小王子第26章上

Beside the well there was the ruin of an old stone wall. When I came back from my work, the next evening, I saw from some distance away my little price sitting on top of a wall, with his feet dangling. And I heard him say:

在这口水井的旁边，是一堵残破的旧石墙。第二天傍晚我工作回来的时候，远远的就看见了小王子耷拉着双腿坐在这堵墙上。我听见他说：

"Then you don't remember. This is not the exact spot."

“你不记得了吗？一定不是这！”

Another voice must have answered him, for he replied to it:

那个声音一定是回答了他什么？因为他回答那个声音说：

"Yes, yes! It is the right day, but this is not the place."

“是的，没错！日子是对的，但地点不是这儿......”

I continued my walk toward the wall. At no time did I see or hear anyone. The little prince, however, replied once again:

我继续朝那堵墙走去。可我还是没有看到或听见任何别的人，但小王子又回答道：

"--Exactly. You will see where my track begins, in the sand. You have nothing to do but wait for me there. I shall be there tonight."

“......当然，你可以在沙地上看到我的脚印是从哪儿开始的，你只要在那里等着我就行了，今晚我就会去那儿。”

I was only twenty metres from the wall, and I still saw nothing.

我离那堵墙只有20米了，但我还是什么都没看到。

After a silence the little prince spoke again:

沉默了片刻，小王子接着又说：

"You have good poison? You are sure that it will not make me suffer too long?"

“你的毒药厉害吗？你保证它不会让我难受太久吧？”

I stopped in my tracks, my heart torn asunder; but still I did not understand.

我停住了脚步，我的心情十分沉重，可我还没明白这是怎么回事。

"Now go away," said the little prince. "I want to get down from the wall."

“离远点，”小王子说，“我现在要下去了！”

I dropped my eyes, then, to the foot of the wall-- and I leaped into the air. There before me, facing the little prince, was one of those yellow snakes that take just thirty seconds to bring your life to an end. Even as I was digging into my pocked to get out my revolver I made a running step back. But, at the noise I made, the snake let himself flow easily across the sand like the dying spray of a fountain, and, in no apparent hurry, disappeared, with a light metallic sound, among the stones.

我朝墙根瞥了一眼我吓了一跳。那里有条黄色的蛇，正抬头对着小王子，这种蛇只要30秒就能结束人的生命，我赶紧去掏口袋里的左轮手枪，同时飞奔过去，但那条蛇一听到我发出的声响，就像干枯的水柱一样趴下身子，不慌不忙的，在沙地上滑行，从容的消失在石缝间，发出金属摩擦般的声响。

I reached the wall just in time to catch my little man in my arms; his face was white as snow.

我飞奔到墙根，正好伸手接住了小王子，他脸色苍白如雪。

"What does this mean?" I demanded. "Why are you talking with snakes?"

“这是怎么回事？你怎么跟蛇说起话了？”

I had loosened the golden muffler that he always wore. I had moistened his temples, and had given him some water to drink. And now I did not dare ask him any more questions. He looked at me very gravely, and put his arms around my neck. I felt his heart beating like the heart of a dying bird, shot with someone's rifle…

我解开他那条一直围着的那金黄色的围巾，我用水揉湿了他的太阳穴，又给他喝了点水，现在我不敢再问他任何问题了，他神情严肃地看着我，用双臂搂着我的脖子，我感他的心脏就像一只中弹后濒临死亡的小鸟的心脏一样在跳动。

"I am glad that you have found what was the matter with your engine," he said. "Now you can go back home--"

“你终于修好了你的机器，我真为你高兴。”他说，“现在你可以回家了......”

"How do you know about that?"

“你是怎么知道的？”

I was just coming to tell him that my work had been successful, beyond anything that I had dared to hope.

我本来就是来告诉他克服了种种绝望，我终于修好了我的飞机！

Hemade no answer to my question, but he added:

他没有回答我的问题，而是说：

"I,too, am going back home today…"

“我，也要在今天回家了......”

Then,sadly--

然后，他忧伤的说：

"Itis much farther… it is much more difficult…"

“我回家的路要远的多......要难得多......”

Irealised clearly that something extraordinary was happening. I was holding himclose in my arms as if he were a little child; and yet it seemed to me that hewas rushing headlong toward an abyss from which I could do nothing to restrainhim…

我清楚的意识到了，一定是发生了什么不同寻常的事。我把他紧紧的抱在怀里，就像抱着一个小孩子一样，我感到他即将径直滑向一个无底深渊，却怎么也拉不住他......

Hislook was very serious, like some one lost far away.

他神情凝重，目光失落在遥远的地方。

"Ihave your sheep. And I have the sheep's box. And I have the muzzle…"

“我有你给你绵羊。还有装羊的箱子和一个嘴套......”

Andhe gave me a sad smile.

他带着忧伤的神情对我笑了笑。

Iwaited a long time. I could see that he was reviving little by little.

等了很久。我感到他的身子渐渐恢复了活力。

"Dearlittle man," I said to him, "you are afraid…"

“我的小家伙，你害怕了吗......”

Hewas afraid, there was no doubt about that. But he laughed lightly.

毫无疑问，他的确是害怕了。但他浅浅的笑了。

"Ishall be much more afraid this evening…"

“今晚我会更害怕的......”

Onceagain I felt myself frozen by the sense of something irreparable. And I knewthat I could not bear the thought of never hearing that laughter any more. Forme, it was like a spring of fresh water in the desert.

我再次感到无力挽回的事注定要发生，顿觉浑身冰凉，一想到今后再也无法听到这样的笑声，我就痛苦的难以忍受，他的笑声对我而言就像沙漠里的一汪清泉。

"Littleman," I said, "I want to hear you laugh again."

“小家伙，”我说，“我还想听你的笑......”

Buthe said to me:

但他对我说：

"Tonight,it will be a year… my star, then, can be found right above the place where Icame to the Earth, a year ago…"

“到今晚就正好一整年了......我的星球将正好处于我降落点的正上方......”

"Littleman," I said, "tell me that it is only a bad dream-- this affair ofthe snake, and the meeting-place, and the star…"

“小家伙，告诉我这蛇的事、约会的事，还有星星......这一切都是噩梦吧？”

Buthe did not answer my plea. He said to me, instead: "The thing that isimportant is the thing that is not seen…"

他没有回答我的问题，而是对我说：“重要的事，眼睛是看不见的......”

"Yes,I know…"

“那，当然......”

"Itis just as it is with the flower. If you love a flower that lives on a star, itis sweet to look at the sky at night. All the stars are a-bloom withflowers…"

“就像那朵花，如果你爱上了一朵生长在某颗星星上的花，那么当你抬头仰望星空的时候，就会感到甜蜜，所有的星星都鲜花盛开。”

"Yes,I know…"

“那，当然......”

"Itis just as it is with the water. Because of the pulley, and the rope, what yougave me to drink was like music. You remember-- how good it was."

“就像那泉水。因为撸撸和绳子的缘故，你给我喝的水就像音乐，般妙不可言......你记得吗......那是多么甘甜。”

"Yes,I know…"

“那，当然......”

"Andat night you will look up at the stars. Where I live everything is so smallthat I cannot show you where my star is to be found. It is better, like that.My star will just be one of the stars, for you. And so you will love to watchall the stars in the heavens… they will all be your friends. And, besides, I amgoing to make you a present…"

“日后的夜晚。你抬头仰望星空吧，我住的地方一切都那么小，我没办法把我的星球指给你看，这样更好，我的星球对你来说只是繁星中的一个，这样，你就爱看天上所有的星星了......它们都会成为你的朋友。还有，我还要送你一份礼物......”

Helaughed again.

他又笑了起来。