The Little Prince

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

《小王子》是法国作家安托万·德·圣-埃克苏佩里于1942年写成的著名法国儿童文学短篇小说。小说的主人公是来自外星球的小王子。小说以一位飞行员作为故事叙述者，讲述了小王子从自己星球出发前往地球的过程中，所经历的各种历险。作者以小王子的孩子式的眼光，透视出成人的空虚、盲目，愚妄和死板教条，用天真简单的语言写出了人类的孤独寂寞。同时，也表达出作者对金钱关系的批判，对真善美的讴歌。

本文节选自《小王子》第十四章。

I had loosened the golden muffer 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 someones rifle.

“I am glad that you have found what was the matter with your engine，”he said.“Now you can go back home.”

How do you know about that？

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：“I， too， am going back home today.”

Then， sadly…It is much farther， it is much more diffcult...

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.

“I have your sheep. And I have the sheeps box. And I have the muzzle...”

And he gave me a sad smile. I waited a long time. I could see that he was reviving little by little.

“Dear little man，”I said to him，“you are afraid...”

He was afraid， there was no doubt about that.

But he laughed lightly.“I shall be much more afraid this evening...”

我解開了他一直带着的金黄色的围脖。

我用水渍湿了他的太阳穴，让他喝了点水。

这时，我什么也不敢再问他。

他严肃地看着我，用双臂搂着我的脖子。

我感到他的心就像一只被枪弹击中而濒于死亡的鸟的心脏一样在跳动着。

他对我说：“我很高兴，你找到了你的机器所缺少的东西。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。

他不回答我的问题，却接着说道：“我今天也要回家。”

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，可是我感觉到他径直地向着一个无底深渊沉陷下去，我想拉住他，却怎么也办不到……

他的眼神很严肃，望着遥远的地方。

“我有你画的羊，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，才觉得他身子渐渐暖和起来。

小家伙，你受惊了……

他害怕了，这是无疑的！

他却温柔地笑着说：“今天晚上，我会怕得更厉害……”

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.

“Little man，”I said，“I want to hear you laugh again.”

But he said to me：“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...”

“Little man，”I said，“tell me that it is only a bad dream， this affair of the snake， and the meeting-place， and the star...”

But he did not answer my plea.

He said to me， instead：“The thing that is important is the thing that is not seen...”

Yes， I know...

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.

Yes， I know...

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.

Yes， I know...

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...

He laughed again.

Ah， little prince， dear little prince！ I love to hear that laughter！

That is my present. Just that. It will be as it was when we drank the water...

What are you trying to say？

“All men have the stars，”he answered，“but they are not the same things for different people.”

我再度意識到要发生一件不可弥补的事。我觉得我的心一下子就凉了。

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，我还想听你笑。

但他对我说：“到今天夜里，正好是一年了。我的星球将正好处于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？”我说。

但他并不回答我的问题。

他对我说：“重要的事，是看不见的……”

当然……

这就像花一样。

如果你爱上了一朵生长在一颗星星上的花，那么夜间，你看着天空就会感到甜蜜愉快。

所有的星星上都好像开着花。

当然……

这也就像水一样。

由于那辘轳和绳子的缘故，你给我喝的井水好像音乐一样。

你记得吗？那水非常好喝。

当然……

夜晚，你抬头望着星星，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。

你可以认为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。

你说的是什么？

“人们眼里的星星并不都一样。”他回答道。

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.

我不离开你。

这时，他似乎有点放心了：“对了，它咬第二口的时候就没有毒液了。”

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：“Ah！ You are there...”

And he took me by the hand. But he was still worrying.

It was wrong of you to come. You will suffer.

“I shall look as if I were dead；and that will not be true...”I said nothing.

You understand，it is too far.

I cannot carry this body with me. It is too heavy.

I said nothing.“But it will be like an old abandoned shell. There is nothing sad about old shells...”I said nothing.

He was a little discouraged. But he made one more effort：

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... I said nothing.

That will be so amusing！ You will have five hundred million little bells， and I shall have five hundred million springs of fresh water...

And he too said nothing more， becuase he was crying.

Here it is. Let me go on by myself.

And he sat down， because he was afraid.

Then he said， again： 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...

I too sat down， because I was not able to stand up any longer.

There now...that is all...

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.

這天夜里，我没有看到他起程。

他不声不响地离开了我。

当我终于赶上他的时候，他坚定地快步走着。

他只是对我说道：“啊，你在这儿……”

于是他拉着我的手。但是他仍然很担心。

你不该这样。你会难受的。

“我会像是死去的样子，但这不会是真的……”我默默无言。

你明白，路很远。

我不能带着这副身躯走。它太重了。

“但是，这就好像剥落的旧树皮一样。旧树皮，并没有什么可悲的。”我依然沉默不语。

他有些泄气了。但是他又振作起来：

这将是蛮好的，你知道。我也一定会看星星的。

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。

这将是多么好玩啊！你将有五亿个铃铛，我将有五亿口水井……

这时，他也沉默了，因为他在哭。

就是这儿。让我自个儿走吧。

他这时坐下来，因为他害怕了。

他却仍然说道：你知道……我的花……我是要对她负责的！而她又是那么弱小！

她又是那么天真。她只有四根微不足道的刺，保护自己，抵抗外敌……

我也坐了下来，因为我再也站不住了。他说道：

就是这些……全都说啦

他犹豫了一下，然后站起来。

他迈出了一步。而我却动弹不得。

在他的脚踝附近，一道黄光闪了一下。

刹那间他一动也不动了。

他没有叫喊。

他轻轻地像一棵树一样倒在地上，大概由于沙地的缘故，连一点响声都没有。