Chapter 09 和花儿的分离

Chapter 09

I believe that for his escape he took advantage of the migration of a flock of wild birds.

我想小王子是利用一群候鸟迁徙的机会跑出来的。

On the morning of his departure he put his planet in perfect order.

在他出发的那天早上，他把他的星球收拾得整整齐齐。

He carefully cleaned out his active volcanoes.

他小心翼翼地把它上头的活火山打扫得干干净净。

He possessed two active volcanoes; and they were very convenient for heating his breakfast in the morning.

他有两个活火山，早上热他的早点很方便。

He also had one volcano that was extinct.

他还有一座死火山。

But, as he said, "One never knows"! So he cleaned out the extinct volcano, too.

他想，谁也说不定会发生什么！所以他把它这座死火山也打扫干净了。

If they are well cleaned out, volcanoes burn slowly and steadily, without any eruptions.

如果都被打扫干净了，火山们就可以慢慢地有规律地燃烧，而不会突然爆发。

Volcanic eruptions are like fires in a chimney.

火山爆发就像烟囱里的火焰一样。

On our earth we are obviously much too small to clean out our volcanoes.

当然，在我们地球上我们人显然太小了而没法打扫火山。

That is why they bring no end of trouble upon us.

所以它们不停地给我们带来很多麻烦。

The little prince also pulled up, with a certain sense of dejection, the last little shoots of the baobabs.

小王子带着一些沮丧还把剩下的最后几颗猴面包树嫩苗全拔了。

He believed that he would never want to return.

他坚信他再也不会想回来了。

But on this last morning all these familiar tasks seemed very precious to him.

但是在最后一天的早上，所有这些习以为常的活儿使他感到特别珍贵。

And when he watered the flower for the last time, and prepared to place her under the shelter of her glass globe, he realized that he was very close to tears.

当他最后一次浇花时，准备把她放在玻璃球罩中好好珍藏起来。他发觉自己快要哭出来了。

"Goodbye,"he said to the flower. But she made no answer. "Goodbye,"he said again.

“再见了。”他对花儿说道。可是她没有回答。“再见了。”他又说了一遍。

The flower coughed. But it was not because she had a cold.

花儿咳嗽了一下。但这并不是由于她感冒了。

"I have been silly," she said to him, at last. "I ask your forgiveness. Try to be happy. . ."

她终于对他说道：“我一直都太蠢了。请你原谅我。希望你能幸福……”

He was surprised by this absence of reproaches. He stood there all bewildered, the glass globe held arrested in mid-air. He did not understand this quiet sweetness.

他对这种毫不抱怨（的话语）感到很惊讶。他不知所措地伫立在那里，将玻璃球罩举在空中。他不明白如此的温柔恬静。

"Of course I love you," the flower said to him.

“我当然是爱你的。”花儿对他说道。

"It is my fault that you have not known it all the while.

“但由于我的过错，你一点也没有发觉。

That is of no importance.

这丝毫不重要。

But you-- you have been just as foolish as I. Try to be happy. . .

不过，你也和我一样的蠢。努力让自己幸福……

Let the glass globe be. I don't want it any more".

把罩子放在一边吧，我再也不想用它了。”

"But the wind--"

“要是风……”

"My cold is not so bad as all that. . . the cool night air will do me good. I am a flower".

“我的感冒并不那么重……夜晚的凉风对我倒有好处。我是一朵花。”

"But the animals--"

“但是野兽呢？……”

"Well, I must endure the presence of two or three caterpillars if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflies.

“我要是想认识蝴蝶，就必须忍受两三只毛毛虫。

It seems that they are very beautiful.

据说这是很美的。

And if not the butterflies-- and the caterpillars-- who will call upon me?

若不是蝴蝶和毛毛虫，还有谁会来看我呢？

You will be far away. . . as for the large animals-- I am not at all afraid of any of them. I have my claws".

你就要到远处去了……至于说大动物，我并不怕，我有自己的爪子。”

And, naively, she showed her four thorns.

于是，她天真地露出她的四根刺。

Then she added: "Don't linger like this. You have decided to go away. Now go"!

随后她又说：“别磨蹭了。你既然决定离开这儿，现在就走吧！”

For she did not want him to see her crying. She was such a proud flower. . .

因为她不想让他看见她哭泣。她是一朵非常骄傲的花……