可是转眼就要分离。
    “啊！”狐狸说，“我一定会哭的。”
    “这是你的过错，”小王子说，“我本来并不想带给你任何痛苦，可你却要我驯服你……”
    “是的，就是这样的。”狐狸说。
    “你还要哭啊！”小王子说。
    “当然。”狐狸说。
    “可是你什么好处也没得到。”
    “由于麦子的颜色，我得到了好处。”狐狸说。
    然后，他又接着说：
    “再去看看那些玫瑰花吧。你一定会明白，你的那朵是世界上独一无二的玫瑰。你回来和我告别时，我再赠送给你一个秘密。”
    于是小王子又去看那些玫瑰。
    “你们一点也不像我的那朵玫瑰，你们现在什么都不是呢！”小王子对她们说，“没有人驯服过你们，你们也没有驯服过任何人。你们就像我的狐狸过去那样，他那时只是和千万只别的狐狸一样的一只狐狸。但是，我和他成了朋友，于是他现在就是世界上独一无二的了。”
    这时，那些玫瑰花显得十分难堪。
    “你们很美，但你们是空虚的。”小王子仍然在对她们说，“没有人能为你们去死。当然，我的那朵玫瑰花，一个普通的过路人以为她和你们一样。可是，她比你们全部加起来更重要，因为她是我浇灌的，因为她是我放在花罩中的。因为她是我用屏风保护起来的，因为她身上的毛虫（除了留下两三只为了变蝴蝶而外）是我除灭的，因为我倾听过她的怨艾和自诩，甚至有时我聆听着她的沉默，因为她是我的玫瑰。”
    他又回到了狐狸身边。
    “再见了。”小王子说道。
    “再见。”狐狸说，“喏，这就是我的秘密。很简单：只有用心才能看得清。重要的东西，用眼睛是看不见的。”
    “重要的东西，用眼睛是看不见的。”小王子重复着这句话，以便能把它记在心间。
    “正因为你为你的玫瑰花费了时间，这才使你的玫瑰变得如此重要。”
    “正因为我为我的玫瑰花费了时间……”小王子又重复着，要使自己记住这些。
    “人们已经忘记了这个道理，”狐狸说，“可是，你不应该忘记它。你现在要对你驯服过的一切负责到底。你要对你的玫瑰负责……”
    “我要对我的玫瑰负责……”小王子又重复着……
    Chapter 21
    It was then that the fox appeared.
    &quot;Good morning,&quot; said the fox.
    &quot;Good morning,&quot; the little prince responded politely, although when he turned around he saw nothing.
    &quot;I am right here,&quot; the voice said, &quot;under the apple tree.&quot;&quot;Who are you&quot; asked the little prince, and added, &quot;You are very pretty to look at.&quot;&quot;I am a fox,&quot; said the fox.
    &quot;Come and play with me,&quot; proposed the little prince. &quot;I am so unhappy.&quot;&quot;I cannot play with you,&quot; the fox said. &quot;I am not tamed.&quot;&quot;Ah! Please excuse me,&quot; said the little prince.
    But, after some thought, he added: &quot;What does that mean— ‘tame'&quot;&quot;You do not live here,&quot; said the fox. &quot;What is it that you are looking for&quot;&quot;I am looking for men,&quot; said the little prince. &quot;What does that mean— ‘tame'&quot;&quot;Men,&quot; said the fox. &quot;They have guns, and they hunt. It is very disturbing. They also raise chickens. These are their only interests. Are you looking for chickens&quot;&quot;No,&quot; said the little prince. &quot;I am looking for friends. What does that mean— ‘tame'&quot;&quot;It is an act too often neglected,&quot; said the fox. It means to establish ties.&quot;&quot;To establish ties&quot;
    &quot;Just that,&quot; said the fox. &quot;To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world...&quot;&quot;I am beginning to understand,&quot; said the little prince. &quot;There is a flower... I think that she has tamed me...&quot;&quot;It is possible,&quot; said the fox. &quot;On the Earth one sees all sorts of things.&quot;&quot;Oh, but this is not on the Earth!&quot; said the little prince.
    The fox seemed perplexed, and very curious.
    &quot;On another planet&quot;
    &quot;Yes.&quot;
    &quot;Are there hunters on this planet&quot;&quot;No.&quot;
    &quot;Ah, that is interesting! Are there chickens&quot;&quot;No.&quot;
    &quot;Nothing is perfect,&quot; sighed the fox.
    But he came back to his idea.
    &quot;My life is very monotonous,&quot; the fox said. &quot;I hunt chickens; men hunt me. All the chickens are just alike, and all the men are just alike. And, in consequence, I am a little bored. But if you tame me, it will be as if the sun came to shine on my life. I shall know the sound of a step that will be different from all the others. Other steps send me hurrying back underneath the ground. Yours will call me, like music, out of my burrow. And then look: you see the grain-fields down yonder I do not ea t bread. Wheat is of no use to me. The wheat fields have nothing to say to me. And that is sad. But you have hair that is the colour of gold. Think how wonderful that will be when you have tamed me! The grain, which is also golden, will bring me back the thought of you. And I shall love to listen to the wind in the wheat...&quot;The fox gazed at the little prince, for a long time.
    &quot;Please— tame me!&quot; he said.
    &quot;I want to, very much,&quot; the little prince replied. &quot;But I have not much time. I have friends to discover, and a great many things to understand.&quot;&quot;One only understands the things that one tames,&quot; said the fox. &quot;Men have no more time to understand anything. They buy things all ready made at the shops. But there is no shop anywhere where one can buy friendship, and so men have no friends any more. If you want a friend, tame me...&quot;&quot;What must I do, to tame you&quot; asked the little prince.
    &quot;You must be very patient,&quot; replied the fox. &quot;First you will sit down at a little distance from me— like that— in the grass. I shall look at you out of the corner of my eye, and you will say nothing. Words are the source of misunderstandings. But you will sit a little closer to me, every day...&quot;The next day the little prince came back.
    &quot;It would have been better to come back at the same hour,&quot; said the fox. &quot;If, for example, you come at four o'clock in the afternoon, then at three o'clock I shall begin to be happy. I shall feel happier and happier as the hour advances. At four o'clock, I shall already be worrying and jumping about. I shall show you how happy I am! But if you come at just any time, I shall never know at what hour my heart is to be ready to greet you... One must observe the proper rites...&quot;&quot;What is a rite&quot; asked the little prince.
    &quot;Those also are actions too often neglected,&quot; said the fox. &quot;They are what make one day different from other days, one hour from other hours. There is a rite, for example, among my hunters. Every Thursday they dance with the village girls. So Thursday is a wonderful day for me! I can take a walk as far as the vineyards. But if the hunters danced at just any time, every day would be like every other day, and I should never have any vacation at all.&quot;So the little prince tamed the fox. And when the hour of his departure drew near— &quot;Ah,&quot; said the fox, &quot;I shall cry.&quot;&quot;It is your own fault,&quot; said the little prince. &quot;I never wished you any sort of harm; but you wanted me to tame you...&quot;&quot;Yes, that is so,&quot; said the fox.
    &quot;But now you are going to cry!&quot; said the little prince.
    &quot;Yes, that is so,&quot; said the fox.
    &quot;Then it has done you no good at all!&quot;&quot;It has done me good,&quot; said the fox, &quot;because of the color of the wheat fields.&quot; And then he added:&quot;Go and look again at the roses. You will understand now that yours is unique in all the world. Then come back to say goodbye to me, and I will make you a present of a secret.&quot;The little prince went away, to look again at the roses.
    &quot;You are not at all like my rose,&quot; he said. &quot;As yet you are nothing. No one has tamed you, and you have tamed no one. You are like my fox when I first knew him. He was only a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But I have made him my friend, and now he is unique in all the world.&quot;And the roses were very much embarrassed.
    &quot;You are beautiful, but you are empty,&quot; he went on. &quot;One could not die for you. To be sure, an ordinary passerby would think that my rose looked just like you— the rose that belongs to me. But in herself alone she is more important than all the hundreds of you other roses: because it is she that I have watered; because it is she that I have put under the glass globe; because it is she that I have sheltered behind the screen; because it is for her that I have killed the caterpillars (except the two or three that we saved to become butterflies); because it is she that I have listened to, when she grumbled, or boasted, or even sometimes when she said nothing. Because she is my rose.
    And he went back to meet the fox.
    &quot;Goodbye,&quot; he said.
    &quot;Goodbye,&quot; said the fox. &quot;And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.&quot;&quot;What is essential is invisible to the eye,&quot; the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.
    &quot;It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.&quot;&quot;It is the time I have wasted for my rose—&quot; said the little prince, so that he would be sure to remember.
    &quot;Men have forgotten this truth,&quot; said the fox. &quot;But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose...&quot;&quot;I am responsible for my rose,&quot; the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember. 

第二十二章
    “你好。”小王子说。
    “你好。”扳道工说。
    “你在这里做什么？”小王子问。
    “我在分流旅客，按每千人为单位。”扳道工说，“我调配这些运载旅客的列车，一会儿发往右方，一会儿发往左方。”
    这时，一列灯火明亮的快车雷鸣般地响着，沿着扳道工的小屋飞驰而过，小屋被震得颤颤悠悠。
    “他们真匆忙呀，”小王子说，“他们要寻找什么？”
    “就连开火车的人自己也不知道。”扳道工说道。
    这时，第二列灯火通明的快车又朝着相反的方向轰隆轰隆地开过去。
    “他们又回来了吗？”小王子问道。
    “他们不是原来那些人了。”扳道工说，“这是一次对开列车。”
    “他们不满意他们原来所在的地方吗？”
    “人们是从来也不会满意自己所在的地方的。”扳道工说。
    此时，第三列灯火明亮的快车又隆隆而过。
    “他们是在追随第一批旅客吗？”小王子问道。
    “他们什么也不追随。”扳道工说，“他们在里面睡觉，或是在打哈欠。只有孩子们把鼻子贴在玻璃窗上往外看。”
    “只有孩子知道他们自己在寻找什么。”小王子说，“他们为一个破布娃娃花费不少时间，这个布娃娃就成了很重要的东西，如果有人夺走他们的布娃娃，他们就哭泣……”
    “他们真幸运。”扳道工说。
    Chapter 22
    &quot;Good morning,&quot; said the little prince.
    &quot;Good morning,&quot; said the railway switchman.
    &quot;What do you do here&quot; the little prince asked.
    &quot;I sort out travelers, in bundles of a thousand,&quot; said the switchman. &quot;I send off the trains that carry them; now to the right, now to the left.&quot;And a brilliantly lighted express train shook the switchman's cabin as it rushed by with a roar like thunder.
    &quot;They are in a great hurry,&quot; said the little prince. &quot;What are they looking for&quot;&quot;Not even the locomotive engineer knows that,&quot; said the switchman.
    And a second brilliantly lighted express thundered by, in the opposite direction.
    &quot;Are they coming back already&quot; demanded the little prince.
    &quot;These are not the same ones,&quot; said the switchman. &quot;It is an exchange.&quot;&quot;Were they not satisfied where they were&quot; asked the little prince.
    &quot;No one is ever satisfied where he is,&quot; said the switchman.
    And they heard the roaring thunder of a third brilliantly lighted express.
    &quot;Are they pursuing the first travelers&quot; demanded the little prince.
    &quot;They are pursuing nothing at all,&quot; said the switchman. &quot;They are asleep in there, or if they are not asleep they are yawning. Only the children are flattening their noses against the windowpanes.&quot;&quot;Only the children know what they are looking for,&quot; said the little prince. &quot;They waste their time over a rag doll and it becomes very important to them; and if anybody takes it away from them, they cry...&quot;&quot;They are lucky,&quot; the switchman said. 

第二十三章
    “你好。”小王子说。
    “你好。”小商贩说道。
    这个小商贩在销售一种专门用来抑制口渴的小药丸，每周吞服一丸就不会感觉口渴。
    “你为什么卖这玩意儿？”小王子说。
    “因为这可以大大地节约时间。”小商贩说，“专家们计算过，用这些药丸，每周可以节约五十三分钟。”
    “那么，用这五十三分钟做什么用？”
    “随便怎么用都行。”
    小王子自言自语地说：“我如果有五十三分钟可支配，我就悠闲地向水泉走去……”
    Chapter 23
    &quot;Good morning,&quot; said the little prince.
    &quot;Good morning,&quot; said the merchant.
    This was a merchant who sold pills that had been invented to quench thirst. You need only swallow one pill a week, and you would feel no need of anything to drink.
    &quot;Why are you selling those&quot; asked the little prince.
    &quot;Because they save a tremendous amount of time,&quot; said the merchant. &quot;Computations have been made by experts. With these pills, you save fifty-three minutes in every week.&quot;&quot;And what do I do with those fifty-three minutes&quot;&quot;Anything you like...&quot;
    &quot;As for me,&quot; said the little prince to himself, &quot;if I had fifty-three minutes to spend as I liked, I should walk at my leisure toward a spring of fresh water.&quot; 

第二十四章
    现在是我在沙漠上发生事故的第八天。就在我听着有关这个小商贩的故事时，我喝完了备用的最后一滴水。
    “啊！”我对小王子说，“你回忆的这些故事真吸引人。可是，我还没有修好我的飞机。我没有水了，假如我能悠闲地走到水泉边，我一定也会很高兴的！”
    小王子对我说：“我的朋友狐狸……”
    “我的小家伙，现在还说什么狐狸！”
    “为什么不？”
    “因为我就要渴死了。”
    他不理解我的思路，他说：
    “即使快要死了，有过一个朋友也好啊！我就为我有过一个狐狸朋友而感到很高兴……”
    “他绝不可能意识到这样的危险。”我自己思量着，“他不知道饥渴。只要有点阳光，他就满足了……”
    他镇定地看着我，明白了我的想法：“我也渴了……我们去找一口井吧……”
    我无可奈何：在茫茫的大沙漠上盲目地去找水井，真是一件荒唐事。然而我们还是出发了。
    我们默默地走了好几个小时以后，天黑了下来，星星开始发出光亮。由于口渴，我有点发热，我看着这些星星，像在梦中一样。小王子最后说的话，又回到我的脑海中。
    “你也渴了，对吗？”我问他。
    他却不回答我的问题，只是对我说：“水对心也是有益处的……”
    我不懂他的话是什么意思，可我也不做声……我非常清楚反复盘问他是不可能的。
    他累了，他坐下来。我在他身旁坐下。沉默了一会儿，他又说道：“星星是很美的，因为有一朵人们看不到的花……”
    我回答道：“是的。”然后我就不再多说什么，只是默默地看着月光下沙漠的起伏的波浪。
    “沙漠真漂亮。”小王子又说道。
    确实如此。我一直很喜欢沙漠，坐在一个沙丘上，什么也看不见、听不见。但是，却有一种说不出的东西在默默地放着光……
    “使沙漠变得美丽的，就是在某个角落里，藏着一口井……”
    我很惊讶，突然明白了沙漠的神秘之光是什么。当我还是一个小孩子的时候，我住在一座古老的房子里，据说这个房子里埋藏着一个宝贝。当然，从来没有任何人能发现这个宝贝，可能，甚至也没有人去寻找过。但是，这个宝贝使整个房子增添了某种神秘。我家的房子在它的心灵深处隐藏着一个秘密……我对小王子说道：“是的，无论是房子、星星或是沙漠，因为某种神秘使它们更美丽！”
    “我真高兴，你和我的狐狸的看法一样。”小王子说。
    小王子睡觉了，我就把他抱在怀里，又重新上路了。我很感动，就好像抱着一个脆弱的宝贝。在地球上没有比这更脆弱的了。我借着月光，看着他苍白的面额，这双紧闭的眼睛，这随风飘动的卷发，这时我对自己说道：“我所看到的仅仅是外表。最重要的是看不见的……”
    看到他稍稍张开嘴唇露出一丝微笑，我在心里说：“在这个熟睡了的小王子身上，打动我的，是他对他那朵花的忠诚，是在他心中闪烁的那朵玫瑰花的形象。这朵玫瑰花，即使在小王子睡着了的时候，也像一盏灯的火焰一样在他身上闪耀着光辉……”这时，我就感觉到他更加脆弱。我觉得我需要去保护他，哪怕他是一点风就可以吹灭的火焰……就这样走着，我在黎明时发现了水井。
    Chapter 24
    It was now the eighth day since I had had my accident in the desert, and I had listened to the story of the merchant as I was drinking the last drop of my water supply.
    &quot;Ah,&quot; I said to the little prince, &quot;these memories of yours are very charming; but I have not yet succeeded in repairing my plane; I have nothing more to drink; and I, too, should be very happy if I could walk at my leisure toward a spring of fresh water!&quot;&quot;My friend the fox—&quot; the little prince said to me.
    &quot;My dear little man, this is no longer a matter that has anything to do with the fox!&quot;&quot;Why not&quot;
    &quot;Because I am about to die of thirst...&quot;He did not follow my reasoning, and he answered me:&quot;It is a good thing to have had a friend, even if one is about to die. I, for instance, am very glad to have had a fox as a friend...&quot;&quot;He has no way of guessing the danger,&quot; I said to myself. &quot;He has never been either hungry or thirsty. A little sunshine is all he needs...&quot;But he looked at me steadily, and replied to my thought:&quot;I am thirsty, too. Let us look for a well...&quot;I made a gesture of weariness. It is absurd to look for a well, at random, in the immensity of the desert. But nevertheless we started walking.
    When we had trudged along for several hours, in silence, the darkness fell, and the stars began to come out. Thirst had made me a little feverish, and I looked at them as if I were in a dream. The little prince’s last words came reeling back into my memory:&quot;Then you are thirsty, too&quot; I demanded.
    But he did not reply to my question. He merely said to me:&quot;Water may also be good for the heart...&quot;I did not understand this answer, but I said nothing. I knew very well that it was impossible to cross-examine him.
    He was tired. He sat down. I sat down beside him. And, after a little silence, he spoke again:&quot;The stars are beautiful, because of a flower that cannot be seen.&quot;I replied, &quot;Yes, that is so.&quot; And, without saying anything more, I looked across the ridges of sand that were stretched out before us in the moonlight.
    &quot;The desert is beautiful,&quot; the little prince added.
    And that was true. I have always loved the desert. One sits down on a desert sand dune, sees nothing, hears nothing. Yet through the silence something throbs, and gleams...
    &quot;What makes the desert beautiful,&quot; said the little prince, &quot;is that somewhere it hides a well...&quot;I was astonished by a sudden understanding of that mysterious radiation of the sands. When I was a little boy I lived in an old house, and legend told us that a treasure was buried there. To be sure, no one had ever known how to find it; perhaps no one had ever even looked for it. But it cast an enchantment over that house. My home was hiding a secret in the depths of its heart...
    &quot;Yes,&quot; I said to the little prince. &quot;The house, the stars, the desert— what gives them their beauty is something that is invisible!&quot;&quot;I am glad,&quot; he said, &quot;that you agree with my fox.&quot;As the little prince dropped off to sleep, I took him in my arms and set out walking once more. I felt deeply moved, and stirred. It seemed to me that I was carrying a very fragile treasure. It seemed to me, even, that there was nothing more fragile on all Earth. In the moonlight I looked at his pale forehead, his closed eyes, his locks of hair that trembled in the wind, and I said to myself: &quot;What I see here is nothing but a shell. What is most important is invisible...&quot;As his lips opened slightly with the suspicious of a half-smile, I said to myself, again: &quot;What moves me so deeply, about this little prince who is sleeping here, is his loyalty to a flower— the image of a rose that shines through his whole being like the flame of a lamp, even when he is asleep...&quot; And I felt him to be more fragile still. I felt the need of protecting him, as if he himself were a flame that might be extinguished by a little puff of wind...
    And, as I walked on so, I found the well, at daybreak. 

第二十五章
    “人们乘坐列车出发，但是他们却不知道要寻找什么。于是，他们就焦躁地向前冲，来回转圈子……”小王子说道。
    他接着又说：
    “这没有必要……”
    我们找到的这口井，和撒哈拉的那些井不一样。撒哈拉的井只是沙漠中挖的洞。这口井很像村子中的井。可是，那里又没有任何村庄，我想我一定是在梦中。
    “好奇怪啊，”我对小王子说，“一切都是现成的：辘轳、水桶、绳子……”
    他笑了，拿起绳子，转动着辘轳。辘轳像是一个长期被风遗忘的旧风向标一样，吱吱作响。
    “你听，”小王子说，“我们唤醒了这口井，它现在唱起歌来了……”
    我不想他累到。
    “让我来干吧。”我对他说，“这活对你太重了。”
    我慢慢地把水桶提到井口上。把它稳稳地放好。因为找到这口井，我既高兴又疲惫。我的耳朵里还响着辘轳的歌声。我看见太阳的影子在晃荡的水面上跳动。
    “我很想喝这水。”小王子说，“给我喝点……”
    这时我才明白了他一直寻找的是什么！
    我把水桶提到他的嘴边。他闭着眼睛喝口水。就像过节一般愉快甜蜜。这水确实不同于一般补给品，它是我们披星戴月走了许多路才找到的，是在辘轳的歌声中，经过我双手的努力得来的。它像是一件礼品慰藉着我的心灵。在我小的时候，圣诞树的灯光，午夜里弥撒的音乐，甜蜜的微笑，这一切都使我圣诞节时收到的礼品辉映着幸福的光彩。
    “这里的人会在同一个花园中种五千朵玫瑰。”小王子说，“可是，他们却不能找到自己想要的东西……”
    “他们是找不到的。”我回答道。
    “然而，他们要找的东西，也许就在一朵玫瑰花或一点儿水中……”
    “是的。”我回答道。
    小王子又加了一句：
    “眼睛是什么也看不见的，应该用心去寻找。”
    我喝了水。我惬意地呼吸着空气。沙漠在晨曦中泛出蜂蜜的光泽。这蜂蜜般的光泽也使我感到幸福。那么，是什么给我这些悲伤的感觉呢？
    小王子又重新在我的身边坐下。他轻轻地对我说：“你必须信守承诺。”
    “什么承诺？”
    “你知道……给我的小绵羊一个嘴套子……我要对我的花负责的呀！”
    我从口袋中拿出我的画稿。小王子看见了那些草图，笑着说：“你画的猴面包树有点像卷心菜……”
    “哦！”
    我还为我画的猴面包树而感到骄傲呢！
    “你画的狐狸……它那双耳朵……有点像羊犄角……而且又太长了！”
    这时，他又笑了。
    “小家伙，你太不公正了。我过去只会画开着肚皮和闭着肚皮的巨蟒。”
    “哦，这样也可以了。”他说，“孩子们认得出来。”
    我就用铅笔勾画了一个嘴套。当我把它递给小王子时，我心里很难受：“你的打算，我一点也不知道……”
    但是，他不回答我，他对我说：
    “你知道吗，我落在地球上的时间……到明天就一周年了……”
    接着，沉默了一会儿，他又说道：“我就落在这附近……”
    他的面颊绯红。
    再一次，我不知为什么，又感到一阵莫名其妙的悲伤。这时，我想到了一个问题：“一星期以前，我认识你的那天早上，你单独一个人在这旷无人烟的地方走着，这么说，这并不是偶然的了？你是要回到你降落的地方去是吗？”
    小王子的脸又红了。
    我犹豫不定地又说了一句：
    “可能是因为周年到了吧？……”
    小王子脸又红了。他从来也不回答这些问题，但是，脸红就等于说“是的”，是吧？
    “啊！”我对他说，“我有点怕……”
    但他却打断了我：
    “你现在该做事了。你应该回到你的飞机那里去。我在这里等你。你明天晚上再来……”
    我很担心。我想起了狐狸的话。如果被人驯服了，就可能会要哭的……
    Chapter 25
    &quot;Men,&quot; said the little prince, &quot;set out on their way in express trains, but they do not know what they are looking for. Then they rush about, and get excited, and turn round and round...&quot;And he added:
    &quot;It is not worth the trouble...&quot;The well that we had come to was not like the wells of the Sahara. The wells of the Sahara are mere holes dug in the sand. This one was like a well in a village. But there was no village here, and I thought I must be dreaming...
    &quot;It is strange,&quot; I said to the little prince. &quot;Everything is ready for use: the pulley, the bucket, the rope...&quot;He laughed, touched the rope, and set the pulley to working. And the pulley moaned, like an old weathervane which the wind has long since forgotten.
    &quot;Do you hear&quot; said the little prince. &quot;We have wakened the well, and it is singing...&quot;I did not want him to tire himself with the rope.
    &quot;Leave it to me,&quot; I said. &quot;It is too heavy for you.&quot;I hoisted the bucket slowly to the edge of the well and set it there— happy, tired as I was, over my achievement. The song of the pulley was still in my ears, and I could see the sunlight shimmer in the still trembling water.
    &quot;I am thirsty for this water,&quot; said the little prince. &quot;Give me some of it to drink...&quot;And I understood what he had been looking for.
    I raised the bucket to his lips. He drank, his eyes closed. It was as sweet as some special festival treat. This water was indeed a different thing from ordinary nourishment. Its sweetness was born of the walk under the stars, the song of the pulley, the effort of my arms. It was good for the heart, like a present. When I was a little boy, the lights of the Christmas tree, the music of the Midnight Mass, the tenderness of smiling faces, used to make up, so, the radiance of the gifts I received.
    &quot;The men where you live,&quot; said the little prince, &quot;raise five thousand roses in the same garden— and they do not find in it what they are looking for.&quot;&quot;They do not find it,&quot; I replied.
    &quot;And yet what they are looking for could be found in one single rose, or in a little water.&quot;&quot;Yes, that is true,&quot; I said.
    And the little prince added:
    &quot;But the eyes are blind. One must look with the heart...&quot;I had drunk the water. I breathed easily. At sunrise the sand is the color of honey. And that honey color was making me happy, too. What brought me, then, this sense of grief &quot;You must keep your promise,&quot; said the little prince, softly, as he sat down beside me once more.
    &quot;What promise&quot;
    &quot;You know— a muzzle for my sheep... I am responsible for this flower...&quot;I took my rough drafts of drawings out of my pocket. The little prince looked them over, and laughed as he said:&quot;Your baobabs— they look a little like cabbages.&quot;&quot;Oh!&quot;
    I had been so proud of my baobabs!
    &quot;Your fox— his ears look a little like horns; and they are too long.&quot;And he laughed again.
    &quot;You are not fair, little prince,&quot; I said. &quot;I don’t know how to draw anything except boa constrictors from the outside and boa constrictors from the inside.&quot;&quot;Oh, that will be all right,&quot; he said, &quot;children understand.&quot;So then I made a pencil sketch of a muzzle. And as I gave it to him my heart was torn.
    &quot;You have plans that I do not know about,&quot; I said.
    But he did not answer me. He said to me, instead:&quot;You know— my descent to the earth... Tomorrow will be its anniversary.&quot;Then, after a silence, he went on:&quot;I came down very near here.&quot;And he flushed.
    And once again, without understanding why, I had a queer sense of sorrow.
    One question, however, occurred to me:&quot;Then it was not by chance that on the morning when I first met you— a week ago— you were strolling along like that, all alone, a thousand miles from any inhabited region You were on the your back to the place where you landed&quot;The little prince flushed again.
    And I added, with some hesitancy:&quot;Perhaps it was because of the anniversary&quot;The little prince flushed once more. He never answered questions— but when one flushes does that not mean &quot;Yes&quot;&quot;Ah,&quot; I said to him, &quot;I am a little frightened—&quot;But he interrupted me.
    &quot;Now you must work. You must return to your engine. I will be waiting for you here. Come back tomorrow evening...&quot;But I was not reassured. I remembered the fox. One runs the risk of weeping a little, if one lets himself be tamed... 

第二十六章
    在水井旁边，有一面倾塌残缺的石墙。第二天晚上，我做完事情回来的时候，远远地看到小王子轻轻晃着双腿坐在墙上。我听见他说：“你怎么不记得了呢？”他说，“绝不是在这儿啊！”
    大概还有另一个声音在回答他，因为他又说：“没错，没错，日子是对的，但地点不是这里……”
    我继续朝石墙走去。我还是看不到人，也听不见任何声音。可是小王子又回答道：“当然。到时你会看到我在沙地上留的脚印。你在那里等着我就行了。今天晚上我会过去的。”
    我离墙约有二十米远，可我依然什么也没有看见。
    小王子沉默了一会儿又说：
    “你的毒液管用吗？你保证不会让我痛苦很长时间吗？”
    我停下脚步，心已碎，但我仍然不明白是怎么回事。
    “现在你去吧，我要从墙上下来了！”小王子说。
    于是，我也朝墙脚下看去，一下子就被吓到了。就在那里，有一条黄蛇正仰头冲着小王子。这种黄蛇半分钟就能结果人的性命。我一面赶紧掏口袋，拔出手枪，同时后退一步准备跑过去。可是一听到我发出的声音，蛇却像落地的水柱一样，慢慢钻进沙里去。它不慌不忙地在石头的缝隙中钻动着，发出轻轻的金属般的响声，从容地消失在石头之间。
    我飞快到达墙边，正好用怀抱接住我的这位小王子。他的脸色雪一样苍白。
    “怎么回事？你竟然和蛇也说起话来了！”
    我解开他一直戴着的金黄色的围脖，用水浸湿他的太阳穴，让他喝了点水。此时，我什么也不敢再问他。他严肃地凝视着我，双手搂着我的脖子。我感到他的心就像一只被枪弹击中而濒于死亡的鸟一样在跳动着。他说：“我很高兴，你终于修好了飞机。你不久就可以回家去了……”
    “你怎么知道的？”
    我正是来告诉他，在没有任何希望的情况下，我成功地完成了修理工作。
    他没有回答我的问题，接着说：
    “我也一样，今天，要回家去了……”
    然后，他忧伤地说：
    “我回家要远得多……要难得多……”
    我清楚地感到发生了某种不寻常的事。我把他当作小孩一样紧紧抱在怀里，仿佛他径直地向着一个无底深渊坠下去，我想要拉住他，却什么也做不了……他的眼神很严肃，望着遥远的地方。
    “我有你画的绵羊、羊的箱子和羊的嘴套子……”
    他带着忧伤的神情微笑了。
    我等了很长时间，才觉得他身子渐渐恢复过来。
    “小家伙，你受惊了……”
    他害怕了，这是无疑的！他却轻轻地笑着说：“今天晚上，我会更加害怕的……”
    再一次，我因为感到一些不可挽回的事情而后背发凉。这时我才明白：一想到再也不能听到这笑声，我就不能忍受。这笑声对我来说，就好像是沙漠中的甘泉一样。
    “小家伙，我还想再听听你笑……”
    但他对我说：
    “今天夜里，正好是一年了。我的星球今晚会出现在我去年降落的那个地方的上空……”
    “小家伙，这蛇的事、约会的事，还有星星，这全是一场噩梦吧？”
    但他并不回答我的问题。他对我说：“重要的事，是看不见的……”
    “是的，我懂……”
    “就像那一朵花。如果你爱上了一朵生长在某颗星星上的花，每当你看着夜空就感到甜蜜愉快，仿佛所有的星星上都开着花。”
    “是的，我懂……”
    “这也就像水一样，由于那辘轳和绳子，你给我喝的水好像音乐一样美妙……你记得吗？这水非常好喝……”
    “是的，我懂……”
    “夜晚，你可以抬头看看星星。我的那颗太小了，我无法给你指出我的那颗星星是在哪里。这样倒更好。我的那颗星星就在这些星星之中。那么，所有的星星，你都会喜欢看的……这些星星都将成为你的朋友。而且，我还要给你一件礼物……”
    他又笑了。
    “啊！小家伙，小家伙，我喜欢听你这笑声！”
    “这正好是我给你的礼物，这就好像水那样。”
    “你到底想说什么？”
    “所有的人都拥有星星。对旅行的人来说，星星是向导。对有的人来说，星星只是些小亮光。对学者来说，星星就是他们探讨的课题。对我遇见的那个商人来说，星星是财富。但对这些人来说，所有这些星星都不会说话。只有你的那些星星将是任何人都不曾有过的……”
    “你到底想说什么？”
    “夜晚，当你望着天空的时候，既然我就住在其中一颗星星上，既然我在其中一颗星星上笑着，那么对你来说，就好像所有的星星都在笑，那么你将拥有的星星就是会笑的星星！”
    这时，他又笑了。
    “那么，在你的悲伤得到慰藉时（时间会抚平一些伤痛），你就会因为认识我而感到满足。你将永远是我的朋友。你会同我一起笑。有时，你会为了那样的快乐而不知不觉地打开窗户。你的朋友们会奇怪地看着你傻笑着仰望天空。那时，你就可以对他们说：‘是的，星星总是让我发笑！’他们会以为你发疯了。这将是一个我在你身上玩的非常蹩脚的把戏……”
    这时，他又笑了。
    “这就好像我已经给你一大堆会笑出声来的小铃铛，而不是星星……”
    他又笑了。随后他变得严肃起来：“今天夜里……你知道……不要来了。”
    “我不会离开你的。”
    “到时，我会看起来很痛苦……有点像正在死去。就是这么回事，你就别来看这些了，没有必要。”
    “我不会离开你的。”
    他担心起来。
    “我叫你别来……这也是因为蛇的缘故。别让它咬了你……蛇是有剧毒的，这条蛇可能会咬你来取乐……”
    “我不会离开你的。”
    他似乎想到了什么，有点放心了：“对了，它咬第二口的时候就没有毒了……”
    那天晚上，我没有看到他起程。他悄悄地离开了。当我终于赶上他的时候，他正坚定地快步走着。他只是对我说：“啊，你来了……”
    他拉着我的手。但是他仍然很担心：“你不该来。你会难受的。到时我会像是死去一样，但这不会是真的……”
    我无法开口。
    “你明白，路很远。我不能带着这副身躯走。它太重了。”
    我依然不语。
    “但是，这就好像剥落的旧树皮一样。旧的树皮，并没有什么可悲的。”
    我还是沉默不语。
    他有些泄气了，但仍试着再次劝说我：“一切都会好起来，你知道。我也会看着星星的。所有的星星都将是带有生了锈的辘轳的井。所有的星星都会倒水给我喝……”
    我还是沉默不语。
    “那多么好玩啊！你将有五亿个铃铛，我将有五亿口水井……”
    这时，他什么也不说了，因为他哭了。
    “就这儿吧。让我自己走吧。”
    他坐下来，因为他害怕了。他说：“你知道……我的花……我是要对她负责的！她是那么弱小！她是那么天真。她有四根微不足道的刺，保护自己，抵抗这个世界……”
    我也坐了下来，因为我再也站立不住了。他说道：“就是现在……就这样了。”
    他犹豫了一下，然后站起来。他迈出了最后一步。我一动都不能动。
    当时一道黄色的闪电在他的脚踝子骨附近闪过。刹那间他一动也不动了。他没有叫喊，轻轻地像一棵树被砍倒在地上，连一点响声都没有，大概由于沙地的缘故吧。
    Chapter 26
    Beside the well there was the ruin of an old stone wall. When I came back from my work, the next evening, I saw from some distance away my little price sitting on top of a wall, with his feet dangling. And I heard him say:&quot;Then you don’t remember. This is not the exact spot.&quot;Another voice must have answered him, for he replied to it:&quot;Yes, yes! It is the right day, but this is not the place.&quot;I continued my walk toward the wall. At no time did I see or hear anyone. The little prince, however, replied once again:&quot;—Exactly. You will see where my track begins, in the sand. You have nothing to do but wait for me there. I shall be there tonight.&quot;I was only twenty metres from the wall, and I still saw nothing.
    After a silence the little prince spoke again:&quot;You have good poison You are sure that it will not make me suffer too long&quot;I stopped in my tracks, my heart torn asunder; but still I did not understand.
    &quot;Now go away,&quot; said the little prince. &quot;I want to get down from the wall.&quot;I dropped my eyes, then, to the foot of the wall— and I leaped into the air. There before me, facing the little prince, was one of those yellow snakes that take just thirty seconds to bring your life to an end. Even as I was digging into my pocked to get out my revolver I made a running step back. But, at the noise I made, the snake let himself flow easily across the sand like the dying spray of a fountain, and, in no apparent hurry, disappeared, with a light metallic sound, among the stones.
    I reached the wall just in time to catch my little man in my arms; his face was white as snow.
    &quot;What does this mean&quot; I demanded. &quot;Why are you talking with snakes&quot;I had loosened the golden muffler that he always wore. I had moistened his temples, and had given him some water to drink. And now I did not dare ask him any more questions. He looked at me very gravely, and put his arms around my neck. I felt his heart beating like the heart of a dying bird, shot with someone’s rifle...
    &quot;I am glad that you have found what was the matter with your engine,&quot; he said. &quot;Now you can go back home—&quot;&quot;How do you know about that&quot;
    I was just coming to tell him that my work had been successful, beyond anything that I had dared to hope. He made no answer to my question, but he added:&quot;I, too, am going back home today...&quot;Then, sadly—
    &quot;It is much farther... it is much more difficult...&quot;I realised clearly that something extraordinary was happening. I was holding him close in my arms as if he were a little child; and yet it seemed to me that he was rushing headlong toward an abyss from which I could do nothing to restrain him...
    His look was very serious, like some one lost far away.
    &quot;I have your sheep. And I have the sheep’s box. And I have the muzzle...&quot; And he gave me a sad smile.
    I waited a long time. I could see that he was reviving little by little.
    &quot;Dear little man,&quot; I said to him, &quot;you are afraid...&quot;He was afraid, there was no doubt about that. But he laughed lightly.
    &quot;I shall be much more afraid this evening...&quot;Once again I felt myself frozen by the sense of something irreparable. And I knew that I could not bear the thought of never hearing that laughter any more. For me, it was like a spring of fresh water in the desert.
    &quot;Little man,&quot; I said, &quot;I want to hear you laugh again.&quot;But he said to me:
    &quot;Tonight, it will be a year... my star, then, can be found right above the place where I came to the Earth, a year ago...&quot;&quot;Little man,&quot; I said, &quot;tell me that it is only a bad dream— this affair of the snake, and the meeting-place, and the star...&quot;But he did not answer my plea. He said to me, instead: &quot;The thing that is important is the thing that is not seen...&quot;&quot;Yes, I know...&quot;
    &quot;It is just as it is with the flower. If you love a flower that lives on a star, it is sweet to look at the sky at night. All the stars are a-bloom with flowers...&quot;&quot;Yes, I know...&quot;
    &quot;It is just as it is with the water. Because of the pulley, and the rope, what you gave me to drink was like music. You remember— how good it was.&quot;&quot;Yes, I know...&quot;
    &quot;And at night you will look up at the stars. Where I live everything is so small that I cannot show you where my star is to be found. It is better, like that. My star will just be one of the stars, for you. And so you will love to watch all the stars in the heavens... they will all be your friends. And, besides, I am going to make you a present...&quot;He laughed again.
    &quot;Ah, little prince, dear little prince! I love to hear that laughter!&quot;&quot;That is my present. Just that. It will be as it was when we drank the water...&quot;&quot;What are you trying to say&quot;
    &quot;All men have the stars,&quot; he answered, &quot;but they are not the same things for different people. For some, who are travelers, the stars are guides. For others they are no more than little lights in the sky. For others, who are scholars, they are problems . For my businessman they were wealth. But all these stars are silent. You— you alone— will have the stars as no one else has them—&quot;&quot;What are you trying to say&quot;
    &quot;In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night... you— only you— will have stars that can laugh!&quot;And he laughed again.
    &quot;And when your sorrow is comforted (time soothes all sorrows) you will be content that you have known me. You will always be my friend. You will want to laugh with me. And you will sometimes open your window, so, for that pleasure... and your friends w ill be properly astonished to see you laughing as you look up at the sky! Then you will say to them, ‘Yes, the stars always make me laugh!‘ And they will think you are crazy. It will be a very shabby trick that I shall have played on you...&quot;And he laughed again.
    &quot;It will be as if, in place of the stars, I had given you a great number of little bells that knew how to laugh...&quot;And he laughed again. Then he quickly became serious:&quot;Tonight— you know... do not come,&quot; said the little prince.
    &quot;I shall not leave you,&quot; I said.
    &quot;I shall look as if I were suffering. I shall look a little as if I were dying. It is like that. Do not come to see that. It is not worth the trouble...&quot;&quot;I shall not leave you.&quot;
    But he was worried.
    &quot;I tell you— it is also because of the snake. He must not bite you. Snakes— they are malicious creatures. This one might bite you just for fun...&quot;&quot;I shall not leave you.&quot;
    But a thought came to reassure him:&quot;It is true that they have no more poison for a second bite.&quot;That night I did not see him set out on his way. He got away from me without making a sound. When I succeeded in catching up with him he was walking along with a quick and resolute step. He said to me merely:&quot;Ah! You are there...&quot;
    And he took me by the hand. But he was still worrying.
    &quot;It was wrong of you to come. You will suffer. I shall look as if I were dead; and that will not be true...&quot;I said nothing.
    &quot;You understand... it is too far. I cannot carry this body with me. It is too heavy.&quot;I said nothing.
    &quot;But it will be like an old abandoned shell. There is nothing sad about old shells...&quot;I said nothing.
    He was a little discouraged. But he made one more effort:&quot;You know, it will be very nice. I, too, shall look at the stars. All the stars will be wells with a rusty pulley. All the stars will pour out fresh water for me to drink...&quot;I said nothing.
    &quot;That will be so amusing! You will have five hundred million little bells, and I shall have five hundred million springs of fresh water...&quot;And he too said nothing more, becuase he was crying...
    &quot;Here it is. Let me go on by myself.&quot;And he sat down, because he was afraid. Then he said, again:&quot;You know— my flower... I am responsible for her. And she is so weak! She is so naive! She has four thorns, of no use at all, to protect herself against all the world...&quot;I too sat down, because I was not able to stand up any longer.
    &quot;There now— that is all...&quot;
    He still hesitated a little; then he got up. He took one step. I could not move.
    There was nothing but a flash of yellow close to his ankle. He remained motionless for an instant. He did not cry out. He fell as gently as a tree falls. There was not even any sound, because of the sand. 

第二十七章
    到现在，已经有六年过去了……
    我还从未讲过这个故事。同伴们得知我返航，都为我活着回来而高兴。我很悲伤。但是，我告诉他们：“我只是有点累。”
    现在，我得到了稍许安慰，就是说……还没有完全平静下来。我知道他已经返回了他的星球上。因为那天黎明，我没有找到他的身躯。其实他的身躯并不那么重……从此，我就喜欢在夜间倾听星星的笑声，好像是能听到五亿个铃铛的响声……有件事情很重要。我给小王子画的羊嘴套上，忘了加上皮带！他不可能把它套在羊嘴上。有时，我会想：“他的星球会发生什么事呢？大概小绵羊把花吃掉了吧……”
    每想到这时，我对自己说：“绝对不会的！小王子每天夜里都用玻璃罩子罩住他的花，而且他会把羊看管好的……”想到这种情况，我就非常高兴。天上所有的星星也都轻柔地笑着。
    有时，我也很忐忑：“人有时难免会疏忽的，有一次后果就很难预料！如果某一天晚上他忘了罩玻璃罩子，或者小绵羊夜里不声不响地跑出来……”想到这里，小铃铛都变成泪珠了！
    这真是非常神奇。对你们这些也喜欢小王子的人来说，就像我一样，无论在宇宙的什么地方，在某处我们不知道的地方，有一只我们永远也见不到的绵羊，吃掉了，或者没有吃掉一朵玫瑰，一切都会截然不同。
    望着天空，问问你们自己：绵羊究竟是吃了还是没有吃掉花？那么你们就会发现所看到的一切都变了样……任何一个大人将永远不会明白这个问题竟如此重要！
    对我来说，这是世界上最美也是最凄凉的风景。它与前面某页的插画一样。但我还是在这里重画一次，以便加深你们的记忆。就是在这里，小王子出现在地球上，后来，也正是在这里消失了的。
    请你们仔细看看这个地方，以便你们有一天去非洲沙漠上旅行的时候，能够准确地辨认出这个地方。如果你们到达这个地方，我请求你们不要匆匆而过，请你们就在那颗星星底下等一等！如果这时有个小孩子出现，他笑着，他有金黄色的头发，他拒绝回答问题，你一定会猜得出他是谁。如果这些发生了，请给我些安慰。不要让我如此悲伤：给我写封信，告诉我他回来了。
    「全文完」
    Chapter 27
    It was then that the fox appeared.
    And now six years have already gone by...
    I have never yet told this story. The companions who met me on my return were well content to see me alive. I was sad, but I told them: &quot;I am tired.&quot;Now my sorrow is comforted a little. That is to say— not entirely. But I know that he did go back to his planet, because I did not find his body at daybreak. It was not such a heavy body... and at night I love to listen to the stars. It is like five hundred million little bells...
    But there is one extraordinary thing... when I drew the muzzle for the little prince, I forgot to add the leather strap to it. He will never have been able to fasten it on his sheep. So now I keep wondering: what is happening on his planet Perhaps the sheep has eaten the flower...
    At one time I say to myself: &quot;Surely not! The little prince shuts his flower under her glass globe every night, and he watches over his sheep very carefully...&quot; Then I am happy. And there is sweetness in the laughter of all the stars.
    But at another time I say to myself: &quot;At some moment or other one is absent-minded, and that is enough! On some one evening he forgot the glass globe, or the sheep got out, without making any noise, in the night...&quot; And then the little bells are changed to tears...
    Here, then, is a great mystery. For you who also love the little prince, and for me, nothing in the universe can be the same if somewhere, we do not know where, a sheep that we never saw has— yes or no— eaten a rose...
    Look up at the sky. Ask yourselves: is it yes or no Has the sheep eaten the flower And you will see how everything changes...
    And no grown-up will ever understand that this is a matter of so much importance!
    This is, to me, the loveliest and saddest landscape in the world. It is the same as that on the preceding page, but I have drawn it again to impress it on your memory. It is here that the little prince appeared on Earth, and disappeared.
    Look at it carefully so that you will be sure to recognise it in case you travel some day to the African desert. And, if you should come upon this spot, please do not hurry on. Wait for a time, exactly under the star. Then, if a little man appears who laughs, who has golden hair and who refuses to answer questions, you will know who he is. If this should happen, please comfort me. Send me word that he has come back.