小王子-chapter10（上）

He found himself in the neighborhood of the asteroids 325, 326, 327, 328, 329, and 330. He began, therefore, by visiting them, in order to add to his knowledge.

小王子发现在附近的宇宙中，还有 325、326、327、328、329、330 等几颗小行星。他开始访问这几颗星球，想在那里找点事干，并且学习知识。

The first of them was inhabited by a king. Clad in royal purple and ermine, he was seated upon a throne which was at the same time both simple and majestic.

第一颗星球上住着一个国王。国王穿着高贵的紫色貂皮长袍，坐在一个很简单却威严的宝座上。

"Ah! Here is a subject," exclaimed the king, when he saw the little prince coming.

当他看见小王子时，惊喜地喊了起来：“啊，来了一个臣民。”

And the little prince asked himself:

小王子思量着：

"How could he recognize me when he had never seen me before?"

“他从来也没有见过我，怎么会认识我呢？”

He did not know how the world is simplified for kings. To them, all men are subjects.

他哪里知道，在那些国王的眼里，世界是非常简单的：所有的人都是臣民。

"Approach, so that I may see you better," said the king, who felt consumingly proud of being at last a king over somebody.

国王十分骄傲，因为他终于成了某个人的国王，他对小王子说道：“靠近些，好让我好好看看你。”

The little prince looked everywhere to find a place to sit down; but the entire planet was crammed and obstructed by the king's magnificent ermine robe. So he remained standing upright, and, since he was tired, he yawned.

小王子看看四周，想找个地方坐下来，可是整个星球被国王华丽的貂皮长袍占满了。他只好站在那里，小王子太累了，便打起哈欠来。

"It is contrary to etiquette to yawn in the presence of a king," the monarch said to him. "I forbid you to do so."

国王对他说：“在一个国王面前打哈欠是有违礼仪的。我禁止你打哈欠。”

"I can't help it. I can't stop myself," replied the little prince, thoroughly embarrassed. "I have come on a long journey, and I have had no sleep…"

小王子羞愧地说道：“我实在忍不住，我长途跋涉来到这里，还没有休息呢。”

"Ah, then," the king said."I order you to yawn. It is years since I have seen anyone yawning. Yawns, to me, are objects of curiosity. Come, now! Yawn again! It is an order."

国王说：“那好吧，我命令你打哈欠。好些年来我没有看见过任何人打哈欠。对我来说，打哈欠倒是个新鲜事儿。来吧，再打个哈欠！这是命令。”

"That frightens me… I cannot, any more…" murmured the little prince, now completely abashed.

“这倒叫我有点紧张……我打不出哈欠来了……”小王子红着脸说。

"Hum! Hum!" replied the king. "Then I——I order you sometimes to yawn and sometimes to——"

“嗯！嗯！”国王回答道：“那么我……命令你时而打哈欠，时而……”

He sputtered a little, and seemed vexed.

他嘟嘟囔囔，似乎很生气。

For what the king fundamentally insisted upon was that his authority should be respected. He tolerated no disobedience. He was an absolute monarch. But, because he was a very good man, he made his orders reasonable.

因为国王最看重的就是他的权威有没有受到尊重。他不容许有任何违抗。他是一位绝对的君主。可是他又很善良，下的命令都是合情合理的。

"If I ordered a general," he would say, by way of example, "if I ordered a general to change himself into a sea bird, and if the general did not obey me, that would not be the fault of the general. It would be my fault."

他常常说：“如果我叫一位将军变成一只海鸟，而这位将军不服从我的命令，那么这就不是将军的过错，而是我的过错。”

"May I sit down?" came now a timid inquiry from the little prince.

小王子腼腆地试探道：“我可以坐下吗？”

"I order you to do so," the king answered him, and majestically gathered in a fold of his ermine mantle.

“我命令你坐下。”国王一边回答，一边庄重地把他华丽的貂皮大衣朝里拉了拉。

But the little prince was wondering… The planet was tiny. Over what could this king really rule?

可是小王子感到很奇怪。这么小的行星，国王对什么进行统治呢？

"Sire," he said to him, "I beg that you will excuse my asking you a question——"

他对国王说：“陛下……请原谅，我想问您……”

"I order you to ask me a question," the king hastened to assure him.

国王急忙抢着说道：“我命令你问我。”

"Sire——over what do you rule?"

 陛下……你统治什么呢？”

"Over everything," said the king, with magnificent simplicity.

国王非常简单明了地说：“我统治一切。”

"Over everything?"

“一切？”

The king made a gesture, which took in his planet, the other planets, and all the stars.

国王挥了挥手，示意这一切，包括他的星球，其他行星以及所有的星星。

"Over all that?" asked the little prince.

小王子说：“统治这一切？”

"Over all that," the king answered.

“统治这一切。”

For his rule was not only absolute: it was also universal.

原来他不仅是一个绝对的君主，而且是整个宇宙的君主。

"And the stars obey you?"

“那么，星星都服从您吗？”

"Certainly they do," the king said. "They obey instantly. I do not permit insubordination."

“那当然！”国王对他说，“它们立即就得服从，我是不允许无纪律的。