小王子第4章

I had thus learned a second fact of great importance:
我还了解到另一件重要的事，

this was that the planet the little prince came from was scarcely any larger than a house!
就是他老家所在的那个星球比一座房子大不了多少。

But that did not really surprise me much.
这倒并没有使我感到太奇怪。

I knew very well that in addition to the great planets–such as the Earth, Jupiter, Mars, Venus–to which we have given names,
我知道除地球、木星、火星、金星这几个有名称的大行星以外，

there are also hundreds of others, some of which are so small that,one has a hard time seeing them through the telescope.
还有成百个别的星球，它们有的小得很，就是用望远镜也很难看见。

When an astronomer discovers one of these he does not give it a name, but only a number.
当一个天文学者发现了其中一个星星，他就给它编上一个号码。

He might call it, for example, "Asteroid 325."
例如把它称作“325小行星”。

I have serious reason to believe that the planet from which the little prince came is the asteroid known as B-612.
我有重要的根据认为小王子所来自的那个星球是小行星B612。

This asteroid has only once been seen through the telescope. That was by a Turkish astronomer, in 1909.
这颗小行星仅仅在1909年被一个土耳其天文学家用望远镜看见过一次。

On making his discovery, the astronomer had presented it to the International Astronomical Congress, in a great demonstration.
当时他曾经在一次国际天文学家代表大会上对他的发现作了重要的论证。

But he was in Turkish costume, and so nobody would believe what he said.
但由于他所穿衣服的缘故，那时没有人相信他。

Grown-ups are like that
那些大人们就是这样。

Fortunately, however, for the reputation of Asteroid B-612,
幸好，土耳其的一个独裁者，为了小行星B612的声誉，

a Turkish dictator made a law that his subjects, under pain of death, should change to European costume.
迫使他的人民都要穿欧式服装，否则就处以死刑。

So in 1920 the astronomer gave his demonstration all over again, dressed with impressive style and elegance.
1920年，这位天文学家穿了一身非常漂亮的服装，重新作了一次论证。

And this time everybody accepted his report.
这一次所有的人都同意他的看法。

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.
我给你们讲关于小行星B612的这些细节，并且告诉你们它的编号，这是由于这些大人的缘故。

When you tell them that you have made a new friend, they never ask you any questions about essential matters.
当你对大人们讲起你的一个新朋友时，他们从来不向你提出实质性的问题。

They never say to you, "What does his voice sound like?"
他们从来不讲：“他说话声音如何啊？”

What games does he love best? Does he collect butterflies?
他喜爱什么样的游戏啊？他是否收集蝴蝶标本呀？

Instead, they demand: "How old is he? How many brothers has he?"
他们却问你：“他多大年纪呀？弟兄几个呀？”

How much does he weigh? How much money does his father make?
体重多少呀？他父亲挣多少钱呀？

Only from these figures do they think they have learned anything about him.
他们以为这样才算了解朋友。

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,"
如果你对大人们说：“我看到一幢用玫瑰色的砖盖成的漂亮的房子，它的窗户上有天竺葵，屋顶上还有鸽子…”

they would not be able to get any idea of that house at all.
他们怎么也想象不出这种房子有多么好。

You would have to say to them: "I saw a house that cost $20,000."
必须对他们说：“我看见了一幢价值十万法郎的房子。”

Then they would exclaim: "Oh, what a pretty house that is!"
那么他们就惊叫道：“多么漂亮的房子啊！”

Just so, you might say to them: "The proof that the little prince existed is that he was charming."
要是你对他们说：“小王子存在的证据就是他非常漂亮。

that he laughed, and that he was looking for a sheep.
他笑着，想要一只羊。

If anybody wants a sheep, that is a proof that he exists.
他想要一只小羊，这就证明他的存在。

And what good would it do to tell them that?
告诉他们,将会带来什么好处呢?

They would shrug their shoulders, and treat you like a child.
他们一定会耸耸肩膀，把你当作孩子看待！

But if you said to them: "The planet he came from is Asteroid B-612,"
但是，如果你对他们说：“小王子来自的星球就是小行星B612”，

then they would be convinced, and leave you in peace from their questions.
那么他们就十分信服，他们就不会提出一大堆问题来和你纠缠。

They are like that.
他们就是这样的。

One must not hold it against them.
不要介怀。

Children should always show great forbearance toward grown-up people.
小孩子们对大人们应该宽厚些，不要埋怨他们。

But certainly, for us who understand life, figures are a matter of indifference.
当然，对我们懂得生活的人来说，我们才不在乎那些编号呢！

I should have liked to begin this story in the fashion of the fairy-tales.
我真愿意象讲神话那样来开始这个故事。

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..."
我真想这样说：“从前呀，有一个小王子，他住在一个和他身体差不多大的星球上，他希望有一个朋友…”

To those who understand life, that would have given a much greater air of truth to my story.
对懂得生活的人来说，这样说就显得真实。

For I do not want any one to read my book carelessly.
我可不喜欢人们轻率地读我的书。

I have suffered too much grief in setting down these memories.
我在讲述这些往事时心情是很难过的。

Six years have already passed since my friend went away from me, with his sheep.
我的朋友带着他的小羊已经离去六年了。

If I try to describe him here, it is to make sure that I shall not forget him.
我之所以在这里尽力把他描写出来，就是为了不要忘记他。

To forget a friend is sad.
忘记一个朋友，这太叫人悲伤了。

Not every one has had a friend.
并不是所有的人都有过一个朋友。

And if I forget him, I may become like the grown-ups who are no longer interested in anything but figures...
再说，我也可能变成那些大人那样，只对数字感兴趣。

It is for that purpose, again, that I have bought a box of paints and some pencils.
也正是为了这个缘故，我买了一盒颜料和一些铅笔。

It is hard to take up drawing again at my age,
像我这样年纪的人，

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.
而且除了六岁时画过闭着肚皮的和开着肚皮的巨蟒外，别的什么也没有尝试过，现在，重新再来画画，真费劲啊！

I shall certainly try to make my portraits as true to life as possible.
当然，我一定要把这些画尽量地画得逼真，

But I am not at all sure of success.
但我自己也没有把握。

One drawing goes along all right, and another has no resemblance to its subject.
一张画得还可以，另一张就不象了。

I make some errors, too, in the little prince's height: in one place he is too tall and in another too short.
还有身材大小，我画得有点不准确。在这个地方小王子画得太大了些，另一个地方又画得太小了些。

And I feel some doubts about the color of his costume.
对他衣服的颜色我也拿不准。

So I fumble along as best I can, now good, now bad, and I hope generally fair-to-middling.
于是我就摸索着这么试试那么改改，画个大概齐。

In certain more important details I shall make mistakes, also.
我很可能在某些重要的细节上画错了。

But that is something that will not be my fault.
这就得请大家原谅我了。

My friend never explained anything to me.
因为我的这个朋友，从来也不加说明解释。

He thought, perhaps, that I was like himself.
他认为我同他一样。

But I, alas, do not know how to see sheep through the walls of boxes.
可是，很遗憾，我却不能透过盒子看见小羊。

Perhaps I am a little like the grown-ups.
我大概有点和大人们差不多。

I have had to grow old.
我一定是变老了。