The Little Prince

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

《小王子》是法國作家安托萬·德·圣-?？颂K佩里于1942年寫成的著名法國兒童文學(xué)短篇小說。小說的主人公是來自外星球的小王子。小說以一位飛行員作為故事敘述者，講述了小王子從自己星球出發(fā)前往地球的過程中，所經(jīng)歷的各種歷險。作者以小王子的孩子式的眼光，透視出成人的空虛、盲目，愚妄和死板教條，用天真簡單的語言寫出了人類的孤獨寂寞。同時，也表達出作者對金錢關(guān)系的批判，對真善美的謳歌。

本文節(jié)選自《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...”

我解開了他一直帶著的金黃色的圍脖。

我用水漬濕了他的太陽穴，讓他喝了點水。

這時，我什么也不敢再問他。

他嚴(yán)肅地看著我，用雙臂摟著我的脖子。

我感到他的心就像一只被槍彈擊中而瀕于死亡的鳥的心臟一樣在跳動著。

他對我說：“我很高興，你找到了你的機器所缺少的東西。你不久就可以回家去了?！?/p>

你怎么知道的？

我正是來告訴他，在沒有任何希望的情況下，我成功地完成了修理工作。

他不回答我的問題，卻接著說道：“我今天也要回家?！?/p>

要遠(yuǎn)得多……要難得多……

我清楚地感到發(fā)生了某種不尋常的事。

我把他當(dāng)作小孩一樣緊緊抱在懷里，可是我感覺到他徑直地向著一個無底深淵沉陷下去，我想拉住他，卻怎么也辦不到……

他的眼神很嚴(yán)肅，望著遙遠(yuǎn)的地方。

“我有你畫的羊，羊的箱子和羊的嘴套子……”

他帶著憂傷的神情微笑了。我等了很長時間，才覺得他身子漸漸暖和起來。

小家伙，你受驚了……

他害怕了，這是無疑的！

他卻溫柔地笑著說：“今天晚上，我會怕得更厲害……”

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.”

我再度意識到要發(fā)生一件不可彌補的事。我覺得我的心一下子就涼了。

這時我才明白：一想到再也不能聽到這笑聲，我就不能忍受。

這笑聲對我來說，就好像是沙漠中的甘泉一樣。

小家伙，我還想聽你笑。

但他對我說：“到今天夜里，正好是一年了。我的星球?qū)⒄锰幱谖胰ツ杲德涞哪莻€地方的上空……”

“小家伙，這蛇的事，約會的事，還有星星，這全是一場噩夢吧？”我說。

但他并不回答我的問題。

他對我說：“重要的事，是看不見的……”

當(dāng)然……

這就像花一樣。

如果你愛上了一朵生長在一顆星星上的花，那么夜間，你看著天空就會感到甜蜜愉快。

所有的星星上都好像開著花。

當(dāng)然……

這也就像水一樣。

由于那轆轤和繩子的緣故，你給我喝的井水好像音樂一樣。

你記得嗎？那水非常好喝。

當(dāng)然……

夜晚，你抬頭望著星星，我的那顆太小了，我無法給你指出我的那顆星星是在哪里。

這樣倒更好。

你可以認(rèn)為我的那顆星星就在這些星星之中。

那么，所有的星星，你都會喜歡看的……這些星星都將成為你的朋友。

而且，我還要給你一件禮物……

他又笑了。

?。⌒〖一?，小家伙，我喜歡聽你這笑聲！

這正好是我給你的禮物，這就好像水那樣。

你說的是什么？

“人們眼里的星星并不都一樣?！彼卮鸬?。

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.

我不離開你。

這時，他似乎有點放心了：“對了，它咬第二口的時候就沒有毒液了?！?/p>

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，我沒有看到他起程。

他不聲不響地離開了我。

當(dāng)我終于趕上他的時候，他堅定地快步走著。

他只是對我說道：“啊，你在這兒……”

于是他拉著我的手。但是他仍然很擔(dān)心。

你不該這樣。你會難受的。

“我會像是死去的樣子，但這不會是真的……”我默默無言。

你明白，路很遠(yuǎn)。

我不能帶著這副身軀走。它太重了。

“但是，這就好像剝落的舊樹皮一樣。舊樹皮，并沒有什么可悲的?！蔽乙廊怀聊徽Z。

他有些泄氣了。但是他又振作起來：

這將是蠻好的，你知道。我也一定會看星星的。

所有的星星都將是帶有生了銹的轆轤的井。

所有的星星都會倒水給我喝……我還是沉默不語。

這將是多么好玩??！你將有五億個鈴鐺，我將有五億口水井……

這時，他也沉默了，因為他在哭。

就是這兒。讓我自個兒走吧。

他這時坐下來，因為他害怕了。

他卻仍然說道：你知道……我的花……我是要對她負(fù)責(zé)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，保護自己，抵抗外敵……

我也坐了下來，因為我再也站不住了。他說道：

就是這些……全都說啦

他猶豫了一下，然后站起來。

他邁出了一步。而我卻動彈不得。

在他的腳踝附近，一道黃光閃了一下。

剎那間他一動也不動了。

他沒有叫喊。

他輕輕地像一棵樹一樣倒在地上，大概由于沙地的緣故，連一點響聲都沒有。