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:
在第五天——再一次，像往常一样，这要感谢那只绵羊——小王子身世的秘密向我揭示了。突然，没有任何铺垫，仿佛这个问题是他长期默默思考的结果，他问道：
"A sheep--if it eats little bushes, does it eat flowers, too?"
“绵羊——如果它吃小灌木，它也吃花吗？”
"A sheep," I answered, "eats anything it finds in its reach."
“绵羊，”我回答说，“吃它能找到的任何东西。”
"Even flowers that have thorns?"
“即使是带刺的花吗？”
"Yes, even flowers that have thorns."
“是的，即使是带刺的花。”
"Then the thorns--what use are they?"
“那么刺——它们有什么用呢？”
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.
我不知道。那一刻，我正忙着试图拧开一个卡在发动机里的螺栓。我非常担心，因为我越来越清楚，我的飞机发生故障非常严重。而且我剩下的饮用水太少了，我不得不担心最坏的情况。
"The thorns--what use are they?"
“刺——它们有什么用呢？”
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:
小王子一旦问了一个问题，就绝不会放过。至于我，我为那个螺栓感到烦恼。我随口回答了涌入我脑海的第一件事：
"The thorns are of no use at all. Flowers have thorns just for spite!"
“刺一点用处也没有。花长刺只是为了使坏！”
"Oh!"
“哦！”
There was a moment of complete silence.Then the little prince flashed back at me, with a kind of resentfulness:
有一阵完全的沉默。然后小王子带着一种怨恨的情绪反驳我：
"I don't believe you! Flowers are weak creatures. They are naïve. They reassure themselves as best they can. They believe that their thorns are terrible weapons . . ."
“我不相信你！花是很脆弱的生物。它们很天真。它们尽力安慰自己。它们相信它们的刺是可怕的武器……”
I did not answer.At that instant I was saying to myself: "If this bolt still won't turn, I am going to knock it out with the hammer."Again the little prince disturbed my thoughts:
我没有回答。那一刻，我对自己说：“如果这个螺栓还是拧不动，我就要用锤子把它敲出来。”小王子又打断了我的思绪：
"And you actually believe that the flowers--"
“而且你真的相信那些花——”
"Oh, no!""No, no, no!I don't believe anything.I answered you with the first thing that came into my head.
“哦，不！”“不，不，不！我不相信任何事。我随口回答了你。
Don't you see--I am very busy with matters of consequence!"
你没看到吗——我正忙于重要的事情！
He stared at me, thunderstruck.
他盯着我，惊呆了。
"Matters of consequence!"
“重要的事情！”
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 . . .
他看着我站在那里，手里拿着锤子，手指沾满了发动机油污，弯腰对着一个在他看来极其丑陋的东西……
"You talk just like the grown-ups!"
“你说话就像那些成年人一样！”
That made me a little ashamed.But he went on, relentlessly:
那让我感到有点惭愧。但他毫不留情地继续说道：
"You mix everything up together . . . You confuse everything . . ."
“你把一切都混在一起……你把一切都搞糊涂了……”
He was really very angry.He tossed his golden curls in the breeze.
他真的很生气。他在微风中甩动着他金色的卷发。
"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!"
“我知道一个星球，那里住着一位脸色发红的绅士。他从未闻过花的香味。他从未仰望过星星。他从未爱过任何人。他一生中除了加数字什么也没做过。而且他整天一遍又一遍地说，就像你一样：‘我正忙于重要的事情！’那使他骄傲得膨胀起来。但他不是人——他是一棵蘑菇！
"A what?"
“什么？”
"A mushroom!"
“蘑菇！”
The little prince was now white with rage.
小王子现在气得脸色发白。
"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?
“几百万年来，花一直在长刺。几百万年来，绵羊一直都在吃它们。那么，努力理解为什么花要费那么大的劲长出对它们毫无用处的刺，难道不是一件重要的事情吗？绵羊和花之间的战争不重要吗？
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!"
这难道不是比一个肥胖、红脸的绅士的算术题更重要的事情吗？而且如果我知道——我，我自己——一朵世界上独一无二的花，它只在我的星球上生长，但是一只小羊可以在某个早晨一口吃掉它，甚至都没有注意到它在做什么——哦！你认为那不重要吗？"
His face turned from white to red as he continued:
他继续说，脸从白色变成了红色：
"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!"
“如果有人爱一朵花，这朵花仅仅在数百万颗星星中的一颗上开放，那么仅仅是看看这些星星就足以让他感到快乐。他可以对自己说，‘在某个地方，我的花就在那里……’但是如果绵羊吃了这朵花，在一瞬间，他所有的星星都会黯淡下来……而你认为那不重要！"
He could not say anything more.His words were choked by sobbing.
他再说不出什么了。他的话被哽咽声打断了。
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:
夜幕降临了。我让工具从手中掉落。现在我的锤子、螺栓、口渴或死亡又算得了什么呢？在一颗星星上，一个星球上，我的星球上，地球上，有一个小王子需要安慰。我把他抱在怀里，摇晃着他。我对他说：
"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--"
“你爱的花没有危险了。我会给你画一个羊的笼头。我会给你画一个栏杆，把它放在你的花周围。我会——”
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.
我不知道该对他说些什么。我感到笨拙和迟钝。我不知道如何才能接近他，在哪里才能赶上他，再次与他手牵手。
It is such a secret place, the land of tears.
这是一个如此隐秘的地方，泪水之地。
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:
在第五天——再一次，像往常一样，这要感谢那只绵羊——小王子身世的秘密向我揭示了。突然，没有任何铺垫，仿佛这个问题是他长期默默思考的结果，他问道：
"A sheep--if it eats little bushes, does it eat flowers, too?"
“绵羊——如果它吃小灌木，它也吃花吗？”
"A sheep," I answered, "eats anything it finds in its reach."
“绵羊，”我回答说，“吃它能找到的任何东西。”
"Even flowers that have thorns?"
“即使是带刺的花吗？”
"Yes, even flowers that have thorns."
“是的，即使是带刺的花。”
"Then the thorns--what use are they?"
“那么刺——它们有什么用呢？”
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.
我不知道。那一刻，我正忙着试图拧开一个卡在发动机里的螺栓。我非常担心，因为我越来越清楚，我的飞机发生故障非常严重。而且我剩下的饮用水太少了，我不得不担心最坏的情况。
"The thorns--what use are they?"
“刺——它们有什么用呢？”
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:
小王子一旦问了一个问题，就绝不会放过。至于我，我为那个螺栓感到烦恼。我随口回答了涌入我脑海的第一件事：
"The thorns are of no use at all. Flowers have thorns just for spite!"
“刺一点用处也没有。花长刺只是为了使坏！”
"Oh!"
“哦！”
There was a moment of complete silence.Then the little prince flashed back at me, with a kind of resentfulness:
有一阵完全的沉默。然后小王子带着一种怨恨的情绪反驳我：
"I don't believe you! Flowers are weak creatures. They are naïve. They reassure themselves as best they can. They believe that their thorns are terrible weapons . . ."
“我不相信你！花是很脆弱的生物。它们很天真。它们尽力安慰自己。它们相信它们的刺是可怕的武器……”
I did not answer.At that instant I was saying to myself: "If this bolt still won't turn, I am going to knock it out with the hammer."Again the little prince disturbed my thoughts:
我没有回答。那一刻，我对自己说：“如果这个螺栓还是拧不动，我就要用锤子把它敲出来。”小王子又打断了我的思绪：
"And you actually believe that the flowers--"
“而且你真的相信那些花——”
"Oh, no!""No, no, no!I don't believe anything.I answered you with the first thing that came into my head.
“哦，不！”“不，不，不！我不相信任何事。我随口回答了你。
Don't you see--I am very busy with matters of consequence!"
你没看到吗——我正忙于重要的事情！
He stared at me, thunderstruck.
他盯着我，惊呆了。
"Matters of consequence!"
“重要的事情！”
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 . . .
他看着我站在那里，手里拿着锤子，手指沾满了发动机油污，弯腰对着一个在他看来极其丑陋的东西……
"You talk just like the grown-ups!"
“你说话就像那些成年人一样！”
That made me a little ashamed.But he went on, relentlessly:
那让我感到有点惭愧。但他毫不留情地继续说道：
"You mix everything up together . . . You confuse everything . . ."
“你把一切都混在一起……你把一切都搞糊涂了……”
He was really very angry.He tossed his golden curls in the breeze.
他真的很生气。他在微风中甩动着他金色的卷发。
"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!"
“我知道一个星球，那里住着一位脸色发红的绅士。他从未闻过花的香味。他从未仰望过星星。他从未爱过任何人。他一生中除了加数字什么也没做过。而且他整天一遍又一遍地说，就像你一样：‘我正忙于重要的事情！’那使他骄傲得膨胀起来。但他不是人——他是一棵蘑菇！
"A what?"
“什么？”
"A mushroom!"
“蘑菇！”
The little prince was now white with rage.
小王子现在气得脸色发白。
"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?
“几百万年来，花一直在长刺。几百万年来，绵羊一直都在吃它们。那么，努力理解为什么花要费那么大的劲长出对它们毫无用处的刺，难道不是一件重要的事情吗？绵羊和花之间的战争不重要吗？
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!"
这难道不是比一个肥胖、红脸的绅士的算术题更重要的事情吗？而且如果我知道——我，我自己——一朵世界上独一无二的花，它只在我的星球上生长，但是一只小羊可以在某个早晨一口吃掉它，甚至都没有注意到它在做什么——哦！你认为那不重要吗？"
His face turned from white to red as he continued:
他继续说，脸从白色变成了红色：
"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!"
“如果有人爱一朵花，这朵花仅仅在数百万颗星星中的一颗上开放，那么仅仅是看看这些星星就足以让他感到快乐。他可以对自己说，‘在某个地方，我的花就在那里……’但是如果绵羊吃了这朵花，在一瞬间，他所有的星星都会黯淡下来……而你认为那不重要！"
He could not say anything more.His words were choked by sobbing.
他再说不出什么了。他的话被哽咽声打断了。
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:
夜幕降临了。我让工具从手中掉落。现在我的锤子、螺栓、口渴或死亡又算得了什么呢？在一颗星星上，一个星球上，我的星球上，地球上，有一个小王子需要安慰。我把他抱在怀里，摇晃着他。我对他说：
"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--"
“你爱的花没有危险了。我会给你画一个羊的笼头。我会给你画一个栏杆，把它放在你的花周围。我会——”
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.
我不知道该对他说些什么。我感到笨拙和迟钝。我不知道如何才能接近他，在哪里才能赶上他，再次与他手牵手。
It is such a secret place, the land of tears.
这是一个如此隐秘的地方，泪水之地。