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 know 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.
当一个人想卖弄聪明时，他有时会稍微偏离事实。关于点灯人的事，我并没有完全诚实地告诉你。而且我意识到，我冒着向那些不了解我们星球的人提供错误信息的风险。人类在地球上占据着非常小的位置。如果居住在其表面的20亿居民都站立起来，并且稍微拥挤地聚集在一起，就像他们为一些大型公共集会所做的那样，他们可以很容易地被安置在一个长20英里、宽20英里的公共广场上。所有人类都可以堆积在一个小的太平洋岛屿上。
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.
当然，大人们当你告诉他们这件事时，他们不会相信你。他们认为自己占据了很大的空间。他们把自己想象得和猴面包树一样重要。
You should advise them, then, to make their own calculations.They adore figures, and that will please them.
那么，你应该建议他们自己做计算。他们喜欢数字，那会让他们高兴。
But do not waste your time on this extra task.It is unnecessary.You have, I know, confidence in me.
但是不要把时间浪费在这项额外的任务上。这是不必要的。我知道，你对我有信心。
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.
当小王子到达地球时，他非常惊讶没有看到任何人。他开始害怕他来到了错误的星球，这时，一道金色的，月光颜色的光芒划过沙子。
"Good evening," said the little prince courteously.
“晚上好，”小王子礼貌地说。
"Good evening," said the snake.
“晚上好，”蛇说。
"What planet is this on which I have come down?" asked the little prince.
“这是我降落的哪个星球？”小王子问道。
"This is the Earth; this is Africa," the snake answered.
“这是地球；这是非洲，”蛇回答。
"Ah!Then there are no people on the Earth?"
“啊！”那么地球上没有人吗？”
"This is the desert.There are no people in the desert.The Earth is large," said the snake.
“这是沙漠。沙漠里没有人。“地球很大，”蛇说。
The little prince sat down on a stone, and raised his eyes toward the sky.
小王子坐在一块石头上，抬起眼睛望着天空。
"I wonder," he said, "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!"
“我想知道，”他说，“星星是否在天堂被点亮，以便有一天我们每个人都可以再次找到自己的星星……看看我的星球。它就在我们上方。但是它离我们多么遥远啊！”
"It is beautiful," the snake said. "What has brought you here?"
“它很美丽，”蛇说。“是什么把你带到这里？”
"I have been having some trouble with a flower," said the little prince.
“我一直为一朵花而烦恼，”小王子说。
"Ah!" said the snake.
“啊！”蛇说。
And they were both silent.
他们俩都沉默了。
"Where are the men?" the little prince at last took up the conversation again."It is a little lonely in the desert . . ."
“人们在哪里？”小王子终于又开始说话了。“在沙漠里有点寂寞……”
"It is also lonely among men," the snake said.
“在人群中也很寂寞，”蛇说。
The little prince gazed at him for a long time.
小王子凝视着他看了很久。
"You are a funny animal," he said at last. "You are no thicker than a finger . . ."
“你真是一种有趣的动物，”他最后说。“你细得还不如一根手指……”
"But I am more powerful than the finger of a king," said the snake.
“但我比国王的手指更有力量，”蛇说。
The little prince smiled.
小王子笑了。
"You are not very powerful. You haven't even any feet. You cannot even travel . . ."
“你不是很强大。你甚至没有脚。你甚至不能旅行……”
"I can carry you farther than any ship could take you," said the snake.
“我能把你带到比任何船都能带你到的更远的地方，”蛇说。
He twined himself around the little prince's ankle, like a golden bracelet.
他像一个金色的手镯一样，缠绕在小王子的脚踝上。
"Whomever I touch, I send back to the earth from whence he came," the snake spoke again. "But you are innocent and true, and you come from a star . . ."
“我触摸到谁，就把谁送回他来自的土地，”蛇又说。“但你是天真而真实的，你来自一颗星星……”
The little prince made no reply.
小王子没有回答。
"You move me to pity--you are so weak on this Earth made of granite," the snake said. "I can help you, some day, if you grow too homesick for your own planet.I can--"
“你让我感到怜悯——你在这颗由花岗岩构成的地球上是如此的虚弱，”蛇说。“如果你太想念你自己的星球，我可以在某一天帮助你。我可以——”
"Oh! I understand you very well," said the little prince.
“哦！我非常理解你，”小王子说。
"But why do you always speak in riddles?"
“但是你为什么总是说谜语呢？”
"I solve them all," said the snake.
“我把它们都解开了，”蛇说。
And they were both silent.
然后他们都沉默了。
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 know 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.
当一个人想卖弄聪明时，他有时会稍微偏离事实。关于点灯人的事，我并没有完全诚实地告诉你。而且我意识到，我冒着向那些不了解我们星球的人提供错误信息的风险。人类在地球上占据着非常小的位置。如果居住在其表面的20亿居民都站立起来，并且稍微拥挤地聚集在一起，就像他们为一些大型公共集会所做的那样，他们可以很容易地被安置在一个长20英里、宽20英里的公共广场上。所有人类都可以堆积在一个小的太平洋岛屿上。
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.
当然，大人们当你告诉他们这件事时，他们不会相信你。他们认为自己占据了很大的空间。他们把自己想象得和猴面包树一样重要。
You should advise them, then, to make their own calculations.They adore figures, and that will please them.
那么，你应该建议他们自己做计算。他们喜欢数字，那会让他们高兴。
But do not waste your time on this extra task.It is unnecessary.You have, I know, confidence in me.
但是不要把时间浪费在这项额外的任务上。这是不必要的。我知道，你对我有信心。
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.
当小王子到达地球时，他非常惊讶没有看到任何人。他开始害怕他来到了错误的星球，这时，一道金色的，月光颜色的光芒划过沙子。
"Good evening," said the little prince courteously.
“晚上好，”小王子礼貌地说。
"Good evening," said the snake.
“晚上好，”蛇说。
"What planet is this on which I have come down?" asked the little prince.
“这是我降落的哪个星球？”小王子问道。
"This is the Earth; this is Africa," the snake answered.
“这是地球；这是非洲，”蛇回答。
"Ah!Then there are no people on the Earth?"
“啊！”那么地球上没有人吗？”
"This is the desert.There are no people in the desert.The Earth is large," said the snake.
“这是沙漠。沙漠里没有人。“地球很大，”蛇说。
The little prince sat down on a stone, and raised his eyes toward the sky.
小王子坐在一块石头上，抬起眼睛望着天空。
"I wonder," he said, "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!"
“我想知道，”他说，“星星是否在天堂被点亮，以便有一天我们每个人都可以再次找到自己的星星……看看我的星球。它就在我们上方。但是它离我们多么遥远啊！”
"It is beautiful," the snake said. "What has brought you here?"
“它很美丽，”蛇说。“是什么把你带到这里？”
"I have been having some trouble with a flower," said the little prince.
“我一直为一朵花而烦恼，”小王子说。
"Ah!" said the snake.
“啊！”蛇说。
And they were both silent.
他们俩都沉默了。
"Where are the men?" the little prince at last took up the conversation again."It is a little lonely in the desert . . ."
“人们在哪里？”小王子终于又开始说话了。“在沙漠里有点寂寞……”
"It is also lonely among men," the snake said.
“在人群中也很寂寞，”蛇说。
The little prince gazed at him for a long time.
小王子凝视着他看了很久。
"You are a funny animal," he said at last. "You are no thicker than a finger . . ."
“你真是一种有趣的动物，”他最后说。“你细得还不如一根手指……”
"But I am more powerful than the finger of a king," said the snake.
“但我比国王的手指更有力量，”蛇说。
The little prince smiled.
小王子笑了。
"You are not very powerful. You haven't even any feet. You cannot even travel . . ."
“你不是很强大。你甚至没有脚。你甚至不能旅行……”
"I can carry you farther than any ship could take you," said the snake.
“我能把你带到比任何船都能带你到的更远的地方，”蛇说。
He twined himself around the little prince's ankle, like a golden bracelet.
他像一个金色的手镯一样，缠绕在小王子的脚踝上。
"Whomever I touch, I send back to the earth from whence he came," the snake spoke again. "But you are innocent and true, and you come from a star . . ."
“我触摸到谁，就把谁送回他来自的土地，”蛇又说。“但你是天真而真实的，你来自一颗星星……”
The little prince made no reply.
小王子没有回答。
"You move me to pity--you are so weak on this Earth made of granite," the snake said. "I can help you, some day, if you grow too homesick for your own planet.I can--"
“你让我感到怜悯——你在这颗由花岗岩构成的地球上是如此的虚弱，”蛇说。“如果你太想念你自己的星球，我可以在某一天帮助你。我可以——”
"Oh! I understand you very well," said the little prince.
“哦！我非常理解你，”小王子说。
"But why do you always speak in riddles?"
“但是你为什么总是说谜语呢？”
"I solve them all," said the snake.
“我把它们都解开了，”蛇说。
And they were both silent.
然后他们都沉默了。