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!
我还弄清了另一件重要的事情：小王子所在的星球几乎就一座房子那样大。
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, "Asteroid 325."
但这并没有让我觉得有多惊讶。我知道，除了地球、木星、火星和金星等几个众所周知的大行星之外，宇宙中星河浩瀚，有些小行星犹如沧海一粟，难以被望远镜观察到。当某位天文学家捕捉到其中的一颗时，并不会直接为其命名，而只是给定一个编号，例如“325小行星”。
小王子的星球
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.
我有极大的理由相信，小王子来自“B-612”这颗曾名噪一时的行星。这个星球仅在1909年被一位土耳其天文学家通过望远镜观察到过一次。
天文学家观测星球
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…
为了证明他的发现，这位天文学家出席了国际天文大会，并进行重大的示范说明。但由于他的本土着装问题，根本没人听信他的言论。
大人们始终如此以貌取人。
着装怪异的天文学家
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.
所幸的是，为了让B-612小行星为世人所知，当时的土耳其独裁统治者便立法强制他的臣民必须穿戴欧式服装，否则按死刑论处。在1920年，这位天文学家又重新作出他的论证，而此次他穿着得体，举止典雅，于是他的说法得到了所有人的认同。
西装革领的天文学家
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, "What does his voice sound like? What games does he love best? Does he collect butterflies?" Instead, they demand: "How old is he? How many brothers has he? How much does he weigh? How much money does his father make?" Only from these figures do they think they have learned anything about him.
我之所以给大家讲述这么多关于行星和给它们编号的细节，其实这也要怪大人们和他们的所作所为。当你对大人们提及你的新朋友，他们坚决不会问你一些实质性的问题，比如“他的声音听起来怎样？他最喜欢什么样的游戏？他的爱好是收集蝴蝶标本吗？”。取而代之的是，他们总问：“他年纪多大？兄弟几人？体重多少？他的父亲收入如何？”。是吧，他们以为只有通过这些数字才能真正了解对方。
If you were to say to the grown-ups: "I saw a beautiful house made of rosy brick, with geraniums in the windows and doves on the roof," they would not be able to get any idea of that house at all. You would have to say to them: "I saw a house that cost $20,000." Then they would exclaim: "Oh, what a pretty house that is!"
如果你对大人们说：“我看见一幢玫瑰色的漂亮大房子，窗边缠绕着天竺葵，屋顶还栖息着鸽子……”，他们根本就无法想象出房子的美丽。而当你对他们说：“我看到的房子价值十万法郎”，这时，他们就会惊叹道：“哇！那得是多漂亮的房子呀！”
Just so, you might say to them: "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." 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: "The planet he came from is Asteroid B-612," then they would be convinced, and leave you in peace from their questions.
正因为如此，你如果跟他们说：“小王子存在的证明是他长得英俊迷人，十分爱笑，想要找一只小羊。在我看来，有人想要一只小羊，这就足以证明他的存在。”听完这些之后，他们会耸耸肩，将你当作小孩子看待。但如果你换另一种说法：“小王子来自B-612小行星！”，他们就会信服，之后也不会提出一大堆烦人的问题。
They are like that. One must not hold it against them. Children should always show great forbearance toward grown-up people.
他们就是这样，喜欢打破沙锅问到底，容不得别人对他们有所违逆！所以小孩子应该在大人面前表现出极大的宽容。
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: "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…"
毫无疑问，倘若我们懂得生活的意义，这些数字就实在无关痛痒。我更愿意将情节像讲述童话故事那样展开：“很久很久以前，一位小王子住在一个比他身体大不了多少的星球上，而他想要一只小羊……”
To those who understand life, that would have given a much greater air of truth to my story.
对于懂得生活的人们而言，这样的叙述让故事显得更加生动形象。
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…
我可不希望人们轻率地阅读我的书，毕竟我是怀着沉痛的心情在讲述这些往事。我的小伙伴带着他的小羊，已经离开六年有余。我之所以要在这里絮叨这些，就是为了将他永远记在心上。知音少，弦断有谁听？并非所有人都能遇上知己。何况，我若将他遗忘，或许我也会变得和那些大人们一样，除了一些数字以外，对其他事毫无兴致。
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 little 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.
正因为如此，我特地买了一盒颜料和几根铅笔，在我这个年纪重拾画笔并非易事，何况除了六岁那年的两张关于蟒蛇吞象的外观图和透视图，我可再没有其他作品。我会尽量将这些肖像刻画得传神些，不过实在没有太大的把握。第一幅画还蛮像样，另一幅就实在不敢恭维。在小王子的体型方面我总拿捏不到位，不是这个太高，就是那个太低，还有他的衣服颜色方面似乎也有所欠缺。所以只能尽我所能，笨手笨脚地独自摸索，水准时好时坏，希望能勉强过关吧。
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 the walls of boxes. Perhaps I am a little like the grown-ups. I have had to grow old.
倘若我在某些重要的细节上犯了错误，敬请谅解。我的朋友实在寡言少语，从不作解释。呵，他应该觉得我和他是同道中人吧。遗憾的是，我无法透过盒子的表面看到里面的羊。或许我已经变得和那些大人们有些相像，毕竟我不再年轻了。
网友评论